25th Sunday in Ordinary Time, C September 18, 2022
Fr. Alexander Albert St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette
What just happened? If you were a little confused by that parable, you’re not alone. Most scripture scholars agree that this is the most confusing parable Jesus tells. Of course, that’s part of what parables are for: to confuse us a little and make us think. Still, what happened?
The basic story of the parable is this: a man stole from his boss and when he got caught, he stole from him again, but did it in such a way that he befriended people who owed his boss money. The older language and different culture make it little hard to follow, but that’s what happens. The surprising part, however, is that instead of getting mad, the boss actually praises the thief for his cleverness. So wait, is Jesus saying that stealing is a good thing if you’re clever? Of course not. That’s why the very next lesson he gives warns us about the dangers of greed.
So what is Jesus saying? He’s saying that we are lazy and careless. His point is that this dishonest steward was very clever and intentional about making sure he would have a place to live. But this world is temporary. Houses crumble. Food rots. Money means nothing after you die. If this man can be so invested in such temporary and worldly things, why aren’t we just as clever and invested in eternal things?
Jesus just finished telling the three parables of being lost and found: the sheep, the coin, and the prodigal son. In all of those, his point was that eternal life is so valuable that saving even a single soul is worth a lot of work and saving one is reason for a huge party. Jesus often tells us that we should “store up treasure in heaven,” which is a metaphor for growing in grace and holiness. But, because God is so generous, we often take him for granted. We sometimes assume things like “I’m going to heaven eventually anyway, so I don’t need to think too much about the future.” The dishonest steward made sure he had a place to live in this life. We should make sure we have a place to live in eternal life.
How do we do that? That’s part of this parable too: “make friends for yourselves with dishonest wealth.” Does Jesus mean we should steal money and then use it to make our friends happy? No! He means that all wealth is dishonest. It’s dishonest because it doesn’t last forever and because it tricks us into thinking we can take care of ourselves. Jesus’ point is simple: don’t trust in your wealth. Instead, use it to make friends because friends – especially holy ones and poor ones – can help you get to heaven. How? You do good things for them and they are grateful. Because they are grateful, they pray for you and that helps you get to heaven. So, they welcome you “into eternal dwellings” because you helped them with your unreliable wealth. Also, God spiritually rewards people for being generous. Giving to the poor means grace for you.
Now, did you catch what’s missing in this interpretation of the parable? I just said you should use your money, but this steward used his boss’ money to make friends. There’s two things to realize here.
First, your money isn’t really yours. Everything you have is a gift. Your existence, your ability to work, the stuff you use to gain wealth… all of that came from God and depends on God. It’s His. We just have the opportunity to use it. Remember that because when you stand before God and he asks you why you weren’t more generous, you won’t be able to say “I earned that wealth!” He’ll say “it was never yours. It is mine. I only gave it to you to use for good, but you just kept it for yourself.”
The second one is more subtle, but it helps if we remember this: every time Jesus talks about debt, he’s talking about sin. Now, if you think of debt as a symbol for sin, what does that say about these people who owe wheat and oil to the master? They are fellow sinners. Then there’s the dishonest steward who comes in and lowers their debt. And it works! The master doesn’t come back and say “no, you still owe me 100 wheat and 100 oil.” He lets it stand because the steward really did have the authority to do that, despite the fact that he was dishonest. Now, can you think of an example in reality where someone has God’s authority to forgive sins, even if they aren’t good people? Yes, priests. Priests – even sinful ones – really can reduce our debts and forgive our sins because they have God’s authority. Confession is that powerful. Don’t miss out on that chance. Bad priests will answer to God, but you’ll still benefit from going to confession to them so long as you are sincere.
But this also applies to lay people. You can’t forgive sins in confession, but you can forgive people who hurt you. Every sin – even sins against you – are sins against God. We may not answer to each other, but we will answer to God for our sins. And when we forgive people who’ve hurt us, we are kind of like this dishonest steward. We are helping them reduce their spiritual debt to God. When we are judged, us forgiving them will help us receive forgiveness. When I hurt someone and they genuinely forgive me, I am grateful. When I die, I will be there at the last judgment saying “please forgive them, Lord, because they were merciful to me!” Don’t just use money to make friends, use mercy too so you have even more people helping you get to heaven.
And that’s what God wants – all of us helping everyone get to heaven. St. Paul’s letter to Timothy says it clearly, that God wants “everyone to be saved and to come to knowledge of the truth.” This includes our enemies. It includes “kings and… all in authority,” whether we like them or not – I meant what I said last week about wanting the salvation of even the worst of political leaders. I know it can be hard for us to do this, to love our enemies and to forgive others who have hurt us, but we have to. You cannot go to heaven with unforgiveness in your heart. Not because God will kick you out but because trying to bring unforgiveness into heaven it like trying to mix oil and water. It simply won’t work. A soul full of resentment, pride, and unforgiveness will simply fall to the bottom like water goes to the bottom of oil.
And this teaching only makes sense if you really accept who Jesus is. He is the one and only way to heaven. He truly is God who became man and died for our sins. You might accept that on paper, but if you do not even try to love your enemies and forgive those who hurt you, you still have work to do. Ask yourself: do I really serve Jesus? Or do I serve mammon, do I serve the power, money, and grudges I hold on to? Because you only get to serve one. And only one of them is worth it.