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Commentary: The Shrewd Lettings Agent (Luke 16:1-9)

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Image by mohamed Hassan from Pixabay

The Shrewd Lettings Agent is based on Luke 16: 1-9

Introduction

This is probably the most confusing parable in the Gospels. It’s possible that the deep confusion is because Jesus was relying on a well known type of story in the ancient world; the wily servant outwits his master. In the context of the modern UK, this would be like using Robin Hood to make a point in a sermon. Everyone knows Robin Hood will rob the rich and give to the poor – and we wouldn’t assume that the preacher was telling everyone to go out and rob random rich people. We’d look for: ‘What is it in this story of Robin Hood that tells us about God?’

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The Shrewd Lettings Agent (Luke 16: 1-9)

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Image by mohamed Hassan from Pixabay

The Shrewd Lettings Agent is based on Luke 16: 1-9

During Covid there was a rich landlord, whose lettings agent was accused of wasting his money. So he called up the agent and said, “I’ve looked into this. I want the accounts, and I want them today. Then take a month’s pay in lieu of notice and go, because I won’t have you running my lettings any more.”

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What’s in the box? (Matthew 13: 51-52)

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Image by Irina_kukuts from Pixabay

What’s in the Box? is an adaptation of Matthew 13: 51-52

So Jesus asked his students, “Have you understood all these parables?”

And they said, “Yup.”

Jesus replied back to them, “So, listen, everyone who’s been trained to teach, trained for God’s nation is like someone who’s got a jewellery box in their house. They can bring out the old jewellery, the new jewellery – or both!”

Commentary

Yes, I know. I usually put the commentary on a different blog page. But this parable is really only one sentence long and it also doesn’t fit thematically with the parables it comes after. Matthew seems to be suggesting Jesus used this parable to round off a teaching session (about parables) with another mini-parable on how to use what he’d just taught.

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