Trinity 14 – 22 September 2019 – Luke 16:1-13

Reader Sherry Angelis – St Paul’s Athens

 

We have spoken about quite a few parables and have learned so much.  As you may recall, this truly happened when we peeled back the multiple layers of our Lord’s stories.

I have often read through the Bible and was always very relieved when I did not have to preach on the parable concerning the dishonest manager!  What were the odds of it showing up at all since it is only found in Luke?

Nevertheless, my turn has finally come and the only way we can make sense of this one is to start peeling!     But before we do, let’s get a bit of background and take a quick look at the passage itself to see what it seems to tell us.

There is a rich man who has a manager – such a situation would have been a common one in Palestine, where there were many large estates owned by absentee landlords and administered by their managers.    Some of the manager’s duties would include the right to rent out land to tenant-farmers and make loans.

Now, our parable:  The manager has been squandering his master’s property and the man hears about it.  He summons the manager and demands an account of the fellow’s management.  Afraid of losing his job, the manager has a scheme of his own.     He will find a way so that the people will happily let him come to live with them.   He calls the people who owe money and automatically lowers the amount each one owes. Finding out about this ruse, surprisingly enough, the master is very impressed with his dishonest manager because the man has acted shrewdly.

 

Well, that’s the basic story.  So how do you feel about this guy?  I think he is totally deceitful and should be thrown out.  But rather than panic, now is the time to peel.  Look at the manager’s realism.  He faces the facts.  He does not pity or deceive himself, but sizes up the situation in cold logic. While Jesus does not approve the manager’s fraud he does commend his prudent action in using present opportunities for his future welfare.

 

Next, Jesus tells his listeners that the children – of this age – are more shrewd with what goes on around them than are the children of the light.  The worldly are more astute than the other worldly in dealing with their own kind.

 

The theme of the crisis may provide the key to the application.  The children of light ought to learn from the children of this age.  It is their ability to respond, come, and effectively to handle any crisis; in the same way, God’s people ought to respond to the coming of Christ’s Kingdom.

We must realise, too, that managers need to pay close attention to that which they are managing, in order to give better service and enable it to attain its intended fruitfulness.

Humans are made to be God’s managers over Creation, and we really have not done a very good job with this.  And even though the worldly are more astute than the other worldly in dealing with their own kind, they really mess up everything relating to God.

 

There are Christians who, like this manager, have wealth entrusted to them in this world.  They are to use it wisely.  In the service of the poor and needy who will welcome them into the next Kingdom.  Alms giving was an accepted Jewish way of storing up capital for the world to come.

 

Luke has, also, assembled a number of sayings to guard against any misunderstanding of the parable.  He helps us with our peeling.  For example, the Lord is saying, whoever is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much and whoever is dishonest in a very little is dishonest also in much.

 

Remember that money is a foreign currency to those whose citizenship is in Heaven.  Heavenly treasure is the Christian’s only true and eternal possession.

The apostle Luke was writing during the life and problems of the early Church.  There can be little doubt that his words are not only in the Spirit of the Lord’s teaching, but perhaps even the very words Jesus used.

While wealth has an essentially neutral character, Luke seriously recognizes its corruption potential.  It can, however, be prudently used to assist others – as the shrewd manager does.  And, those who are reliable with such things may be trusted with the greater and truer riches of the Kingdom.

 

Worldly wealth is unrighteous, the occasion of so much greed and hardness of heart that its very nature seems tainted; while Heaven’s treasure is filled with God’s holiness.  Such wealth is fleeting and deceitful like a mirage, for only Heaven’s treasure is true, real and the very substance of eternity.  Worldly wealth is another man’s for it is only on loan and the loan may at any moment be withdrawn; Heaven’s wealth is our own, it is of the soul and is an inalienable possession.

Of course, Jesus is never suggesting that a person may buy entrance into heaven but rather indicates that one’s management is a valid test of one’s relationship to God.  God tests fitness to receive the true riches of heaven by our use of material possessions now.  We must open our hearts to the richness of God’s grace.

 

Don’t forget, though, that slippery is the slope from possession of wealth to idolatry.  Luke lets us know that we should forsake any ambition that compromises our commitment to God.  Thus, Luke concludes with Jesus’ proactive saying about the impossibility of serving 2 masters!!

For us, as Christians, the Lord has given everything to us.  Every possession that we need.  What do we do with our wealth?  He leaves it up to us.

 

But, wait, there is so much more.  Our Lord gave His own life for us.  His suffering and death set us free as He won salvation for us and a place in His Kingdom.  We must continue to open our hearts to the riches of His grace.

We always have His love, abiding presence, and protection.  In our many failures and troubles, Christ’s mercy is with us.  What do we do with such invaluable riches?  He leaves this, too, up to us.

 

By the end of each day, we have certainly made many decisions – some right, some wrong.  Only when we choose the riches in Christ’s kingdom do we truly worship God alone.

AMEN