The Parable of the Shrew Manager --- Spiritual message -----when you know the Spiritual meaning Jesus is getting across it is not puzzling at all ----
Knowing the audience here is important as there were the Disciples and Pharisees listening to this Parable -----The Pharisees were lovers of money
This Parable speaks to the Sons of Light ---this Parable is about money ---Jesus speaks more on money then He does Heaven or Hell cause He knows just how easy it is to be hooked by the Spirit of Mammon ---and He knows that everything we do in this world is in the form of exchange ---
This is a Parable about just how flawed our worldly nature is ----First off you have a rich man ----this man has a business -----so here God has blessed this man with material wealth -----
So the first Lesson here is that everything the man has was given by God and nothing belongs to the rich man ---The rich man is only a Stewart of God's possessions ----and he doesn't
The Rich man hires a Manager who oversees the running of his business who he has trusted to run a Legitimate ---honest business ----so the Manager is also a Stewart of property that doesn't belong to him ---- and is incompetent
unsafe says ------So this Parable is about how we as believers who are God's People are suppose to live for the future ------
unsafe says and posted scripture --------The Story is here in these words in verse 8 and 9 ----- Amp Bible
8 And his master commended the unjust manager [not for his misdeeds, but] because he had acted shrewdly [by preparing for his future unemployment]; for the sons of this age [the non-believers] are shrewder in relation to their own kind [that is, to the ways of the secular world] than are the sons of light [the believers]. 9 And I tell you [learn from this], make friends for yourselves [
for eternity] by means of the wealth of unrighteousness [
that is, use material resources as a way to further the work of God], so that when it runs out, they will welcome you into the eternal dwellings.
unsafe says ---we are not to waste our resources that we are given by God here -----we are to use them to help bring people to Christ and Give God Glory to advance His Kingdom ----- Nothing belongs to us ----
unsafe says ------here is the thing ------The Master ---Owner -----fires the Manage then ask him to go back and give an account of what he had done -----this is not a good thing for a owner to do --it is a bad policy -----by not letting the Manage go that day he actually give the Manager time to figure out a way to do more damage and look after his own needs ---
Here is where it gest interesting ----cause the Manage who was incompetent in his position now uses his brain and prepares for the future after he is gone from the job -----he needs a place to stay ----he needs food to eat -----etc so he positions himself for the future -----He shows his pride here cause he says he can't do certain jobs ---he can't dig ---can't beg -etc ---so he uses his employees as his bait who owe money to the Masters and he uses the Masters business to accomplish his goal ---
Now this is interesting as well cause the people who the Manager offers the less Debt to never ask if the Master knows about what he is doing or why they are have to pay the lesser amount ------Why cause they don't want to know ----they are happy to be free of owing less -----they themselves show their dishonest side by not inquiring as to why and seeking to find out if it is legal to do this ------
unsafe says ---the moral here is this is how people of the world operate -------Jesus then shocks us with His statement that the Master praises the Manager for what he did -----the Master praised him caused he acted shrewdly ------which is the way the world works ---- make sure you secure your future anyway you can and the people who are part of the worldly system see shrew as being good and clever ----
So verse 8 appears to be Jesus commending the shrew Manager ------ but what is really going on here --------
Jesus is telling us that the sons of this age ---the unbelievers are shrewder in preparing for their future than
the sons of light ----
speaking here to the Pharisees who are rejecting Jesus as their future eternal source ----as they are lovers of money and power trying to look the part of being holy and upright on the outside but their hearts are far from God ------
unsafe says and posted scripture -------The Pharisees miss the point of this parable -------as verse 14 tells us -----
14 The Pharisees, who love money, heard all this and were
making sarcastic remarks about him. 15 So Jesus said to them, “You try to justify your actions in front of people. But
God knows what’s in your hearts. What is important to humans is disgusting to God.
Jesus in verse 9 --speaks to the Disciples ---who understand the teaching ------
9 Jesus continued, “I’m telling you that although wealth is often used in dishonest ways, you should use it to make friends for yourselves. When life is over, you will be welcomed into an
eternal home ---
unsafe says -----Remember Jesus is alive here so the Law is in place still ------the Disciples are under the righteousness of Jesus to do and act the right ways by obeying Him and His teachings ------The Homes here is temporal ------the Home away from here is eternal -----our goal is to make friends to save their soul for all eternity -----
Again we will leave this world with nothing just like we came into this world --------money and possessions are temporal ------