A rich man had a steward
who was reported to him for squandering his property.
This man was a "dishonest steward" and there was not much about him that was worthy of imitation. He was entrusted with property that was his master's and not his own and was not faithful in his discharge of that property but squandered it as though it were his own to do with as he pleased.
'What is this I hear about you?
It seems that his use of his master's property was so egregious that it caught the attention of others to the degree that they were the ones who reported him to the master. It may have been that he used his stewardship in ways that were unjust to others, such as those we read about in the prophet Amos.
We will diminish the ephah,
add to the shekel,
and fix our scales for cheating!
Perhaps the steward was simply squandering his master's resources on himself, putting them to use for a life of dissipation or even simply one entirely focused on personal comfort. It might not have been the case that he was directly interfering in the lives of others. But even this would have had an effect on those around him, depriving them of opportunities they might have had if the steward hadn't hoarded his master's resources for himself. Who knows what ventures might have come about and what new opportunities there might have been for many in the region if those resources had been used more industriously.
The steward said to himself, 'What shall I do,
now that my master is taking the position of steward away from me?
There was, as we said, not much about the conduct of the steward for us to recommend. But one aspect of this disaster stands out as prudent in its context in a way that we are often not as prudent in our own. Once the steward saw his actions against the horizon of the judgment of his master he realized the finitude of merely borrowed wealth, realized too that he had no other skills or assets by which he might offset the consequences of this judgment.
I am not strong enough to dig and I am ashamed to beg.
I know what I shall do so that,
when I am removed from the stewardship,
they may welcome me into their homes.
The steward came up with a new plan for the use of his master's wealth. It would no longer be put to use for his own whims, pleasure or comfort. It would rather be used for others. He did not immediately become selfless. He was rather led to this choice by a view toward his own long term self-interest whereas before he had only considered the immediate.
He called in his master's debtors one by one.
To the first he said,
'How much do you owe my master?'
He replied, 'One hundred measures of olive oil.'
However it may have come about, whatever the reason for beginning, what he was doing was using this wealth which could not itself help him in the long term to invest in friendships that could, that would still be there for him even after his stewardship was judged and found wanting.
'How much do you owe my master?'
He replied, 'One hundred measures of olive oil.'
He said to him, 'Here is your promissory note.
Sit down and quickly write one for fifty.'
Was this wealth really his to put to use this way? No, most likely not. Most likely he was cutting in on the master's margins. But the master in the parable himself couldn't help but commend, if not the actions themselves, at least the farsighted prudence that motivated them.
And the master commended that dishonest steward for acting prudently.
We too are stewards in that there is nothing that we possess that is strictly our own. The wealth that we been lent by the master has a tendency in this fallen world to become dishonest, and seem to us as though it were our own. When we succumb to this temptation we tend to squander that with which we have been entrusted much as did the dishonest steward. But we too will one day hear the fearful words, "Prepare a full account of your stewardship". Let us learn the prudence of the dishonest steward to consider this long term perspective, and to discharge our duties with a view toward securing eternal dwellings. This perspective calls us to invest in that which lasts, in relationships, rather than things, which are destined to "fail" in the end. Unlike the dishonest steward's master, our master is not slighted when we use his gifts for the sake of others. It is not that he will grudgingly commend us for doing so. He will rather delight to see that we were trustworthy with what belongs to another and give us the one thing that can truly be ours forever, himself.
For there is one God.
There is also one mediator between God and men,
the man Christ Jesus,
who gave himself as ransom for all.
We are meant to be more concerned about relationships than things, more concerned about saving truth than expedient appearances. Jesus himself came to bridge the infinite gap between a planet of dishonest stewards and our true master in heaven. As true man he was able to represent mankind. As true God he alone was able to faultlessly appear before God, alone able to perfectly discharge the stewardship of his human life. Now Jesus has bridged that gap and himself intercedes for us in heaven, just as Paul asked his hearers to intercede for others. We have been united with the perfect steward by virtue of our baptism. The Holy Spirit who fills desires to help us become more and more honest stewards, and as participants in the one mediation of Christ, mediators for the sake of others, for the sake of eternal dwellings, so that everyone will be saved and come to knowledge of the truth.
He raises up the lowly from the dust;
from the dunghill he lifts up the poor
to seat them with princes,
with the princes of his own people.
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