Chapter 16 of Luke’s Gospel has three sections that all tie together how important it is that we focus on our spiritual lives and strive to detach from earthly concerns and riches. Especially during these last few weeks of Advent, making sure our spirit is in order is the best way to start Christmas and the new year.
Prudence of a Dishonest Steward
To summarize Luke 16:1-13: a man hears that his steward is being dishonest and wasteful, so he plans to fire him once he closes up his accounts. The steward goes to everyone who owes his boss and asks them to pay up some of what they owe, forgiving the rest of the debt (at least for now).
The dishonest steward is praised for his prudence. But why?
I found the most helpful summary from a Sunday reflection on this gospel from Dr. D’Ambrosio:
“Scholars disagree about the meaning of this. Some say he did this dishonestly at the expense of his master. Others say that he was simply giving away his own commission. I think the latter makes more sense, since rather than rebuking him, his master praised him for his prudence.”
On my first read, I assumed the steward was pulling a Robin hood style – steal from the rich, give to the poor situation. Yet, it would be odd for the master to praise his craftiness in that scenario.
Also, in the context of the rest of Luke 16, it would make more sense that the steward asked the payees to give his master what is owed and forgave them of his own commission on the sale.
As we will see, this would be consistent with detaching from worldly riches, and would be praiseworthy.
Model the Steward’s Prudence but Spiritually
So the steward was praised for his resourcefulness. In a pinch, he gave up what would have been his, in order to have favor with those who he might need help from later.
In the end, we should look out for our spiritual future the way the steward scrambles to ensure his physical future.
It would be nice if the steward wasn’t in this scramble in the first place, but who are we to judge? We too get ourselves into situations where we are less than perfect. We waste money and time regularly that could be serving our master.
So like the steward, we might be in a scramble spiritually. In fear of being rejected from the banquet like the rich men of Chapter 14, we can learn from this steward and befriend the poor.
Jesus makes it clear that we cannot serve two masters (Lk 16:13) so we should do what we can to serve Him. Focus on the Spiritual to prepare with prayer, fasting, and giving.
What is in Our Hearts?
In the next section, Jesus accuses the Pharisees of being lovers of money more than God.
“You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts; for what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God.”
Luke 16:14
This is an echo of a few verses earlier when we hear “You cannot serve both God and mammon.”
We must ask ourselves which of these serves the other? For the Pharisees, their ministry was in service of their pockets. It is tempting in a tough economy to focus more on finances, but any money decisions we make should be in service of a God-given mission, with Christ as the end Goal. Essentially, focus on the spiritual, and all else will work out.
The Rich Man’s Lack
If that first parable didn’t convince us, Jesus gives us another parable to hear and understand at a different angle.
A rich man and the poor man who lived at his gate both die. From hell, the rich man calls out to Abraham asking for the poor man to ease his suffering. He gets this response:
“Son, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Laz′arus in like manner evil things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish.”
Luke 16:25
If life ever feels all against you and difficult, this should comfort you. If life is going easy, this verse is a challenge to start giving till it hurts.
We want eternal comfort. So reading these parables, let’s focus on the spiritual for the rest of Advent leading Christ’s coming at Christmas.
To follow along with these readings, you can find recent posts at Formed by a Flame.
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