The Perplexing Parable

The dishonest steward is being commended for acting shrewdly, for acting with wisdom. Using his masters wealth, in a wise manner in a worldly wise manner, not a kingdom manner, but in a worldly manner. 
- A parable reflection by Fr. Jack Estes

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Luke 16:1-13
16 He also said to the disciples, “There was a rich man who had a manager, and charges were brought to him that this man was wasting his possessions. 2 And he called him and said to him, ‘What is this that I hear about you? Turn in the account of your management, for you can no longer be manager.’ 3 And the manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do, since my master is taking the management away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg. 4 I have decided what to do, so that when I am removed from management, people may receive me into their houses.’ 5 So, summoning his master's debtors one by one, he said to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ 6 He said, ‘A hundred measures[a] of oil.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.’ 7 Then he said to another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ He said, ‘A hundred measures[b] of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write eighty.’ 8 The master commended the dishonest manager for his shrewdness. For the sons of this world[c] are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light. 9 And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth,[d] so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal dwellings.
10 “One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. 11 If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? 12 And if you have not been faithful in that which is another's, who will give you that which is your own? 13 No servant can serve two masters, for 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 God and money.”

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KEY TOPICS
Stewards of Kingdom , Parables of Jesus, wealth, The Dishonest Steward, master, Wisdom of the World, Wisdom of God, Jesus Teachings. Slashes the Debts, Story and Parables, People in Scripture, throw, Commended by the Master, Love of Money, Cannot Serve God and Wealth, kingdom, Acted Shrewdly, homeless guy

Lord we pray send your spirit now, to open the Word to our understanding,  illuminate the scriptures and guide us as we consider this holy gospel this morning, and your holy name. Amen. Please be seated
 
Well, that Gospel reading is perfectly clear, right? I mean, easy to die see what Jesus is talking about.
 
I was thinking, you know, a father Randy and I kind of play Bible scripture roulette up here, because each week the lectionary comes around, and we're not sure who's going to get what passage Exactly. Although the parables of Jesus and all the Gospels, the one from this morning's reading is perhaps the most perplexing. What's commonly known as the parable of the dishonest steward or the unjust steward. The dishonest steward is conniving. He embezzles the Masters funds, he alters the books, and he skims off the top. And when he is called into account, he calls those who are in debt to the master and slashes the bills. How much do you owe 100 jugs of olive oil? Quick. Write down quickly, make it 50. How about you? Well, I 100 containers a week, okay, make it at any slashes that masters property, produce, just like that. Now, one would expect that for these actions, he would be punished. One would expect him to when he's called do an account to be thrown into jail or, you know, having to make restitution. But as the parable unwinds, as a parable unfolds, what happens next? He is commanded. What? The unjust not the end just steward is commanded. The master commends the dishonest manager, because he has acted shrewdly.
 
What is going on here?
 
Every time I read this parable, and I read through the Gospel of Luke, or we come to the lectionary, that's the question I asked what is going on here? In this story, it's hard to break into the density of what Jesus is trying to teach, at least for me, you can all give me your insights, following the service. Instead of being punished, the master commends the dishonest manager, what is going on? Instead of being thrown into jail, he gets a commendation for fleecing his masters goods. And at first glance, it may seem like that is what the parables teaching. So how are we to make sense then, of this perplexing story, this perplexing parable that Jesus is telling? Because parables are just that they are stories, which are dense, and they are layered with God's truth. And Jesus taught in parables. Why? Because stories are easy to remember. And after this morning, you're always going to remember this story of the unjust steward, the dishonest steward. So Jesus taught in parables so that they can be remembered and that they would convey the deep truths of God in the kingdom.
 
