Today’s Scripture Readings

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. So he summoned him and said to him, “What is this that I hear about you? Give me an account of your management, because you cannot be my manager any longer.” 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. I have decided what to do so that, when I am dismissed as manager, people may welcome me into their homes.” So, summoning his master’s debtors one by one, he asked the first, “How much do you owe my master?” He answered, “A hundred jugs of olive oil.” He said to him, “Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it fifty.” 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.” 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.

When people encounter the parable of the dishonest steward, they are often scandalised by it. It seems that Jesus is giving tacit approval to a dishonest act. I have heard various explanations of what was going on here. Perhaps the steward was giving away his own commission? But then, he is a ‘dishonest steward’ – so perhaps not!

At any rate, it is not the dishonesty of the steward that the master praises, but rather his astuteness. He acts shrewdly, with commendable foresight and urgency in the present, so as to secure a future good. Jesus’ point is to say: if we are shrewd in earthly matters, should we not be even more so in acting now, to be welcomed into the heavenly homeland?

The steward acts decisively when his livelihood is threatened. How much more should we, who have been offered eternal life, act decisively in the things of God. True wisdom lies not in securing worldly advantage, but in seeking the Kingdom of God.

What action is required? God alone is the judge, and I do not seek to put limits on His mercy. Yet the call of Jesus is urgent and persistent. We are to turn away from sin, accept baptism (and the other appropriate sacraments), place our trust genuinely in Christ, and seek to live the Christ-life here and now.

We can be prone to procrastination, often prioritising those things which seem most pressing. Let us not fall into this trap, but rather keep our eyes fixed on the only future good worth having: life with Christ in eternity. Let us act now and so obtain this goal.