Hi everyone. Welcome back to the Daily gospel. Exegesis podcast were all about helping. You understand? The Gospel reading from today's mass and we want to give you an idea of the literal sense of the text. What did it mean in its original context? Why did the author to certain words? What was Jesus getting at? When he was saying certain
things? So that's where we should start as Catholics. And this is the only Catholic podcast out there where every single day we're giving you the tools to do that to understand the literal sense of scripture now. Today, we have a really interesting reading and it's particularly important that we do an exegesis on it properly. Because for many people, this is one of the hardest passages in all of the gospels. And certainly many people would say that this is the hardest
Parable to interpret. So let's start with reading the text, Luke. Chapter 16, verses 1 to 13. Jesus said to his disciples, there was a rich man and he had a steward denounced to him for being wasteful with his property, he called for the man and said, what is this? I hear about you draw me up an account of your stewardship because you are not to be my Steward, any longer?
Then the steward said to himself now that my master is taking their stewardship away from me. What am I to do dig, I'm not strong enough, go begging. I should be too ashamed. Ah, I know what I will do to make sure that when I am dismissed from office, there will be some to welcome me into
their home's. Then he called his master's debtors, one by one to the first he said, how much do you owe my master one hundred measures of olive Oil was the reply, the steward said here, take your bond, sit down straight away and write fifty to another. He said, and you sir, how much do you owe? One hundred measures of wheat was the reply. The steward said here, take your bond and write eighty the master praised, the dishonest Steward
for his astuteness. For the children of this world are more astute in dealing with their own. Kind then are the children of light. I tell you, this use money tainted, as it is to win you friends. And thus make sure that when it fails you they will welcome you into the tents of Eternity. The man who can be trusted in little things can be trusted in
great. The man who is dishonest in little things, will be dishonest in great if then, you cannot be trusted with money that tainted thing who will Trust you with genuine riches and if you cannot be trusted with what is not yours. Who will give you, what is your very own? No servant, can be the slave of two masters. He will either either hate the first and love the second or treat, the First with respect. And the second with scorn, you cannot be the slave, both of
God, and of money. So that is our text for today. As you can see, it's a fairly complex one and it's not always entirely clear. What, what is going on here. The best way to understand Parables, and particularly with this one is to think about what's the main point Jesus wants to make. Usually, there's one particular point, he has in mind, and we should always keep that in the center. Otherwise we might Start to make interpretations that aren't really.
What Jesus was trying to get a particularly if we just pick and choose certain lines of this Parable, without keeping the whole Parable in context, we can get a bit lost. The best way to understand this passage today is by starting at the bottom, by starting at verse 9. Because as Jesus does with many of his Parables though, not all of them. But with many of his Parables at the end, he tells you the point. He was trying to make. He usually says therefore this is what you should take away
from parable. And that's what he does in verse 9. So verse 9 says, I tell you this use money tainted, as it is to win you friends. So the overall teaching of this Parable is that we need to use money well in order to get into eternal life, that's the meaning of the parable. So I'll say it again, if we can keep this in mind, it will help us with the rest of the text. The overall teaching of the parable is that we need to as Christians use money. Well in order to get into
eternal life. And we know that the focus here is basically on money because G, Luke goes on to tell us straight after this, that the Pharisees are lovers of money. So in this section, Jesus is going to do various Parables that have to do with using money. Well, and this is one of them. Let's go back to verse 1. So Jesus said to his disciples. So the audience here is probably those who already understand some things about the kingdom.
Jesus is now going to tell the parable of the dishonest Steward as From cold. He says there was a rich man who had a steward. So there's the rich man's like, the owner and he has a steward who managed his master's estate? And he was denounced to him for being wasteful with his property or more. Literally, you can translate that as charge was were brought to him that this man was wasting his Goods. So it appears the steward is not making good use of the Masters money and estate.
He's wasting his master's good much like a prodigal son. Remember he gets his father's inheritance and then he wastes it that was in the previous chapter. Verse 2, he called for the man and said, what is this? I hear about you draw me up an account of your stewardship. Or more, literally their turn in the account of your stewardship. Basically, the master here says, hand over your badge, that's the
equivalent of what he's saying. He's saying you're done, give me your rights, give me your paperwork because you're finished, you're not working for me anymore. And that's what he says because you are no longer to be my Steward verse 3. Then the steward said to himself now that my master is taking the stewardship from me. What am I to do dig, I'm not strong enough, go begging. I Be too ashamed. So the servant here the steward is he knows he needs to find a new way to make money.
