2 Samuel 22:26-34; 1 Corinthians 10:6-13; St Luke 16:1-9
In the Name + of JESUS. Amen.
Many people seem to be shocked by the parable of the unrighteous steward. The parable is about a man who is reported for wasting his master’s goods. But when he was found out, he knew enough to make his own position better by further wasting his master’s goods! And he dragged other fellow sinners with him into this scheme. In the end he heard his master’s verdict. He acted shrewdly. Wisely.
In order to understand this parable we must first remember that not all parables are alike. Some parables teach us to “go and do likewise.” This is the case with the Good Samaritan who gets off his animal, cares for the wounded man out of his own means, graciously takes him to the inn and generously pays for his recovery from his own pocket. Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers? The lawyer said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise” (Lk 10:36-37).
Or the parable of the tax collector and the Pharisee who go up to the Temple to pray. This one is hardly a parable at all, but a straight forward teaching on saving faith. I tell you, the tax collector went down to his house justified. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted (Lk 18:14).
But not all parables are like this. Jesus finds His illustrations in everyday life. Like the man who went to friend at midnight asking for three loaves of bread (Lk 11:5) as catechesis on the Our Father.
The Scriptures not only reveal to you the merciful character of God the Father in sending His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, to bear your sin, your enormous, insurmountable debt, and to pay it with His holy precious Blood and innocent suffering and death. The Scriptures also reveal to you the true nature of your nature. The mirror of God’s Word shows you the true fallenness of your flesh and your hostility, even hatred and enmity with God. People loved by God, the inspired and inerrant Word of God is both theological and anthropological. Jesus sketches people exactly as they are.
The man who found a treasure hidden in the field of another acted deceptively (Mt 13:44-45). In the parable of the persistent widow the judge feared and loved neither God nor man (Lk 18:1-2).
But these examples from the commonplaces of a sinful world Jesus uses precisely to illumine something that takes place in the kingdom of God.
It is a matter, then, not of acting like these individuals, but of grasping the context of the parable and understanding it in relation with our God and Father.
And rarely, if ever, does Jesus preach a parable and not give an interpretation or contextual reason. With the Good Samaritan it was because the lawyer first stood up to put Jesus to the test, and then, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” (Lk 10:25, 29). He told the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and treated others with contempt (Lk 18:9).
In this instance our Lord gives you the reason and context at the end. The sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light. And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth, so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal dwellings. Jesus praises the unrighteous steward because he acted shrewdly. Wisely. Where is his wisdom?
The man knew that he had no way of escape. He had no illusions. He knew he was going to be out on his own. He was not strong enough to dig. And he was ashamed to beg. He saw the consequences of behavior and acted with dispatch and resolution. He called in his master’s debtors and had them reduce their debts in their own hand, making his master look merciful.
But people who want to be Christians, often people who call themselves Christians, do just the opposite. They harbor the illusion that this is not so important. That being regularly gathered around our Lord’s living Word and blessed Sacrament is not of chief concern over everything else. St Paul asks, Do you suppose, O man - you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself - that you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you presume on the riches of His kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? (Rm 2:3-4).
Such people suppose everything will come out right in the end. And so they procrastinate. They do not deduce that their salvation is a matter of dead seriousness and that they must reckon with God in everything above all.
Shrewdness, wisdom, beloved, is a matter of looking at realities as they are. It is of no use to seek to gain our souls and yet to retain some of the freedoms of the natural man. We must not put Christ to the test, beloved. There is no room to compromise so that we can be both the friend of God and of the world. It is no use to try to withhold some of our worldly possessions from the sight and possession of God. This will only lead to the loss of our souls and true life and all the treasures we could really have kept. In the Gospel the person who acts this way is called, You fool! (Lk 12:20)
That which is wise and right before God often looks like foolishness to the world. The master commended the dishonest steward for his shrewdness. In like manner has the true Master, the God, our Father in heaven, commended His Steward, His Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, for His shrewdness and wisdom.
For though you have squandered His possessions and wasted the mammon which He has so graciously given, He has not condemned you nor cast you into the eternal prison. Rather the Righteous Steward has called you to Himself, gathered the Master’s debtors, and not merely slashed your debt of sin, but has paid it in full with His own precious blood and innocent suffering and death.
Our Master and Father not only commends His Servant Jesus, but receives His transaction as full payment of your sin and the sin of the whole world. And He vindicated His Servant by raising Him from the dead, never to die again. By the oil of gladness, the anointing of the Holy Spirit in Holy Baptism you share in the resurrected and restored life of the Suffering Servant. He has written your name, in His own hand, with His blood, in the Lamb’s book of life. The ledger reads that you belong to Him, you were bought at a price. You are not your own. Therefore honor God with your body and soul and all things.
