This is one of the most troubling chapters in the Gospels. I struggle with the first parable, although my trouble is lessened greatly if the steward’s bill-reductions reflect the giving up of his commissions rather than cheating his master out of further revenue.
Still, this chapter is troublesome because it deals with very personal issue of how I handle finances and resources, which in turn is a mirror into my interior life and my selfish bents. Jesus’ sentence, You cannot serve both God and Money (13), strikes an uncomfortable chord in my life.
I wonder sometimes what I would do if I won one of those mega lotteries. I’d like to think that it wouldn’t change me, but the stories of most winners suggests otherwise. Money often has an insidious affect on a person. And I cannot assume I would be immune to money’s dark pull.
This chapter raises many of those interior questions and personal wrestling about my use of the money and resources that I have been given… and this I suspect is why the chapter is so troubling for me.
Lor,d I am not immune from money’s dark pull. I can be deeply selfish. The psalmist is so right, Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me (Ps 51:5). God, as best I can, I surrender my selfish self to You for redemption and cleansing. In Jesus’ name I pray and surrender. Amen.
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