The Test of Small Things: Reflecting on Luke 16:9-15

In today's gospel, Jesus presents us with a challenging teaching about faithfulness, wealth, and the divided heart. His words cut through our comfortable assumptions and invite us into a deeper examination of our daily choices.

Trustworthy in Little, Trustworthy in Much

"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."

This isn't just wisdom about financial management. Jesus is revealing something profound about character itself. Our lives aren't measured by the grand gestures we make in moments of crisis, but by the small, seemingly insignificant choices we make when no one is watching.

How do we handle the small things? Do we return the extra change when a cashier makes a mistake in our favor? Do we tell the whole truth, even when a small omission would be easier? Do we keep our word in minor commitments?

These small moments are the training ground for greater responsibilities. God is less interested in our capacity to handle big things than in our faithfulness with what's already in our hands.

The Question of True Wealth

Jesus asks a penetrating question: "If you are not trustworthy with dishonest wealth, who will trust you with true wealth?"

Here, Jesus distinguishes between two kinds of riches. The money and possessions of this world are temporary, uncertain, and ultimately unreliable. They are "dishonest wealth" not because earning money is wrong, but because these things so easily deceive us into thinking they provide security and meaning.

True wealth is something different entirely. It's the eternal treasure of relationship with God, the richness of a character formed by grace, the inheritance that cannot be taken away. If we cannot steward earthly resources with wisdom and generosity, how can we be entrusted with the treasures of the kingdom?

Two Masters

"No servant can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money."

This is where Jesus brings his teaching to a head. The issue isn't whether we have money, but whether money has us. Who sits on the throne of our hearts? What drives our decisions? What do we think about when our minds are free to wander?

We might protest that we love both God and financial security, both prayer and prosperity. But Jesus says this divided loyalty is impossible. Money is a demanding master that requires total devotion. It promises security but delivers anxiety. It offers freedom but brings enslavement.

The choice is binary: God or money. Not God and money.

Making Friends with Wealth

Paradoxically, Jesus begins this teaching by telling us to "make friends for yourselves with dishonest wealth, so that when it fails, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings."

He's not endorsing dishonesty. Rather, he's urging us to use our temporary resources for eternal purposes. Use your money to bless others. Share what you have. Invest in relationships, in justice, in mercy. Let your wealth serve your love rather than letting your love serve your wealth.

When earthly wealth fails us—as it inevitably will—we'll find that the friendships we built, the lives we touched, and the love we shared have prepared a welcome for us in eternity.

A Challenge for Today

Today's gospel invites us to examine our relationship with money and possessions honestly.

Ask yourself: What small opportunities for faithfulness am I overlooking today? Where am I trying to serve two masters? How can I use what I have been given to invest in eternal things?

The path Jesus offers is narrow but leads to life. It requires letting go of the security we think money provides and trusting instead in the God who provides all things. It means choosing faithfulness in the small moments, knowing that this is where true character is formed.

May we have the courage to live as servants of God alone, using all that we have been given for his glory and the good of others.