You cannot serve God and mammon

"He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much, and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much. Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? And if you have not been faithful in what is another man's who will give you what is your own? No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon."

Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, also heard all these things, and they derided Him. And He said to them, "You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God. The law and the prophets were until John. Since that time the kingdom of God has been preached, and everyone is pressing into it. And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one tittle of the law to fail. Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced from her husband commits adultery."

- Luke 16:10-18

In yesterday's reading, Jesus taught the parable of the Unjust Steward. This parable is about a steward who is accused of squandering the goods of his master -- so he quickly goes to those who owe the master, reduces their bills and has them paid off. While the steward's actions are unjust, he's commended by the master for his shrewdness. Jesus says, "For the sons of this world are more shrewd in their generation than the sons of light. And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by unrighteous mammon, that when you fail, they may receive you into an everlasting home." In today's reading, Jesus continues teaching to His disciples, and to the Pharisees who are listening as well.

"He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much, and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much." A note in my study bible says, "Faithful means trustworthy. It is essential for a Christian disciple to be trustworthy in small as well as in great things." We continue from the story of yesterday's reading - in which the steward settled accounts mercifully with those who owed his master.

"Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?" My study bible notes that "true riches signify spiritual treasures." In yesterday's commentary, I wrote that I see this parable told in a sense that it is opening up a swinging door: it opens up the kingdom to the "sons of the world" who sit at table. Jesus speaks to His disciples, with whom are gathered tax collectors and sinners who dine with Him. There are also Pharisees present who have criticized this fact. We know that one of the Twelve, Matthew the Evangelist, was a tax collector - therefore these outsiders are also a part of the flock of His disciples. In a commentary (noted in yesterday's reading) I read that the "sons of this world" is a phrase by which Jews would refer to Gentiles. So, this speech seems to me to be opening that swinging door between those deemed unrighteous who follow Him, and the Pharisees and scribes: there is a way that those who deal in money can also deal faithfully in the kingdom, with mercy.

"And if you have not been faithful in what is another man's who will give you what is your own?" My study bible notes, "What is your own implies one's own property. If one is not trustworthy in managing someone else's property, one can hardly expect to be given property of one's own." We understand the steward in yesterday's parable to be dishonest - but in the end, he uses the "unrighteous mammon" to make friends among the poor and to settle accounts for the master. He doesn't send thugs to take what is owed, he doesn't demand of the debtors something they can't give. He uses a different kind of shrewdness in his dealings. And his motive is not pure greed, to steal the goods of his master. So what is faithful here? And what does it mean? I believe it means to practice mercy, and relatedness, as does the shrewd and prudent steward when he's in trouble.

"No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon." My study bible says, "Ultimate loyalty cannot be divided. Life is devoted either to God first or riches first, not both." And now we come to the gist of the matter - the heart of the teaching. Being faithful is about serving God in all things, large and small. So, how do we deal with money? And why is the steward, in the end, shrewd?

Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, also heard all these things, and they derided Him. And He said to them, "You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God." A note reads: "What is highly esteemed presumably refers to money." Jesus has often called the Pharisees "hypocrites," or "actors" - meaning that they emphasize outward show, but fail to take note of their own hearts. Here, He's telling them that God knows their hearts, and emphasizing the same message. If you stick to the bottom line, does it always make you truly a good person? No, there is more to serving God than the bottom line; there is God's law of mercy and love, which is boundless and over the top - and not bound by human practice. Just before yesterday's parable, Jesus taught the great parable of The Prodigal Son, to illustrate just that point.

"The law and the prophets were until John. Since that time the kingdom of God has been preached, and everyone is pressing into it." My study bible notes, "The law and the prophets represent the Old Testament period, ending with John the Baptist. Pressing into the Kingdom means earnestly seeking to enter into it." And so, Jesus is announcing the new - the things that make the Pharisees and scribes so uncomfortable. He is sitting at table with tax collectors and sinners, who are among His own disciples. But the ultimate law is the law of right-relatedness, of mercy, and of the fellowship and inclusion that belong in that kingdom. This is a scandal to some; but it is the kingdom that is being preached, "and everyone is pressing into it." This kingdom, with its embrace of the return of the prodigals, is for everyone who truly seeks it, and who can love God.

"And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one tittle of the law to fail." My study bible notes, "Tittle: a tiny punctuation mark in written Hebrew. The smallest part of God's purposes behind His law will not fail to be accomplished." Here, Jesus takes the Pharisees to task for their failure to uphold the law. My study bible hits the right note when it speaks of "God's purposes behind the law." Repeatedly we've been taught about love and mercy and inclusion in this kingdom for all those who truly seek it with love - and here is the message in the heart of Luke's teachings in this Gospel to the Gentiles.

"Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced from her husband commits adultery." My study bible says, "Jesus, teaching the permanence of marriage, lays down a new rule, a standard of life in the Kingdom." We go further, here, in the law of righteousness and relatedness than the Pharisees have been willing to go. And we remember that divorce (simple for men to acquire) was often a hard and painful burden on the women who are left without means - and carried out for frivolous reasons. To our modern ears, this may seem unrelated to what is happening in this reading and in those just previous. But it's not unrelated at all. Jesus is teaching about loyalty and faith, and love and trust. He's teaching righteousness, right-relatedness, and especially mercy in our dealings with one another. Here, He eloquently takes to task the Pharisees for their disdain of His welcome to tax collectors and sinners, and the parable of the steward who in the end deals with mercy with the debtors - and He does so by teaching them they are not truly zealous for the law, that they need to go further in their commitment to God's love and mercy. He speaks to them in their own language, as it were, and turns the tables on their criticism.

These difficult passages remind us just how far the law of mercy is supposed to go. We take into account the past several readings, which include the parable of the Prodigal Son and the Unjust (but Shrewd) Steward, and what we have is a complex and elegant plea for love, loyalty and mercy in faith to God that addresses all of the diverse groups present to Him at table: tax collectors and sinners, disciples, Pharisees and scribes. He makes His point eloquently to all of them. The kingdom's laws penetrate through all societies and circumstances. God does not work by exacting the toll or penalty on the books with those who love Him and seek Him. God's law of love is merciful, over the top, boundless, and cannot be contained. Ultimately, these passages teach us about how far God's law goes to embrace those who would love God. And there, we also have the true picture of marriage - of love and loyalty, a heart consecrated to Someone. How far would you go for this relationship - and how does it teach you to relate to others, even when you're dealing with the bottom line? If we put that love and loyalty first, it is that Law that teaches us how to deal in all things, worldly and otherwise. Both the Prodigal Son and the Steward have need of others; when we are in trouble, we turn to the those who love us and the law of love and mercy. Where does your loyalty lie? How do you show it in your life?