Luke 16: 1-13
The Gospel passage for today has probably given
preachers headaches since people have been delivering sermons. It certainly is not one of the more straight
forward Gospel passages – like the lesson of the lost coin and the lost
sheep. That is a parable that makes
sense and all the preacher has to do is make it come alive and meaningful for
the congregation. Those who hear the sermon only need to be given a perspective
on the lesson which will be meaningful for them. Of course I shouldn’t say ‘only’ because that
is not such an easy thing. However it is
a lot easier that finding meaning in today’s Gospel lesson that makes
sense.
Here we have what seems to be a lesson that teaches
that it is all right — actually commendable to cheat. It is entitled in some versions of the bible
“The Parable of the Dishonest Manager” which is quite apropos. The manager, on finding out that he is being
dismissed, decides to swindle his master and colludes with some clients — who
have accounts payable to the master’s business — to discount their bills and have
them pay less than the master is owed.
We are told his motive for doing this, “I am resolved what to do, that,
when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses”. He wants those people — the
co-conspirators — to be in his debt so he can call on them for help his after
he is shown the door. Seems like a good
plan on his part and pretty straight forward; probably not that unusual even
today.
However the surprize — the twist — comes next. Rather than calling the police and having the
dishonest manager thrown in jail and perhaps suing his co-conspirators — the
master commends him, “And the lord commended the unjust steward, because he had
done wisely.”
Not only that but the narrative changes and we have
Jesus seeming to agree with the Master, “for the children of this age are more
shrewd in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light. And
I say unto you, make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness;
that, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations.” Rather a shocking statement from Jesus.
Does this mean that everyone is free to swindle and
steal from their employers because money is after all the root of all evil so
there is no sense in trying to be honest about something that is evil – just go
out and be shrewd and get whatever you can?
However, there are a couple of parts of the statement
that can put a different light on this.
First we are told that the Children of Light are not as shrewd as the
children of this age. What Jesus is
saying here is that the Children of Light i.e. Christians are not intended to
place our priority into worldly things.
Our focus and goal in life is not to be on the financial and the
material success of this world. We are
to put our focus on following Jesus, in loving one another as Jesus loves
us.
Jesus also tells us to look to the worldly as examples:
He that is faithful in that which is
least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust
also in much. If therefore ye have not
been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true
riches? And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man’s, who
shall give you that which is your own?
Jesus is telling us that the worldly are exemplary in
the devotion they give to worldly things.
They focus their energy on being successful in making money and
accumulating possessions. They do it
well; as we should - only giving our devotion to God and not mammon.
The punch line of the lesson really says it all and
brings it into focus. Who are we going
to serve, “No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one,
and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye
cannot serve God and mammon”. Are we going to be like the children of this
age and serve mammon—make money and material possessions our god —or are we
going to be children of light and follow Jesus?
As I addressed
in last Sunday’s sermon, which wolf of our nature will we feed; the good one or
the evil one? This question is based on
a Legend of the Cherokee people; in effect, we have two wolves inside us; a
good one and an evil one. The question
posed is which wolf will win? The answer
is the one we feed.
Which master, God or mammon, will you follow – which
wolf will you feed?
Amen
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