So let's dig in just a little bit into this parable, then this morning, how do we make sense of this perplexing parable? Well, to begin with, let's look for the bottom line. What is the goal? What is the end? What is Jesus trying to teach in this parable? What is the point that he is reaching for in telling this story? Secondly, after we look for the bottom line, let us look back more carefully and consider what exactly is this dishonest steward this dishonest manager? What exactly is he being commended for? And finally, let's consider what the Spirit will may be saying to us what God is saying to us today as we enter into the story, so we're gonna look for the bottom line. We're gonna look back in See what exactly is being committed for. And we're gonna listen. When listen for the voice of the Lord, as we always listen, when we gather, we hear his words, we're gonna listen, what is God's saying to us? So Jesus is telling this parable to make a point. That's why he told the parables you wanted to make that make a point and teach a truth about God's kingdom. Parables are designed to convey spiritual truth.
 
So what is the main point of this story? What is the bottom line? Well, if you look to the bottom line, in the Scriptures this morning, the final line, the bottom line that Jesus is trying to teach, you cannot serve God. And well. This is the point. This is the truth. This is what this parable is designed to convey this where Jesus is going with the story. The tell us as it were, the end purpose. You cannot serve God. And well, no one can serve two masters. You see, Jesus is clearly teaching those who are listening teaching us You cannot serve two masters, we cannot serve God and the kingdom and or and work the world and wealthy aspirations. The dishonest steward has a divided heart.  Perhaps he started out with good intention. Perhaps he started out faithfully, serving only the master. But somewhere along the way, he was tempted by the promises of wealth, tempted by the promises of the world. Do we ever experienced that temptation? Anyone? We live in the wealthiest nation in the history of the world, the history of the planet? Sometimes I think we don't even realize because we're so immersed in it, just how incredible wealthy we are. Compared to the history of mankind, I mean, just to you know, have like food and running water is like a miracle in some cases.
 
Perhaps the steward started out faithfully serving the master, but he was tempted by the promises of wealth. What are those promises? What is it that wealth promises? When you look at, you know, to look at the uber rich, you know, what, what is that temptation? What is being offered there? Well, power. Wealth is, is power. Once someone has enough wealth, if they've got everything that they need, then it becomes a quest for power, and more wealth, and more. It's insatiable, isn't it? Because the things about the temptations of the world is, they are insatiable aren't they.  Insatiable it means they cannot be satisfied. You keep trying to get more and more. It only creates more of a hunger.
 
 So the dishonest steward is tempted by these promises of the world, the promises of wealth, power, pleasures, and possessions, three Ps I would call. Somewhere along the way, he's tempted, He crosses over, the desire of his heart is changed. At first he is desiring to serve the master. He is content with his wages. But when he gets pulled aside by these, the lure and the promise of wealth, then he begins to compromise, the desire of his heart change, his heart is divided now, it is not fixed, faithfully serving as a servant of his master. No, now he is serving his own desires his own ends. And that leads him to compromise and to lie to cheat and to steal. You know, first he's skimming off the top, and then once the master finds out the scheming off the top, then he goes out there and slashes the bills to try to gain favor. With those who actually legitimately owe a bill a debt to the master, he desired to be faithful and content gives way to desire to get more, more for himself to have more and I think you that change that division of the heart, then there's no contentment. When our hearts are divided, we lose contentment. We're no longer we're discontent, we're searching and trying to find something, fill the emptiness within. He exchanged the love of God, the master, of course, was representing God here in the story. He exchanged the love of God, for the love of money.
 
Now, oftentimes, you may have heard it said, what I think is kind of popular theology in our culture around us. Have you heard this said, Money is the root of all evil, you're gonna put that proverb in the land. Money is the root of all evil. But that's not actually biblical. That's not actually what the scripture says. It's a little edit that takes place, it changes it dramatically. What the Scripture actually says is the love of money. I see you nodding your heads because you know, the love of money, is the root of all evil. This desire of the heart, you see, is the desire of our hearts for God, and to serve Him and to acknowledge him, or is the desire to have wealth and power and possessions and pleasures. First Timothy, chapter six, the love of money, is the root of all evil. Jesus is teaching in this parable, he's teaching us to guard our hearts. That what you love, is that whom you serve that whom you love. Is that which you serve? What are the desires of your hearts this morning? Which master Are you serving? In your life ? It's easy for with all the wealth and power and prestige and the lures around us, it's easy for our hearts to slip and become divided. And to begin to try to crave more, instead of putting our trust in God and giving, being thankful for all of His provision and being content. Godliness  brings great contentment which are the desires of your heart this morning?
 
