It is amazing how often Jesus spoke about finances, and today’s Gospel is just one instance. Here Jesus does not applaud the stewards practices, but rather his insights into the connection between resources and relationships. The steward is in a crunch, since he’ll soon be jobless with a shady reputation. The amount he forgives the borrowers is perhaps the interest that he had unjustly added to their loans. This was probably his personal commission – not the master’s – and so he must have lost a considerable amount of money. But on the plus side, the borrowers were happy and so too was the boss, who had lost none of the original loan but would appear as a caring and forgiving creditor. The story is about conversion. The steward faces the future by becoming astute rather than fraudulent.
Jesus warns against materialism becoming our God, because materialism and the Christian faith do not sit well together. He calls us to put our trust not in money but in God and kingdom values. True riches have more to do with family and friends, sufficient goods to meet our needs and recognizing God’s gifts in all people and in the whole community of our living planet. Perhaps we could reflect today on whether we have more than enough to meet our needs and whether we could share significantly more with those in need: not just pennies, but a more significant transfer of wealth.