Author: admin

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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

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Gospel: Luke 15: 1-10

The tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to Jesus,
but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying,
“This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
So Jesus addressed this parable to them.
“What man among you having a hundred sheep and losing one of them
would not leave the ninety-nine in the desert
and go after the lost one until he finds it?
And when he does find it,
he sets it on his shoulders with great joy
and, upon his arrival home,
he calls together his friends and neighbors and says to them,
‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.’
I tell you, in just the same way
there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents
than over ninety-nine righteous people
who have no need of repentance.

“Or what woman having ten coins and losing one
would not light a lamp and sweep the house,
searching carefully until she finds it?
And when she does find it,
she calls together her friends and neighbors
and says to them,
‘Rejoice with me because I have found the coin that I lost.’
In just the same way, I tell you,
there will be rejoicing among the angels of God
over one sinner who repents.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Jesus can never be outdone in humility. 

Unlike most in this world, he always sought the place of least importance. He was born in a stable amongst animals, he spent his infancy as a refugee, he ate and drank with sinners, and he died willingly on a cross, a form of torture reserved only for the worst of criminals.

His humble heart is revealed again in today’s Gospel parable. “What man among you having a hundred sheep and losing one of them would not leave the ninety-nine and go after the lost until he finds it?” he asks.

In ancient Palestine, shepherds were lumped into the same low-class band of characters as tax collectors. They were considered to be ritually unclean and thieves because they often wandered onto other people’s land.

Yet this is the image Jesus gives us of God – a humble herder of animals, who will risk his own life to save one of his creatures.

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Often we associate the lost sheep as being the “black sheep,” the outsider, the untouchable person in society, who is not one of “us.”

However, this is not an accurate read of the parable.  

This sheep is considered to be part of the flock, one of the one hundred. There is no indication that it was the sheep’s fault it got separated; the focus is on the shepherd who risks everything to find it.

What, then, was the Lord saying to the religious leaders of his day? 

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By creating hundreds of strict, nearly impossible, rules for ordinary believers to follow, the scribes and Pharisees made religion – and, ultimately access to God – untenable. They were the ones who caused people of good will to become separated from the flock.

Jesus was urging them to seek the lost and to bring them back.

Similarly, in what ways do believers today push people away from God? How might we bring them back?

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Humility.

Today may we live like the God who has, “loved us and given himself for us.”

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Image credits: (1) Be Humble and Proudly, New York Times (2) North Texas Catholic (3) Amino Ads

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Gospel: Luke 14: 25-33

Great crowds were traveling with Jesus,
and he turned and addressed them,
“If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother,
wife and children, brothers and sisters,
and even his own life,
he cannot be my disciple.
Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me
cannot be my disciple.
Which of you wishing to construct a tower
does not first sit down and calculate the cost
to see if there is enough for its completion?
Otherwise, after laying the foundation
and finding himself unable to finish the work
the onlookers should laugh at him and say,
‘This one began to build but did not have the resources to finish.’
Or what king marching into battle would not first sit down
and decide whether with ten thousand troops
he can successfully oppose another king
advancing upon him with twenty thousand troops?
But if not, while he is still far away,
he will send a delegation to ask for peace terms.
In the same way,
everyone of you who does not renounce all his possessions
cannot be my disciple.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Christ’s parables are endlessly rich, capable of being interpreted in a variety of ways. 

Consider the parable of the two kings in today’s Gospel. “What king marching into battle,” Jesus says, “would not first sit down and decide… whether with ten thousand troops he can successfully oppose another king with twenty thousand troops?” 

Who are these two kings?

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One spiritual writer interpreted the stronger king to be Jesus, and we, the weaker king. The battle is over divine judgment. Since none of us can overpower the Lord or justify ourselves, we should spend our lives performing good works in order to gain his mercy.

Another interpreted the weaker king to be Satan. 

Jesus, the stronger king, has already counted the cost of going into battle against evil. He knows he is stronger than Satan – and stronger than death – so his disciples should not fear when he is sent to the Cross. 

Although the cost will be excruciating, the victory is his.

Similarly, the disciples should not fear when Jesus sends them into battle like, “lambs among wolves.” Every disciple must pay a price for following the Lord, for sharing his Word, for ridding ourselves of temptation, for carrying our cross, and keeping God first in our lives.

There are real consequences for our decisions. But, as Saint Paul writes, “What can separate us from the love of Christ? Nakedness, or peril, or the sword? No, in all these things we conquer overwhelmingly through him who has loved us.”

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How has my faith come at a cost? In what ways am I fighting to keep God’s Word? 

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May we fight the good fight. 

Victory is ours, thanks be to God, our King.

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Image credits: (1) Lincoln Presbyterian Church (2) Bible Study Tools (3) Bible.com