In Luke's gospel the parable of the shrewd manager (Lk 16:1-9) seems to be a bit strange among the many strangenesses of the biblical story. Here is, what amounts to a corrupt manager, being commended for his corruptness by the owner and supposedly by Christ. In the passage following Christ then states quite plainly that one cannot serve two masters at the same time, in this case God and wealth (Lk. 16:13). So, what is going on here? Perhaps we need to expand our horizons somewhat when we look at this text, in much the same manner in which the rabbinical tradition expands the readings of the Hebrew scriptures. In this case with a bit of imagination and in depth look at everyone's actual motivations. We can perhaps wonder where this parable comes in terms of Christ's understanding of those very same scriptures as this is where he is, one has to presume, deriving his teachings from (the Hebraic law).
In somewhat of a reverse analogy this parable is about letting go in terms of our thoughts and how we think about God and secular life. Too often we are caught up in the dilemma of when to let go of what we think and when to take on new thoughts about God and our lives of faith. We have a propensity towards two different ways of thinking when it comes to our faith journey. The first is to be adamant on our own knowledge of God and place that as the defining agenda for a faith lived life. This can be seen in the attitudes of those who would determine how we "must" read the bible, irrespective of denomination or church, this sort of attitude is found. There is here a failure to release our thinking or rather our hold on what we have been taught and consider what God wants us to learn. The second is the understanding that the religious life or rather the faith life is irrelevant and has no hold on us in the modern saeculum. This inevitably leads to a denial of those things which lead us into the spiritual dimensions of our lives as these are no longer relevant for modern society. These failures are taken up in the Hebrew scriptures when they discuss the relevance of the sabbath in terms of the land and those who have become bound through debt slavery in Leviticus which could be the source of Christ's unusual line of thought in the Lukan parable.
If we take a look at the parable it gives us a marvellous insight into the stewards thinking in terms of his retirement. We do not have to think about the probable corrupt practices going on but rather on the understanding in the stewards mind as to what comes after. In some respects the man is saying to himself I must look to God to look after me in my old age because I am not going to be able to continue in my current post. In doing so I will also assist my letting go by opening possibilities in my later life so that I am cared for within the community. I am not going to hang on to my previous understandings, I am willing to let go and open myself to new possibilities. A vacating or freeing of what was once bound up in a continuation of the way forward. This is what is being praised and this, in a manner of speaking, also speaks to the later passage with regards not serving two masters. This happens if we cling to what we think or know regarding our faith without giving up our aspirations in terms of our secular age. We are torn between the two and most likely will turn away from the path of faith, as so many have done, choosing to go with the lure of wealth or power whilst paying lip service to God's law. The steward frees himself, if you will, and allows God to take a hand in his forward journey.
In believing ourselves to be following God's commandments and hanging on to what we interpret as God speaking to us from the scriptures we open ourselves up to hypocrisy and condemnation. As we aggrandise our lives whilst scheming in a political and sinful manner to such an extent that we neglect love of neighbour and eventually on the slippery slope we fail to love God with all our hearts. This is due to our failure to let go of our own thinking and manner to allow God into the space of freedom and release that comes with beginning anew. It is only when we die that we can gain new life, it is only when we release ourselves from the bondage of our own thoughts that we attain the peace that comes with God's love.
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