Let's use our brains as much!

Luke 16:1-13

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 the stewardship from me, what am I to do? Dig? I am 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 homes.”

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 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 than are the children of light.

Food for thought!

Jesus states that the sons of this world are wiser and smarter than the sons of light. He is commenting on the story of a dishonesty manager. What Jesus is saying is that, if only the Christian was as thoughtful in his attempt to attain goodness as the man of the world is in his attempt to attain money and comfort, he would be a much better man. If only we would use our brains as much for the things which concern our souls as we do to the things which concern our profession and business, we would be much better people. 

The man's ability to think and rethink about his challenge is what Jesus is praising. If you are facing a challenge, a problem and crisis, your greatest value comes not from your hands but from your mind. Use your head to think. The mind that is willing to think will enjoy the greatest opportunities for positive change and growth.

Jesus is saying that we use for our spiritual affairs the same faculties and expertise we use in managing our earthly affairs. Business people actively stretch their brains in ways that allow them to easily identify new and unique answers to challenges; they use their creative muscles in a very special way to create more breakthroughs, insights and promising new solutions. Why don't we do the same with spiritual things? Why do we keep giving old answers to new questions, despite the changing of times? Why do we put new wine into old wine skins when Jesus told us "new wine is to be poured into fresh skins"? (Luke 5:38). 

When the manager in today's reading was told "you are not to be my steward any longer" he did not give up; he immediately worked out ways to be back on his feet even more determined. And Jesus says, this is how we ought to do in spiritual matters. When we fall, when we fail, when we are knocked down, we are to rise up as soon as possible. Do you remember the song by Chumbawumba that says:

I get knocked down, but I get up again. You’re never going to keep me down?