• Parable Context: The steward truly did steal from his master. Knowing he was going to lose his job, he reduced the debts that people owed his master so that they would “owe him something” after he loses his job.

• Repentance is not enough, after repentance we need to change our lives. Living lives centered on love and generous giving. 

• The things we have in this life do not belong to us. We are just the care-takers, we will be judged based on how well we manage these things that are given to us.

• Just as the people who focus on material things are very careful and calculating about taking care of their worldly goods (body/looks, money, cars, phones, etc.), the children of God must do the same with their soul so they can get to heaven.

St. Bede the Venerable introduces the parable of the dishonest steward.

• Jesus's previous three parables (the Lost Sheep, the Lost Coin, and the Prodigal Son) were about His practice of receiving sinners who repent.

• He now shifts to almsgiving and frugality, but there is a reason for this. After a person repents, the next step is to practice charity and a wise use of resources.

• It is the best order of preaching by first showing the path to repentance, then how the new life should be lived - a life of generosity.

Pseudo-Chrysostom1 introduces the parable by challenging a common human belief about wealth and possessions.

• Many people mistakenly believe they are the absolute owners of their wealth and property. This belief increases evil.

• In reality, we are merely "guests and strangers" being led along to where we don’t want to go at a time not of our own choosing. Our time on Earth and our control over our possessions are brief and temporary.

• We should put away our pride and instead “put on the humility and modesty of a steward.” Becoming a generous person, sharing instead of hoarding our riches. 

St. Bede the Venerable clarifies the role of a steward in the parable.

• A "bailiff" is a manager specifically in charge of the farm and its operations.

• A "steward" is a higher-ranking "director of the household." The responsibilities are much broader, covering "money as well as fruits, and of every thing his master possesses."

• The man in the parable was a person of great trust and authority, making his mismanagement a much more serious offense.

St. Ambrose directly states the moral lesson of the parable.

• We should not view ourselves as the "masters" of our possessions. Instead, we are all "stewards" of God's property.

• Everything we have is not truly our own but is entrusted to us to manage. Knowing this, we should be humble and responsibly use our resources.

Theophylact explains why the steward was accused.

• The steward was not using his master's wealth as he was supposed to. Instead of using it "according to our Lord's pleasure" (i.e., the master's will), he was using it to satisfy his own personal desires.

• We are guilty stewards if we misuse the resources God has given us by being selfish and not using them for His purposes.

Pseudo-Chrysostom provides a detailed commentary breaking down the parable. 

• When the Lord tells the steward to "give an account of your stewardship," this symbolizes the moment of death when God calls us to account for our lives.

• A good person, who has been a "faithful steward," is not troubled by this call, but a lazy and careless person is filled with dread.

• The steward says, "I am not strong enough to dig and I am ashamed to beg." The author sees this as a reflection of a life of sloth. A lazy person who has not practiced hard work will be unwilling to do it, and a prideful person will be too ashamed to beg for help.

• When a person realizes they are approaching death, they should start performing good deeds with their wealth. These good works "conciliate... many friends," the poor and the debtors we have helped. These friends will act as our witnesses before God, providing "a real testimony" of our good works and gaining us a "resting-place of consolation."

• The steward’s clever but dishonest plan is a lesson on almsgiving and mercy. It teaches us to use the wealth and resources we have (which are truly God's) to help others, because those good deeds are the only things that will follow us and help us on the Day of Judgment.

The Venerable Bede explains the specific debts in the parable and offers a simple, direct interpretation of their meaning.

• The first debtor owed 100 cadi (a Greek measure of about 12 gallons) of oil. The second owed 100 cori (a Hebrew measure of about 10 bushels) of wheat.

• The core lesson is simply helping the needs of a poor person by giving a portion of what they need, whether it's half or a fifth. The exact amount isn't important.

• Mercy will be blessed with the "reward of his mercy," implying that God will bless a person for their generosity.

