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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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Of all the Gospel parables, this is the most difficult one to understand. Why would Jesus praise a dishonest steward?
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Recognizing that his master is about to fire him, the dishonest steward devises a plan, not only to repay some of his master’s debts, but also to forge business relationships of his own, securing his future.
When facing a crisis, this steward is shrewd, bold, and creative.
Jesus laments that people are often not as concerned about facing the spiritual crisis of divine judgment and eternal life. “The children of this world are more prudent in dealing with their own generation,” he says, “than the children of light.”
It’s a temptation anyone can succumb to, striving for material growth and worldly success more than for eternal life.
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Without faith, this will always be true.
But Christians recognize that we must live with split vision. We face the same concerns as the rest of society – work, bills, family, leisure – but we must also keep an eye on spiritual growth, which begs the question:
Is my vision balanced? Do I work as hard at being a good Christian as I do at being successful?
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Consider a few concrete examples.
Some men pride themselves on being good mechanics; they believe they can fix anything. Jesus might ask us today, “Brothers, are you as good at fixing the wounds in your family or the wounds in your heart as you are at fixing the kitchen sink?”
Many women pride themselves on their ability to dress well or to turn their house into a tastefully decorated home. The Lord might ask them, “Sisters, are you equally as creative in cultivating Christian virtues – charity, patience, and forgiveness?”
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“The children of this world are prudent,” Jesus says. They’ll do whatever it takes to succeed.
May we be as prudent – if not more – in caring for our souls.
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Image credits: (1) Prince of Peace Lutheran Church (2) TableTalk Magazine (3) Amazon.com