Luke 16:1-13
I love a good puzzle. Word puzzles, nails bent so you have to figure out how to unloop them, putting together a puzzle, they all intrigue and entertain me. This seems to be a puzzle today. Most of the parables we get from Jesus we make sense of. This one doesn't seem to make any sense. We're more comfortable with going to the end of it with some sayings that are in here, you can't worship God and wealth. Phew, now we can breath again, or can we?
If we're honest this is one we need to wrestle with, stand in the uncomfortable gap. Why would Jesus commend the dishonest steward. It says if we aren't dishonest like the steward, we won't understand the real treasures. It also says we need to make friends by the same means as the steward, isn't that wrong, not collecting what the boss is owed? It's uncomfortable to have this set before us this way. If we're truly going to understand this we have to sit in the in between. Like Jacob.
Remember Jacob is just about to meet his brother again and he hears he is not far off. So if Esau is still mad about his taking his birthright and is going to destroy him he splits his family up. The women and children are first, with some of the herds. Jacob is then alone at night, in between his split family, in between knowing whether they will live or die and what happens, he wrestles with a stranger. A stranger who turns out to be God and from that point on he walks with a limp.
So today instead of trying to wrap this parable up in a nice neat package, let's wrestle with it. Let's wrestle with why Jesus would say to make friends by means of dishonest wealth, let's wrestle with why we have to be faithful with dishonest wealth in order to understand true riches. Why in a gospel which always seems to turn towards the poor we are talking about dishonest wealth and riches. Let's wrestle with this and then maybe we can start to understand all the other sayings which don't make sense, love your enemies, the last will be first, become the servant of all, take up your cross and follow.
None of following Jesus makes sense to this world because he asks us not to act like this world. In the end could friendship and relationship be the dishonest wealth. Sacrifice, even if it isn't ours, and isn't that the point nothing in this life is ours, in order to cultivate a relationship with another. Relationship is the key to Jesus, to God, to the Holy Spirit. Listening for those things which disturb our soul and wrestling with it.
This week a meme was put up on Facebook which describes all the contradictions we need to wrestle with. It says: "Prisoners pen scriptures, whores are heroes and every face resembles holiness. The feet of peasants are washed by the King and law bows down to love. Outsiders are insiders and the door is not open but torn clean from its hinges. This is the house that God built." Lori Hetteen This is what our churches should look like. Places where we wrestle with the contradictions and aren't afraid to stand in the gap.
I love a good puzzle. Word puzzles, nails bent so you have to figure out how to unloop them, putting together a puzzle, they all intrigue and entertain me. This seems to be a puzzle today. Most of the parables we get from Jesus we make sense of. This one doesn't seem to make any sense. We're more comfortable with going to the end of it with some sayings that are in here, you can't worship God and wealth. Phew, now we can breath again, or can we?
If we're honest this is one we need to wrestle with, stand in the uncomfortable gap. Why would Jesus commend the dishonest steward. It says if we aren't dishonest like the steward, we won't understand the real treasures. It also says we need to make friends by the same means as the steward, isn't that wrong, not collecting what the boss is owed? It's uncomfortable to have this set before us this way. If we're truly going to understand this we have to sit in the in between. Like Jacob.
Remember Jacob is just about to meet his brother again and he hears he is not far off. So if Esau is still mad about his taking his birthright and is going to destroy him he splits his family up. The women and children are first, with some of the herds. Jacob is then alone at night, in between his split family, in between knowing whether they will live or die and what happens, he wrestles with a stranger. A stranger who turns out to be God and from that point on he walks with a limp.
So today instead of trying to wrap this parable up in a nice neat package, let's wrestle with it. Let's wrestle with why Jesus would say to make friends by means of dishonest wealth, let's wrestle with why we have to be faithful with dishonest wealth in order to understand true riches. Why in a gospel which always seems to turn towards the poor we are talking about dishonest wealth and riches. Let's wrestle with this and then maybe we can start to understand all the other sayings which don't make sense, love your enemies, the last will be first, become the servant of all, take up your cross and follow.
None of following Jesus makes sense to this world because he asks us not to act like this world. In the end could friendship and relationship be the dishonest wealth. Sacrifice, even if it isn't ours, and isn't that the point nothing in this life is ours, in order to cultivate a relationship with another. Relationship is the key to Jesus, to God, to the Holy Spirit. Listening for those things which disturb our soul and wrestling with it.
This week a meme was put up on Facebook which describes all the contradictions we need to wrestle with. It says: "Prisoners pen scriptures, whores are heroes and every face resembles holiness. The feet of peasants are washed by the King and law bows down to love. Outsiders are insiders and the door is not open but torn clean from its hinges. This is the house that God built." Lori Hetteen This is what our churches should look like. Places where we wrestle with the contradictions and aren't afraid to stand in the gap.
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