If you think that all the parables that Jesus
told were nice stories about people of integrity then today’s parable will
surely make you think again. This is a parable about a scoundrel, yet it
praises him and his wisdom.
The manager has been given notice by his CEO and
he decides to even up the tables, while he still can, for those who are
struggling to pay their debts to the company. The manager is praised for his
astuteness, he has his priorities straight, he is happy to let debt go, to
redistribute the load. Of course there is self-interest on his part but Jesus
is telling us that the only value the money really has is in the way it is
disposed of and in doing this the manager wins the hearts and minds of the
workers.
The manager won’t be the most successful
man on the planet compared to the ‘children
of the light’ who are more concerned with accounts than with real people. The
manager is free-spirited and can be trusted to value what is really important.
He knows that none of this material wealth is permanent and uses the authority
that he has to relieve the suffering of those who are indebted to his company.
Yes he is a bit of a scoundrel, but Jesus liked scoundrels, once their efforts
were put to good use.
“God’s dream for creation is different from Pharaoh’s dream or Rome’s dream or Wall Street’s dream. And at the centre of God’s economy is the idea of redistribution…It is an invitation to holy mischief!” (Shane Claiborne)
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