The Parable and the Planet

Luke 16:1-13: The Parable of the Unjust Steward is confusing, but leaves no doubt that the rich owner, who has exploited the peasants through usury, is not the good guy.  In the Luke’s context, if you were rich, it meant you exploited others to get that way.  On the one hand, we might reasonably say that being rich isn’t bad, after all.  It’s exploitation that’s bad.  But it's very easy to ignore the ways our economic system and structures exploit people, and the planet God created.  What would Jesus do about climate disruption?  Luke’s Jesus consistently speaks up for the poor and marginalized.  He consistently calls the wealthy on the carpet.  "You cannot serve both God and Mammon," says Jesus.  So what would Jesus do about climate disruption?  Most importantly, what Jesus does in the Gospels is invite people to change the world by disbelieving, by no longer believing in the stories that we currently allow to shape our lives, the stories that end up destroying people and the planet.  Stories like “Being successful means being rich.”  Stories like, “There isn’t enough to go around so I’d better get what I can.”  Stories like, “If I win, someone else has to lose;” or, “Progress means economic growth;” or “People love me for my car, my house, my clothes, my shoes, my stuff;” or “Corporations can’t be held accountable.”  Instead, Jesus points to a new story, the story he calls the Kingdom of God.  It’s a story about a loving God who, like a benevolent king, calls all people – all people – to live life in a new way, the way of love.   It continues to be our invitation, our calling, and our call to action.