Twenty-Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time • Year C

Jesus was in the last year of his public life and on his way to Jerusalem and his death. He spent more and more time teaching the crowds, creating memories that would instruct them long after he had gone.

In the midst of his teaching he suddenly stopped and began telling them a strange story. We don’t know why. Perhaps he had just learned that Judas, his business manager, was making a deal to sell him to his enemies for 30 pieces of silver. Perhaps he perceived that some of his followers were already thinking about how they could become rich in his service: devout in church but devious in business.

In any case, he told them a story about a steward who had been given complete charge over the business affairs of a very rich man. The steward was out for himself, however, and over the years he quietly used the wealth of his master for his own personal profit.

Finally the master discovered the cheating and notified the steward that he was soon to be fired. The greedy employee was frightened. He said: “What shall I do?” My one skill is in managing money. How shall I live? I am not about to take a menial job and I will never ask for mercy. Who then will take me in when I am cast out?”

Then he came up with a plan. He went out to those he had done business with over the years and said: “Look! I am about to lose my job but before I go we can cut a deal that will profit us both. If you will guarantee me a job after I get fired, I will sign off on an agreement whereby your debts to my boss are cut in half. He will be none the wiser. He gave me control over his earthly goods and as long as I am in his household I retain the authority to dispose of them as I see fit.”

And so it was done. The cheating steward felt at peace. For sure, he was to be fired for misusing his master’s goods. But he had a place to go, a place where he had a lot of friends, a place that was warm against the cold of coming winter, a place where he could wheel and deal forever.

After the steward had been cast out, the Master found out what he had done during his last days and he shook his head with a wry smile, giving credit to the cheating steward for his craftiness in dealing with the things of this world. The Master had great wealth and was not terribly upset about the loss. In his mind it was well worth the price to get rid of his unfaithful employee and never see his face again.

Having finished the story, Jesus then said to those surrounding him, “Learn a lesson from the story. I have given you wealth:

• your days on this earth
• your powers to know and choose
• your opportunity to love and be loved
• your chances to bring good to others

You have the opportunity to use this wealth to increase my investment in this world … to make my presence felt in places and hearts where now I have no stake.”

“If you decide to cheat me, using my gifts for your own selfish pleasure in this world, then you had better follow the example of the unjust steward in the story. You had better make arrangements even now for a place to go when you get kicked out of my house.

“If you use my wealth to feed your own selfish greed in this life, make sure you make reservations for a place to go after death:

• a place where you can be nice and warm forever;
• a place where you can find others who are like you in their greed and selfishness;
• a place where I will never have to see your face again.”

Having said that, Jesus turned to teaching his next lesson.