means. He has become their benefactor and, in return, can expect them to reciprocate by extending to him the hospitality of their homes. The manager has thus taken advantage of his now-short-lived status, using the lag time during which he was to make an accounting of his management (v 2) and his position to arrange for his future. 8–9 Point of view is important in these closing verses. The master commends the manager for his shrewdness, while the narrator of the parable, Jesus, identifies the manager