Luke 16:6 - Printer Friendly

What does Luke 16:6 mean?

ESV: He said, ‘A hundred measures of oil.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.’

NIV: 'Nine hundred gallons of olive oil,' he replied. 'The manager told him, 'Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it four hundred and fifty.'

NASB: And he said, ‘A hundred jugs of oil.’ And he said to him, ‘Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.’

CSB: " 'A hundred measures of olive oil,' he said." 'Take your invoice,' he told him, 'sit down quickly, and write fifty.'

NLT: The man replied, ‘I owe him 800 gallons of olive oil.’ So the manager told him, ‘Take the bill and quickly change it to 400 gallons. ’

KJV: And he said, An hundred measures of oil. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and sit down quickly, and write fifty.

NKJV: And he said, ‘A hundred measures of oil.’ So he said to him, ‘Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.’

Verse Commentary:

The shrewd manager knows he is about to be fired. In that era, this would mean being destitute and homeless. He has been misusing his employer's property. To put himself in the good graces of his master's debtors, he produces a cunning plan (Luke 16:1–4).

A "measure" is the Jewish "bath;" scholars and archaeologists disagree considerably about its precise size. Average estimates would make each "measure" roughly 7.5 gallons, or about 30 liters. This debtor still owes hundreds of gallons of olive oil, but suddenly finds his debt reduced by half. The difference would be roughly the same value earned by a laborer in eighteen months.

How can the steward afford to make this change without being charged with theft? Scholars suggest he is either cutting the interest or the fee on the loan. In the Old Testament law charging interest was strictly forbidden when lending to another Jew (Exodus 22:25; Deuteronomy 23:19). If the master and his borrower were both Jewish, then the manager's choice to forego interest would be difficult for the master to complain about publicly. Scripture doesn't explicitly say that both parties are Jewish, but it's a reasonable assumption in Jesus' parables.

Dr. Mark Bailey of Dallas Theological Seminary gives a different option. He notes that in the New Testament era, Jewish lenders didn't charge interest but did add a "fee." In this case, that would require fees of the loan of oil to be as much as the original amount borrowed. It may have been standard operating procedures for the owner to add such a fee, steep as it may seem. In the modern world, long-term loans or those with high interest often require payments which total twice the original debt.

Another possibility is that the manager was allowed to include his own surcharge, much like tax collectors did.

Given that the manager is complimented for his craftiness, whatever he did must have been either legal or impossible to stop. If the manager forgave a fee or interest charged by the owner, he couldn't be accused of theft without the owner admitting to breaking the law of Moses—at least in spirit if not explicitly. If the manager forgave his own fee, that was equally smart: since he's about to be fired, he wouldn't be able to collect it, anyway.

Jesus uses this convoluted situation to illustrate a simple truth: unbelievers are unashamedly clever at using resources in the world, because this world holds all they can ever hope to enjoy. Believers should be equally shrewd when thinking about their place in the kingdom of God. Knowing we will receive our reward at the resurrection, we should wisely use God's resources to build our treasure in heaven (Luke 16:10–13). Also, we should make wise—yet ethical—choices about earthly wealth so we don't waste opportunities to further the kingdom of God.

Luke 16:1–8 is the parable of the dishonest manager. A wealthy man learns his money is being wasted by a hired supervisor. With no time to escape being fired, the manager calls on the owner's debtors. He tells them to decrease the amount they are expected to pay back. This favor earns the manager their approval and hopefully their help later. The owner notes that this was a clever ploy to make allies. Jesus uses this negative example to teach His followers a good lesson: to be equally sharp when interacting with the world.

Chapter Summary:

Teaching His disciples and confronting the Pharisees, Jesus offers several lessons about wealth and devotion to God. The first is a parable about a dishonest manager. This illustrates the value of being careful and clever with earthly resources. Jesus then uses remarks about the Law and marriage to introduce the story of the rich man and Lazarus. This not only highlights the dangers of greed, but it also debunks the common claim that a non-believer would submit to God if only they saw "a little more evidence" or a miracle.

Chapter Context:

The prior chapter included Jesus' teachings centered on lost things: the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the prodigal son. Luke 16 includes several of Jesus' lessons about living in the kingdom of God compared to the world system, beginning and ending with parables (Luke 16:1—17:10). Chapter 16 includes the parable of the dishonest manager, Jesus' teaching on how money reveals faith, and the story of the rich man and Lazarus. Luke 17:1–10 teaches about whether Christ-followers bear responsibility for others' sin, lessons about faith, and the parable of the unworthy servants.

Luke was a traveling companion of Paul (Acts 16:10) and a physician (Colossians 4:14). Unlike Matthew, Mark, and John, Luke writes his gospel as an historian, rather than as a first-hand eyewitness. His extensive writings also include the book of Acts (Acts 1:1–3). These are deliberately organized, carefully researched accounts of those events. The gospel of Luke focuses on the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ. Luke's Gentile perspective presents Christ as a Savior for all people, offering both forgiveness and direction to those who follow Him.

Accessed 5/3/2024 7:43:33 AM