Freedom comes from proper esteem

By John Pearring

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/110621.cfm
Romans 16:3-9, 16, 22-27
Luke 16:9-15

“For the children of this world are more prudent in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light. I tell you, make friends for yourselves with dishonest wealth, so that when it fails, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings." (Luke 16:9-11)

Two generally accepted maxims about human foibles might help us with our Gospel reading today. Somehow, Jesus appears to be encouraging us to “make friends with dishonest wealth.” I don’t think we can just skip over that statement. What in our upbringing, or lived out experience, can make sense of that? 

One aphorism pops out right away. Alcoholics Anonymous teaches addicts that alcoholism will be with AA members for their lifetime. Men and women in prison are taught that their crimes — whether stealing, violence, or some other cruelty — will remain just below the surface in their everyday lives once they fulfill their sentence. Paying for a crime doesn’t eliminate the conscience from temptation.

In truth, anyone with a penchant for some particular sin (or two!) will always be burdened with temptation. Most of us can connect with that brutal reality. Our secret sin is usually based upon some overwhelming addiction that we keep to ourselves. And, for a good reason. The world would hate us. Or, at the least laugh at us.

The second aphorism in both our formation and adulthood insists that we have to be trained to do something on a small scale before performing well on a grand scale. It’s the old adage that the only way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time. The news relishes a good "bit off more than he could chew" story.

Jesus weaves several proverbs akin to these two maxims into today’s rather harsh-sounding scripture:

“I tell you, make friends for yourselves with dishonest wealth,
so that when it fails, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.
The person who is trustworthy in very small matters
is also trustworthy in great ones;
and the person who is dishonest in very small matters
is also dishonest in great ones.” (Luke 16:9-11)

His odd combination of adages tells us that learning the depths of dishonesty leads us to an enduring development of honesty.

Our awareness of addiction in today’s desire-ridden culture serves us well in understanding this scripture. There are many levels of habit and also sinful practice. The more we practice sin, rather than practicing the rejection of sin, then the more we will be wicked. It makes sense. Still, we sin even when we don't want to.

It’s a rather obvious adage that practice forms proper or improper disciplines. With addiction, however, the solution is clear cut and both physically and mentally nigh impossible. The whole body and mind are poisoned, and the draw of chemical dependencies claw at us. 

Jesus may have been concentrating his teaching with the Pharisees as his targets. He does, however, establish the importance of genuine holiness and dependence on God to defeat our personal demons — genuine, as in honest and yearning.

The Pharisees, just like any propped-up addict or criminal, had wedded themselves to wealth by dishonest means. Their wealth was about to fail them entirely with the fall of Jerusalem, as it already had in their community life. No one respected them as much as they were feared. They were masters of moral disguise and distraction.

So, too, with us. We are burdened with our own selective sins. We are handed responsibilities throughout our lifetimes. It’s best to admit the failures of our sins and the wayward path of dishonesty when our experiences are little, minor tribulations. The practice of honesty can take place at any point in our life. It’s not over and done with by the time of our adulthood. Our moral disguises aren't always clear to us. The distractions of the world don't help either.

We can easily get caught in measuring ourselves against the world's ideas of success and morality. Practicing esteem from the world puts us under a heartless master, engaged to a fickle audience, and rewarded with fading, decaying pleasures.

In Romans 16, Paul points to a better way of esteem, a path of honesty and holiness amidst built-in intimacy with God. With God in our sights, our disguises drop and the distractions fall away.

Now [go] to him who can strengthen you, 
according to my Gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ,
according to the revelation of the mystery kept secret for long ages
but now manifested through the prophetic writings and,
according to the command of the eternal God,
made known to all nations to bring about the obedience of faith,
to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ
be glory forever and ever. Amen. Romans 16(25-27)

Paul outlines the path for us. Go to God, who will strengthen us. God will do this according to the teachings in the Gospel message, which proclaims Jesus Christ. In essence, there is no otherwise God. God speaks to us in revelations then and now. These are real moments in our life. The world will both hate us and laugh at us because we ignore its measurements. If we've harnessed the world's esteem, and spend a great deal of time managing our worldly success, how can we also hitch ourselves to God's wagon? 

We can only address this pathway by rejecting the esteem of the world. The esteem of God is an abomination to the world, and the world’s esteem is an abomination to God. It's a harsh reality.

Again, like the practice of AA and criminals who have served their time, we either reject the temptations, or we fall prey to them. Every fall requires us to turn to God instead. We must be disciplined in this walk with God, which is most notable in those steps after we have fallen. Know the failures well. They may see you as a friend, but their ultimate failure will leave you left with your affiliation to God.

“Make friends with dishonest wealth, for when it fails, you will be welcomed into eternal life.”