“How much owest thou unto my lord?”
The full verse · Luke 16:5 · KJV
he of unto him, and unto the , How owest unto ?
Asked by
Steward: the manager of a rich man's property in Jesus' parable, about to be put out of his position (Luke 16:2-4)
Asked to
Debtors: the first of the rich man's debtors called in by the steward, who owed a hundred measures of oil (Luke 16:5-6)
The Scene
Having decided on a plan, the steward calls each of his lord's debtors to him and speaks first to one who owes oil (Luke 16:4-5).
Why It Was Asked
The purpose behind the questionThis question is the first move in the steward's plan. He had just resolved to act so "that, when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses" (Luke 16:4). By having the debtor name what he owed, the steward set up the favor he was about to do him. Barnes explains that as steward "he had the management of all the affairs, and, of course, debts were to be paid to him." The steward still held that authority for a short time, and he used it to win friends.
The Response
What Scripture recordsThe debtor answered, "An hundred measures of oil." The steward told him, "Take thy bill, and sit down quickly, and write fifty" (Luke 16:6). Matthew Henry pictures the steward handing it over: "Take thy bill, said he, here it is." He then asked the next debtor the same question (Luke 16:7). Afterward, "the lord commended the unjust steward, because he had done wisely" (Luke 16:8).
Historical Context
The world behind the wordsDebtors here may have been people who owed goods or rent. Barnes describes them as "Those who 'owed' his master, or perhaps 'tenants'; those who rented land of his master." The "measure" of oil was the bath, which Barnes, citing two reckonings, puts at roughly seven and a half gallons, or nearly ten. So a hundred measures was a large debt, and cutting it in half was a large gift. Gill reads the debtors in the parable as the Gentiles, "who were greatly indebted to God," or else the Jews.
The Bigger Picture
Where this fits in God's storyJesus is not teaching people to falsify accounts. He calls the man "the unjust steward" (Luke 16:8). What Jesus points out is that the steward used his present access to goods to prepare for his future, and He applies this to His disciples: "Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations" (Luke 16:9).
In other words, money is a tool for the long run. The steward used his master's goods to secure a home for himself. Jesus urges His followers to use what God has given them in ways that look ahead to eternity, while staying faithful, since "he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much" (Luke 16:10).
Look Closer
What was the steward hoping to gain by calling in the debtors?
Carry the question into prayer and conversation.
Lord, You have trusted me with what I have; how could I use it to bless people in ways that will still matter in eternity?
A prayer to carry into the day.
- The steward used what was not his to secure his own future. Where are you tempted to use what is entrusted to you mainly for your own security?
- Tell about someone whose generosity with money or possessions built a lasting friendship or opened a door for faith.
For you, a small group, a friend, or the dinner table.
What you have is a tool, not a treasure to hoard. Jesus teaches you to use money and possessions in ways that build relationships and look ahead to eternity (Luke 16:9).
This doesn't give permission to bend the rules for a good cause. The steward was unjust, and Jesus immediately teaches that faithfulness in little things matters (Luke 16:10). Be generous with what is yours to give, and honest with what belongs to others. Scripture's own application: Luke 16:9
Built from the biblical text and checked against trusted commentaries and lexicons. References & Sources
Keep questioning
“And how much owest thou?”
“What shall I do?”
“How is it that I hear this of thee?”
“If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?”