Now, this is an…interesting parable.
If we look at it on the surface – let’s be honest – doesn’t it look like Jesus is advocating for us to lie, cheat, and steal?
We can focus on the last few verses, and that helps a little bit, but couldn’t Jesus have told this story with a good guy rather than a dishonest, selfish cheat? Actually, it seems to be a fairly reliable biblical theme with cheats as the primary character in the story. Hmm…what do you think?
The very last verse might give us a clue. Look at the two contrasting “gods.” God and money. The dishonest steward is obviously held up for us as a servant to the almighty dollar. Could it be that when one serves this “god” that there are no good examples to choose from?
Then again, what if the answer is more primal than that? Think about the power of the unexpected (in this case, the unexpected example) to jar us out of our nice, comfortable ruts.
Why don’t we think about the jarring effect of the unexpected when we gather at our chosen houses of worship in our nice, comfortable…pews? Maybe, we still need a little jarring.