Friday 18 July 2008

Background

In this story Jesus tells us that the material world, includingmoney and economics, matters. He had been a tradesman, working as acarpenter (Mark6:3). He would have understood the economic world of work,which included dishonest managers and wealthy bosses who fleecedthe poor. Into that situation he brought questions of how God'swill is done. God is involved in the material world which is thebeginning of wealth.

A few verses later, Jesus refers to "dishonest wealth" (verse 11). Maybesome would say "filthy lucre". Money is tainted, Jesus seems tosay. It makes the economic world go around but it pressescompromises on us. And today, many people understand that. We arepart of an economic system characterised by inequality. Many of usliving in western nations are on the winning team, like the managerand boss in Jesus' story.

(Just after this story comes another about a rich man who didn'tcare about the poor man living at his gate [Luke 16:19-31].When he dies, the rich man is not welcomed into heaven, but findshimself cut off because of his relationship with the poor.)

So how we use our money matters. It changes who we are and marksour soul. After the story, Jesus tells his listeners that if theydon't prove trustworthy with money then they won't be entrustedwith "true riches" (verse 11). And within the story he seems to beshowing how to be trustworthy with money - like the manager, use itto make friends with the poor, because they are the ones who willwelcome you into the kingdom of God.

To Ponder

To what use do you put your money, and how doesthat change you as a person?

In what ways can money be used to befriend thepoor with integrity?

What kind of national economics does Jesus' storypoint towards?