And he said also unto his disciples, There was a certain rich man, which had a steward; and the same was accused unto him that he had wasted his goods.
Jesus frequently taught using parables — short, fictional stories designed to make people think rather than just nod along — and this verse opens one of the more surprising ones. A manager, someone employed by a wealthy man to oversee his finances and property, has been accused of wasting his employer's resources and is about to be fired. Jesus told this parable specifically to his disciples, and the story goes on to show the manager acting with clever self-interest in a crisis. The surprising twist is that Jesus uses the manager's shrewdness as a positive example — not to endorse dishonesty, but to challenge his followers to be just as intentional and resourceful about eternal priorities as people in the world are about temporary ones.
Lord, I don't want to arrive at the end of something — a relationship, a season, a life — and realize I was careless with what you gave me. Open my eyes to what I've been entrusted with, and give me the wisdom and urgency to use it well, not for my own comfort but for what actually lasts. Amen.
It's a little jarring that Jesus chose a story about financial mismanagement and a man about to be fired as a teaching moment for his closest followers. But that's exactly what makes it worth sitting with. Jesus watched the world carefully. He knew how people operated when things were on the line — the creativity, the urgency, the sharp thinking that kicks in when survival is at stake. The opening line already holds a mirror up before the story even develops: someone trusted with resources has been careless with what wasn't theirs. "Wasting" can happen dramatically — one bad decision, one moral collapse — but more often it happens slowly, quietly, without a single defining moment. It looks like inattention. Like not quite getting around to the things that actually matter. The question this parable plants before it even gets going: what have you been entrusted with — not just money, but time, relationships, influence, opportunity — and what are you actually doing with it?
Why do you think Jesus chose such an unlikely character — a dishonest manager — as the centerpiece of a lesson about wise living? What does that choice tell us about how Jesus taught?
When you think about what you've been "entrusted" with in life — relationships, talents, time, money, opportunities — which of those feel most neglected or wasted right now?
The manager in the parable becomes intensely resourceful only when a crisis forces him to. Why does it often take a crisis to make people act on what really matters — and is there a way to develop that urgency without waiting for disaster?
How does the way you handle money, time, or opportunity affect the people around you — your family, your coworkers, your community?
If you had to account for the last year of your life the way this manager had to account for his employer's resources, what would you want to do differently going forward — and what's one specific change you could make this week?
Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.
James 4:3
As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another , as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.
1 Peter 4:10
And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Matthew 25:30
And the Lord said, Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his lord shall make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of meat in due season?
Luke 12:42
Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.
1 Corinthians 4:2
For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods.
Matthew 25:14
For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath.
Matthew 25:29
Masters, give unto your servants that which is just and equal; knowing that ye also have a Master in heaven.
Colossians 4:1
Now Jesus was also saying to the disciples, "There was a certain rich man who had a manager [of his estate], and accusations [against this man] were brought to him, that this man was squandering his [master's] possessions.
AMP
He also said to the disciples, “There was a rich man who had a manager, and charges were brought to him that this man was wasting his possessions.
ESV
Now He was also saying to the disciples, 'There was a rich man who had a manager, and this [manager] was reported to him as squandering his possessions.
NASB
The Parable of the Shrewd Manager Jesus told his disciples: “There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions.
NIV
He also said to His disciples: “There was a certain rich man who had a steward, and an accusation was brought to him that this man was wasting his goods.
NKJV
Jesus told this story to his disciples: “There was a certain rich man who had a manager handling his affairs. One day a report came that the manager was wasting his employer’s money.
NLT
Jesus said to his disciples, "There was once a rich man who had a manager. He got reports that the manager had been taking advantage of his position by running up huge personal expenses.
MSG