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"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 16:10-17; Luke 16:18
In yesterday's reading, Jesus told the parable of the unjust steward to His disciples. "There was a certain rich man who had a steward, and an accusation was brought to him that the man was wasting his goods. So he called him and said to him, 'What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your stewardship, for you can no longer be steward.' Then the steward said within himself, 'What shall I do? For my master is taking the stewardship away from me. I cannot dig; I am ashamed to beg. I have resolved what to do, that when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses.' So he called every one of his master's debtors to him, and said to the first, 'How much do you owe my master?' And he said, 'A hundred measures of oil.' So he said to him, 'Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.' Then he said to another, 'And how much do you owe?' So he said, 'A hundred measures of wheat.' And he said to him, 'Take your bill, and write eighty.' So the master commended the unjust steward because he had dealt shrewdly. 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."
"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." My study bible notes, "Faithful means trustworthy. It is essential for a Christian disciple to be trustworthy in small as well as in great things." In light of the story in yesterday's reading, we could say that Christ expects us to apply the laws of the Kingdom to all things we do in life. Our trust or faith must apply to everything we do.
"Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?" "True riches," says my study bible, "signify spiritual treasures." So let us consider, once again, how do we live our lives? Are we faithful in little things, or are there places where God's love doesn't go?
"And if you have not been faithful in what is another man's who will give you what is your own?" My study bible says, "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."
"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." Clearly for Christ there's no separation in all of life; to love God with all one's heart and soul and mind and strength is to allow God and God's work in us to leaven everything in our lives, to filter into all we choose. In the depth of our hearts, this love extends outward to everything else. We must make a choice, and Jesus lays out the choice starkly and clearly. My study bible says here: "Ultimate loyalty cannot be divided. Life is devoted either to God first or riches first, not both."
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." My study bible says that what is highly esteemed probably refers to money. But we know that there are other things that are "highly esteemed" that are connected to a materialistic and hypocritical life. Jesus has also criticized those in leadership for loving the best places in the synagogue, and greetings in the marketplace; both are signs of status, which is also connected to money, and He linked these things with hidden hypocrisy in the inner life. Most of all, Jesus' criticism has focused on their failure to have sympathy for the burdens they impose on others, especially the poor. He's also called into question what they value more: the praise of men or the praise of God. So He calls each of us here in this statement. What do we love most? All of these questions speak of "what is highly esteemed among men" and that which God would praise in us, a choice between God and mammon, what we truly treasure in our hearts.
"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." The world is shifting; Christ's manifestation in our midst is changing the ways that these men must see the Kingdom. My study bible puts it thus: "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." It adds, "A tittle is a tiny punctuation mark in written Hebrew. The smallest part of God's purposes behind His law will not fail to be accomplished." The law of this Kingdom that now applies will not fail; even in the least of things (as Jesus has preached about loyalty, faithfulness and justice in what is least); everything we choose is seen through the filter of the Kingdom and how we play our part in it even as we live our daily lives.
"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." Of course, we know the early Church would lay down particular cases in which divorce was permitted, and Jesus Himself names a condition elsewhere. But what is important here is His understanding of faithfulness; He's addressing those for whom divorce of a man for his wife was easily done, for any reason of dissatisfaction. Let us remember the status of women in this society. But moreover, let us understand the kind of relationships Jesus calls us to. They are relationships of love, of the depth of the heart. The choices we make must be those to which God calls us. In this context, this teaching is consistent with what has come before it. Human beings are not merely material possessions to add or subtract from ourselves. This way of thinking belongs clearly to mammon.
What does it mean to be faithful in little, as well as faithful in much? Let us consider the people we know in this world, friends or family members. Do we know people who are trustworthy in little? Are we familiar with those who betray our trust, even in little things? Let us consider the wisdom of Jesus' words, and how they apply to our lives. Most of all, we consider our own choices in the context of discipleship to Christ. He calls us to a standard in which God's love leavens everything within our hearts, and all the choices we make. This isn't an overnight, one-time conversion experience we're called to, but a lifetime of learning and discipleship, of "cleaning the inside of the cup," a day-by-day letting in of God's love and perspective to teach us how to live our lives. But ultimately, we make a choice in our hearts of what we are going to place first. "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Let's consider those we've known who treasure mammon, a materially-related outlook on life, and where that trust is, where it leads us. Ultimately, all faith (and love) is about trust. Think about it. Who and what do you trust most?