He doesn't think he's going to be strong enough to work in construction and Deke. So he says, that's not an option, but he also doesn't want to be a bigger either because in that culture was shameful to be a bigger that is true. So he decides to come up with another plan here and as we'll see, here is a fairly sort of selfish, although very clever Steward in terms of his plan. So he comes up with a plan B in case he can't get a job. Job verse 4.
Ah, I know which I will do to make sure that when I'm dismissed from office, there will be someone to welcome me into their home. So he decides that he might not be able to get another job and he comes up with a back-up plan to make sure that there'll be other people in his life, who will welcome him into his home into their homes and support him. This is his plan.
He's going to use his financial skills to make some friends who will welcome him into their home and support him if required. So, he starts his plan verse five. He called his master's debtors, one by one. So he's calling all the people who are either Master money, basically, to the He said how much do you owe my master one hundred measures of oil was the reply that's a fair bit of money that appears to be a fair bit of oil.
I should say that it's appears to be around 800 gallons that this debtor owes the master 800 gallons of oil, but the Stewart says to him in verse 6 here, take your bond or you can translate that take your bill. Basically that means get out your paperwork where this is written down. That's what he says to the debtor. Get out your paperwork now. Sit down the away and write
fifty. So he did owe a hundred measures of oil but now the steward says cross that out and write 50 instead, he reduces the debt of the man. He tells the man, the debt to the master has been reduced from a hundred measures of oil, 250, which is a significant reduction. Notice, he tells him to do a quickly sit down straight away and do it because he doesn't want the master to find out what he's doing. Now, the debtor believes that the steward still works for the
master and the steward. Have that authority to go and reduce the dipped in the way that he's doing it. So, from the debtors perspective, he thinks that the he doesn't realize that the steward is lying. He thinks that he's literally working on behalf of the master to reduce his debt. So he thinks the Stewart, has done him a great favor by reducing the debt. So of course, the debtor is going to be very grateful to the steward. This is what makes this Steward
dishonest. Remember the parable is often called the unrighteous Steward or sometimes dishonest Stewart, he's a liar. He went to the debtors and he lied. Claiming that his master was reducing the debt, but in fact, he's not reducing the debt. That's what makes him dishonest. This is the stewards plan. He's going to make people like him and hopefully they will give him a place to go now that he's unemployed. And his plan seems to work pretty well, because in verse 7,
he goes to another one. Another debtor and says sir, how much D art, one hundred measures of wheat was the reply. So there will be about 1,000 bushels of wheat, which is a fair amount. And the steward says here, take your bond and write 80. So he reduces it from a hundred measures of wheat. 280 measures of wheat. Now here we have here listed to debtors that he does this for probably he did it for several of them. Now at some point the master he is what the Stewart is doing.
He hears that the steward has been going around reducing everyone's debts even Though, the steward doesn't work for him anymore. So the master is probably fairly angry, but that's not the initial response that the master give. So, in verse 8, it says the master praised, the dishonest Steward for his astuteness. This is one of the weirdest phrases in the parable, the master praised, the dishonest Steward for his astuteness.
Another translation of a student us is prudence The master, although the master he's probably annoyed at his servant the the steward for reducing the debts, he probably is annoyed but he's also impressed, he's impressed with how clever or how prudent the Stewart has been. The Stewart has made quite a smart plan for his future using money. That's why the master can commends the steward.
He's not commended for being dishonest is not commended because of his specific actions that he did or his or his lying. He's commended for his Prudence in making a plan for his future, that's what he's commended for. Let's keep that in mind. And then Jesus says this. So that's basically the end of the parable. And Jesus now says this for the children of this world, now you can translate that as the sons of this age. That basically means worldly people who are not part of the Kingdom.
