Lk 16:1-8
Then Jesus said to the disciples, ‘There was a rich man who had a manager, and charges were brought to him that this man was squandering his property. So he summoned him and said to him, “What is this that I hear about you? Give me an account of your management, because you cannot be my manager any longer.” Then the manager said to himself, “What will I do, now that my master is taking the position away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg. I have decided what to do so that, when I am dismissed as manager, people may welcome me into their homes.” So, summoning his master’s debtors one by one, he asked the first, “How much do you owe my master?” He answered, “A hundred jugs of olive oil.” He said to him, “Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it fifty.” Then he asked another, “And how much do you owe?” He replied, “A hundred containers of wheat.” He said to him, “Take your bill and make it eighty.” And his master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly; for the children of this age are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light.
BLOG DISCUSSION QUESTION: MMMMMMM.....what does this parable say to the saying, 'When in Rome, do as the Romans do."?
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4 comments:
Maybe we should be very appreciative of what God has given us and not be looking for more all the time. Like the song " you cant always get what you want, but you get what you need."
Rolling Stones.....Easter morning?
When the rich man heard about the manager's mismanagement in the beginning of the parable, the manager was fired, but when the rich man witnessed his QUICK dealings--the manager was commended. The manager wasn't even fair in his dishonesty. Some got a 50% discount and other's only 20%.
Maybe there is something to be said in this parable for action rather than deliberation at times.
When in Rome...do as the Romans?
Quick thinking is one of the hardest things to do, at least I think so. It is always nicer to have time to think and plan and deliberate. Impulsiveness has a way of leading to added trouble.
But there are times when time is a luxury that isn't ours, as it was for this servant. He had to think quickly, and that he did. Too weak to dig, to proud to do menial things, but there is one thing he knew how to do, and do well....and that was juggle his master's money. So, that is just what he did.
notice, he is not commended on what he did, but on his shrewdness...his quick thinking.
A seminary professor of mine who was asked if a baptized baby was never brought back to church after the day of her baptism was "saved". His response, "If you're worried about that, go and bring her to church."
Likewise, when asked if some one did not believe in Jesus, would that person be "saved". Again, his response, "If you're worried about that, go and tell that person about Jesus until the Spirit opens his heart."
In other words, we're wasting precious, and maybe limited time, sitting around and debating what we should be acting upon. The servant in the parable sure would have found himself in even a bigger pickle if he'd not thought and acted quickly.
mmmmm....I guess this is pretty much what rjq was saying....he just said it more quickly and maybe more plainly. That's the problem with preachers....we can be a bit longwinded...present preacher excluded?
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