another, And how
much owest thou? And he said, An hundred measures of wheat. And
he said unto him, Take thy bill, and write fourscore. And the
lord commended the unjust steward, because he had done wisely:
for the children of this world are in their generation wiser
than the children of light."

The three preceding parables show forth their lessons through the
relationship of close analogy and intimate similarities; this one
teaches rather by its contrast of situations. The steward in the story
was the duly authorized agent of his employer, holding what we would
call the power-of-attorney to act in his master's name.[968] He was
called to account because a report of his wastefulness and lack of care
had reached the master's ears. The steward did not deny his guilt, and
forthwith he received notice of dismissal. Considerable time would be
required for making up his accounts preparatory to turning the
stewardship over to his successor. This interval, during which he
remained in authority, he determined to use so far as possible to his
own advantage, even though he wrought further injustice to his master's
interests. He contemplated the condition of dependence in which he would
soon find himself. Through unthrift and extravagance he had failed to
lay by any store from his earnings; he had wasted his own and his lord's
substance. He felt that he was unfit for hard manual labor; and he would
be ashamed to beg, particularly in the community in which he had been a
lavish spender and a man of influence. With the desire to put others
under some obligation to himself so that when he was deposed he could
the more effectively appeal to them, he called his lord's debtors and
authorized them to change their bonds, bills of sale, or notes of hand,
so as to show a greatly decreased indebtedness. Without doubt these acts
were unrighteous; he defrauded his employer, and enriched the debtors
through whom he hoped to be benefited. Most of us are surprized to know
that the master, learning what his far-seeing though selfish and
dishonest steward had done, condoned the offense and actually commended
him for his foresight, "because he had done wisely" as our version
reads, or "because he had done prudently" as many scholars aver to be
the better rendering.

In pointing the moral of the parable Jesus said:[969] "For the children
of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light.
And I say unto you, Ma