NOTES for Luk 16:1-18
Another funny anecdote about a resourceful scoundrel and, as always, a strange and frightening conclusion: "the sons of this age" know their business better than the "sons of light." Always and in every age, people seeking wealth, fame, and power know how to get what they want, by fair means and foul, by deception, force, cunning, and ingenuity. But those who seek the "Kingdom of God and His righteousness" sink into laziness, slackness, and indifference. It turns out that money and power are stronger incentives, if for their sake a person is ready to give up anything and devise any scheme, just to achieve the goal. So much for "spirituality." Spirituality, however, also finds a place: it serves as one form of leisure, since one cannot work for "unrighteous wealth" all the time. Of course, like every parable, this anecdote is told not so much to accuse as to make a person, after rejoicing over the resourceful thief, think about what he wants in life and how he goes about obtaining it.