Did I just hear that right…?? Did you say something that I don’t think you meant to say?!
THIS is the kind of response expected from you and I to our Lord Jesus when we hear one of his parables. The Lord tells parables to up-end us a bit, or to throw us a curveball! It’s probably because we can get smug in our own opinions —and need another perspective from our own—so the parable intends to make us pay attention to something that, at first hearing, or looking, doesn’t seem right.
This parable of the Shrewd Steward sounds like Jesus is telling a story that’s honoring a dishonest and bad guy!
Not really, though. Yet INSTEAD it’s a dig against boring unimaginative disciples!
So today is one of the more controversial of Jesus’ parables. At first reading it seems like Jesus is condoning graft!
The Bible commentators on this gospel go into all sorts of interpretations of it, but let’s look at three different things. They are Jesus’ ideas in the phrases: acting prudently, and being entrusted with true wealth. Did you hear those two phrases in the parable?
Let’s work again with the idea of the parables are intended to upset us a bit. Remember the parable where the guy who works one late hour gets paid the same as the all day laborer guy?! That’s strange and upending —but now at least Jesus has your attention.
Rightly so, as well, if we question this fired debt collector as being any “model” for Christian living. What’s he doing in going to his former customers anyway, in making crazy deals for cancelling bills?! Wasn’t he fired? Yes, but the urgency of his ouster and his future poverty gets him to act cleverly! It lights a fire in him.
Jesus intends to ask any “boring” disciples of what actually WILL light a fire under them. Like, the master of the Harvest might comment to some Catholic person: you’ve never really sold your faith to anybody as great and interesting— with few “clever” means to spread the Gospel. Why not? Don’t you think that some people really DO need Jesus in their hearts? Isn’t Jesus lifesaving? Go impress your Lord with some clever outreach.
Ok. Now go back to this parable illustration. The shrewd guy in his debt reducing deals actually impress his boss —because it will return in more money than borrowers were shelling back.
It also shows that this guy is capable of hustling and working hard— even if it took being backed into a corner.
There are companies than now do this for you in extreme debt relief—they’ll get finance counselors calling credit card disaster holders to get their debt numbers lowered to make repayment possible for people in their deep holes.
It’s clever business.
For this parable, Jesus tips you off to at least admire the steward’s ability to land on his feet, many of us would like to possess his audacity – – or his boldness.
Why does Jesus hold up this incompetent schemer as a model of anything positive or commendable? Actually, he doesn’t. He just wants you to be startled that people in serious sin are still figuring ways out while Christians with the spirit of God in them are sometimes, comparatively, lackadaisical in their dealings but with the power of the Gospel much inert in them. Jesus would like some spunk and some creativity in His Church. Our latest young adult Saint Pere Giorgio Frassati surely lived an engaging, interesting life. He can be a model for clever Catholicism.
Here it is in the parable that the steward’s ingenuity and getting things done is what Jesus wants to challenges us with. That man was all secular too. Where’d he find that solution?
This parable asks us to act prudently in using our time and resources with the Gospel in mind. One of the ways you could say, we were clever lately was with all the parish responses and responses to the Covid crisis, and another clever or prudent thing on your part was to change to electronic giving and other giving strategies.
We were clever to go outside when the parade was passing by on Old Columbia Pike and speak proudly of our church and give invitation to our neighbors to come here.
Lastly, the parable talks about being entrusted with true wealth. I hope it is the witness of many of you to others that your greatest “riches” in life come from your relationship with God, and with church and family and friends, and with living in goodness and love and the kindness of being Jesus-hearted.