From the desk of the minister: The Parable of the Dishonest Manager
Many Christians have been offended by this parable. Some find it very
disturbing that Jesus would find anything commendable in a person who
has acted dishonestly. In this parable, Jesus is not approving dishonesty
at all. I think Jesus is trying to show that even though someone has been
acting dishonestly; he is not totally wiped out. There may be something
in him that we still can learn from his life. I think the logic of this man
has been one of the highlights of this parable. He wanted to make sure
that people who owed money to this manager would still be dealing
with this manager in the future. He also assumed that he will be
unemployed soon for his dishonesty. By reducing the amount, people
will still be accepting him as a friend. The lesson to be drawn is the
inherent connection between our handling of the earthly things and our
handling of the heavenly things.
Collect: God of glory, God of power, we are thankful that you
never forget the needy and the poor, and that they are closest
to your heart. This day we pray that as we gather in worship
we might also praise your name by resolving again to serve your
people here and around the world where need is greatest and
where things seem darkest, we thank you, we praise you, Amen.
The follower of Jesus who is faithful in small things can be expected to
handle big things. “Whoever is faithful in small matters will be faithful
in large ones;” whoever is dishonest in small matters will be dishonest
in large ones.” (Luke 16:10) David could be trusted with his father’s
flock before he became the shepherd of God’s flock. He had won
victories over the lion and bear before he faced Goliath, not in Saul’s
armour but with weapons that he had used successfully on lesser
enemies. Faithful in small things, he became ruler of Israel. We are
reminded of that, growing faithfully in small things will open the door
to bigger things in the future.
Grace & Peace, Rev Maile