WHY WOULD JESUS LIKE THIS GUY? Text: Luke 16: 1-13 September 22, 2013 Faith J. Conklin Little boys make shrewd negotiators. Our grandson Jonas will be seven next month. Last month was his parents wedding anniversary. John and I took care of Jonas and his sister Janelle for a few days so our daughter and son-in-law could have some time alone. Like good grandparents we planned several special activities. One was to see the new Disney movie, Planes. It was a great hit with both of them; especially Jonas. The next day after lunch, I took them to Toys R Us. I told them they could each spend $10. (This was a small no special reason gift). Janelle happily went off to find something. Jonas and I headed for the Planes display. His first choice; a hangar full of planes and equipment, dramatically exceeded his budgeted amount. I reminded him he only had $10. He then found Dusty the hero plane of the story. It was $5.99 well within his price range. He took the package off the rack. Several other planes from the movie were also on it. He looked up at me. Grandma he said, You know you can t have a race with just one plane. Two planes are more than $10, I replied firmly. Jonas nodded. He knows his math. He also knows his Grandma. It s much more fun if I have two he said. Then they can race against each other. Grandma weighed the options. Grandma looked into two trusting blue eyes. Grandma bought two planes. Jonas trusts his Grandma (and his Grandpa). He counts on my love for him. He doesn t think in terms of what he deserves. He believes I ll be generous to him, even if it exceeds the limits. He assumes I ll always act in his favor. He s bold in what he asks. That s one of the underlying messages in today s story. The steward assumes and presumes his master s goodness and grace. He knows his own character is in question. He depends on the good character of his master. Seen in that light; it s a word of hope. If Jesus can like this guy; there may be good news for us also. Our text this morning is from Luke s gospel. He s the only one who includes it. Jesus tells a story about a rich man s and his employee. Word is brought to him that this manager his squandering (misusing/wasting) his property. He demands an accounting. The manager s first reaction is panic. If he s fired, what can he do? How will he survive? He isn t strong enough for manual work. He s too proud to beg. Thinking quickly, he devises a scheme. If he reduces what others owe his 1
employer, maybe he'll get on their good side. If he does get fired, he can go to them for help. He approaches the largest debtors and adjusts their debts significantly downward. Then he brings the books to his employer. That s where Jesus turns this story upside down and inside out. That s when it becomes outrageous. The employer doesn t condemn the manager for what he s done. He doesn t scold or reject him. He commends him. He praises him for acting shrewdly. Where s the moral in that? We call it the parable of The Dishonest Steward, The Clever Manager or The Shrewd Steward. Bible scholars call it an enigma. They say it s a difficult and embarrassing text, a confusing and perplexing story. At best, it s called, ambiguous. Most pastors think it s a good one to avoid or one to get a guest pastor to preach. (I tried. It didn t work.) Augustine, perhaps trying to prepare a sermon on it, said: I can t believe that this story came from the lips of our Lord. Some commentators agree. They say Jesus really didn t tell it this way; the original context has been lost. Luke or some other editor added the last several verses about money and faithfulness to make some sense of it. Others say it s a strange exaggeration Jesus uses to get our attention. Still others explain that the manager only cut out his own commission, what he did wasn t so dishonest after all. Some think it s about our use of money. Some say it s about our allegiances. Most all agree: it s one with which we struggle. The more I work with it; the more I see that it can t be reduced to just one lesson. This morning we explore several ways this parable might speak to us. We listen for the word we most need to hear. The children of this age are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light. Note that the steward isn t being commended for dishonesty. He s praised for what he does in the face of his problem. He wrests the best out of a bad situation. Rather than assuming there s nothing he can do, he does something. He uses imagination and initiative. He doesn t blame others or become bitter. He doesn t passively acquiesce to his fate. His future is at stake and he acts accordingly. It helps to remember that this isn t a go and do likewise parable. It s a how much more parable. Jesus invites us to make a comparison. The children of this age are shrewd. They know how to provide for themselves. They know how to solve problems and get things done. They understand the necessity of risk and bold action. 2
The manager is clever, creative, and even reckless in getting himself out of trouble and protecting and providing for his future. He s willing to take a chance. If you look at the parable this way: it s a challenge. It s an invitation to examine our discipleship. How cleverly, boldly, and intentionally are we pursuing the matters of God s kingdom? If the children of this age are shrewd in handling their affairs, how much more shrewd are the children of light in handling God s affairs? The world in which we live makes many claims upon us. It puts us in situations that are complex and not easily resolved. Not everything is black and white, absolutely right or absolutely wrong. We have to decide. How will we live by the teachings of Jesus in such a world? How will his truth inform our decisions; politically, economically, relationally; at school or work, in the home or at play? What side will we choose when the values of the world and those of God s kingdom collide? How far will we go to follow Jesus? Those are hard questions. The parable invites discussion of them. A teacher was giving a lesson in choices to her Sunday School class. She asked them, If all the bad children were painted red and all the good children were painted green, which color would you be? There was a moment of silence. Then one child raised her hand. Striped, she replied. She s a wise child. That s also where we may find ourselves in this parable. It s also where it authentically and disturbingly speaks to us. We understand this shrewd/dishonest/clever/striped manager. We ve stood in his shoes. We ve made a mess and tried to fix it. We ve abused the trust God and others placed in us. We ve walked that precarious balance between using and misusing the riches and relationships of our lives. We ve not always been faithful in large or small matters. In that sense, there s no doubt: this is a parable of judgment. It calls us to give an account and tells us a hard truth about ourselves. It raises questions about where we are in our relationships with God and others. Like that employee we ve missed the mark many times. We ve been less than God calls us to be. We say our allegiance is to God s kingdom; the values of the world s kingdoms too often direct our actions. We squander and misuse the opportunities God gives us. We may be children of light ; more often we act like children of this age. Sometimes the best you can say about our behavior and attitudes is that they re shrewd. God has every right to be angry with us; to dismiss us. The employer (in Jesus parables the employer/the master is often a standin for God) knows what his manager has done. He knows how he s cooked the 3