Well, to be clear, the dishonest steward is not being commended for being dishonest. Amen. Maybe I should have started with that to begin with. Let's just clear that up. You guys probably already have seen this seen through this. But he's not being commended, because he was, you know, stealing from the master for being dishonest. Now why is he being committed? What's he been committed for? Anybody want to help me out? Being shrewd. Thank you, Anna. The dishonest steward is being commended for acting shrewdly, for acting with wisdom. Using his masters wealth, in a wise manner in a worldly wise manner, not a kingdom manner, but in a worldly manner. He's using worldly wisdom to accomplish his goal, not to get thrown out on the street. James says there, there is wisdom from above, and there's wisdom from below. And wisdom from the below is worldly, it essential, it is demonic. But the wisdom from above is first peaceable and gentle, full of righteousness without partiality without hypocrisy, and it brings peace. It brings contentment to those who live in the designers steward that is being committed for being shrewd in the ways of the world, making a way for himself when he's in a terrible predicament. Now, we would still think that, perhaps that well, how's he going to get out of this because the master would clearly want to throw him in jail for what he had done. But we must remember that there's certain context in which the story is being taught this parable in the villages of Palestine, to those who lived and and made their life there.
 
In his book poet and Present scholar and linguists Kenneth Bailey, explains that All villagers in Palestine, all the Palestinian villagers understand this parable perfectly. You see, he went and lived there among them and he studied the language. And what he found is that out in rural Palestine in these little villages, things haven't changed much in 2000 years. And when they read this story, and they hear this parable, they all just nod their heads. Yes, that's right. That's right. He he he acted shrewdly he got out of the predicament when the dishonest steward slashes the bills of the debtors, those who owe the debt and all the other villagers around them, would naturally assume that it was not the steward, not the manager who was cutting their bill. But the master. And the master would be held up in great honor for his his generosity, what can he do, then he can go back and then throw the steward in jail, because everyone would know that he wasn't the Generous One would have forgiven all these debts. So this was a shrewd maneuver, using worldly wisdom. And everyone in the village would be rejoicing in the great generosity of the master who had slashed the bills, and they probably throw a big party for him and in honor of his name, make a big celebration to honor him. You see, they are all the villagers, all the those who had their death counseled with no with would assume and to their way of thinking, they would know that it was the master who had done this. You see, the steward is only the servant of the master.
 
The steward, the manager is only the representative of the master. The master represents his intentions, through his steward, through his managers, and the people of the village, know the character of the master. Through the actions of the steward, through the lens of his management, they come to know and understand this is who the master is, this is what he's like He in this case, they would think he's generous, and kind and forgiving, giving this this break on all the all the bills, and like manna, you see we are stewards also are. We are stewards of God. We are stewards of God's creation, everything belongs to him, we're stewards of all His provision, all his abundance, the ways in which we act. Also, we reflect to those who are around us in the village. The ways in which we use the provision and the wealth and the money that he's given to us, reflect the character of God to those who are around us. As a result, the people in the village look to how we are acting, and they make assumptions. They make understandings about who God is. How are we using the wealth God has entrusted to us? Remember, it demonstrates his character to those around us? We are his stewards. parable goes on the master commended the dishonest steward, because he adapted shrewdly children of this age are more shrewd than the children of light. And people in the world are more actively engaged. They're wiser in the world using this wealth in a worldly way, then the people of God using the resources that he's giving us to advance the kingdom, Jesus is saying, Make Friends of the dishonest wealth now that's a pickle of a scripture to get get around, isn't it? He was faithful and little is faithful in much. In other words, Jesus is saying, Be Wise With the worldly wealth that God has given to you Use it wisely for the Kingdom. As a demonstration of the love and the character of God, be wise, with what is entrusted to you, live honestly, in contrast to the manager in the story, be content. And give joyfully because as we give joyfully we reflect the the great love and joy and the abundance that God provides in our lives, if we truly know of the abundance of God's provision that we see, and we kind of hold in, in wealth or in money, and we know that that's coming from God, and we open our hands to give joyfully, we are receiving and giving freely. And in that, in that joy, then the world around us receives the testimony of God's love of His provision, and, and what it means to be faithful.
 