So, everyday, worldly people. The children of this world are more astute in dealing with their own kind or more prudent. You can translate that some translations have this as our. Why is it in their own generation? So world, this is Jesus teaching here, worldly people. More clever about worldly Affairs. Then are the children of light says, Jesus. It's an interesting phrase, the children of light, this might sort of Jesus here, might be influenced by particularly the
essence at qumran. The essence often talked about the righteous people being children of light. It's an interesting phrase so it's a label here that Jesus gives for Christians. Those in the Kingdom, the
children of light. So the teaching here is the children of this world, a more prudent in dealing with their own, kind than are the children of light Jesus, who is teaching that Christians those in the kingdom are not as smart about how they use in invest their money as our worldly people in the time of Jesus. Now, that might seem a bit offensive. Why would Jesus say that? But he's probably, right? That makes sense. Because Christians those in the kingdom are supposed to be
somewhat detached from money. So it makes sense that those who are not Christians Probably wiser and smarter about using money, then Christians are they're more interested in worldly Affairs than Christians are still. Jesus is teaching his followers, that there is a place for using money. Well, that's the teaching here, there is a good use for money. In fact, in Matthew chapter 10, verse 16, Jesus says, to his disciples be prudent as serpents
and simple as doves. So there are a couple of places in the gospels where Jesus says be prudent, and this is one of them he says use money. Well, Well, he gets even more specific here. So, verse 9 and I tell you, so we should pay attention here. This is the meaning that Jesus wants his disciples to take away from the parable. I tell you use money tainted as it is.
Now some translations have this as unrighteous Mammon but I think the the lectionary today makes this a bit clearer use money tainted as it is. So Jesus, he says money is not perfect, but it is useful. Mammon is just an Aramaic word. That means wealth, right? Jesus he says use money tainted, as it is to win you friends and thus make sure that when it fails you they will welcome you into the tents of Eternity, or you can translate that as they may receive you into the Eternal
habitations. So, just as the man in this Parable, the unrighteous Steward made friends so that they welcomed him into their home's. Jesus, he says, be like him, make friends in quotation marks so that when you no longer have money, when you die, you'll be Be welcomed into the tents of Eternity. So Jesus here teaches that his disciples that if they use their money well and particularly what he probably means here is giving money away to the poor that's probably the primary use of money.
He's thinking of if they make good use of their money, they can form good relationships and produce more servants. For the kingdom, they can bring about the salvation of their own souls. He says that elsewhere in Luke giving away money to the poor brings about salvation and also they can make friends and Chips and networks, and probably bring about the salvation of others for the kingdom.
Jesus. He says that, if these people that they give the way the money to, or that they befriend using their money, if these people that they befriend die before them. Well, then those people will be there to welcome them into eternal life. It's quite a beautiful image, isn't it? You can sort of Imagine giving money to a poor person and that poor person welcome you into heaven after you die.
Now this of course matches well with what Jesus has taught in previous chapters of Luke, remember in the sections just before this, Jesus said you need to give up all your possessions in order to be my disciple. He actually said that and of course that's an extension of Jews has orange Jubilee program. If you look at chapter 7, in particular, verses 41, to 42. We have these themes of giving away money and then also in chapter 12, Jesus says store up treasure in heaven in 12:33.
So all the way. Look, this is theme of using money, well, focusing on Heaven, rather than just Earthly money. Interestingly he the Greek word for dwellings or habitations that they may welcome you into Eternal habitations. It's the same word that's used to describe the Tabernacles. In the wilderness. Remember how they dwelt in tents in the wilderness? So this has become a common Jewish image for the kingdom of God, when God will dwell among
his people. They actually sort of, saw it as like, living in many houses in the Kingdom where God will be in the midst of the people just as he was in the wilderness wanderings. So, it's an interesting Parable, isn't it? Might seem strange that Jesus needs to teach about money, but we should keep in mind that probably one of the reasons for the teaching is, he's doing it to contrast with this selfish attitude towards money that the
Pharisees have. So, Jesus main point is that Christians, those in the Kingdom need to use money. Well, not selfishly in order to get into eternal life and primarily for a king people in the Kingdom, that means giving their money away, although not exclusively that, but certainly, it does involve Jesus teaching, is that those in the Kingdom, need to use their lives and resources as well in order to be prepared for eternal life. They need to be prudent and
generous in their use of money. If they want to be prepared for eternal life, this interpretation makes sense. Given the other parables in this same section of Luke, the very next Parable that Jesus gives very shortly after this is the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. And of course, the point of that Parable is if you just keep all your rich, Money for yourself and you don't give it away.
