The Prudent but Dishonest Steward
Homily for the 25th Sunday in Ordinary TIme
Amos was a sheepbreeder of Tekoa in Judah, who delivered his oracles in the Northern Kingdom during the prosperous reign of Jeroboam II (786–746 B.C.). He prophesied in Israel at the great cult center of Bethel, from which he was finally expelled by the priest in charge of this royal sanctuary (7:10–17). The poetry of Amos, who denounces the hollow prosperity of the Northern Kingdom, is filled with imagery and language taken from his own pastoral background. The book is an anthology of his oracles and was compiled either by the prophet or by some of his disciples.
Amos had four visions granted him by God concerning Israel – first, a swarm of locusts, and then a drought, followed by a measuring plumb-line, and, finally the one which opens the chapter from which our First Reading comes, a basket of fruit. All four visions indicate that Israel has not been faithful to their relationship with God. They literally do not measure up. The fruit in the basket is rotten and God means to punish Israel.
Amos has been denouncing their crooked ways and, consequently, has been charged not to speak any further by Amaziah, a priest of Bethel. Of course, he is unable to be silent because he has been charged by God to speak His Word which has become a part who he is as a prophet. So, he continues to denounce Israel and warn them of the day of reckoning that is coming. What we hear is just such a denunciation of the unjust business practices of the times. When Amos had pleaded with God not to send pestilence upon the people, God had relented; but things have not improved. What we hear today is another warning to those practicing crooked dealings. Amos mimics their usual complaints, “When will the Sabbath be over, the celebration of the new moon so we can get back to work.” There are corners to be cut, the cheating to be extended.
Then Amos says that God will remember every little cheating corner they have cut. Amos is no longer going to try to argue God out of the divine plan as pictured in the visions, but he will not discontinue his prophetic warnings either.
The Gospel continues Luke’s challenging of those who are greedy and centered on wealth. We hear first a parable which is somewhat confusing in that it seems to reward the dishonest steward. It helps if we understand the role of the steward in the life of Israel. A steward is a trusted servant who is a mediator between his master and those who are indebted to him. This was a common figure in the life of 1st century Palestine. People were used to dealing with a mediator rather than the master himself. In fact, in St. Paul’s First Letter to Timothy, he refers to Jesus as a mediator between God and the people. As part of his role, the mediator who charge the debtors for his services. It is possible that this steward was charging too much of the debtors besides betraying his master and not dealing well with the master’s property. He is summoned and his job is terminated. He reflects that he is in bad shape in terms of the future. He makes little deals with his fellow servants by which He asks various fellow servants how much they owe the master. He tells them to consider the debt officially much less. It is possible that the portion that he forgives is what he had added on for his services as mediator. Consequently, while he would still be considered a bad steward, there may be a way to see his plan in a better light. He makes good friends with these fellow servants who in turn will remember him in the days of need ahead. At the same time, the master will benefit because word of the steward’s generosity will reflect well on the master, increasing his honor among his debtors. The master, upon finding out about this, commends the trickiness of the servant which he says is prudent. He also realizes that if his debtors should learn that the steward was discharged, what had been honor would be transformed into shame.
Jesus finishes the parable and then says something seemingly a bit crooked too. He affirms that the sinful people of this generation are more prudent in their usual dealings, than are the “children of light.” Then Jesus says that all should make friends with wealth, because it will fail in the long run and the resulting wisdom will lead us to the eternal dwelling. The Gospel closes with proverb-like sayings about those who are faithful with the smaller things will be trusted with the larger. The opposite is true as well. These sayings, while oh so true, are unusual because they do not seem typical of Jesus.
Money, when it is not our master, can do great and wonderful things. The “children of light” are those who try to live toward the good, the Light. As children of the light, we are invited to be prudent about what is important ultimately to us as those who are of “this generation”, who like the unworthy servant, are prudent for what they think is the “long term”.
This is not an easy parable, but it does fit into Luke’s basic theme of living wisely with the gifts the Giver or Lord has given us. “Wisely” for Luke has to do more with our distribution of wealth than its accumulation. The steward was unwise in his use of the master’s wealth. He was wise, according to Jesus, by making friends with the master’s other servants by reducing their debts. A good question might be asked here. Did the steward cheat his master by this reduction, or did he reduce the debt by the exact amount his master would owe him for his service as mediator? Whatever was going on, Jesus reflecting on the story reminds His followers to try to make life-long friends with wealth, because when they do, they will find out how short-lived that friendship really is. No one can take their wealth with them when they die.
I would like to think that Jesus knew the lust for identity through wealth that was in the hearts of His followers. He is telling them and us to try to find peace and true life by remembering that no one can take his property with him when he leaves this life. Money must not become a deity. The life that Jesus offers is but one of many forms and we will have to try them and be disappointed by them. We will come to His ways and to Him personally with many experiences of frustration, abandonment, and emptiness. We pay tribute to the Giver by our desire to dis-tribute all that we have, including our gifted selves.
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