Daily Devotion for Lent - Day 27

Scripture Reading: Luke 16:1-13

This parable is disturbing at first glance.  

Is Jesus praising dishonest actions?

The dishonest steward doesn't have a lot of redeeming qualities.  The charge of squandering the owner's property could just mean he wasn't very good at his job.

Then he admits that he doesn't have the strength for physical labor and has too much pride to ask for charity.

So, he slashes the neighbors' debts without authorization in order to build up enough goodwill so that he will have places to stay.

So he's a free-loader as well!

The only thing he seems good at is protecting his future.

How is this praise-worthy?

As we think about the Pharisees being the targets of Jesus' teaching, he often points out their hypocrisy.  In the previous parable of the Prodigal Son, the older brother doesn't see where he was sinning against the father.  

What is it that we should give away that we don't own?

I find it easier to forgive
a squirrel than a person.
Hmm.

If the master in the parable is God, maybe we reduce what we think people owe God for redemption of their sins.  What if we slashed the debts we held against people for the things they have done against us?

At this point in our lives, it is probable that we can all be a little more easy-going.  The honest thing to do would be to hold people accountable for every little action.  But it may also be the lonely thing to do.

As we think about the debts God forgives us on a daily basis, maybe our realization is that we're the free loaders!

Prayer for the day:

Loving God, we confess that in order to love us, you must have to overlook a lot of the little things we think throughout the day.  There may also be things that we say that aren't featuring our best sides.  Just as you forgive us countless debts, help us not to be so particular in counting the costs against others.  In Jesus' name we pray, Amen.

Photo by martin_vmorris via Flickr.com.  Used under the Creative Commons License.