Breaking the Word

I tell you, make friends for yourselves with dishonest wealth, so that when it fails, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings. The person who is trustworthy in very small matters is also trustworthy in great ones; and the person who is dishonest in very small matters is also dishonest in great ones. If, therefore, you are not trustworthy with dishonest wealth, who will trust you with true wealth? If you are not trustworthy with what belongs to another, who will give you what is yours? No servant can serve two masters. He will either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon." The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all these things and sneered at him. And he said to them, "You justify yourselves in the sight of others, but God knows your hearts; for what is of human esteem is an abomination in the sight of God. (Lk 16:9-15)

It looks very strange that Jesus asks his followers to make friends with money. And he calls it dishonest money.  Money is evil and because money many have fallen away from God. No one can serve God and money. Money has corrupted many and it continues to do so. Credibility of one is measured with the way one deals with money or works with money.

Jesus certainly does not contradict. Money is evil but man has to live with it and work with it or for it. But what is important is the attitude of man towards money and the way he works with it. Jesus said that man should not serve money. Man has to be trustworthy with regard to money and not that man should trust money. Man should treat money for what it is.

“The person who is trustworthy in very small matters is also trustworthy in great ones; and the person who is dishonest in very small matters is also dishonest in great ones.” Jesus says that money should be a small matter and it should be treated as small matter. Secondly man should be trustworthy in dealing with money (small matter) then only he will be trustworthy in great ones. Only God knows the heart of man.

Then he also said to his disciples, "A rich man had a steward who was reported to him for squandering his property. He summoned him and said, 'What is this I hear about you? Prepare a full account of your stewardship, because you can no longer be my steward.' The steward said to himself, 'What shall I do, now that my master is taking the position of steward away from me? I am not strong enough to dig and I am ashamed to beg. I know what I shall do so that, when I am removed from the stewardship, they may welcome me into their homes.' He called in his master's debtors one by one. To the first he said, 'How much do you owe my master?' He replied, 'One hundred measures of olive oil.' He said to him, 'Here is your promissory note. Sit down and quickly write one for fifty.' Then to another he said, 'And you, how much do you owe?' He replied, 'One hundred kors of wheat.' He said to him, 'Here is your promissory note; write one for eighty.' And the master commended that dishonest steward for acting prudently. "For the children of this world are more prudent in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light. (Lk 16:1-8)

A rich man is rich because he does not allow his stewards to squander his property. For the rich man the steward is not important so also any worker (for that matter any person). For the rich man his property in more important than anything else. He looks for stewards will think and work like him. The rich man does not even think of correcting the steward by giving him one more chance.

This steward is also different from the others. Because he has been a steward for sometime he has lost his own will and ability to do work. Because he has been a steward he has gained some status in the society. So to go back to work like the other men he would find it difficult and ashamed. And much more so to be a beggar.

The steward invents a new way of being useful and respectful in the society. He calls all the debtors of his masters. It is said that the stewards are due to get something from the debtors. This steward forgoes what was due to him from the debtors. Because of this sacrifice that he makes he regains his position in the society and respect in the society. It is for this reason that the steward is commended.