The lectionary Gospel reading for last Sunday was Jesus’ parable of the dishonest manager (Luke 16:1-13). In my lectio divina, I puzzled over why Jesus told this peculiar story. Though the lectionary and I have moved on to the story of the rich man and Lazarus, the dishonest manager lingered in my mind. I wondered if it might be a metaphor for how we humans respond when cornered by consequences of our own behavior.
I am still pondering how Jesus ended that with a line often quoted out of context that almost seems more suited to the story of the rich man and Lazarus. “No slave can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.” (v. 13)
Then I was encountered by this from the Epistle reading for this coming Sunday from 1 Timothy 6:9-10. “Those who want to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and in their eagerness to be rich some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains.”
Though none of this happened by design when the lectionary was developed, I was struck by the juxtaposition with my Psalm prayers today from 52:6-7. “The righteous will see, and fear, and will laugh at the evildoer, saying, ‘See the one who would not take refuge in God, but trusted in abundant riches, and sought refuge in wealth!’”
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