Hey person, I’m still waiting for that fattened calf you told me about in last week’s story.

What!? You’re not giving me one?

I’m leaving then.

Maybe you’ll feel all sad and try to bribe me to come back with a good chunk of meat.

If I listen to the story do I get treats?

***

Jesus told His disciples: “There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions. So he called him in and asked him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your management, because you cannot be manager any longer.’

***

I think that manager was in real trouble. Is he going to get locked up in dog jail?

Okay, I’ll listen.

***

“The manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do now? My master is taking away my job. I’m not strong enough to dig, and I’m ashamed to beg – I know what I’ll do so that, when I lose my job here, people will welcome me into their houses.’”

***

Is he going to bring those people some treats?

I’d welcome him into my house if he brought me treats.

I am listening.

***

“So he called in each one of his master’s debtors. He asked them first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’”

“’Eight hundred gallons of olive oil,’ he replied.

The manager told him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it four hundred.’

Then he asked the second, ‘And how much do you owe?’

“’A thousand bushels of wheat,’ he replied.

“He told him, ‘Take your bill and make it eight hundred.’”

***

So where’s the guy that owes him sheep, or cows, or goats.

We might as well get a good meal out of this.

I’m listening – but can’t you come up with some good food?

***

“The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light. I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.

***

Does that mean like giving someone treats so they’ll be my friend?

***

Jesus continued, “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own?”

***

I’m totally trustworthy.

You can trust me to eat every treat I find.

***

“No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.”

***

Whew! I thought you were going to say that you can’t serve both God and treats.