The 15th Sunday After Pentecost
Scriptures: Amos 8:4-7; Luke 16:1-13
Key Verse: “Whoever is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much; and whoever is dishonest in a very little is dishonest also in much. (Luke 16:10)
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Hello, This is Jade.
Welcome to Yi.kigai
A space for all to explore the intersection between faith and daily life
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When I hear the word “self-preservatory”, I think of my dad. His instinct for self-preservation is low. My mom often commented that he should have just minded his own business instead of trying to help. We used to live on a busy intersection where semi-trucks passed by often. It was one of the major roads to an industrial area. There weren’t any stop signs or traffic lights. I can’t even recall how many accidents I witnessed during the time we lived there. One day when I came home from school, I didn’t see my dad. So, I asked my mom, “Where is dad?” My mom rolled her eyes and said, “He saw a hit and run today and yelled at the truck driver that he would report him to the police.”
That’s my dad! Even though people worried about his life, he didn’t think of himself in most crises. I remember that the truck driver came back with a machete in hand and was looking for my dad for about a week. The police eventually got him, thanks to all our neighbors who did their part to protect my dad’s safety. I could see that my dad’s anxiety grew a little bit and doubted if the police were doing a decent job of catching the driver.
Several years later, I got into a car accident when a car ran a red light and hit me on my motorbike. The worst part was that the driver didn’t stop after hitting me but kept driving. When he realized the mirror of my motorbike got stuck in his car’s window, he had no choice but to stop. The moment he got out of his car, I was terrified. He was a strong, tall and heavyset guy and looked angry. The first thing he said to me was, “I can give you about $50-60 to fix your motorbike. I’m in a hurry, I must go.” Then I said, “$50-60 isn’t enough to fix my motorbike.” Then he shouted, “Take it or not. It’s up to you.” I said, “No, we need to wait for policemen and let them tell you what to do.” He was furious and drove away. I memorized his license plate and called my friend who was a policeman. He told me to look for any witnesses before leaving. Unfortunately, by the time I hung up the phone, most of the witnesses on the road had left. So, I talked to the people who lived by the intersection, but no one dared to testify for me. If there had been someone like my dad there, that person would have been my witness.
The manager in Luke 16 certainly had a high self-preservation instinct. After the boss found out that his dishonest manager had squandered his possessions, he decided to fire him and asked for a complete audit of the books. Before the auditing, the manager did himself and the debtors favors. Noticeably, the manager took all the credit and wasn’t a loyal steward. Why this parable? What had Jesus noticed from his followers?
God entrusted all humans to be good stewards from the very beginning after the creation as it said in Genesis 2:15. Have we either neglected or overlooked our stewardship that is meant to flourish God’s kingdom? Or have we taken all the credit as our own without discipling or teaching Jesus’ followers? Jesus might have seen the missing of honesty and faithfulness. All that we have and all that we are belong to God alone without our merits. Indeed, our wealth belongs to God and is meant for flourishing God’s reign and not simply for our own interests, benefits, or enjoyment. Let our stewardship become a way of our life, faithful and honest.
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May your coming week be blessed by God’s grace
As together we explore the intersection between faith and daily life
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