books and his bold plan to save himself. By our standards the employer s attitude toward his manager is absurd; it makes little sense. It certainly doesn t fit our usual view of consequence and reward. We know what we d do with him. That s where this parable takes another surprising turn. For as much as it s a parable of judgment; it s also a parable of grace. In fact, in Father Robert Capon s listing of the parables, that where he puts this one. He lists it as a parable of grace. It s also why Bishop Willimon offers a new title for it. He calls it: The story of an outrageous Savior. He writes: There is something in the heart of God that enables God to love not just good people which we are not but also the sinners which we are. Thanks be to God! That s the hope. God doesn t wait until we become better, have it all together or get it right to love us. God loves us as we are; red, green and striped. Jesus doesn t say how the story ends. Did the employer re-instate his manager? Did he leave him to his own devices? The answer we give depends a lot on our view of who God is and how God acts. That too is a choice. If the God of this parable is indeed the God of Jesus; we can assume the best not the worst for him and for us. Luke puts this parable right after those of the lost sheep, the lost coin and the lost sons. Many scholars find a connection between them. The word squander used to describe his dishonesty is the same word used to describe the younger son s wastefulness. To me it suggests that the steward is also one of the lost ones. He too needs a reminder of God s extravagant grace, goodness and love. Seen in that light; this story from Tony Campolo offers another reflection of today s good news. He writes: In England, a friend of mine wanted to start a ministry in the nightclub scene in Newcastle. He decided he d first visit the nightclubs around town. Many of them were located in one area close to the train station. Each nightclub was a wild scene of intense music, flashing strobe lights, and bodies vibrating to rock music. The fourth nightclub he visited was a replica of the previous three, except for one thing. Sitting off in the corner was a middle-aged man wearing a tweed jacket and tie. If ever there was a misplaced person, this particular gentleman fit the bill. My friend went over to him. With a tone of amazement, he asked, What in the world are you doing here? The man replied, Two months ago I had an argument with my daughter. She d gotten into drugs and become one of those strange young women who call themselves 'Goths.' She wore mostly black clothing, purple lipstick, and had dyed black hair. She was on drugs. It was obvious, after 4
she stayed out all night time and time again, that she d become promiscuous. We had many arguments. One day a few weeks ago she stalked out of the house, slammed the door, and yelled she was never coming back again. I know she hangs out at places like this. Every Friday and Saturday night I come to this part of Newcastle to sit in a nightclub and hope I ll see her. I want to put my arms around her and tell her I love her, and that any time that she wants to come home she ll be more than welcome because I miss her so very, very much. There s something about us that God loves very much. It s not destroyed by what we do or fail to do; who we are and how far from God our own hearts may be. God loves the children of light. and the children of this age God loves them all because they are all God s children. God misses us when we re out of relationship with him. God wants us to come home. Jonas was bold in his asking. I suspect he ll be bold again. He risks his Grandma s No because he counts on my Yes. He dares to believe I ll be as generous and loving to him as I can. The shrewd steward risks everything on a scheme to create a renewed relationship with his employer and those in his debt. What will we risk in trust of the loving God Jesus has shown us? Why would Jesus like this guy? Jesus likes this guy because he likes (loves) all us sinners. That s today s truth. I dare you to believe it. I dare you to trust it. I dare you to live it. Amen. 5
PASTORAL PRAYER (9/22/13) O God, what can we say? Your love is amazing and extravagant. It embraces each of us and all of us. You know us so well, even better than we know ourselves. You see our faults and failures; our schemes and our shady dealings. You refuse to hold those things against us. You don t let our lack of faithfulness break the relationship with you. Forgive us, Lord. We try to hide our sin even while sitting in judgment on the sins of others. We misuse the wealth you give us and exploit your creation. We expect forgiveness but aren t so quick to offer it. We get so caught up in securing our future that we re in danger of losing what matters most now and eternally. O God, remind us again how deep and broad your grace is. Help us to order our lives in trust of it. We want to be faithful and fruitful disciples. We want to be good stewards of your gifts and blessings. Fill us with such faith that we will boldly, brashly and bravely give ourselves away in service to your kingdom and the fulfillment of our mission. Father, with confidence and hope we lift before you our prayers. We pray for those who are ill and facing a hard diagnosis; those in the hospital, recovering from surgery, and in rehabilitation and care centers. Give them your healing. We pray for those who are dying and for their families. We pray for those struggling with the loss of someone they love and seeking a new direction for their life. Help them find comfort. We pray for those who are estranged from you and from others and need the courage and strength to find their way back. Guide and direct them. O God, we pray for cities and communities struggling in economic difficulties and for the pain this causes to families and those most vulnerable. We pray for nations rattling weapons and uttering threats of war and violence and the very real fear this brings to us all. We pray for those young and old caught in circumstances and conditions that harm their bodies, minds and spirits and whose joy of life is taken from them by others. Lord, we pray asking to be attentive to those opportunities to do your will; to share your care and compassion and to bring hope and healing to another. In all our living and our loving may we reflect the love Jesus taught us. In his name we pray saying, Our Father 6