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 also said to His disciples:  "There was a certain rich man who had a steward, and an accusation was brought to him that this 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."

 

- Luke 16:1–9 

 

 In yesterday's reading, we read the third parable given as response to the Pharisees and scribes, who complained about Christ receiving sinners and tax collectors:  Then Jesus said:  "A certain man had two sons.  And the younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.'  So he divided to them his livelihood.  And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living.  But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land, and he began to be in want.  Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.  And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything.  But when he came to himself, he said, 'How many of my father's hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!  I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.  Make me like one of your hired servants."'  And he arose and came to his father.  But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him.  And the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.'  But the father said to his servants, 'Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet.  And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.'  And they began to be merry.  Now his older son was in the field.  And as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing.  So he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant.  And he said to him, 'Your brother has come, and because he has received him safe and sound, your father has killed the fatted calf.'  But he was angry and would not go in.  Therefore his father came out and pleaded with him.  So he answered and said to his father, 'Lo, these many years I have been serving you; I never transgressed your commandment at any time; and yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might make merry with my friends.  But as soon as this son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood with harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him.'  And he said to him, 'Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours.  It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found.'" 

 

  He also said to His disciples:  "There was a certain rich man who had a steward, and an accusation was brought to him that this 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."  As opposed to the preceding three parables -- which were told in response to the Pharisees and scribes who criticized Christ for receiving and eating with sinners and tax collectors, this parable of the Unjust Steward is directed to Christ's disciples.  My study Bible explains the parable to us by teaching that a steward is one who is responsible for managing his master's property and looking after the welfare of his servants.  It notes that the point of this parable is that the unrighteous are better at using money to make friends in the world than believers are at using money to make friends for the Kingdom of God -- which is accomplished by spending it on the needy.  At death (when you fail) the needy will welcome their benefactors into the everlasting home.

There are many dimensions within which we can read and interpret the parable that Jesus gives today, and is directed toward His disciples, His followers.  First of all, there is the meaning given by my study Bible.  Jesus repeatedly has taught about "treasure in the heavens" (Luke 12:33).  He emphasizes on a number of occasions that, when we give alms to help those less fortunate than ourselves -- especially those who cannot pay us back (Luke 14:13-14) -- then we are providing for ourselves a treasure rewarded at the resurrection of the just.  Today's reading emphasizes this lesson directly once again,  It's also important that we juxtapose this lesson for disciples in comparison to the previous three parables given to the Pharisees and scribes.  In those parables, Jesus emphasized God's love for all of God's creation, and in particular God's desire to seek and to find the lost.  Jesus' disciples are already on this path of seeking the Kingdom according to Christ, but here in today's reading He's also preparing them to be stewards of that Kingdom in the world.  As such, they will bear a kind of responsibility they have to come to understand properly.  On several occasions, He prepares them for the leadership of His future Church, especially in repeated teachings about humility and putting the "least of these" first, receiving the humble as if they are receiving Christ Himself, and even the Father (Luke 9:46-48).   But on this occasion, the parable of the Unjust Steward teaches a similar lesson from another angle.  If we are to apply this lesson to the receiving of sinners and tax collectors, we might view it in a different sense, as if "unrighteous mammon" applies not simply to material wealth, but even to sin.  That is, we can see sin as a debt that is owed.  We should remember that in the Lord's Prayer, sin is spoken of as analogous to debt (see Matthew 6:12; Luke 11:4).  So, in that sense, it's easy to understand the receiving of those who sin (who "owe a debt") as a kind of forgiving of that debt, of almsgiving.  Moreover, a worldly perspective sees everything as some form of accumulation, debt or repayment (unrighteous mammon), while a divine one understands mercy.  With such a perspective, we are given a very powerful teaching on repentance, where repentance is not simply a tit-for-tat kind of make up or payment for wrongdoing.  On the contrary, repentance is a way to realize God's mercy -- that God is not going to demand repayment, but forgives.  These men who will be the stewards of the Church are being taught not to be like the Pharisees and scribes who simply shun sinners and believe they are purely defiling.  Jesus is teaching His disciples to become the ones who can bring forgiveness of sin to those who repent through the power of Christ's mercy, God's action in the world through the Holy Spirit.  In this sense, even unrighteous mammon can be used to make friends, that when you fail, they may receive you into an everlasting home.  Additionally, if viewed in this light, we may presume that all of us -- including the disciples -- will fail at some point, for all of us are imperfect, none of us omniscient and perfect as God is perfect.  We all are going to come short of that mark in one way and another.   In the Lord's Prayer, we pray for forgiveness as we forgive others.  "And forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us" (Luke 11:4).  In Matthew's version, after giving the prayer, Jesus teaches, "For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses" (Matthew 6:14-15).  Forgiveness will work this way in the Church, and it also works this way in our personal lives as individuals.  We don't need for everyone to "repay" in order to forgive, and Jesus teaches us to forego vengeance:  "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust" (Matthew 5:43-45).  This is not a recipe for us to be doormats or to invite abuse and harm; it is rather a sense in which we may be "perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect" (Matthew 5:48).  So, in each of these ways, to "make friends for yourselves by unrighteous mammon"  may be a recipe for life in the Kingdom, for the realization of a greater gain than the debt for which we're not "repaid" in kind.  For ultimately, we're to remember that it is Christ who is Judge, it is God who claims vengeance (Deuteronomy 32:35, Romans 12:19, Hebrews 10:30). 

