PENTECOST 17 PROPER 20
September 23, 2007
(Amos 8:4-12: Psalm 138; 1st Timothy 2:1-8; Luke
16:1-13)
St. Christopher’s,
MAY THE WORDS OF MY MOUTH ... AND THE
MEDITATIONS OF ALL OUR HEARTS ... BE ALWAYS ACCEPTABLE TO YOU --- OUR STRENGTH
AND OUR REDEEMER AMEN
The most comforting thing I read this week was a scripture
commentator saying that this Gospel lesson about the dishonest manager or
steward was a challenge to preachers from the very early church! For 2,000 years preachers have scratched
their heads and said: “huh??”
Let’s take a look and see if we can make more sense of it than
the highly educated book writers!!
Let’s begin by considering, but ultimately rejecting two possible
explanations. The situation most likely
is an absentee owner checking the books.
Some people have argued that the steward or manager — translations vary
but the essential meaning is the same – the steward actually was doing a good
thing. The argument has been made that
when the steward changed the accounts he was either (1) eliminating the
interest charged, interest which was against Jewish law, or (2) eliminating an
overcharge he had added so he could skim some money. Now he would no longer get those skimmed
profits, he eliminated them.
In other words, the steward HAD been acting unethically but used
his last couple days on the job to try and correct those actions.
Highly unlikely. Nice ...
but highly unlikely. Those actions would
receive another response from Jesus since they would be consider repenting.
No, the story is fairly clear that the steward was effectively
bribing the customers by reducing their bills.
The bribe payoff was that these people are expected to welcome the
steward into their homes once he was fired.
So the flow of the story is fairly straightforward. Still, it is confusing. It is frequently helpful to look around the
edges of a passage to see what happened before and after the passage. Jesus has been telling his disciples about
God’s mercy: the lost sheep story, the lost coin, and the prodigal son. All
three of those are about God’s mercy and God’s willingness to go to extreme
lengths to help us repent and return.
This passage begins: Jesus also
said to His disciples: For some reason the “also” is left out of some
translations which is unfortunate since it suggests a link between the earlier
stories and this one.
All three of the previous stories were about God’s mercy and
God’s desire to be with us. But they
also have a connection to the ultimate.
They are about God’s actions, but also our actions and how they can lead
us into a relationship with God. They
are stressing the importance of that relationship.
Today’s story about the dishonest steward, I believe, increases
the focus on the ultimate — on our relationship with God. At the end of this passage Jesus says you
cannot have two masters because you will be devoted to one and despise the
other.
The very next line should have been included: The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and laughed at Jesus. Jesus responded: “You are the very ones who pass yourselves off as virtuous in people’s
sight, but God knows your hearts. For
what is thought highly of by men is loathsome in the sight of God.”
Actually what I have just done is what many of those better
educated book writers do — sneaked away for the actually passage! I turned our attention to other things, which
seem to make more sense and ignored the questions this passage posses. So let’s go back.
Assuming as I do, that this whole section is linked together,
Jesus begins talking about God’s mercy, God’s great desire to be in
relationship with us, how that relationship has eternal implications. Jesus ends that section with some disparaging
remarks about the love of money.
I believe the passage makes sense in that context. Jesus has been trying to get us to understand
how we relate to God, and to each other.
The point is not being understood.
So Jesus uses the image of a dishonest steward who was sharp enough to
know how to protect himself. The owner
commended the steward for his shrewdness — much as one thief might appreciate
another thief’s skill. On the Soprano’s,
Tony would congratulate a rival on a clever action even if Tony was the victim.
Then Jesus responds or comments on the story. I believe Jesus is EXPLAINING why the owner
would commend the steward. Jesus is not
commending the steward but is telling us that we are more astute in dealing
with our own kind than we are relating to God.
OK, but what about the next sentence? We can go along with Jesus using the steward
as an example of knowing the situation and reacting to it, but what is this
about “make friends for yourselves by
means of unrighteous mammon ... that is money ... so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal
habitations.”
Again some people try to make this into a good, clever
statement. One argument is that Jesus is
saying to use the unrighteous mammon ---- stolen goods – to be a “Robin Hood” –
make friends with the poor who are most likely to get into heaven according to
Luke, and hope the poor will take you with them.
.... nahhhh ! ..... can’t buy that one. True, one of the primary messages in Luke is
God’s love for the poor and needy, but that’s pushing a bit far. I am more inclined to accept the “sarcasm”
explanation. Jesus is saying, “use the
stolen funds to make friends and see if that helps you!” .... In other words,
those friends don’t really help.
I believe Jesus is saying, “You
know how to operate in this world. You
know how to manipulate to get your way.
Use those skills if you want but they will not do you any good. If I cannot trust you with something as
unimportant as money, then how can I trust you with a relationship with
God? With eternal life?”
In fact, Jesus MAY BE contrasting the way we treat each other
with the way we treat God. Jesus may be
saying that if we cannot be trusted to treat other humans well, how can God
trust us? .... Don’t know. That is a new
twist for me which will take more thought.
The entire point is at the end when Jesus says you cannot be
loyal to two leaders. At some point you
will have to make a choice, one leader over the other.
Good, reasonable scriptural study .. But what does it say to us,
today, in our lives? If we pay attention
to this passage what difference will it make on Monday morning?
Let me grab a phrase that SEEMS to have exactly no relevance to us.
.... Ever been laughed at? OK, I need to
narrow that question down! Ever been
laughed at for doing something for God? .... No? .. Maybe that’s a problem! Maybe if we don’t go far enough to be laughed
at, we are serving another master.
Interesting thought, isn’t it? ... Many years ago one of those
phrases that went around, much like today an email gets forwarded! ... the
phrase was: “If you are arrested on the charge of being Christian, would there
be enough evidence to convict you?”
Are we more shrewd in dealing with each other than with God? Strange question so let me re-phrase, “are we
more comfortable, direct, dealing with each other than with God?”
Being laughed at for being comfortable in dealing with God ...
The TV show “Saving Grace” – is not for young people and not too great for us
older folks, but it has an fascinating character in it. He is a condemned murderer – who has found
God — who has been saved. ... Don’t you think when said that he is laughed at
by the other inmates and guards? .... And us.
Or the person who owns a smaller house or car or vacation because
they give more money to the poor, don’t you think they are “laughed at” — we
would say “ridiculed”?
Or the business person who is the opposite of what Amos talks
about ... is honest and fair, don’t you think some of their acquaintances laugh
at them?
So my offering to you is to spend this week trying to be laughed
out ... trying to be shrewd enough, aware enough to serve only the one master,
God, and trying to serve God so obviously that people laugh at you. .... It
might even feel good!
AMEN
We
have previous sermons on our website. To
read an earlier recent sermon just enter: www.st-christopher.org/sermon.html.
CLICK HERE TO RESPOND: I would enjoy reading your comments about this sermon. Please feel free to discuss content or presentation. (If you wish to use another email system send your comments to: ken@st-christopher.com)