St. Augustine interprets the specific numbers as a lesson on Christian generosity.

• Under the Old Law, Jews were required to give a tenth of their goods to the priests and Levites.

• Christians should be more generous. By reducing a debt of 100 measures to 50, he's showing a generosity that is more than a tithe, it's half. Augustine notes Zacchaeus as an example of this kind of extreme giving.

• The second example, reducing a debt of 100 measures to 80, still shows a generous act of forgiving a fifth of the debt. This still exceeds the Jewish tithe of a tenth.

St. Augustine addresses why the master would commend the "unjust steward."

• The steward is not a role model. He was still "unjust" and was rightly fired. 

• We should never be dishonest or use fraud to gain money, even if we intend to give it away to the poor.

• The steward was only praised for acting wisely. Knowing that he was about to lose everything, so he took action to secure his future

Origen tackles why the master commended the unjust steward for acting wisely.

• “Wisdom” has more than one meaning:

  1. A virtue, as in the wisdom of God who created the heavens.

  2. An evil-minded cunning, like the serpent in the garden. 

• The steward acted with the kind of wisdom that is "cunningly and evilly."

• The master may not have praised the steward, instead admiring his cleverness. 

St. Augustine uses the paradox of the parable to make a point.

• If an earthly master could praise a deceitful steward for his foresight and cleverness, then God will all the more commend those who act righteously and obey His commandments.

Origen focuses his comment on Jesus’ wording.

• The children of this world are not just wiser, but more prudent. They are more practical in their cleverness. 

• The most important phrase is "in their generation." This means the worldly are not absolutely wiser than believers. Their cleverness and effectiveness are limited to their own pursuit of earthly, temporary goals.

St. Bede the Venerable provides a simple way of understanding the terms Jesus uses.

• Children of Light: those who belong to God's kingdom and do good works.

• Children of This World: those who are focused on worldly matters and, by extension, Hell.

• Generally, a person is defined by the works they do. Just as a person can be called a "child of the kingdom," they can also be called a "child of hell."

Theophylact defines the two groups Jesus mentions and highlights a crucial difference.

• Children of this world are those who focus on earthly, material things.

  1. Worldly people are very prudent and diligent in managing their earthly affairs and planning for their physical future.

• Children of light are those who seek spiritual, divine treasures.

  1. However, many believers, when it comes to "the things of God," fail to show the same level of care and forethought for their eternal future.

Pope Gregory the Great offers a direct, practical interpretation of Jesus's command to "make friends for yourselves with dishonest wealth."

• To find a reward waiting for you after you die, you must give your wealth to the poor before you die.

• "Dishonest wealth": refers to worldly wealth, which is often used for selfish, unrighteous purposes.

St. Augustine explains what we are to do with the “dishonest wealth.”

• The idea of unrighteously taking wealth from others and giving it to the poor to gain favor with God is very wrong.

  1. Alms must be given from "righteous labors," meaning honestly earned money. 

  2. St. Augustine uses the analogy of a corrupt judge: just as you would be unhappy with a judge who takes a bribe, you cannot expect to bribe God, the "fountain of Justice," with stolen money.

• Zacchaeus is the role model. He not only gives half of his goods to the poor, but also promises to give back four times anything he’s taken unfairly from others. 

• In another interpretation all worldly goods can be called “dishonest wealth” because they are all unstable and temporary. True riches are the spiritual goods, like the unwavering faith Job had in God. 

St. Augustine offers another way to understand “dishonest wealth."

• Worldly wealth is called "dishonest" not because of its origin, but because of how the dishonest person views it.

  1. Dishonest people consider worldly wealth their true "riches," placing their hope and happiness in it.

• For the righteous, it's just a tool to be used, while their true wealth is in God.

St. Ambrose offers an additional perspective on “dishonest wealth.”

• Worldly wealth is "unrighteous" because it has the power to corrupt our hearts.

• Instead of following God, we start serving riches as if they were a new master.