For the sons of this world are more shrewd in their generation than the sons of light

 

 He also said to His disciples:  "There was a certain rich man who had a steward, and an accusation was brought to him that this man was wasting his goods.  So he called him and said to him, 'What is this I hear about you?  Given 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."

 

- Luke 16:1-9 

 

Yesterday we read the continuation of the passage begun on Wednesday, in which all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to Jesus to hear Him.  And the Pharisees and scribes complained, saying, "This Man receives sinners and eats with them."  In response, Jesus told three parables.  Two of them (the parable of the Lost Sheep and the parable of the Lost Coin) were in Wednesday's reading.  In yesterday's reading, Jesus told the parable of the Lost Son or the Prodigal Son.  He said:  "A certain man had two sons.  And the younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.'  So he divided to them his livelihood.  And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living.  But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land, and he began to be in want.  Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into the his fields to feed swine.  And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything.  But when he came to himself, he said, 'How many of my father's hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!  I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son.  Make me like one of your hired servants."'  And he arose and came to his father.  But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him.  And the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.'  But the father said to his servants, 'Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet.  And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; for this my son was dead and is alive again, he was lost and is found.'  And they began to be merry.  Now his older son was in the field.  And as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing.  So he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant.  And he said to him, 'Your brother has come, and because he has received him safe and sound, your father has killed the fatted calf.'  But he was angry and would not go in.  Therefore his father came out and pleaded with him.  So he answered and said to his father, 'Lo, these many years I have been serving you; I never transgressed your commandment at any time; and yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might make merry with my friends.  But as soon as this son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood with harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him.'  And he said to him, 'Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours.  It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found.'"

  He also said to His disciples:  "There was a certain rich man who had a steward, and an accusation was brought to him that this man was wasting his goods.  So he called him and said to him, 'What is this I hear about you?  Given 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."    My study Bible explains that a steward is responsible for managing the master's property and looking after the welfare of the master's servants.  The point of this parable, it says, is that the unrighteous are better at using money to make friends in the world than believers are at using money to make friends for the Kingdom of God -- which is accomplished by spending it on the needy.  At death (when you fail), it says, the needy will welcome their benefactors into the everlasting home.

