THE PROVOCATOR LODE OF JESUS ​​TO THE DISHONEST ADMINISTRATOR

Who is faithful in small things, it is also faithful in important things; and who is dishonest in little things, It is also dishonest in important things. So if you have not been faithful in dishonest wealth, who will entrust the real one? And if you have not been faithful in the wealth of others, who will give you yours?

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Dear brothers and sisters,

the Gospel of this XXXV Sunday of Ordinary Time offers us the parable of the unfaithful administrator. A story that, at first sight, seems full of contradictions: an administrator, that he should have acted justly, he is praised for his cunning and dishonest behavior.

How can we reconcile this praise with Christian teaching on justice and honesty? Here is the text:

"During that time, Jesus said to the disciples: a rich man had a manager, and he was accused before him of squandering his possessions. He called him and told him: “What do I hear about you? Account for your stewardship, because you will no longer be able to manage". The administrator said to himself: “What will I do, now that my master takes away the administration from me? Hoeing, I don't have the strength; beg, I am ashamed. I know what I'll do because, when I have been removed from the administration, there is someone who will welcome me into his home". He called his master's debtors one by one and told the first one: “How much do you owe my master?”. He replied: “One hundred barrels of oil”. He told him: “Take your receipt, sit down right now and write fifty”. Then he said to another: “How much you owe?”. Answered: “One hundred measures of wheat”. He told him: “Take your receipt and write eighty”. The master praised that dishonest administrator, because he acted shrewdly. The children of this world, indeed, they are more cunning towards their peers than the children of light. Well, I tell you: make friends for yourselves with dishonest wealth, Why, when it fails, may they welcome you into eternal homes. Who is faithful in small things, it is also faithful in important things; and who is dishonest in little things, It is also dishonest in important things. So if you have not been faithful in dishonest wealth, who will entrust the real one? And if you have not been faithful in the wealth of others, who will give you yours? No servant can serve two masters, because either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will become fond of one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.". (LC 16, 1-13).

This administrator, that he should act with justice and loyalty towards his master, he ends up being praised precisely for his cunning and dishonest behavior. How can we reconcile this praise with the Christian virtue of honesty and justice? If the Gospel invites us to "give an account" of our actions and to live in justice (Mt 12,36), how we can read, but above all explain that the administrator's dishonest behavior occurs, in a sense, appreciated and even praised? The answer lies in the nature of the wisdom that Jesus intends to communicate. The parable, indeed, it does not glorify dishonesty itself, but the ability to look to the future and make wise choices, even if carried out in a fallacious context. Who is faithful in small things, it is also faithful in important things; and who is dishonest in little things, It is also dishonest in important things. So if you have not been faithful in dishonest wealth, who will entrust the real one? And if you have not been faithful in the wealth of others, who will give you yours?

Jesus teaches us “where your treasure is, your heart will also be there" (Mt 6,21), so, it is not the illicit behavior that is praised, but the awareness that we must live wisely and responsibly, administering not only earthly goods, but above all the spiritual ones, with the intention of building a treasure that does not fade. As the Psalmist reminds us:

“The wicked man borrows and does not pay back, but the just is merciful and generous" (Shall 37,21).

Here we see the contrast between the unfaithful and the righteous it is also a comparison between two completely different visions of life: someone selfish and dishonest, the other charitable and just, oriented towards the common good.

What Jesus wants to teach us through this complex parable that is not easy to understand, at least on first listen, in which we talk about "dishonest wealth" and wisdom in daily actions? To understand it, it is first necessary to clarify that the Unfaithful Administrator is the plastic image of a deliberately ambiguous figure on whom lies the accusation of squandering his master's assets.. When the boss fires him, he finds himself in a desperate situation: he is unable to do manual labor and does not intend to end up begging. He therefore decides to reduce the debts of his master's creditors to create useful friendships who can guarantee his future when he is no longer employed.. Morally questionable behavior, that of the Administrator, which however Jesus does not condemn, at least in a clear and open way. The same Master, albeit damaged by his dishonesty, he praises him for the astuteness and promptness with which he has demonstrated his ability to think about the future.

