25th Sunday Reflection: A Squandering God
Franciscan Reflections From The Hermitage – A Squandering God – 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time – (Luke 16:1-13)
The wastefulness of the prodigal son on the road to destruction echoes in our ears as Jesus repeats the teaching on wastefulness in the parable of the ‘astute steward’ squandering the property of his boss, a rich man.
The whole parable can appear obscure to our understanding. How is it possible to praise the apparent dishonesty of the steward? To ingratiate himself with those who could provide for him after he lost his income, he writes off part of their debt. Some would argue that he was simply writing off his commission and that is why his master praises his prudence. We seek any loophole to justify our ethics.
Why are ‘the children of light’ seemingly admonished to emulate ‘the children of the age’ in their unscrupulously wheeling and dealing?
First, we look to Jewish Scripture. There is a rabbinic prohibition against wastefulness. It is forbidden to wastefully destroy any useful object. Anyone who wantonly destroys furniture or utensils, tears clothing, wastes food or oil, or even kills animals, is guilty of violating this commandment. Furthermore, if they do so in anger, it is considered as if they had committed idolatry. One should not destroy anything over which a blessing can be said, as it is written, “Do not destroy [the grapevine] for the blessing [over its wine] is in it.” (Isaiah 65:8). We could render a complete thesis on environmental concerns.
Jesus links wealth and wastefulness in both parables. It is in these two examples together with the parables of the lost sheep and the lost coin that the traditional values of prudence are turned upside down.
God is now shown to be the one who squanders time, attention and care for the sake of the lost. God opts for grace and mercy above all with forgiveness abounding.
This sits most uneasily with us. The Babylon transactional code of trade and empire is deeply entrenched within us as children of the age. Even the closest of relationships are based on transactions of even value; we should take what we can get and ensure that we receive one hundred percent reciprocal value.
In our world, debts are not reduced or written off, but rather accrue interest and so we assume that selfish motivations are being commended, rather than the rich man praising the shrewd actions of forgiveness, grace, and mercy. This is a radical, backward, upside-down God who believes in rejoicing with the found and who believes in the bad business practice of giving away God’s most precious resources for free, of giving away forgiveness, grace, and mercy.
While all our endeavours are aimed at maintaining, and even increasing value and equity, God is spending recklessly, extravagantly to save us when all seems lost. And this is the radical business practice of God reflected in the life of Jesus.
This is a God who redefines hoarding as squandering, who gathers us all in. By giving God-self away, God who is about forgiveness existing in the world no matter the reason. This is a reflection of the Trinitarian, exultant, exuberant outpouring of the essence, of Love for the other.
We began by presuming that this parable was about wealth and waste, but instead, it is about the upside economy of the Kingdom of God. This is so outlandish for the children of the age, that most will seek loopholes to justify such abounding and exuberant grace.
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