Parable of the Shrewd Steward

Today Fr Paul reads from the Gospel of Luke (16:1-8) in which Jesus tells his disciples the parable of the shrewd steward.

Fr Paul says we could easily be lulled into thinking the point of this parable is about God praising the steward for his fraud. However, the point of the story is simply looking at the steward’s energy and inventiveness. He is using his shrewdness.

Again, Luke is writing about the danger and the burden of wealth and, in doing so, he is saying that such inventiveness and energy as shown by the steward is needed in using it to win friends in heaven.

Fr Paul says this is a really clever parable, too, because Jews were forbidden to lend to Jews at interest. A steward such as this one would cut off the interest from the bills of his master and so it is the steward who makes his master obey the law.

Another lesson from this story is that God is not interested in what we humans call fairness.  All God wants is commitment.

For our reflection today, Fr Paul says, we might ask ourselves, ‘How committed am I to the relationship between God and myself?’