 

In today's reading, Jesus gives a fourth parable in response to the complaint of the Pharisees and scribes, made when the tax collectors and sinners came to hear Christ, "This Man receives sinners and eats with them."   But in today's reading, He directs this particular parable to His own disciples.  In the three parables we have already read in response to the Pharisees and scribes, the parables of the Lost Sheep and the Lost Coin in Wednesday's reading, and the parable of the Lost Son or Prodigal Son in yesterday's reading (see above), the emphasis was on the "extra mile" one would go to retrieve what was lost and can be found again.  The shepherd in the parable left behind ninety-nine sheep to find the one, the woman makes all the effort in sweeping and cleaning her house to find the one coin missing out of ten.  In yesterday's reading, the elderly father doesn't mind risking embarrassment and even upset on the part of his older son by expressing his great love for the son who was lost and then found again upon the prodigal's return.  Those parables gave us a sense of God's great love which would make every effort to retrieve those lost to God who could be found again and returned to our Father in heaven.  Jesus taught, "I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance."  But today's reading places the emphasis on us, giving us a sense of how our own efforts should be made to reconcile ourselves to those around us.  Simple justice isn't enough, and mercy becomes the key to the formation of this citizenship of the kingdom to which He alludes in the parable.  We are, like God, to go that extra mile to bring those in need closer to the kingdom of God.  A steward is an important stand-in for the disciples and others who will be the shepherds in His Church.  When Jesus tells parables that involve stewards as figures in the parable, then He is frequently addressing the disciples who will become the stewards and leaders of His Church.  In this case, He's telling them about using resources which will be available to them with mercy, even with extravagance, leaving behind a kind of measure-for-measure or tit-for-tat sense of justice, and instead measuring by fellowship and love.  To practice charity, to go the extra mile to keep fellowship and relationships within community becomes the important goal here, the hallmark of His kingdom in this world.  Can we make allowances for our fellow members of the Church?  Can we give a little extra to someone who needs a good word?  Can we bring comfort to others who are feeling isolated or sad?  Can we find a way to help others to know they are included in our circle of care, and of compassion?  These are the ways in which we may practice the kind of fellowship Jesus teaches here, in addition to charity using financial and other material resources that we have.  In such cases, we do not measure in accordance with what is owed or what is on the books or what we are compelled through some financial requirement that makes figures add up in account books.  Our charity is practiced for other reasons, and without those restrictions on it.  Do we donate to our church simply to get a tax write-off, or are there other reasons for supporting a fellowship which includes those who cannot make such donations (should we have that capacity ourselves)?  Is the Church for all, or only for those with the wealth to build its physical walls?  No, wealth is shared to build community and communion, to include those who may not have the same sort of financial resources to give, but who also are fellow servants in faith.  In this sense Jesus makes the statement that "the sons of this world are more shrewd in their generation than the sons of light." A very 'worldly' person may understand what it is to overlook a debt, to make a donation, or even to offer a bribe where some good will is desired.  But a sincerely spiritual and honest person must also come to understand that generosity of spirit is necessary for the Kingdom as well, making allowances for what goes beyond simply honest accounting.  If we give for love of our communion and community, we might understand that what we give doesn't necessarily make material sense on a personal level, but to give to our fellow servants, to practice love and care, is also the way of the Kingdom, and it is the way that we build the relationships with our fellow servants that Christ wishes of us.  How can we help those who need help?  We go an extra mile in order to do so, we "make friends" with those who could use our help and love, regardless of how that is expressed.  Let us consider in what ways Jesus asks us to reach out, to be generous with resources of time and care and attention, in addition to financial resources ("unrighteous mammon"), for all of it is part of what it means to be a good steward and a good fellow servant who serves the same Master.  For we may shrewdly use our resources for the Kingdom.  It is that kind of encouragement we all need, that shores up true fellowship, and teaches others we care for them -- that they are precious in our sight as they are precious in His.  People may feel that kindness is something simple or easily overlooked, but it is just that simple thing that can make a difference in our fellowship and in our own standing in Christ's kingdom.

 

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 also said to His disciples:  "There was a certain rich man who had a steward, and an accusation was brought to him that this 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."

