Jesus said more about money than about Heaven and Hell combined. In three of the stories read for today, money plays a lead role. The parable of the Prodigal (Lost) Son, illustrates the point that the love of money leads to sin. And, of course, also that a loving Father always forgives his sinful children. The parable of the shrewd manager is less obvious and at the surface, odd. Was Jesus commending dishonesty? No. The master commended his servant not for his dishonesty but for his shrewdness. The lesson being, that we are to make good use of our earthly resources...using them to "benefit others and make friends... so that they will welcome you into your eternal home". How could generosity on earth translate to friendships in heaven? The story of the Rich Man and Lazarus elaborates on this idea.
The rich man had received his good things, and had used them selfishly for his benefit alone. Despite frequent instructions in the Old Testament for the rich to share their good things with the poor, this rich man's indifference to Lazarus showed how far his heart was from God and how far his path had strayed from God's ways. Though he pleaded with Lazarus for relief, Lazarus was not able or willing to help him. The one thing the rich man wanted, he could not buy...a friend.
Nothing literal about the mechanics of heaven should be ascribed to this allegory. It was a popular view of the time that there were two compartments to heaven, and that communication was possible between them. Jesus used that common understanding as the framework for His illustration, but it should not be taken as a teaching about Heaven. The point is to highlight the difference between the shrewd manager who made good use of his resources and was rewarded, and the rich man who made selfish use of his resources and deeply regretted it in the afterlife.
Tomorrow's reading: John 11:38-57; Luke 17:11-18:8
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