This Sunday’s gospel passage isn’t easy to follow. It begins with a parable about a dishonest steward. His master discovered his shenanigans and fired him. To try to make the best out of a bad situation the steward contacted several of his master’s debtors and reduced their debt. Now, THEY’RE indebted to HIM! So the corrupt steward was assured of a job, and the debtors got a substantial cut in their debt. The master called the steward “prudent” because he managed to get himself set up and retain a good percentage of the outstanding debts.
Jesus used this parable to make a point. Do you see what we go through to make a buck? We connive. We steal. We take on sleazy practices. We don’t question the morality of our actions. We brush it off as “all in a day’s work.”
The actual teaching follows. It may seem disjointed and rambling, because it is. Here’s my take on the teaching.
Jesus is taking note of our concerns about wealth–honestly or dishonestly gained. We put a tremendous amount of effort into achieving it–actually, a lifetime of effort. Take for example, many of the billionaires of today. When they’re finally worth one billion, they don’t retire, they work harder to make the second billion, and the third, and the
fourth and the hundredth. They’re children of the world and they’re deeply attached to their money, but in the end, it gets them nowhere. The day will come when they’ll separate from their money and the power, influence, and fame that come along with it. Jesus is calling out to children of the light, those of us who are not bound to earth by money, material things or a quest for power. The children of the light see the world as a stepping-stone to greater things. They see a world filled with God’s beauty and the opportunity to make it a better place for everyone, not only the wealthy. But they also experience their lives as transitory, moving closer and closer to the divine light. This is the wealth they seek.
As Jesus would say in other teachings, “You can’t serve two masters.” You can’t serve God and money. The children of the light have to be free from the allure of the things of this world. They can be wealthy, but they must be sympathetic to the plight of the poor. They must try to help in some way. They must be open to the Spirit who will guide on a journey to the lght. They must be free of distraction. They need to seek the narrow road.
