Jesus tells of a steward accused of wasting his master’s goods and told to give an account. The lesson starts from stewardship: the earth is the Lord’s and everything in it, so all we hold is His. The steward’s sudden dismissal is compared to the day of reckoning the ungodly never expect, when a righteous Judge who is patient and kind, yet will not leave the guilty unpunished, renders to each according to his deeds.
Facing ruin, the steward reduces his master’s debts to win friends, and his master commends his shrewdness. It is a good lesson from a bad example: the sons of this world are often more shrewd than the sons of light. Haggai’s call to consider your ways and the Great Commission point to the proper use of resources. Believers are to use worldly wealth wisely for eternal ends, be faithful in little things, and remember there is only one Lord, since no one can serve God and money.