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Gospel: Luke 16: 1-8
Jesus said to his disciples, “A rich man had a steward
who was reported to him for squandering his property.
He summoned him and said,
‘What is this I hear about you?
Prepare a full account of your stewardship,
because you can no longer be my steward.’
The steward said to himself, ‘What shall I do,
now that my master is taking the position of steward away from me?
I am not strong enough to dig and I am ashamed to beg.
I know what I shall do so that,
when I am removed from the stewardship,
they may welcome me into their homes.’
He called in his master’s debtors one by one.
To the first he said, ‘How much do you owe my master?’
He replied, ‘One hundred measures of olive oil.’
He said to him, ‘Here is your promissory note.
Sit down and quickly write one for fifty.’
Then to another he said, ‘And you, how much do you owe?’
He replied, ‘One hundred measures of wheat.’
He said to him, ‘Here is your promissory note;
write one for eighty.’
And the master commended that dishonest steward for acting prudently.
For the children of this world
are more prudent in dealing with their own generation
than the children of light.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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Why does Jesus praise the dishonest steward in today’s Gospel? He’s just been fired for squandering his master’s property! Fraud is a very bad thing.
But after his dismissal, this dishonest steward devises a plan, not only to repay some of his master’s debts, but also to forge new business relationships in the process, paving a path for his future.
This man dug himself into a hole, and come hell or high water, he’s going to climb his way out.
That is why Jesus blesses him; he’s entrepreneurial, determined, and creative. If he applied these same skills and desperation to his spiritual life, then he’d be a saint.
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Therein lies the challenge for us.
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Each of us has found some success in this world. When we’re knocked down, we pull ourselves up by our boot straps; doing so is deeply entrenched in the American spirit.
But are we as determined to enrich our friendship with God as we are to be successful?
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Use your God-given talents not just for the affairs of this world, but also for the things that are above.
You just might become a saint.
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Image credits: (1) Study.com (2) Effective Altruism for Christians (3) Strive for Heaven Now