Luke 16:9

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.

Mammon of unrighteousness ... This refers to wealth and all earthly treasures; but why is it called unrighteous? It would appear that they are in error who suppose that the implication requires us to believe that wealth may not be accumulated except through dishonesty, fraud, etc.; for, while it is true that much wealth is thus acquired, there are countless instances of persons acquiring wealth innocently. But all wealth of this world is unrighteous, however acquired; and by this the wealth itself, not the possessor, is meant.

1. Wealth deceives the owner into believing that it is his.

2. It strongly tempts him to trust in riches.

3. "In making a man depend on them for happiness, riches rob him of salvation and the glory of God."[19]

4. It estranges him from earthly friends.

5. It surrounds him with false friends.

6. Wealth promises much and delivers nothing.

7. It is a constant hazard to his spirituality.

The clear meaning here is that "mammon of unrighteousness does not mean wealth unrighteously acquired, but deceitful wealth."[20]

When it shall fail ... is a reference to the ultimate failure of all worldly assets, which under no circumstances can ever continue any longer than the lifetime of the holder; and it is the end of life in view here, because of the Savior's reference to being received into eternal tabernacles.

They may receive you ... Some have viewed these "friends" as poor people helped during the life of the one received; but this is a forced view, derived from the error of making this parable primarily a teaching on the Christian's responsibility for the proper use of his wealth; but, despite the fact of such teaching being included, the parable lays special stress on making the proper spiritual preparations prerequisite to being received into heaven.

ANALOGIES IN THE PARABLE

The rich man in absentia = the heavenly Father.

The unrighteous steward = the scribes and Pharisees.

The accusations = the protestations of the prophets and last of all, of Christ.

The day of accounting = the first advent of Christ.

The lowering of the bills = the corruption of God's law by the religious leaders.

The impending eviction of the steward = the impending removal of Israel as a chosen nation.

The corruption of the debtors = the ruin of the vast majority of Israel by their leaders.

The lord's commendation = a tribute to the persistence and ability of the evil leaders.

On the last of these analogies, a further word is appropriate. The mystery of iniquity has always been an awesome wonder. When the apostle John saw the vision of the apostate church, he "wondered with a great wonder" (Revelation 17:6), the true meaning being "wondered with a great admiration."[21] It is the same wondering admiration which surfaces here. The steward's evil genius was so original, daring, and thoroughly crooked, yet serving his personal ends, that the lord in the parable, ignoring all loss to himself, commended the scoundrel. If there was ever a class of religious leaders entitled to the same kind of praise, the Pharisees and their crowd were that class. The satanic achievement of that class in engineering the rejection of the Messiah sent from God was truly a marvel of adroit cunning, deceit, and persistent energy.

Our Lord at once extended the analogies in the parable to encourage the same quality of skillful and persistent efforts on the part of all men who would attain spiritual values (though, of course, without the dishonesty and deceit).

In the comparisons pointed out by Jesus, the great lord in absentia is still the only God; every man, like the unjust steward, controls certain assets such as life, talents, and property; and like the case with the unjust steward, all must give an accounting of their use. Jesus admonished that all men, as the steward did, should use whatever is in their control now, and, unlike him, use it to receive approval from God, that is, make to themselves friends, by the wise and faithful administration of God's gifts.

Friends ... It was noted above that some have supposed these to be the recipients of the Christian's charity; but the fact of their preceding him to glory and being on hand to welcome the Christian's arrival compromises that view. As reasonable a view as any makes the friends envisaged here to be the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit and the angels of God.

[19] Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Holy Bible (New York: Carlton and Porter, 1829), Vol. V, p. 462.

[20] J. R. Dummelow, op. cit., p. 760.

[21] Nestle Greek Text, (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1959).