Meditation for Trinity 14 2025
Collect
Almighty God, whose only Son has opened for us a new and living way into your presence: Give us pure hearts and steadfast wills to worship you in spirit and in truth, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Luke 16: 1 – 14
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. And 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.
‘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. If then you have not been faithful with the dishonest wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? And if you have not been faithful with what belongs to another, who will give you what is your own? No 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 money.’
The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all this, and they scoffed at him.
A tale of two scoundrels
The first rule of telling an effective story is knowing your audience. Luke says that Jesus is telling this well-known story to His disciples – but the audience Jesus is really talking to is actually not the group of disciples, but the Jewish leadership who are listening in, waiting for the opportunity to condemn Jesus for insulting the religious leadership.
In the story, the manager has been incompetent. His job was to invest his rich bosses’ money and deliver a sizeable return, driving a hard bargain with his suppliers. Clearly, he wasn’t even clever enough to disguise his poor performance, and when he is found out, he looks to buy himself friends for after he will inevitably get sacked. He makes a deal with the debtors. (I wonder if they intend to keep their part of the bargain?)
Again, he is found out. He is summoned to account for his actions – but is astounded when instead of receiving punishment, he is praised for his initiative. His boss has himself achieved his riches through underhand methods, and recognises a fellow thief. The manager breathes a sigh of relief – but doesn’t realise that he is now beholden for ever with the threat of his dishonesty being revealed unless he does whatever he is told. Blackmail on the cards if he ever doesn’t do what his master wants. He’s on the slippery slope and there’s no way back. And through complying with his dodgy dealing, the debtors also become accessories after the fact – they can be blackmailed and their lies made public at any time.
The stories Jesus tells are usually metaphorical, and this is no exception. His hearers – including the Pharisees – know what He is really saying. In the story, the rich man is the Satan; the unfaithful manager is a Pharisee; and the debtors are the people the religious authorities capture into the net of their corruption. The vehicle the Satan uses to ensnare them all is greed. Their love of money blinds them to the sinfulness of their actions.
‘…make friends for yourselves by means of dishonest wealth so that when it is gone, they may welcome you into the eternal homes…’ says Jesus with a touch of sarcasm – the eternal home being Hell. Or choose truth – and live in His Kingdom.
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