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Gospel Reading for November 06, 2026 – Luke 16: 1-8
OUTSMARTED
Jesus said to his disciples, “A rich man had a steward who was reported to him for squandering his property. He summoned him and said, ‘What is this I hear about you?Prepare a full account of your stewardship, because you can no longer be my steward.’ The steward said to himself, ‘What shall I do, now that my master is taking the position of steward away from me? I am not strong enough to dig and I am ashamed to beg. I know what I shall do so that, when I am removed from the stewardship, they may welcome me into their homes.’ He called in his master’s debtors one by one. To the first he said, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ He replied, ‘One hundred measures of olive oil.’ He said to him, ‘Here is your promissory note. Sit down and quickly write one for fifty.’ Then to another he said, ‘And you, how much do you owe?’ He replied, ‘One hundred measures of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Here is your promissory note; write one for eighty.’ And the master commended that dishonest steward for acting prudently. For the children of this world are more prudent in dealing with their own generation than the children of light.”
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Satan is as sly as sly can be. He teaches those who allow him to influence them the wily ways that can often outsmart even those who are good.
Although Jesus teaches us to forgive those who wrong us, he never taught us that the wrong they do should be tolerated. Otherwise, he would not have used such strong words against the scribes, Pharisees, and chief priests. Neither would he have driven out the merchants and money changers from the Temple.
Let us also not make the mistake of thinking that because the master in the parable commended the dishonest steward, Jesus was commending his dishonesty, too. Rather, Jesus was pointing out the steward’s shrewdness and resourcefulness. He was teaching us that Christians, who are children of the light, should be just as wise and resourceful in pursuing what is good and in building God’s Kingdom. We should never allow ourselves to be OUTSMARTED by the evil one.
“Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8)
Sometimes, even the children of light who are supposed to expose evil become deceived because they grow complacent, thinking that being children of God makes them safe from the influence of the evil one. This is precisely why we must remain vigilant. No one is beyond temptation, even Jesus, the Son of God that he is, was tempted by Satan in the desert. No one should ever consider him/herself immune to sin. The moment we believe we are no longer vulnerable to evil may be the moment we become most vulnerable to it.
So, when the evil one tries to influence our minds by making us believe that doing things contrary to the teachings of Jesus is justifiable, we must remain alert and clear-minded. The devil will never lead us toward what is good because his purpose is to lead us away from God and destroy what God has created.
Lord Jesus, may your Spirit always grant us the wisdom and strength to make the right decisions in our daily lives. Amen.
