Today's reading contains many of the richest parables from Jesus's entire ministry. Clearly, Jesus intended an "upside-down" ethic for His Kingdom, in which much of the world's wisdom would become turned on its head. He urges humility and self-sacrifice in lieu of the Pharisees' proud posturing and title-grabbing. Three parables in a row describe the great joy in spiritual rebirth and how God pursues the lost "while [they]... were still a long way off."
1. The cost of discipleship (Luke 14:25-35)
"Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: 'If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters -- yes, even their own life -- such a person cannot be my disciple. And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.
"'Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, saying, "This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish."
"'Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won’t he first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.
"'Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; it is thrown out.
"'Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.'"
Jesus demands His followers' whole lives. Paul describes that we were set free from sin so that we might become slaves to righteousness. From this parable, it appears that following Christ should not come as a result of an emotional whim. Rather, those who earnestly seek after Christ have rationally counted the cost and found Him completely worthy. As we surrender more of our life to Christ, we experience more of His presence and grow more eager to love Him and surrender our lives to Him: a beautiful cycle of trust, experience, and love.
2. Faithful stewardship (Luke 16:1-13)
"'The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light. I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.
"'Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own?'"
The Parable of the Shrewd Manager discusses stewardship -- that is, the care of property on behalf of (in trust for) another. In every aspect of life, we are stewards and servants of the Giver of all good gifts. The very breath we receive, every moment of every day, and the money and possessions with which He has blessed us, all these gifts are ultimately God's. Jesus's words suggest an ongoing training for service -- an increasing responsibility load as the Christ-follower's track record of faithfulness lengthens.
How may we serve Him in light of His ultimate ownership? How should this fact shift our motivations?
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