Friday Focus, November 6, 2026
People or Possessions?
Christina (Tina) McKinlay
November 6, 2026
From: Saint John's Bible.org
Friday Focus
5 November 2026, Luke 16.1-8
People or Possessions?
Sometimes the principal characters in the stories that Jesus tells leave a lot to be desired.
The younger son of the father who left home comes to mind in the parable of the prodigal son. Very often those characters who leave a lot to be desired have some redeeming feature to them. That younger son did make the journey home again, even if it was out of desperation.
This morning’s gospel reading (Luke 16.1-8) gives us another example of a story in which the principal character is anything but a paragon of virtue.
He is described as a dishonest steward who was wasteful with his master’s property. Yet, he too had a redeeming feature. Perhaps Jesus is reminding us that everyone has some redeeming feature.
The redeeming feature of the dishonest steward was his shrewd ability to take decisive action when his back was to the wall, so as to ensure that after he lost his job there would be people who would be well disposed to him.
Jesus’ comments on the story suggest that we have something to learn, not from his dishonesty, but from his shrewdness, from his ability to take decisive action when required.
Very often our following of the Lord requires us to take decisive action to ensure that we continue to take the path the Lord is calling us to take. There can be something we need to do or to stop doing if, in the words of this morning’s first reading, (Phil 3.17—4.1) we are to remain faithful to the Lord.
In the case of the dishonest steward, a moment of crisis brought home to him that some things were more important than acquiring wealth for himself, such as the friendship and the hospitality of others, which he would need after he lost his job.
The crisis that the steward found himself in brought a shift in his values. Jesus is calling on us to value people more than possessions, and to use our material resources in the services of others, especially those in greatest need. Today’s Gospel reminds us that our values are to be in line with the Lord’s values, and it is people he values more than anything else.
Norman+