You're not going to get into heaven and Luke actually says, in that section of the rich, man and Lazarus, the Pharisees were lovers of money, so we can keep that in mind that he's at this point in his ministry. Jesus is particularly, thinking of Pharisees who are a bit obsessed with money. It helps us interpret that this Parable is about the proper use of money. Now, even given that exegesis, and I think that's a fairly solid exegesis. I think we're pretty close to the meaning here.
There's still some aspects of the Our bullet might seem a bit mysterious. For example, you might still be scratching your head thinking why has Jesus picked a liar and unrighteous Steward? As someone for his disciples to model in terms of the way they use money, it seems like a very strange choice for Jesus to use in the parable. Because certainly, he doesn't want his followers to be Liars.
That can't be right? So, one thing to keep in mind here, when interpreting Parables, usually there's one similarity between the figure in the power. Evil, one main similarity that Jesus wants his disciples to emulate one personality characteristic. He doesn't want them to be like the person in every single way. In this case, he wants his disciples to be prudent. Like, the unrighteous Stewart is not them to be Liars.
Like the unrighteous Stuart is. So why has Jesus picked the unrighteous Stewart as an example in this? Parable, there's two possible reasons. Maybe he wanted to use a striking example that would help make the point of use money. Prudently, And if you do, it can affect your state of life in the future. Maybe Jesus felt this was the most striking example, he could use to get that point across and certainly it would have been quite memorable for them. Some Scholars.
Think the Jesus here might also be making an argument from the Lesser to the greater. He does this sometimes, so maybe he's saying something like this. If an unrighteous Steward can use his money. Well, then certainly a righteous follower of Christ can, as well. The unrighteous Steward prepared for his future and Christians should take even greater care to prepare for their eternal life. And that sort of reasoning makes
sense as well. We get to verse 10 today and Jesus says the man who can be trusted in little things can be trusted in great. Another translation has it as he, who is faithful in a very little, is faithful also in much. So now there's a shift from being prudent with money to being faithful, there's sort of a slight shift here to being faithful or trustworthy. The principle that Jesus lays out here the man who can be trusted in little things can be trusted in great.
This is a general spiritual principle of the moral life and of the spiritual life, those who cooperate with the grace that God gives them will be given more. And we believe that as Catholics, we have to cooperate with God but in this case specifically on the literal level, Jesus is specifically. Into using money, though, symbol who can be trusted in little things as in those who can use
money? Well, for the kingdom can be trusted in great, those who handle money, well, will be given an even greater rewards in heaven. So the idea here is use your resources well, on Earth for the purposes of the kingdom and you'll receive a reward in heaven. That's the teaching here and then Jesus flips. It around the man who is dishonest in little things, will be dishonest in great. So on the other hand, those who can't handle money.
Well in this life and use it selfishly, they can't be trusted with their Eternal Rewards. This possibly a would play going on here because the word Mammon, which is what a lot of translations use for money. The word Mammon derives from a Hebrew word, meaning that in which one trusts, and here, Jesus is talking about being trustworthy with your money.
So he might actually be doing a word play here in the original Aramaic that he's speaking verse 11, if then you cannot be trusted with money that tainted thing who will trust you with genuine riches so Jesus here again, says money. It's not perfect, but it can be useful.
He says, if you can't be trusted with the way you use money, who's going to trust you with genuine riches, if we can't share our money, if we can't use it wisely for the kingdom with, we're not generous with it then we cannot be trusted with eternal rewards either. That's Jesus teaching it to his
disciples. It's challenging for us, even particularly today in our 21st century Society, where we have a bit of an obsession with money, Jesus, he says, if you can't use your money, well, For the kingdom, you can't be trusted with eternal rewards in heaven. So the encouragement Jesus is giving his disciples is for them to plan for their own future. Just as the steward in the parable, did we have to be
generous with our money? Not be slaves of it if we want to enter eternal life, that's the teaching. Verse 12. And if you cannot be trusted with what is not yours. Who will give you, what is your very own? This is an interesting teaching, isn't it here? Jesus teaches that what is money, is not ours that actually belongs to. God, ultimately all resources were given in this life, come from God. But on the other hand, there is something which is our own waiting for us in heaven.
