Dishonest Manager

In Luke chapter 16:1-13, we read about rich a man, who gives his business to appointed person, who was supposed to serve his master according to rule and regulations of business, but the dishonest manager squandered the property of rich-man wrongly for his own benefit.

He misappropriated the funds and disposed then into his account, he was greedy and not satisfied with wages he received for his labor, he was more interest to enrich himself with stolen money.

When the master of business heard about the dishonest manager, he summoned him to give account about his management, and he was terrified, knowing that he is going to be fired. He never thought his wicked acts will be discovered. Indeed, being canny dishonest manager, he looks for means to convince the master of business and to repute the accusation against him as untrue. Hence he called the master's debtors to give their accounts, in this process he gives them huge discount which they have appreciated. This is clear indication that all of them were wicked people. This criminal offer was paid to the master's debtors so that they may welcome him in their houses when he loses his job. Dishonest manager was like parasite living on funds of master, when he discovered that his master knew about his corruption scandalous, he was ashamed to face public, but because he was wise thief he tried corruption principles to divert public opinions by offering huge discount secretly. His destructive cheating action was upheld by corrupted monsters. The dishonest manger applied this principle so that people regard him as innocent person, and they will received him with warm welcome in their homes when the master dismissed him from business.

In fact lack of thoroughly investigation to this impostor, the master was satisfied by report of the dishonest manager, and unthoughtful he endorsed the report of criminal man as true one and he commended him because he had acted shrewdly. This passage could give us a clue that corrupted people could use different means to justify themselves as innocent, especially when there is no constructive investigation carried out by neutral body. People must be aware that impostors could easily reach the investigators with begs full of money to destroy the case. I think this was reason that caused Jesus to say the following statement ''make friends with dishonest wealth so that they may welcome you in their home'' (Lk.16:9). Therefore, it is advisable to entrust public services to the faithful people, who were trust-worthy in very little things, rather than entrusting very important job to well known wolves, who embezzled public funds previously for their own interest. Honestly speaking entrusting important duties to criminals is the best indication that the boss is also a criminal.

Once upon time, one Commissioner of Upper Nile Province in eighties said, he came to catch the cats that ruined the Province funds, but unfortunately the man turned out to be master-minded cat that came to loot the public funds of Province. Indeed, it will not be surprising if rhetoric slogan of non tolerance to corruption will miserable fail, for top leaders in Republic of South Sudan are involved in this deadly scandalous corruption. What we are seeing and hearing today in our young nation are heartbreaking news, for majority served their selfish interest and not the interest of the public, they are not there to provide the services to the State but they are there to just enrich themselves with public funds wrongly. They are not ready to render good services or devoted themselves to accomplish tangible services to the nation, but they devoted their times and energy to loot public funds.

In Jesus days managers were often hired by wealthy people to care for the finance of the estate, but such a manager would be comparable to modern-day financial planner or trustee who controls the finance of estate for purpose of making more money for that estate. In our case in South Sudan instead of making more money for public consumptions, we consume what belong to the public. The dishonest manager was fired not only he misappropriated the funds of his master but also he charged master's debtors less than what they actually owed. What is different between ghost contracts taking place in our nation South Sudan with plan of shrewd manager?

The dishonest manager had not done a good thing but he had been careful to plan ahead, using materials things to ensure a secure future. In this context Jesus was not teaching his disciples to be dishonest, but he was teaching them to use materials prosperities in their disposal for future spiritual benefit. This was good lesson from a bad example. Jesus applied this parable to His disciples who had to live with non-believers in this world. For that matter we should use money to win people into God's kingdom. Jesus said, ‘'the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than the people of light''. Here Jesus set apart His disciples from the dishonest manager; he regarded the dishonest manager as person of ‘this world' seeking a way to make his life more comfortable.

The disciples ‘'the people of light'' should act in more shrewd manner, this means' the people of light' should use worldly wealth to sustain the living of destitute and misfortunate people within our communities. The question we need to struggle with, do we really have children of light within our government? If any why the corruption is truly a threat in our system, what when wrong, I tend to think that there are many contributing factors which we failed to address. In my opinion the God institution which is the church had fail to challenge and address the issues affecting the live of people effectively, and this may implies that the church had become part of corrupted system. Jesus never said that people should not work to earn money but Jesus was trying to tell the readers that loving money will drive one away from God, in other words, when money become master of your live, then you are truly slave and heartless for other. Conversely, loving God will cause one not to make money his primary concern in life.

The lesson we learnt from this passage is that we could not serve God and mammon, for the worldly people tried to serve God outwardly and mammon inwardly. The dishonest people are detestable and self-justifying people in the sight of God, the shrewd managers of this world base their living on richness which they had accumulated through unrighteous manner. The Wall Street Journal stresses this I quoted ‘'money is an article which may be used as universal passport to everywhere except heaven, and as universal provider for everything except happiness'' in this line we could argue that money is also a provoker of covetousness and competition, a wonderful servant and a terrible master. This caused Apostle Paul to give this precaution statement that'' the love of money is a root of all kind of evil'' (1Tim.6:10) and this helped in filling our world with corruption (1 Pet.1:4).

Truly we must be challenged that life is a stewardship gift, given to us by the Creator and we must use our God-given opportunities faithfully, for one day to come we will give an account to the Lord of what we have done with all He has given to us.