The Master's admiring reaction, strange in itself and also unfair, constitutes the central point of the parable: Jesus does not approve of dishonesty, but recognizes the wisdom in acting with foresight and promptness of spirit. It does not glorify the illicit behavior of the administrator, but it invites us to reflect on our attitude towards the resources that God has entrusted to us, both material and spiritual. To guide us to a correct understanding of the passage, Saint John Chrysostom highlights that «this praise is not for dishonesty, but for the promptness with which the administrator used what he had in view of the future" (Commentary on Luke, Homily 114,5). It is therefore his ability to look forward and act wisely that is appreciated, even if this occurs in a morally ambiguous context, not his dishonesty.

The parable teaches us that, how clever the administrator was in preparing for a material future, so we too must be wise and far-sighted regarding our future projected towards the eternal. The wisdom Jesus speaks of is not about material cunning, but the spiritual one: we must learn to use the resources God has given us, not for selfish or temporary purposes, but to build our way towards his kingdom that will have no end, as we say in our Profession of Faith. The complex theme of spiritual wealth is also taken up by the holy bishop and doctor Augustine in where he states:

"So, what it means to lay up treasures in heaven? It is nothing other than love towards others. Indeed, the only heavenly treasure is charity, which sanctifies men" (Of the Lord's speech on the mountain, In conversation 19,3).

The heavenly riches that Jesus speaks of it is that which accumulates through disinterested love towards others and the charity that transforms life through sequela Christi of the Word of God made man who is away, Truth and the Life (cf.. GV 14,6).

One of Jesus' most provocative statements in this passage it is that "the children of this world are more cunning than the children of light". Jesus does not invite us to imitate the cunning of the children of this world, but to learn foresight and determination from them. We must be equally careful and far-sighted in our spiritual journey, orienting our actions towards eternal good. The Holy Bishop and Doctor Cyril of Alexandria explains:

«Jesus does not invite us to become cunning like the children of this world, but to be vigilant and far-sighted in the care of our soul, just like they are in taking care of their own affairs" (Commentary on the Gospel of Luke, 10, 33).

The wisdom that Jesus speaks of it is not about cunning for worldly gains, but spiritual wisdom, the one that leads us to use our time and resources not for selfish purposes, but to build the Kingdom of God, which has no end. It is a wisdom that looks beyond the temporary, projecting us towards eternity. The Holy Gospel reminds us that we are not owners of what we possess: we are just administrators. «Give account of your administration», says the master to the unfaithful administrator. This makes us think: how we are managing our lives, our resources? And here it is enclosed, incidentally, an implicit reference to the narrative contained in the Parable of the Talents (cf.. Mt 25, 14-30), as in fact the administrator has the task of accounting for his master's goods, we too are called to account for how we administer the gifts that God has given us: not just material wealth, but also our life, our capabilities, our love. It is an administration that, if lived faithfully, will lead us to salvation.

In a context of apparent dishonesty and cunning, such as to make this passage almost incomprehensible, the phrase of the Evangelist Luke «He who is faithful in small things, he is faithful even in the big ones" (LC 16,10) becomes clear after it has been grasped and clarified. These two elements are used as a paradigm, the holy bishop and doctor Basil the Great clarifies this by underlining how every small act of justice is a step towards the great faithfulness that we are called to live:

«If you are not faithful in small things, how can you be faithful in great times? The administration of what has been given to us by God is a test of fidelity to his love and his will" (Of the Holy Spirit, Par. 30).

When Jesus talks about “dishonest wealth” (in Greek: mammon of injustice), the term “dishonesty” it does not simply refer to wealth itself, but it highlights the deceptive and corrupt nature of this wealth, which can easily become the aim of dishonest or selfish actions. Wealth, in its most common form, it is easily linked to the accumulation of material and earthly goods, which can distract the human heart from the true purpose of life: the search for eternal good.