 I was thinking about one time. And I know some of you have shared stories like this as well. When we're out into in the world, and, and there are those around us that are watching us, they were they know you're a Christian, because the Holy Spirit is within you to begin with. And you just can't hide it. You can run but you cannot hide. Once the holy spirit is within you, those around you, wherever you are on the world, sooner or later, they're going to realize this person is a follower of Jesus. And then they're going to be watching to see as, as you as a steward of God's provision, his creation, how you are representing that. So but for father, Randy and I am, we have a particular significant way of being seen when we're out and, and known when we're out in the world is called a collar. See these things right here. So when you put on when I put on my clergy shirt, and I'm wearing my collar, and I go to Home Depot, everyone who looks at me knows immediately, this guy is a priest. Watching, what's he doing? What's his attitude? Is he getting mad at the counter girl or not? So it kind of creates an interesting sort of target when we're out and about, and I can relate this on Randy. So one day I was at Home Depot, I was wearing my collar, and I walked out. And so there was a homeless man there. And I really am very reluctant, I would not encourage you to give money to the homeless, we all know this. Because it's really not helping them. It's just probably perpetuating their addictions and the drugs that are out there on the street. But we want to have compassion, we want to represent the master with the resources that he's given to us. So the homeless man came up to me and I was expecting to say, Hey, can you give me you know, $5? Can you give me some money? But instead he said, Can you buy me something to eat? I'm hungry. So I said, yeah. Yeah, let's go over to a Pollo Loco.  and you know, buy, I'll buy lunch, whatever you want.
 
So I go into Pollo Loco, and I'm still wearing my collar, right? So as soon as I walk into Pollo Loco everyone looks, There is a priest in here, What's he doing you just be everybody's like, Oh, because you know, you'll actually see people with collars on very often. Like, even when I'm out. I don't see other priests out there very often. So it's kind of unusual.  So the homeless guy comes in with me. So now people were looking at him. And they're looking at me. And I said, What do you want to have to eat? He said, I'd like one of those big chicken burritos. I said, Yeah, let's I'm gonna buy him lunch. I'm gonna give big give him a big chicken burrito. So you got the burrito and got a big coke. And we sat down that's out there and talk to him for a few minutes. And as I was doing that, the whole the whole attitude. I mean, the first few we're looking at the homeless guy. What's he doing here? The whole spirit of the place changed. The people behind the counter. Oh, hang on. Let me help you. Did you need some some salsa? Yeah.
 
And the people in the restaurant were like, Oh, look, look what's happening. Hear, someone is buying someone giving some something to eat and compassion, me as the humble father or Jack broken servant of God that I am, I am representing the master. You represent the master we represent the master with worldly wealth, wealth with them the monetary means that he is given to us. And I would like to think that everyone there at that restaurant, went home thinking. God is a compassionate God who loves even the lowly and the outcast.
 
The Parable of the dishonest steward, it is perplexing at the title of this sermon, the perplexing parable. And there's probably much more here than I've touched on this morning. But the bottom line of this parable is, is this You cannot serve God and wealth as God's people we cannot live with a divided heart. Along the way in the story, Jesus teaches us to be wise, to be honest stewards of money, of wealth and possessions of all that God has entrusted to us. And to remember that we are revealing his character to those around us as we do. When we are faithful in these mundane things of the world. He will also entrust us with the true riches, the true riches of the spiritual life in the kingdom of God. Amen. In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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