Sunday 23 September 2007
"Whoever is faithful in a very little is faithful also in very much; and whoever is dishonest in a very little is dishonest in much." (v.10)
Background
In this whole section of Luke's Gospel, Jesus is telling thewealthy people not to be so interested in their money that theyignore God.
There have been lots of interpretations of today's reading, andwhom Jesus might have been aiming his message at. But we do knowthat there is an overall theme to Jesus' message, and indeed God'smessage throughout the whole Bible - namely that injustice andoppression anger and hurt God, whilst generosity and being focussedon God are the right way to live.
It also worth noting, that Jesus maybe using money as an analogyfor all types of possessions, skills and 'riches'.
One of the many challenges we are given in this Bible passage is,are we trustworthy? Do we use the skills, possessions and wealth wehave wisely? The Bible often links issues of trust in with humanrelationships, this therefore makes this passage even morechallenging… if we can't be trusted with money, can we be trustedto do right in our relationships?
To Ponder
How does money affect your relationships?
If Jesus was making these points to the religiousleaders and powerful men of the day, who might these comments beaimed at today?
Is there a link with power, wealth and atemptation to take one's eyes off God?