Shrewdness for attaining the Kingdom of God
Brethren, today's Gospel, if taken literally, may be shocking. Jesus seemed to praise a steward (a manager entrusted with his master's goods) who misused his employer's money. What did the steward do that made Jesus praise him? The steward was responsible for managing his wealthy landowner's property. The steward very likely overcharged his master's tenants for their use of the land and kept more than his fair share of the profit. When the landowner discovered the steward's dishonest practice, he was to immediately remove him from his job, leaving him penniless and ashamed to beg or do manual work. The servant acting shrewdly, he reduces the debts of the other servants so that they will welcome him after he had been stripped off his job and the master praised him for acting shrewdly.
Jesus did not praise the dishonest servant because of mishandling his master's property but because of acting shrewdly for his future after he has lost his job. The first message of this Gospel is therefore about how to spend money to the best advantage of others! The danger and encumbrance of wealth is such that inventiveness and energy is needed in using it to win friends in heaven, otherwise, wealth can make us lose heaven. Jesus is always challenging the rich but then in this parable, he teaches us that we can use our wealth well to make friends for heaven, for if we use our money to do good works, help the poor, do charity and do the will of God, we are not only making friends here in early but also determining our eternal life in heaven.
Ambrose, a 4th century bishop said: The bosoms of the poor, the houses of widows, the mouths of children are the barns which last forever. True wealth consists not in what we keep but in what we give away. Possessions are a great responsibility. The Lord expects us to use them honestly and responsibly and to put them at his service and the service of others. We belong to God and all that we have is his as well. He expects us to make a good return on what he gives us.
Secondly, we notice a tinge of sadness in our Lord’s comment, “For the children of this world are more prudent in dealing with their own generation than the children of light.’’ In other words, people strive more intensely for the things of this world than his followers do in pursuit of the kingdom of God. The children of the world engage their intellect, will, and imagination to gain wealth, popularity, power, and comfort. They know what they want, and they pursue it. While the object they pursue is ephemeral, the intensity with which they pursue it is admirable. Our Lord wants to see his followers live with that same intensity. In the Book of Revelation he says, “I wish you were either cold or hot. So, because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth” (Revelation 3:15-16).
Jesus wants us also to be shrewd in acting and living for the kingdom of God. Just as the dishonest servant acted in a shrewd way to secure his future after the job, we should also act in such a way that we gain eternal life after our departure from this earth. Jesus obviously thought that the example of a very clever steward would be a perfect illustration for a spiritual lesson about God and how God treats those who belong to his kingdom. The dishonest steward is commended not for mishandling his master's wealth, but for his shrewd provision in averting personal disaster and in securing his future livelihood. The original meaning of "shrewdness" is "foresight". A shrewd person grasps a critical future with resolution, foresight, and the determination to avoid serious loss or disaster.
For us Christians, faith and prudent foresight can save us from moral and spiritual disaster. If all Christians would only expend as much foresight and energy to spiritual matters, which have eternal consequences, as they do to earthly matters which have temporal consequences, then they would be truly better off, both in this life and in the age to come.
Reflect today on your shrewdness in acting so that you may gain eternal life in heaven. Do you use your wealth and money to make friends for yourself, or it is used for your selfish desire. Pray for the Holy Spirit to give you that wisdom and shrewdness so that you shall pass in this world successively.
Let us Pray.
Lord Jesus, all that I have is a gift from you. May I love you freely and generously with all that I possess. Help me to be a wise and faithful steward of the resources you put at my disposal, including the use of my time, money, and possessions. Amen
Be blessed.
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