Journal: Westminster Theological Journal
Volume: WTJ 51:2 (Fall 1989)
Article: A History of Recent Interpretation of the Parable of the Unjust Steward (LUKE 16:1-13) — Dennis J. Ireland
Author: Anonymous

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WTJ 51:2 (Fall 1989) p. 293

A History of Recent Interpretation of the Parable of the Unjust Steward
(LUKE 16:1-13)
—
Dennis J. Ireland

There is little question that the parable of the unjust steward in Luke 16:1–13 is one of the most difficult of all Jesus’ parables to interpret.1 In this pericope a steward seems to be commended for dishonest behavior and made an example for Jesus’ disciples. As one of the most influential interpreters of the parable has said, “Much as commentators disagree as to the meaning of the parable of the Steward, all are agreed as to the embarrassment it has caused.”2 It has been called the crux interpretum among the parables,3 the “problem child of parable exegesis [Schwerzenskind der Parabelexegese]”4 “the prince among the difficult parables,”5 and “a notorious puzzle.”6 Not surprisingly, “the literature dealing with the parable of the unjust

WTJ 51:2 (Fall 1989) p. 294

steward is staggering.”7 In attempting to survey that literature one is quickly convinced that M. Kramer’s description “the jungle of explanations” is apt indeed.8 To continue his metaphor for a moment, one can very easily become entangled and lost in the literature on this parable.

It is against this backdrop that I offer the following history of recent interpretation of the parable of the unjust steward. Much has been written on the parable since A. Rücker’s history of interpretation in 1912,9 and it may be of assistance to late twentieth-century interpreters to have this more recent work reviewed and catalog led in the context of earlier work. The parameters I have chosen for the study (parameters largely dictated by practical reasons of sheer volume and accessibility of material) are the nineteenth and twentieth centuries (hence “recent”). Rather than organize this literature chronologically (which, though convenient, would be more confusing than helpful) or according to categories such as Rücker used10 (which, among other things, would raise the difficulty of defining allegory), I have chosen to proceed in a way that seems simpler and more natural. Since the crux of the parable is the praise of the steward (16:8a

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