Daily Gospel Reflection for November 4, 2022

Join us as we reflect, ponder, and pray together inspired by today's Gospel.

Reflection by Lyn Francisco

Today's Gospel: Luke 16:1-8

I will admit: today’s Gospel on the Parable of the Dishonest Steward is not an easy one to understand. On the surface, you have the master who is about to fire his steward because of apparent mismanagement of the master’s property. The steward understands that he is about to be sacked and has to think quickly what to do before that happens, so he tries to curry favor with the master’s debtors by forgiving part of their debt and having them pay a portion of what they owe.

One would think, why is the steward doing this? He’s going to be fired anyway, so why isn’t he asking for the full amount? Surprisingly, the master doesn’t criticize the steward for his actions; instead, he praises him by saying the steward was “acting prudently.” This sounds to me like the master is forgiving the steward for his actions.

This story reminds me of the prodigal son: the youngest son takes his father’s share of the estate, goes off to live in a far-off land, and squanders everything. He comes back eventually, expecting his father to reject him, but instead, he accepts his son back, telling his older son that “your brother was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found” (Luke 15:32).

I think we have a similar kind of situation between the master and the steward. Sure, the steward may have squandered the wealth and property like the Prodigal Son. But the steward tried to make things right, even if it wasn’t a complete job, and the master, just like the father with his son, forgave the steward.

Ponder:

Have you ever been in a situation where you were asking for forgiveness? Or were you the one extending forgiveness to someone who had wronged you?

Pray:

Gracious God, we know Your love is so wide and so deep for us when we’ve failed by our own fault. Help us to understand that Jesus died for our sins.

Click to tweet:
The master doesn’t criticize the steward for his actions; instead, he praises him. This sounds to me like the master is forgiving the steward for his actions. #dailygospel

Copyright 2022 Lyn Francisco

Lyn Francisco is an organic chemist by training and education. When she is not at the lab bench, she occupies organ benches in churches around Durham, NC. She also serves as cantor at Immaculate Conception Church in Durham.