September 18th: Luke 16:1-13 ‘Kingdom Economics’

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)

The Rich Man and Lazarus Luke 16:19-31

A major theme in Luke’s Gospel is ‘reversal’. We see a clear example of this in today’s Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus. Notice how the rich man is not given a name. This is significant as names were important for people who were considered to be of high status, it gave them recognition. It is the poor outcast beggar who does have a name – Lazarus. Names are significant. Lazarus means “God helps”. The lives of these two men are radically different. The rich man wears purple robes, the most expensive colour dye at that time, and he feasts every day. A gate also separates these two men, the rich man is far above Lazarus in terms of status and wealth. The rich man does not even see Lazarus. When they die, their situations are completely reversed and we are reminded of the Magnificat in the first chapter of Luke (1:52-53) “He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty”. The rich man is unwilling to change, even in the afterlife he wants Lazarus sent, ordered, to go to his brothers. It is not proof or special signs that they need. Their vision has been blinded by wealth and dreams.

“The moment we cease to hold each other, the moment we break faith with one another, the sea engulfs us and the light goes out” (James Baldwin).