Luke 16:1-13 (NRSV)
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Chapter 16Then 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. Verse 2So 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.' Verse 3Then 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. Verse 4I have decided what to do so that, when I am dismissed as manager, people may welcome me into their homes.' Verse 5So, summoning his master's debtors one by one, he asked the first, 'How much do you owe my master?' Verse 6He answered, 'A hundred jugs of olive oil.' He said to him, 'Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it fifty.' Verse 7Then 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.' Verse 8And 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. Verse 9And 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. Verse 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. Verse 11If then you have not been faithful with the dishonest wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? Verse 12And if you have not been faithful with what belongs to another, who will give you what is your own? Verse 13No 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."
Devotion
Jesus unpeels our layers of rationalized living and leaves us exposed: "The one who is faithful in very little is faithful also in much; and the one who is dishonest in very little is dishonest also in much." There is a relentless, single-minded calling to be children of light in a world bent on darkness.
The problem is, we are also children of the world who can be extraordinarily shrewd about our worldly concerns, and yet, amazingly artless and unsophisticated about the things of God. With uncommon cunning, we cheat the 60-minute hour to accommodate all the demands from which we can’t say "No," then claim we are no match for the clock for prayer, worship, study, reflection or service. Ingenuity that finds extra dollars for another luxury rationalizes why our giving to missions can’t continue because of our so-called Christian principles.
Christ not only needs our imagination and shrewdness, but also our integrity and faithfulness.
Prayer
Lord, we have proven so cunning as sons and daughters of the world, yet so inept and selfish as children of the Light. Show us that we cannot have it both ways. Amen.