There's a personal inheritance waiting just for us in heaven. That's quite a beautiful profound teaching, isn't it? God wants to give us something, which is truly are And that is the reward in heaven, but the teaching is that we if we want to get that personal reward in heaven, we have to use money. Well, in this life we have to use our resources.
Well, if we can't use money, well, which does not really belong to us. Anyway, then God won't give us the reward, Which is far greater and more significant in heaven. Verse 13. No servant can be the slave of two masters, or you can translate that is, no servant can serve two masters slave and servant those two words are basically the same in Greek. No servant. Can be the slave of two masters. You probably heard this teaching quite a few times. So, what's going on here?
Jesus knows that to really serve a master requires total, exclusive commitment, having two masters is going to divide one's loyalties. And in the end, he's going Preferring one master over another. Jesus knows that man has a tendency a psychological tendency or a spiritual tendency to end up serving something in this life. It can be God or it can be something else. Jesus seems to know that we have a tendency to serve things, but he also knows that serving God
requires undivided attention. So he says, no servant can be the slave of two masters. He will either hate the first and love the second or treat. The First with respect, and the second with score. On or you can translate that last bit as he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. The first thing to say here is hate when he says he will hate the first and love the second. It doesn't mean emotional hatred.
He doesn't mean that. If you try to serve two masters, you're going to end up literally, emotionally hating the other one. That's not the teaching here. Love means to prefer something over another. So to hate is to prefer something less the teaching here. Then when he says you will either hate the first and love, the second is man cannot equally prefer to Ultimate things in life.
We can't. Ultimately have to Masters, it's not going to work, it's not psychologically, possible, his man, if he tries to have two masters is going to end up prioritizing, one over the other eventually, it will play out that way and Jesus, he really brings it home by saying, you cannot be the slave of both God and money or you cannot serve, both God and Mammon. Jesus.
He perceives that for men, money can become a master money is something that has a tendency to suck people in, and it makes people have their lives revolve around money rather than God. There's something about money that has a tendency to make people revolve their lives around it. So it can become a master for people, we can become enslaved to our wealth and belongings. And I think we need to hear this a fresh because this probably speaks to us.
Us. We can end up being constantly worried about maintaining them or seeking to acquire more. This is probably speaking to many of you listening to this podcast today. And Jesus here has words for us if we end up sort of saying we follow God. But ultimately what we're really working towards in our life is money and we structure our days in our lives about maintaining money getting more money than ultimately money is our Master. That's what Jesus is saying here.
And Jesus has a warning here. He says to those who believe that they can serve both God and money and probably that's what the Pharisees thought. Jesus tells them that they're wrong. You cannot serve, both God and money. Even if you think you can, you can't, you're going to end up referring one over the other. And Jesus wants his followers to prefer God, he doesn't want his followers to become slaves to money like the Pharisees had.
So from here, there is a little bit more to this particular story. When we get to hear the Pharisees reaction to what Jesus has just said, that's not in today's reading though. So if you want to hear how the Pharisees react to this, you can hear it on Saturday of week, 31 in ordinary time. So, we'll finish the today with just two paragraphs from the catechism, and these are fairly direct paragraphs about Christians, use of money.
So, paragraph, nine five, two, They had everything in common everything. The true Christian has is to be regarded as a good possessed in common with everyone else. All Christians should be ready and eager to come to the help of the needy and of their neighbors in want. A Christian is a steward of the Lord's goods and that last line there. A Christian is a steward of the Lord's Goods directly references, what we've seen
here. The parable of the unrighteous Steward that's kind of the point. Jesus is making a Christian is a steward. Of money, and I need to make sure that use it. Well, if they want to inherit eternal life paragraph 2, for 2, for this is in the section about the social doctrine of the church. A theory that makes profit, the exclusive Norman ultimate end of economic. Activity is morally unacceptable, the disordered desire for money cannot but produce perverse effects.
It is one of the causes of the many conflicts, which disturb the social order. So some fairly strong language there about particular economic systems and I'll include both of those paragraphs in the show notes. Thanks for your support of the ministry. I hope you've learned something new. This is a difficult passage, but I hope that today's exegesis has helped you understand what Jesus was trying to get up?
If you think there's others in your life, who would benefit from hearing this podcast, please share it with them and will continue to look at the gospels in the coming days.