Daily Lesson for November 16, 2018

Today’s Daily Lesson comes from Luke chapter 16 verses 1 through 9:

Then Jesus said to the disciples, ‘There was a rich man who had a manager, and charges were brought to him that this man was squandering his property. 2So he summoned him and said to him, “What is this that I hear about you? Give me an account of your management, because you cannot be my manager any longer.” 3Then the manager said to himself, “What will I do, now that my master is taking the position away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg. 4I have decided what to do so that, when I am dismissed as manager, people may welcome me into their homes.” 5So, summoning his master’s debtors one by one, he asked the first, “How much do you owe my master?” 6He answered, “A hundred jugs of olive oil.” He said to him, “Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it fifty.” 7Then he asked another, “And how much do you owe?” He replied, “A hundred containers of wheat.” He said to him, “Take your bill and make it eighty.” 8And his master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly; for the children of this age are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light. 9And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of dishonest wealth so that when it is gone, they may welcome you into the eternal homes.

Now here is a puzzling parable, and one that is impossible to preach to people wholly committed to Jesus only telling stories with good guys and bad guys and clear moral lessons.

This isn’t so much a moral lesson. This is a lesson about friendship. It’s a lesson about making friends while we can and with what we have. It’s a lesson, Jesus says, the children of darkness understand.  They understand that in life we’re going to need others. It’s also a lesson, Jesus says, the children of light need to learn — for life and for life to come.

Even crooks know they’re going to need others. And even crooks do what it takes to make friends with their dishonest wealth. 

How much more then are the children of light to do the same.