Today’s parable of the dishonest manager (Luke 16:1-13, NRSV) is one of those times. It is hard to know who the hero of this story is supposed to be. Rich men don’t usually fare too well in the stories of Jesus, and although Jesus does not explicitly criticize this one, he does not exactly hold him up to us as a model either.
Besides, we tend to see ourselves as much more on the level of the manager. But Jesus defines the manager as dishonest from the beginning. To make matters worse, we then see the manager showing even more of his true colors—afraid of work, too proud to beg—and cheating his master further to save his own skin. No hero there, it seems.
But just when we think Jesus is surely going to level the conniver with a stern command, on the order of “pay back not just what you owe, but more than you owe,” Jesus commends him instead.. for acting shrewdly! Come on, Jesus, no way!
Like most preachers, I keep at hand a variety of aids to consult when preparing sermons. This particular story is acknowledged by many to be Jesus’ most difficult parable. In fact, two of my sources copped out completely. They advised preaching today on the Old Testament or Epistle lessons instead.
Another source went into mind-numbing detail to explain that the manager was following ancient Judaic money-lending practices, and therefore really did nothing wrong. In other words, they sanitized the story, making the manager’s behavior sound righteous after all.
But if that’s the case, why didn’t Jesus and Luke tell the story that way? I’m sure they both knew ancient Judaic money-lending practices perfectly well!
Another source—a Baptist preacher from Australia who calls his website Laughing Bird—offered two sermons he has preached on this text. And in them, I found something more helpful. He understands this parable to be part of a larger theme in Jesus’ teaching and in Scripture as a whole, namely the notion that God can use anything—even less than honorable behavior like that of the dishonest manager—to teach us something.
And what can the shrewd manager teach us? How about that we should put just as much thought and energy and dedication into developing our spiritual lives as we do into creating financial security for our selves and our offspring?
Perhaps Jesus is saying, 'Just because you are children of light does not mean that you have to be naive, unsophisticated and unwise. Be clever, be smart, be far-sighted, but put that level of intention and energy into your spiritual life, into serving God first.'
Have you ever heard yourself say to a teenager, “If you spent half as much time and energy cleaning your room, or doing your homework, as you do in procrastinating, you would be done in no time”?
As a teacher, I have also observed students investing great energy and effort into figuring out the exact minimum effort they have to put into getting a passing grade. And I have often said to them, “If you just directed that energy and commitment to studying, or doing the assignment, your grade would take care of itself!”
(By the way, they almost never believe me!)
I think that is part of the lesson of this story. Invest the shrewdness of the dishonest manager into your relationship with God, and other things, earthly things, will take care of themselves. Your relationship with God is the “true riches,” and from the true riches, other riches will flow, like trusting and faithful relationships with each other.
But I have one more lesson to offer from this parable, and that is the lesson of forgiveness. The Gospel according to Luke is full of stories of radical forgiveness, and this is not the only one that gives us pause.
Consider, for example, the prodigal son. We would really prefer the faithful son to be the hero of that story, rather than the son who squanders everything then is lavishly welcomed home when he has exhausted all his resources. We want the father to at least scold the prodigal son and make him ask for forgiveness! But the father doesn’t and we feel the faithful son’s sense of injury.
Likewise in today’s story, we would probably feel better if the master at least chastised the dishonest manager, made him grovel a bit, before commending him for shrewdness. But the master, which is to say Jesus representing God, doesn’t do that. He just says, “Way to go, oh shrewd one!”
And then to his disciples, who were no doubt standing there feeling superior to the dishonest manager, he says, “And all of you, you just might want to take a lesson from this guy.” Ouch!
The story of salvation according to Luke is a story of absolute forgiveness. The prodigal son and the dishonest servant parables are just two examples. Luke’s understanding of God’s forgiveness is particularly welcome—and radical—news to those of us who grew up hearing only about the anger and wrath and judgment of God.
I am not trying to suggest that God never judges and I do believe there will be a judgment day. But I do mean to suggest that—at least since the cross of Jesus Christ—God seeks first and constantly to bring us back into the fold, to draw us back into relationship, with forgiveness and love.
One of the online sermon resources I consult from time to time is a website called Edge of the Enclosure maintained by an Episcopal priest. She also prefers to see the dishonest servant story through the lens of God’s forgiveness. “Only God,” she says, “could appreciate the gifts of the consummate con-man in such a way as the master does in this story.”
Last week Fr. George described how a trained sheep dog works a flock of sheep, not by barking madly every time they stray—which would surely frighten and scatter the sheep. Rather, the sheep dog watches with a keen eye for the sheep to head in a wrong direction, then runs like crazy to lie down in front of them, thereby gently guiding them back in the way they ought to go.
God, too, is quite capable of barking, and sometimes we wish He would—at someone else's shortcomings! But in this parable, Jesus does not bark. He runs like crazy and lays down in a useful place.
God would have us be honest. But if the best we can do on any given day is “shrewd,” God will accept “shrewd,” and use it to love us and forgive us back into the fold.
AMEN
