[annalex]

The master of the steward has enough common sense to realize that, crook though he was, the dishonest steward at least knew the moral of the parable of the sheep and the goats: that if you hope to come to a happy ending when (not if) your luck in this world runs out, then you should do your best to get in good with the ones with whom the Judge will consult when He is deliberating His verdict about you on That Day: the hungry, thirsty, sick, naked, and imprisoned.

Yes. It is not that mysterious.

The manager does something good and something bad. The good that he does is firstly, good in the economic mundane sense: when a business is burdened by "bad debt" -- that is, debt that won't be repaid because the debtor is too poor, -- it is good business practice to discount debt, that is, write off a part of the principal in order to motivate the debtor to uindertake the repayment of the rest. This is why the owner praises the manager.

The economic good is also a spiritual good, as it is an exercise of charity. Inadvertently, the self-serving motivation that the manager had turns out quite valid. This is why Jesus praises the manager indirectly advising us to make friends with "the mammon of iniquity".

But the manager did his discounting dishonestly: instead of suggesting that as a strategy to the owner, he falsified the records. Therefore, the parable concludes with the exhortation to honesty.

[Tribemike1]

The only problem with this is that the owner COMMENDED the unrighteous steward for unlawful behavior (”I know, I will get these debtors to like me...perhaps one of them will hire me some daay if I get fired..”). He had not consulted his master on this.

No, Jesus is pointing out the absurdity of the illogical system of behavior/reward the Jews had erected. They defraud and cheat, are slothful, commit unlawful usury....and he sarcastically states “they will receive you into everlasting habitations....(sure they will) for we all know (wink, wink) the children of this world are much wiser than the children of light (yeah, right).

Carry on as you have....your “god” will commend you and you will receive a heavenly reward....these people were so blind, they thought their deception of their master here must issue in a reward to them eventually.

But Paul tells us the wisdom of the world is foolishness to God as Jesus points out here in this parable.

I can imagine the body language of Jesus if some disciples were present...winks, eyes rolling....and the disciples trying to use up face control to keep from laughing out loud.