 

- Luke 16:1-9 

 

 On Wednesday, we read that all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to Jesus to hear Him.  And the Pharisees and scribes complained, saying, "This Man receives sinners and eats with them."  Jesus told three parables in response, illustrating God's desire to find and save those who are lost. (See the parable of the Lost Sheep, and the parable of the Lost Coin in Wednesday's reading.)  Yesterday, we read the third parable Jesus gave, that of the Prodigal Son.  He said:  "A certain man had two sons.  And the younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.'  So he divided to them his livelihood.  And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living.  But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land, and he began to be in want.  Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.  And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything.  But when he came to himself, he said, 'How many of my father's hired servants have bread enough and to spare and I perish with hunger!  I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son.  Make me like one of your hired servants."'  And he arose and came to his father.  But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him.  And the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.'   But the father said to his servants, 'Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet.  And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.  And they began to be merry.  Now his older son was in the field.  And as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing.  So he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant.  And he said to him, 'Your brother has come, and because he has received him safe and sound, your father has killed the fatted calf.'  But he was angry and would not go in.  Therefore his father came out and pleaded with him.  So he answered and said to his father, 'Lo, these many years I have been serving you; I never transgressed your commandment at any time; and yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might make merry with my friends.  But as soon as this son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood with harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him.'  And he said to him, 'Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours.  It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found.'"

 

 He also said to His disciples:  "There was a certain rich man who had a steward, and an accusation was brought to him that this 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."  My study bible explains that a steward is responsible for managing his master's property and for looking after the welfare of his servants.   It says that the point of this parable is that the unrighteous are better at using money to make friends in the world than believers are at using money to make friends for the Kingdom of God -- which is accomplished by spending it on the needy.  At death (when you fail) the needy will welcome those who have helped them into the everlasting home.

 

 Jesus teaches us to "make friends by unrighteous mammon."  Well, first of all, the unrighteous mammon already tells us something.  Why would Jesus even want us to commerce in something unrighteous in the first place?  In this parable, Jesus teaches us that it is possible to live in this world, even with its unrighteousness, and yet use the goods of the world for righteousness.  The way that this happens is to consider those who are "less than," who are in need in some sense, and to consider using what we have -- even if it's used by others in sinful ways -- to act in righteousness, to help, to act the God does, graciously.  This is what it is to be righteous, to act as a just person.  So often we think of justice as that which is exactly and precisely measured:  "an eye for an eye," for example (Exodus 21:24).   (We often forget that this aspect of the Law was a way to set a limit on vengeance in the context of the stories of the Bible.)   In terms of bookkeeping and numbers and money, we expect that there is a precise debt which also must be paid precisely.  But every good money manager knows and understands that in order to keep good relations with clients, there must be flexibility involved.  That keeps clients in good stead, and returning.  But Jesus takes all of this understanding one step further.  Essentially He adds in the understanding that there is life that is beyond this world, a life in which what is measured up about us isn't whether or not we traded well, or even about how exact and scrupulous we were about our debts.  There's another step, and another dimension involved, and that is the aspect of how we are capable of grace, and what that does to make friends in heaven, so to speak.  Our ability to reconcile gracious help to others, not out of compunction or legalistic understanding but out of our own capacity to be like our Creator, connects us to another dimension of reciprocity.  It connects us to a cosmos of the visible and invisible, and a communion of faithful that goes beyond what we see and what we know.  Jesus is encouraging us to understand that life isn't limited to the accounting books that are right in front of us, and this can apply to life in so many dimensions.  The kind gesture or act we do today for someone may never be repaid in kind, but we can be certain that it counts with God, and there is recognition where value is meaningful.  The generosity we expend in any direction with the things of this world -- be that a gesture of kindness in the form of charity, goods, or goodwill -- is not lost simply because it is not repaid in worldly terms.  Our goodwill may be extended also through advocacy for those who are helpless to protect and defend themselves -- and the political realm surely includes unrighteous mammon as something we may use for God's true justice through mercy and compassion.  Christ encourages us to think in terms of a much broader perspective on the spectrum of life itself, and in terms of our own communion of friends.  To include not merely that which is "on earth," but also that which is "in heaven," is indeed a broadening of our perspective on all the places our lives touch and will touch.  But this is, in the eyes of Christ, the appropriate perspective, the right calculation in life.  In broadening one's thinking to include this realm, one might also consider what it means to pray for others who have passed, maintaining a connection begun in this world and extending to the realm of heaven, in which we are still able to give something through our prayers.  Let us consider all the ways that we may make an everlasting home -- even, through Christ's instruction, using unrighteous mammon to do so. 

