Luke 16:1-13
1 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. 2 So he summoned him and said to him, ‘What is this that I hear about you? Give me an accounting of your management, because you cannot be my manager any longer.’
3 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. 4 I have decided what to do so that, when I am dismissed as manager, people may welcome me into their homes.’
5 So, summoning his master’s debtors one by one, he asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ 6 He answered, ‘A hundred jugs of olive oil.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it fifty.’ 7 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.’
8 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.
9 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. 10 “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. 11 If then you have not been faithful with the dishonest wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? 12 And if you have not been faithful with what belongs to another, who will give you what is your own?
13 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 wealth.”
No One Can Serve Two Masters
This Sunday, St. Luke invites us to reflect on the integrity and honesty in our life, and how to use the gifts God gives us to live in peace with our conscience and with our neighbor.
It is important for our reflection to remember the context of this parable. The Lord is speaking simultaneously to the Pharisees and to His disciples.
The parable shows the wisdom of evildoers. The compliment given by the master to the manager, who had cheated his master and continued to do so, should be morally and spiritually refused. The master, based upon clear evidence, decided to dismiss the manager. He had the full right to do so without delay and without asking the manager to give him "an accounting of his management" Luke 16:2.
The manager profits from that delay to keep cheating his employer, using his wisdom to win potential friends who might be of help in the future. "I have decided what to do, so that, when I am dismissed as manager, people may welcome me in their homes" Luke 16:4
Using wisdom to reap pseudo-good aims is not acceptable, though the master seems to praise the betrayer! That is just to remind us that earthly wisdom may help for some time and some circumstances, but it can never help to get a deserved reward in God's eyes.
It’s amazing that the master, practicing justice and mercy, gives the manager some time to get out with some respect. Instead of finding a way to repent and correct his position, the manager does even worse. The Master is not willing to condemn and punish, he is trying to keep the employee's dignity and respect among the workers.
What do we learn from this parable? Wisdom is given to us for good deeds. We have to use our wisdom to please God and to obtain both success in our careers and internal peace. We gain joyful satisfaction when we share the fruits of our successful projects with others.
Jesus is addressing both the Pharisees, who refuse to accept Him as the Messiah, and the disciples who are called to use their wisdom for good exclusively. We cannot serve two masters. Make your choice, God or wealth! Luke 16:13