Jesus is not praising wealth itself, but it warns us against the distorted and idolatrous use of material goods, which can easily lead us to neglect the search for eternal good. The word "dishonest" (in Greek, injustice, adikia) refers to wealth acquired through unjust means, but also more generally to that wealth which, if not well managed, tends to separate man from the true purpose of his life, who is God. Indeed, as Saint Gregory the Great states, wealth is often a "false good", capable of deceiving the human soul and leading it away from virtue (cf.. Morals in Job).

When Jesus says «Make friends with dishonest wealth», he does not mean that we should use wealth dishonestly, nor does it invite us to make wealth the object of our love. Rather he urges us to use temporal goods wisely and generously, in order to create friendships, and more widely, of charity. Who, the central idea, is that we must manage material goods with a view to eternal good, because the wealth we accumulate in this life is not an end in itself, but a means that can be used to do good and prepare for the future life.

Saint John Chrysostom in his Commentary on Luke, observes that the praise is not aimed at the dishonest behavior of the administrator, but to his ability to use what he had for his own future good (cf.. Homily 114,5). In the same way, Jesus, he invites us to use material goods with a spiritual vision, that is, to build relationships of justice and charity that will accompany us towards eternity; as if Jesus invited us to use wealth not to accumulate for ourselves, but to help others, to do good, to prepare for the Kingdom of God.

Wealth can be the means to a greater end, that of salvation, if we use it to alleviate the suffering of others, to help those in need, to build a friendship that transcends time. Saint Cyprian of Carthage teaches us that «He who gives what he has in this world receives for himself an eternal reward» (On work and alms, 14), underlining that the right use of material goods is a way to "store up treasures" in heaven, where "neither rust nor the sickle can corrupt them" (Mt 6,19-20). When Jesus speaks of "eternal dwellings" (LC 16,9) invites us to reflect on what we will build during our lives. True wealth is not what is accumulated on this earth, but one that is based on love for God and neighbor, that transcends time and remains for eternity. The eternal home is our heart prepared to welcome God, which finds its place in the Kingdom of Heaven, where the treasure we have built with charity and faith will be our joyful reward.

This reflection leads us to understand that wealth can become an instrument of salvation if used correctly, until it becomes a means to accumulate "treasures in heaven" (Mt 6,20), in a spiritual investment that remains beyond time and space.

Jesus' final message in the parable is that «dishonest wealth» can therefore become, paradoxically, an opportunity to accumulate eternal goods. This is not a blessing of wealth for its own sake, much less, as explained, a blessing of dishonesty, but of the invitation to use it wisely and generously:

«He who uses wealth with justice, accumulate for himself a treasure that will never be stolen" (St. Augustine, Of the Lord's speech on the mountain, 19,4).

The use of earthly resources, if oriented towards charity and the common good, it becomes a means to grow in God's grace and prepare to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. This concept runs through the teaching of Jesus in the parables of the Good Samaritan (LC 10,25-37) and the final judgement (Mt 25,31-46), where love for others and the right use of resources constitute the criteria for being welcomed into the Kingdom of God:

«true wealth is that which we cannot retain on earth, but who will follow us into eternal life, where charity is the treasure that never perishes" (St. Augustine, Of the Lord's speech on the mountain, 2,4).

This complex parable of the unfaithful administrator invites us to reflect on how we manage our goods and resources, the talents that God has given us, asking ourselves if we are willing to live wisely, not only towards material things, but above all in our spiritual life. We are storing up treasures in heaven, using what God has given us to help others, to do good, to build our eternal future? Because this is the real cunning that Jesus, with this provocative story, invites us to follow, at the same time giving us a precise warning:

"Enter through the narrow gate, for wide is the gate and broad the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter it. How narrow is the door and narrow the way that leads to life, and few are those who find it!» (Mt 7, 13-14).

It is the price you pay for true wealth, the eternal one, which comes from heaven and which takes us to heaven into the eternal bliss of Him who for our salvation came down from heaven and became man, but which does not fall at all and like nothing from the sky.

From the island of Patmos, 21 September 2025

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