Church Fathers Commentary Luke 16:1-7

"And he said also unto the disciples, There was a certain rich man, who had a steward; and the same was accused unto him that he was wasting his goods. And he called him, and said unto him, What is this that I hear of thee? render the account of thy stewardship; for thou canst be no longer steward. And the steward said within himself, What shall I do, seeing that my lord taketh away the stewardship from me? I have not strength to dig; to beg I am ashamed. I am resolved what to do, that, when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses. And calling to him each one of his lord`s debtors, he said to the first, How much owest thou unto my lord? And he said, A hundred measures of oil. And he said unto him, Take thy bond, and sit down quickly and write fifty. Then said he to another, And how much owest thou? And he said, A hundred measures of wheat. He saith unto him, Take thy bond, and write fourscore." — Luke 16:1-7 (ASV)

The Venerable Bede: After rebuking with three parables those who murmured because He received penitents, our Savior shortly after adds a fourth and a fifth on almsgiving and frugality. This is because the most fitting order in preaching is for almsgiving to be added after repentance. Therefore, the text continues, And he said to his disciples, There was a certain rich man.

Pseudo-Chrysostom: There is a certain erroneous opinion, common to humanity, that increases evil and diminishes good. It is the feeling that we possess all the good things in our life as masters over them, and so we seize them as our own special property. But the opposite is true.

We are placed in this life not as masters in our own house, but as guests and strangers, led where we do not wish to go and at a time we do not expect. The one who is rich now suddenly becomes a beggar. Therefore, whoever you are, know that you are a steward of what belongs to others, and that the privileges granted to you are for a brief and temporary use. Cast away, then, the pride of power from your soul, and put on the humility and modesty of a steward.

The Venerable Bede: The bailiff is the manager of a farm and gets his name from it. The steward, however, or director of the household, is the overseer of money and produce, and of everything his master possesses.

St. Ambrose of Milan: From this, then, we learn that we are not the masters, but rather the stewards of the property of others.

Theophylact of Ohrid: Furthermore, when we do not manage our wealth according to our Lord’s will but abuse our trust for our own pleasures, we are unfaithful stewards. This is why the text says, And he was accused to him.

Pseudo-Chrysostom: Meanwhile, the steward is taken and removed from his position, for the parable continues: And he called him, and said to him, What is this that I hear of you? Give an account of your stewardship, for you can be no longer steward. Day after day, through the events that take place, our Lord cries out the same thing to us, showing us a man rejoicing in his health at midday who, before evening, is cold and lifeless, or another dying in the middle of a meal. In various ways, we all depart from our stewardship. The faithful steward, who is confident about his management, desires with Paul to depart and be with Christ. But the one whose desires are on earth is troubled at his departure. Thus, it is added of this steward: Then the steward said within himself, What shall I do? For my Lord takes away from me the stewardship. I cannot dig; to beg I am ashamed.

Weakness in action is the fault of a lazy life, for no one who was accustomed to hard work would shrink from it. But if we take the parable allegorically, after we depart from this life, there is no more time for working. The present life is for practicing what is commanded; the future is for consolation. If you have done nothing here, then it is in vain that you are anxious for the future, nor will you gain anything by begging. The foolish virgins are an example of this; they unwisely begged from the wise but returned empty. For everyone wears their daily life like an inner garment; it is impossible to take it off or exchange it with another.

But the wicked steward cleverly arranged for the forgiveness of debts to provide himself an escape from his misfortunes among his fellow servants, for it follows: I am resolved what to do, that when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses. So too, whenever a person, perceiving their end is near, lightens the load of their sins with a kind deed—either by forgiving a debtor or by giving generously to the poor—they are dispensing what belongs to their Lord. In doing so, they win for themselves many friends. These friends will offer a true testimony for them before the judge, not with words, but by the evidence of their good works; indeed, through their testimony, they will provide for them a place of rest and consolation. But nothing is our own; all things are in God’s power. Hence it follows, So he called every one of his Lord’s debtors to him, and said to the first, How much owe you to my Lord? And he said, A hundred casks of oil.

The Venerable Bede: A cadus in Greek is a vessel containing three urns. The parable continues: And he said to him, Take your bill, and sit down quickly, and write fifty, forgiving him half. It then continues: Then said he to another, And how much owe you? And he said, A hundred measures of wheat. A corus is made up of thirty bushels. And he said to him, Take your bill, and write fourscore, forgiving him a fifth part.

The simple meaning may be taken as follows: whoever relieves the needs of a poor person, whether by supplying half or a fifth of what is needed, will be blessed with the reward for their mercy.

St. Augustine of Hippo: Or, the meaning is this: because he had the debtors write down fifty out of the hundred measures of oil, and eighty out of the hundred measures of wheat, it signifies that the duties every Jew performs for the Priests and Levites should be even more present in the Church of Christ. While they give a tenth, Christians should give a half, as Zacchaeus gave from his goods, or at least exceed the payments of the Jews by giving two-tenths, that is, a fifth.