Sometimes Jesus is hard to understand, even to His friends. Those well acquainted with His ways may still find His words jarring at times. They don’t fit our image of His message or mission. They leave us scratching our heads.
The parable of the unjust steward is one of Jesus’ teachings which has always troubled me. Why did our Lord choose such a lousy character to praise? After all, stewards in other parables seem held to higher standards. The servant who fails to invest his master’s wealth is beaten and thrown into outer darkness – all for digging a hole! But this guy who actively squanders his master’s wealth is praised for his wisdom. And once the parable is finished, Jesus goes on and on about how important it is for children of the Kingdom to use money wisely, with this unjust steward as our example.
Why did Jesus choose a lout as a model? Why not give us a more noble, faithful example, I wondered? Then last night it hit me….. Jesus was not telling a parable about the kind of person we should strive to be. No, He was holding a mirror to our faces, showing us who we are and how to get out of the hole we have dug for ourselves.
The truth is we are all unfaithful stewards. We have all squandered our master’s wealth. For most of us, the waste was unintentional, at least most of the time. We were simply distracted. Or unbelieving. Or caught up in the values of another master - the god of mammon, ambition, worldly success. We have frittered away our precious time on earth. We have not invested God’s gifts as we should. And at times, we have simply sinned. We have acted in ways that displease our Lord and harm His household.
Each of us is facing judgment. We will all die as a consequence of sin, and we will have to give an account of our stewardship to our Lord. So how can we prepare for such an end? We can forgive other people’s debts, and we can do it with a passion!
Here is the mystery… when the unjust steward begins forgiving debts, that is when he becomes a faithful steward. Our Master’s business is forgiveness. That is why Jesus came – to free the captives and undo the yoke of slavery. When we forgive debts, we become His agents on earth, binding and loosening as Jesus told His disciples they would. We bring glory to God when we forgive those who offend us, for we represent His mercy rightfully. We make His name a blessing, as the unjust steward made his master a blessing by releasing people from their debts. And in the process, we store up mercy for ourselves as well. Jesus warns us sternly that the measure we use for others is the measure that shall be used for us in the final judgment. He teaches us to pray “forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.”
Forgiveness is one way to prepare an eternal home. Generosity is another. Jesus clearly says, “make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth, so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal dwellings.” Once again, it strikes me as odd that other people seem to have a say in who gets an eternal dwelling in this parable. It rubs against the grain of my theology. But then again, Jesus says “inasmuch as You have done it (a work of mercy or generosity) unto the least of my brethren, you have done it unto Me.”
I am certain that I am missing many truths of this parable. There are aspects of its message I see dimly or perhaps simply misunderstand. However, this morning I see clearly that I am the unfaithful steward, and there is still hope for me!
Jesus – write Your words on my heart!