Dearest e-votees-
Our appointed gospel text for this coming Sunday, the so-called parable of the dishonest manager, is baffling. Nonetheless, God undoubtedly has something in it for us.
Peace,
Karl
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16 Then Jesus said to the disciples, “There was a rich man who had a manager, and charges were brought to him that this man was squandering his property. 2 So he summoned him and said to him, ‘What is this that I hear about you? Give me an accounting of your management, because you cannot be my manager any longer.’ 3 Then the manager said to himself, ‘What will I do, now that my master is taking the position away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg. 4 I have decided what to do so that, when I am dismissed as manager, people may welcome me into their homes.’ 5 So, summoning his master’s debtors one by one, he asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ 6 He answered, ‘A hundred jugs of olive oil.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it fifty.’ 7 Then he asked another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ He replied, ‘A hundred containers of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill and make it eighty.’ 8 And his master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly; for the children of this age are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light. 9 And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of dishonest wealth so that when it is gone, they may welcome you into the eternal homes.
10 “Whoever is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much; and whoever is dishonest in a very little is dishonest also in much. 11 If then you have not been faithful with the dishonest wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? 12 And if you have not been faithful with what belongs to another, who will give you what is your own? 13 No slave can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.”
The gist of this story seems to be about someone making investments in the lives of others with something that didn't belong to him. He used what was not his own to take care of others. It is presumed that this behavior brought about a better existence for him as well. The master commends the manager who had been fired for being shrewd. I imagine the manager having cleaned out his desk and walking out of his cubicle for the last time with his box of personal belongings (photos, nameplate and other chotskies) and having his boss giving him a knowing nod silently communicating "Well played."
Jesus, too, seems to be commending this shrewd manager (otherwise why tell the story?).
Perhaps we, too, could act like the dishonest manager. We could take the things that are at our disposal but truly aren't ours (isn't everything we have--every breath, every morsel of food, every moment of time, every loving relationship on loan to us from God?) and employ those things to take care of others. We can speak kind words. We can break bread. We can invest our moments. We can tend relationships. All of these things could be invested in taking care of neighbors (and be wary of asking "Lord, who is my neighbor?").
By loving neighbor as self we are fulfilling an important part of the Law and the Prophets. If we allow our loving God with all our hearts, souls, strengths and minds to be our motivation so much the better. I presume that when we live in such a way our lives will come to a better plane of existence as well.
God, help us shed our love of money and all the other currencies of this world that we might love you and neighbor more fully. Amen.
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