Church Fathers Commentary Luke 16:8-13

"And his lord commended the unrighteous steward because he had done wisely: for the sons of this world are for their own generation wiser than the sons of the light. And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends by means of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when it shall fail, they may receive you into the eternal tabernacles. He that is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much: and he that is unrighteous in a very little is unrighteous also in much. If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true [riches]? And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another`s, who will give you that which is your own? No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon." — Luke 16:8-13 (ASV)

St. Augustine of Hippo: The steward whom his Lord cast out of his stewardship is nevertheless commended because he provided for his future. As it follows, And the Lord commended the unjust steward, because he had done wisely. We should not, however, take the entire story as a model for our imitation, for we should never act deceitfully against our Lord so that we might give alms from the fraud itself.

Origen of Alexandria: Because the Gentiles say that wisdom is a virtue—defining it as experience with what is good, evil, and indifferent, or as the knowledge of what should and should not be done—we must consider whether this word has one meaning or many. For it is said that God prepared the heavens by wisdom. It is plain, then, that this wisdom is good, because the Lord prepared the heavens by wisdom.

It is also said in Genesis, according to the Septuagint, that the serpent was the wisest of animals. In this case, wisdom is not a virtue but evil-minded cunning. It is in this sense that the Lord commended the steward for having acted wisely—that is, cunningly and wickedly.

Perhaps the word “commended” was used not in the sense of true praise, but in a lesser sense. This happens when we speak of someone being commended for trivial or morally neutral matters, or when, to a certain degree, clashes and sharpness of wit are admired because they draw out the power of the mind.

St. Augustine of Hippo: On the other hand, this parable is told so that we might understand that if the steward who acted deceitfully could be praised by his master, how much more will those please God who do their works according to His commandment.

Origen of Alexandria: The children of this world are also called not wiser, but more prudent than the children of light—and this is not an absolute or simple statement, but one that applies only “in their generation.” For the text continues, For the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light...

The Venerable Bede: The phrases “children of light” and “children of this world” are used in the same way as “children of the kingdom” and “children of hell.” For a person is called a son of the works he does.

Theophylact of Ohrid: By “the children of this world,” then, He means those who are concerned with the good things of the earth. By “the children of light,” He means those who, beholding divine love, concern themselves with spiritual treasures.

Indeed, in managing human affairs, we find that we prudently arrange our own matters and work diligently so that we may have a refuge when we depart from this life. Yet when we ought to be managing the things of God, we take no thought for what our lot will be hereafter.

St. Gregory the Great: Therefore, so that people may find something in their own hands after death, they should place their riches in the hands of the poor before they die. This is why it says, And I say to you, Make to yourselves friends of the man of unrighteousness...

St. Augustine of Hippo: What the Hebrews call “mammon” is “riches” in Latin. It is as if He said, “Make friends for yourselves with the riches of unrighteousness.” Now, some people misunderstand this. They seize the property of others, give a portion to the poor, and think they are doing what was commanded.

This interpretation must be corrected. The command is to give alms from your righteous labors, for you will not corrupt Christ, your Judge. If you were to bribe a judge with money plundered from a poor person to get a favorable ruling, the very force of justice would make you displeased with yourself, even if you won. Do not, then, imagine God to be like that. God is the fountain of Justice; therefore, do not give alms from money gained by interest and usury. I am speaking to the faithful, to whom we dispense the body of Christ.

If you possess such money, you have it from evil means. Stop being doers of evil. Zaccheus said, Half of my goods I give to the poor. See how he runs to make friends with the mammon of unrighteousness! And so as not to be held guilty on any account, he says, If I have taken anything from anyone, I restore it fourfold.

According to another interpretation, the “mammon of unrighteousness” refers to all the riches of the world, from wherever they come. For if you seek true riches, you will find them in things like those Job abounded in even when he was naked, when his heart was full toward God. Other things are called “riches of unrighteousness” because they are not true riches; they are full of poverty and always subject to chance. If they were true riches, they would give you security.

Alternatively, they are called “riches of unrighteousness” because they are riches only to the unrighteous—those who place their hope and find the fullness of their happiness in them. But when the righteous possess these things, they indeed have money, but their only true riches are heavenly and spiritual.

St. Ambrose of Milan: Or, He spoke of “unrighteous mammon” because through the various enticements of wealth, covetousness corrupts our hearts, so that we become willing to obey riches.

St. Basil the Great: Or, if you have inherited a patrimony, you have received what was amassed by the unrighteous, for among a number of predecessors, someone must surely be found who has unjustly usurped the property of others. But suppose your father was not guilty of extortion; from where did you get your money? If you answer, “From myself,” you are ignorant of God, lacking knowledge of your Creator. But if you answer, “From God,” then tell me the reason you received it. Is not the earth and the fullness thereof the Lord’s? If, then, whatever we have belongs to our common Lord, it also belongs to our fellow servants.