Make friends for yourselves by unrighteous mammon, that when you fail, they may receive you into an everlasting home

He also said to His disciples:  "There was a certain rich man who had a steward, and an accusation was brought to him that this 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."

- Luke 16:1-9

In yesterday's reading, Jesus continued teaching in parables.  All the tax collectors and sinners drew near to hear Him.  The theme of each parable comes in response to the criticism of the Pharisees and scribes: "This Man receives sinners and eats with them."  See Wednesday's reading for the first parables He gave on the subject of redemption.  Yesterday,  He taught:  "A certain man had two sons.  And the younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.'  So he divided to them his livelihood.  And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living.  But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land, and he began to be in want.  Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.  And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything.  But when he came to himself, he said, 'How many of my father's hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!  I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son.  Make me like one of your hired servants."'  And he arose and came to his father.  But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him.  And the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.'  But the father said to his servants, 'Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet.  And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.'  And they began to be merry.  Now his older son was in the field.  And as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing.  So he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant.  And he said to him, 'Your brother has come, and because he has received him safe and sound, your father has killed the fatted calf.'  But he was angry and would not go in.  Therefore his father came out and pleaded with him.  So he answered and said to his father, 'Lo, these many years I have been serving you; I never transgressed your commandment at any time; and yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might make merry with my friends.  But as soon as this son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood with harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him.'  And he said to him, 'Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours.  It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found.'"
  
He also said to His disciples:  "There was a certain rich man who had a steward, and an accusation was brought to him that this 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."   My study bible says of today's reading:  "A steward is responsible for managing his master's property and looking after the welfare of his servants.  The point of this parable is that the unrighteous are better at using money to make friends in the world than believers are at using money to make friends for the Kingdom of God -- which is accomplished by spending it on the needy.  At death (when you fail) the needy will welcome their benefactors into the everlasting home."

A story about charity and charitable life -- how do we make friends by unrighteous mammon?   According to Ephrem the Syrian, this parable is teaching us that by using the transitory things of this world which are not ours we are to purchase things for ourselves that will not pass away.  According to Chrysostom, whatever we have is a loan from God.  How are we to invest it?  What do we do with it?  He has written, "The loan is proof against loss. He guarantees to return in good time one hundred percent of what was deposited, and he keeps life everlasting in reserve for us"  (Homilies on Genesis 3.21).   We also note that the steward, while initially acting against his own master, later decides he will deal "shrewdly" with the debtors, settling the debts and at the same time "making friends" with his now-fellow debtors.  The master praises this shrewd behavior.  We note "debts" once again as the language which so often refers to sins against God and ourselves, reflected in the Lord's Prayer, as we are taught to pray:  "Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors."  So while this is clearly an exhortation not only to charitable behavior, but to behavior which makes peace, which steps up, which uses all that we have available to us -- even the "unrighteous mammon" to act in charity and in peace, we have a very strong statement about how we are to dwell in this world.  If all we are ever after is material gain, counting every penny, then we're not really likely to get very far.  On the other hand, even in the business world, there are times to "deal shrewdly" by settling a deal, clearing off the books, and having a problem resolved.  From the Lord's point of view, everything that we have, all our lives, our talents, our bodies, our wealth, our souls and spirits, is an investment.  It's all on loan from Him.  And there is more:  we are to be stewards of this world.  That means of all the world, every good and blessed thing in it that is also given by God, invested with us as stewards of it all.  So, by what standards are we going to  operate as good stewards?  How do we use whatever we have?  Are we going to be hard and stingy, causing more problems for others?  Or are we going to govern this world, even the affairs of unrighteous mammon, according to a better way of being in the world, of thinking about the whole of life including the life to come?  We take note that this steward is dealing shrewdly; he's not a pushover in giving away all his master's goods to the debtors.  But he makes a shrewd compromise, and clears the matters off the books.  So let us think about what we can offer for peace, how we make our investments, how we clear the debts off and let go.  Better yet, how we invest in an eternal life with something worth declaring for ourselves.