Twenty Fifth Ordinary Sunday, Year C
Theme: We Are Stewards Only 我們祇不過是管家
No employers would tolerate employees who embezzle. Supervisors expect their subordinates to be honest, hardworking and obedient. Honesty and loyalty can be said to be some kind of universal values shared among peoples. As for Chinese, Confucianism also teaches likewise. For example, Zengzi says, “I daily examine myself on three points: whether, in transacting business for others, I may have been not faithful … 吾日三省吾身：為人謀而不忠乎？”(Analects, Xue Er) Therefore, readers would be surprised to hear in the parable that “the master commended that dishonest steward for acting prudently.” (Luke 16:8) For decades since 1960’s, biblical scholars have had a hard time trying to come up with a reasonable explanation. Finally in 2000, Landry & May were able to interpret the steward’s action as creating a 3-win situation for the master, the steward as well as the debtors. At long last, the puzzle was cracked. In 2007, I delivered a valedictory speech “Traces of God’s revelation in Chinese culture【在中國文化中尋找天主啟示的一鱗半爪】” at the Hong Kong Catholic Biblical Institute graduation ceremony and speculated that God must have left some clues of divine revelation for the Chinese people. Indeed, there are if you’re able to read Chinese classics from a Christian perspective! Had those western scholars known some Chinese stories, they would have cracked the puzzle of the master commending the dishonest steward in no time! God’s wisdom is truly unfathomable and scholars have never been able to exhaust new discoveries. That makes Jesus’ teachings timeless.
Let’s contemplate the last verse, “If you are not trustworthy with what belongs to another, who will give you what is yours?” (16:12). If something is ours, why would we have to wait for it to be given us? Alas! Modern people have taken the “right to private property” for granted. We believe that the money we earn, the house we purchased and other assets etc. are exclusively ours to dispose. In fact, it is one of the foundation pillars of democracy. The Bible endorses it because men were made in the image of God who commanded humanity to manage the universe in His stead (Genesis 1:26). Furthermore, He commanded men to care for and develop the earth (2:15). In order to fully develop this image, access to resources must be guaranteed. The right to private property is such a guarantee. However, there is a danger of going to the extreme. It is easy for us to mistaken this right to private property to be absolute and exclusive. No. God created the universe not just for me alone. It is for the common use for all of us. Therefore, there carries a responsibility when we make use of the resources we horde! Bear this in mind. We are only stewards of the resources which do not belong exclusively to us. We’re allowed to make use of them for our growth and development. Yet, others are also entitled to using them for their growth and development too!
Why then the wait? I speculate that we have already been given them. Yet we need time to learn to manage them properly. Why do we need management training of what have already given us? Well, it is because what belong to us is something bigger than what we already have in possession. The good Lord says, “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.” (Luke 16:10) What are those “small matters” and “great matters”. I suspect that it is something to do with eternal life. I’m of the opinion that they are one and the same but at different stages. Compared with eternity, matters in the temporal world at present are truly small. So, if we unable to manage our resources on earth properly, it is very unlikely that we’ll be able to manage well in eternal life! Moreover, we don’t simply manage our own resources which are close to us. All of us are interconnected and our actions will inevitably ripple through a literal world-wide-web of relations affecting others far and near. Therefore, being aware that we are always managing resources which belong to others, we are at the same time, training ourselves in the management of what belong to us. Thus, if we failed to handle others’ resources properly, would we be able to handle ours successfully (Luke 16:12)? Very unlikely. Therefore, Jesus was reiterating no more than the stewardship teachings in Genesis mentioned above.
To dive deeper, we understand that all that we have come from God. Not only do we manage resources not belong to us but belong to others, we’re actually managing the resources of God. Therefore, most of the time, we are allowed to manage wealth which is not ours. When we are in possession of wealth which is not legally or hereditarily ours, we are in possession of “unrighteous/dishonest wealth” aren’t we? Only that which belongs to us is “true wealth” which is already given us like uncut gems, waiting for us to polish until they shine forth their radiance in eternity in Christ. That polishing is the managing of “what belongs to another” we meditated above. If we don’t manage well, the uncut gems will remain uncut and will never be able to shine forth their radiance. Then it is not meaningful to claim ownership of the gems (16:11)!
Then, how do we manage the resources at our disposal in an effective manner? This is the crux of the parable today.
Brethren! Jesus Christ can be seen as a Christian financial investment consultant. He teaches us how to transfer our worldly wealth to heaven, making a fortune: “I tell you, make friends for yourselves with dishonest wealth, so that when it fails, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.” (16:9) Which means, you spend your money on helping the poor and needy who are unable to repay you. Out of His righteousness, God will repay you in their stead! Then your wealth in eternity will be true and satisfying.
Moreover, Jesus Christ the master is truly merciful. He commended the steward for his prudent handling of dishonest wealth instead of highlighting his embezzlement! His wealth and mercy are truly infinite! St. Paul’s exhortation is appropriate here. “For you were called for freedom, brothers. But do not use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh; rather, serve one another through love” (Galatians 5:13). So, we should not take advantage of the Lord’s wealth and mercy to mismanage the treasures He has reserved for us.
God bless!
2019 Reflection
Picture Credit: sohu.com
No comments:
Post a Comment