One of the stranger elements of parables is that they can seem at times to be encouraging behavior that may not be in line with the Gospel message of love and mercy. Kings are harsh; their stewards deceitful. The content is not necessarily moral as such. They are rather stories that highlights certain choices and predicaments, with the sting always in the tail. The end of today’s parable has the rich man praising his steward for his astuteness. He has managed to get himself out of a sticky situation by getting his master’s debtors on his side. What matters is his cleverness in avoiding the full consequences of his actions. Jesus does get exasperated at times by His followers and especially those who claim to be righteous. He has just told the parable of the prodigal son, a story aimed not so much at the wastrels of the world but at those like elder son who are self-righteous.
What is Jesus asking us to do? He isn’t asking us to be as deceitful as the steward, for he goes on to stay that you have to choose to be the servant either of God or of money. So what are the skills a follower of Jesus needs that display the same ability or astuteness in matters of the Gospel that unjust steward reveals in his commercial dealings? The main quality Jesus highlights, something the unjust steward is certainly not an example of, is trustworthiness. He also asks for freedom from greed and from a devotion to riches and money, again the opposite of the unjust steward. Jesus uses the example of the steward to turn upside down the world and call us to defend with the same energy and passion his new option for those who are poor. We are to use all our wit and wisdom to promote the values of the Gospel and the recognition of those who are vulnerable and weak in the eyes of the world.