In this week’s gospel, Jesus tells a parable about a rich man who is going to fire a manager. Of course there’s more to it.
This reading, which includes the parable and a teaching after the parable sets up a really uncomfortable dynamic for the reader/preacher. We have Jesus teaching something that doesn’t line up with what he just said.
How we handle these moments is important. Not just because we want to understand them “right,” but because we want to understand Jesus. And sometimes, our presuppositions about what that means can get in the way.