Theophylact of Ohrid: Therefore, the riches the Lord has given for the necessities of our brothers and fellow servants, but which we spend on ourselves, are called “the riches of unrighteousness.” It was fitting for us, from the beginning, to give everything to the poor. But since we have become stewards of unrighteousness by wickedly keeping what was intended for the help of others, we must surely not remain in this cruelty. Instead, we must distribute to the poor, so that we may be received by them into everlasting habitations. For it is written, That, when you fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations.

St. Gregory the Great: But if we obtain everlasting habitations through their friendship, we should realize that when we give, we are offering presents to patrons rather than bestowing benefits upon the needy.

St. Augustine of Hippo: For who will have everlasting habitations but the saints of God? And who are to be received by them into everlasting habitations but those who minister to their needs and gladly supply whatever they require? They are those “little ones” of Christ who have forsaken all their belongings to follow Him, and have given whatever they had to the poor. They did this so that they might serve God without earthly shackles and, freeing their shoulders from the world’s burdens, might be lifted up as if on wings.

We must not, then, understand that those by whom we wish to be received into everlasting habitations are, as it were, God's debtors. Instead, it is the just and holy who are signified here, and they are the ones who cause those to enter who ministered to their needs from their own worldly goods.

St. Ambrose of Milan: Alternatively, the command to make friends for yourselves with the mammon of unrighteousness means that by giving to the poor we may purchase the favor of the angels and all the saints.

St. John Chrysostom: Note also that He did not say, “that they may receive you into their habitations.” For they are not the ones who receive you. Therefore, when He said, Make friends for yourselves, He added, with the mammon of unrighteousness, to show that their friendship alone will not protect us unless good works accompany it—unless we righteously cast away all riches that were unrighteously amassed. The most skillful of all arts, then, is almsgiving, for it does not build us houses of mud, but stores up for us an everlasting life. Now, in every other art, one needs the support of another, but when we ought to show mercy, we need nothing but the will alone.

St. Cyril of Alexandria: In this way, then, Christ taught those who abound in riches to earnestly love the friendship of the poor and to store up treasure in heaven. But He knew the sloth of the human mind, and how those who pursue riches perform no works of charity for the needy. He shows by clear examples that such people receive no profit from spiritual gifts, adding, He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much; and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.

Our Lord then opens the eye of our heart, explaining what He had said by adding, If therefore you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? That which is “least,” then, is the unrighteous mammon—that is, earthly riches, which seem as nothing to those who are heavenly-minded. I think, then, that a person is faithful in a little when he gives aid to those who are bowed down with sorrow. If we have been unfaithful in a little thing, how shall we obtain from God the true riches—that is, the fruitful gift of divine grace, which impresses the image of God on the human soul?

That our Lord's words point to this meaning is plain from what follows, for He says, And if you have not been faithful in that which is another man’s, who shall give you that which is your own?

St. Ambrose of Milan: Riches are foreign to us because they are something beyond nature; they are not born with us, and they do not die with us. But Christ is ours, because He is the life of humanity. Lastly, He came to His own.

Theophylact of Ohrid: Thus, until now, He has taught us how faithfully we ought to manage our wealth. But because managing our wealth according to God’s will can only be achieved through an indifference of mind, one that is unaffected by riches, He adds, No man can serve two masters.

St. Ambrose of Milan: This is not because the Lord is two, but one. For although there are those who serve mammon, mammon itself has no rights of lordship; rather, the one who serves it places a yoke of servitude upon himself. There is one Lord, because there is one God. From this it is evident that the power of the Father and the Son is one, and He gives the reason, saying, For either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other.

St. Augustine of Hippo: But these things were not spoken casually or at random. For no one, when asked if he loves the devil, answers that he loves him; rather, he says that he hates him. Yet nearly everyone proclaims that they love God. Therefore, “either he will hate the one” (that is, the devil) “and love the other” (that is, God), “or he will hold to the one” (that is, the devil, when he pursues temporal wants) “and despise the other” (that is, God). This happens when people neglect God's threats in favor of their own desires, flattering themselves that because of His goodness, they will not be punished.

St. Cyril of Alexandria: The conclusion of the entire discourse is what follows: You cannot serve God and man. Let us, then, transfer all our devotion to the one God, forsaking riches.

The Venerable Bede: Let the covetous hear this: we cannot serve Christ and riches at the same time. And yet He did not say, “He who has riches,” but, “He who serves riches.” For whoever is the servant of riches watches over them like a servant, but whoever has shaken off that yoke of servitude dispenses them as a master. But whoever serves mammon truly serves the one who is set over earthly things as the reward for his iniquity and is called the prince of this world.