THE DISHONEST STEWARD

Luke 16:1-13

A businessman who heads his own company interviewed three applicants for a job. As a test, he asks: “If you divide six by two, what’s the result?” “Three,” answered the first applicant. He was not hired for being too honest. “Two,” answered the second applicant. Again, he was not hired because he was dishonest and for being an ignorant fool. This third applicant answered, “Sir, if I were to divide six between you and me, I would rather give you four and take two, myself.” He was hired for being clever.

This is one of the most challenging parables in the gospel. It sounds as if our Lord is speaking in some kind approving way of the dishonest steward. How can a bad person possibly give good example? This dishonest steward is commended for being smart and prudent. He is praised for being wise. He is praised for being able to grasp a critical situation and get resolution about what next if I am fired. Jesus uses this parable as a perfect illustration of a spiritual lesson about the kingdom of God!  What is the point of Jesus in this parable? What is he trying to say? I think Jesus is concerned here with something more critical than a financial crisis. He is not telling us to be wise in cheating. He is warning us about the ways we use to get wealth and how we consider and use our wealth. Today’s question is “what do I rely on, wealth or God? It is a question of evaluating the degree of our trust in God and the amount of our faith.

The point which Jesus is trying to put across is not that we should not work hard to have wealth. Possessions are of great necessity for us.  We do need possession; we do need money. Even sometimes we equate wealth with happiness and power which sometimes is true. The point is that sometimes acquiring wealth can control our lives if we are not prudent. Jesus is telling us that we have to provide for our spiritual lives just as seriously as we provide for our earthly needs. If we are true Christians we should spend as much time and energy to spiritual matters the way we do for earthly matters. The lesson for us today is that we have to be as smart and prudent in planning ahead for our spiritual future as we are wise in planning ahead for the financial and material future. We all need possessions and the Lord expects us to use them honestly, wisely and responsibly and to put them at his service and the service of others. We are God's servants and all that we have belongs to him. He expects us to make a good return on what he gives us.  He is inviting us to be smart.

We will all of us here agree that we have our own ways to succeed in life. If we want to make more money, we know how to do it. We know how to keep ourselves healthy. Bad students, who are expert in cheating, know how to do it. And so the immediate question confronting you and me is this: How zealous are we in providing for our spiritual future? How smart are we in our spiritual life? Do we know that God has given us everything no matter what we do and that he will call us for accountability? In this life, we work hard to provide for our wellbeing. How hard or how dedicated are we in providing for our spiritual wellbeing? On this Sunday, we are invited look into our hearts and discover what comes on top of our list of goals; to discover what comes on top of our priorities, and to see where God stands on the list of priorities.

Knowing that all that I have is a gift from God, let us ask him to give us a loving heart; that we may love him freely and generously with all that we possess. May he help us to be wise and faithful steward, free from greed and possessiveness and may he fill us with generosity.