new writing: the parable of the dishonest steward
at the lamp
At The Lamp, a brief reflection from me on one of Jesus’s weirder parables, as we head into Lent. Does this parable have anything in common with Jesus’s other weird moments? Perhaps:
As with the parable of the talents, in which the steward who buries his portion is condemned, or the fig tree, which withers because it will not provide fruit out of season, it sometimes seems like Jesus prefers action of any kind to waiting, even if waiting seems like the purer or more appropriate action. In this reading, the unjust steward is jolted from waste to activity, which is an improvement even if that activity itself is not admirable. Similarly, the unjust judge is not planning to rule against the woman who comes to him; he is simply not going to rule at all.
You can read it here. Unaccounted for in this scheme is the story in which the disciples invite Jesus to a party, he says no, and then goes in disguise.
Hope you’re surviving February,
BDM
