Sunday 21 September 2025
So he summoned him and said to him, "What is this that I hear about you? Give me an accounting of your management." (v. 2)
Background
When was the last time someone asked you to give an account of what you were entrusted to do?
As a mother of a young adult, I experienced this one afternoon while working from home. My son came to me asking “Who is going to make dinner tonight?”
Without hesitation, I replied, “I am.” The words flowed naturally, driven by instinct and a sense of duty. Satisfied, he went back upstairs to his room.
Unfortunately, my work not finished, I lingered at my desk, determined to complete my tasks. Hours passed and when night fell, my son came downstairs with a puzzled look and asked, “Where’s the food?”
I glanced up from my laptop and admitted, “Oh, I’m sorry. I was distracted by work and forgot to prepare dinner.” To which he responded, “I’m very hungry, and you didn’t do what you promised.”
His look almost suggested that I had been fired. But of course, mothers cannot be fired, for motherhood is a vocation, not employment. Yet the experience connected me to the parable of the shrewd manager in today’s reading (Luke 16:1–13).
Some Bible translations describe the manager in the parable as 'shrewd', while others call him 'dishonest'. Regardless of the terminology, Jesus praises the manager’s actions. I believe this praise comes not from approval of his dishonesty, but from the man's acknowledgment of failure, his acceptance of his master’s judgment, and his decisive change in behaviour. Facing the consequences, the manager turned from his mismanagement and sought reconciliation with others, ie his master’s debtors, using resources that belonged to his master.
To Ponder:
- Jesus has entrusted us with his everlasting love so that we may love one another. What form does your faithfulness to Jesus take?
Prayer
Gracious Lord, help me examine my heart daily and to be prepared to give an account to you, my Lord, my saviour and my sustainer. Amen.
Bible notes author: The Revd Kan Yu
The Revd Kan Yu is a presbyter in south-west London and works with Hong Kong migrants living in London.