Scripture Story for the Week
Pondering Point
This parable highlights a rather odd teaching for Jesus, pointing to the ways of the world as a positive example for Christians. While not condoning the unethical behavior involved, Jesus points out a resourcefulness to which we should pay attention.
Talk with someone else about how to be shrewd or wise in the ways of this world for the sake of God’s kingdom – and yet how to avoid becoming worldly in the process. And, as always, enjoy this story from God, the Word of the Lord.
Parable of the Unjust Manager
Luke 16:1-9
The Parable of the Shrewd Manager
16 Jesus told his disciples: “There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions. 2 So he called him in and asked him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your management, because you cannot be manager any longer.’
3 “The manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do now? My master is taking away my job. I’m not strong enough to dig, and I’m ashamed to beg— 4 I know what I’ll do so that, when I lose my job here, people will welcome me into their houses.’
5 “So he called in each one of his master’s debtors. He asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’
6 “‘Nine hundred gallons[a] of olive oil,’ he replied.
“The manager told him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it four hundred and fifty.’
7 “Then he asked the second, ‘And how much do you owe?’
“‘A thousand bushels[b] of wheat,’ he replied.
“He told him, ‘Take your bill and make it eight hundred.’
8 “The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light. 9 I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.
Footnotes:
[a] Luke 16:6 Or about 3,000 liters
[b] Luke 16:7 Or about 30 tons
The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry
Have you ever read that line -- "Jesus was led by the spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil" -- and thought to yourself, what's up with that?... The wilderness isn't the place of weakness; it's the place of strength. Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness because it was there, and only there, that Jesus was at the height of his spiritual powers. It was only after a month-and-a-half of prayer and fasting in the quiet place that he had the capacity to take on the Devil himself and walk away unscathed. That's why, over and over again, you see Jesus come back to the eremos (Greek word for wilderness).
J.M. Comer, The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry, pp. 124, 125