Live in order to serve. Knowing that you are merely stewards of God’s own mercy and mammon. You do not have real ownership. “What is the world to me with all its vaunted pleasure when You and You alone, Lord Jesus are my treasure! You only, dearest Lord, my soul’s delight shall be; You are my peace, my rest. What is the world to me!” (LSB 730:1).
This means, beloved, that you can risk persecution and ridicule. You can dare to trust in God in danger, such as when one is brought before a godless judge or a ruthless tyrant. At the last you can suffer martyrdom rather than be unfaithful to God. I know all this seems like foolishness to the world. But this is true wisdom. Real shrewdness. It shall not fail, but shall, by the grace of God, see you through into the eternal dwellings.
In the Name of the Father + and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
In the Name + of JESUS. Amen.
Many people seem to be shocked by the parable of the unrighteous steward. The parable is about a man who is reported for wasting his master’s goods. But when he was found out, he knew enough to make his own position better by further wasting his master’s goods! And he dragged other fellow sinners with him into this scheme. In the end he heard his master’s verdict. He acted shrewdly. Wisely.
In order to understand this parable we must first remember that not all parables are alike. Some parables teach us to “go and do likewise.” This is the case with the Good Samaritan who gets off his animal, cares for the wounded man out of his own means, graciously takes him to the inn and generously pays for his recovery from his own pocket. Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers? The lawyer said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise” (Lk 10:36-37).
Or the parable of the tax collector and the Pharisee who go up to the Temple to pray. This one is hardly a parable at all, but a straight forward teaching on saving faith. I tell you, the tax collector went down to his house justified. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted (Lk 18:14).
But not all parables are like this. Jesus finds His illustrations in everyday life. Like the man who went to friend at midnight asking for three loaves of bread (Lk 11:5) as catechesis on the Our Father.
The Scriptures not only reveal to you the merciful character of God the Father in sending His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, to bear your sin, your enormous, insurmountable debt, and to pay it with His holy precious Blood and innocent suffering and death. The Scriptures also reveal to you the true nature of your nature. The mirror of God’s Word shows you the true fallenness of your flesh and your hostility, even hatred and enmity with God. People loved by God, the inspired and inerrant Word of God is both theological and anthropological. Jesus sketches people exactly as they are.
The man who found a treasure hidden in the field of another acted deceptively (Mt 13:44-45). In the parable of the persistent widow the judge feared and loved neither God nor man (Lk 18:1-2).
But these examples from the commonplaces of a sinful world Jesus uses precisely to illumine something that takes place in the kingdom of God.
It is a matter, then, not of acting like these individuals, but of grasping the context of the parable and understanding it in relation with our God and Father.
And rarely, if ever, does Jesus preach a parable and not give an interpretation or contextual reason. With the Good Samaritan it was because the lawyer first stood up to put Jesus to the test, and then, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” (Lk 10:25, 29). He told the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and treated others with contempt (Lk 18:9).
In this instance our Lord gives you the reason and context at the end. The sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light. And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth, so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal dwellings. Jesus praises the unrighteous steward because he acted shrewdly. Wisely. Where is his wisdom?
The man knew that he had no way of escape. He had no illusions. He knew he was going to be out on his own. He was not strong enough to dig. And he was ashamed to beg. He saw the consequences of behavior and acted with dispatch and resolution. He called in his master’s debtors and had them reduce their debts in their own hand, making his master look merciful.
But people who want to be Christians, often people who call themselves Christians, do just the opposite. They harbor the illusion that this is not so important. That being regularly gathered around our Lord’s living Word and blessed Sacrament is not of chief concern over everything else. St Paul asks, Do you suppose, O man - you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself - that you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you presume on the riches of His kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? (Rm 2:3-4).
Such people suppose everything will come out right in the end. And so they procrastinate. They do not deduce that their salvation is a matter of dead seriousness and that they must reckon with God in everything above all.
Shrewdness, wisdom, beloved, is a matter of looking at realities as they are. It is of no use to seek to gain our souls and yet to retain some of the freedoms of the natural man. We must not put Christ to the test, beloved. There is no room to compromise so that we can be both the friend of God and of the world. It is no use to try to withhold some of our worldly possessions from the sight and possession of God. This will only lead to the loss of our souls and true life and all the treasures we could really have kept. In the Gospel the person who acts this way is called, You fool! (Lk 12:20)
That which is wise and right before God often looks like foolishness to the world. The master commended the dishonest steward for his shrewdness. In like manner has the true Master, the God, our Father in heaven, commended His Steward, His Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, for His shrewdness and wisdom.
For though you have squandered His possessions and wasted the mammon which He has so graciously given, He has not condemned you nor cast you into the eternal prison. Rather the Righteous Steward has called you to Himself, gathered the Master’s debtors, and not merely slashed your debt of sin, but has paid it in full with His own precious blood and innocent suffering and death.
Our Master and Father not only commends His Servant Jesus, but receives His transaction as full payment of your sin and the sin of the whole world. And He vindicated His Servant by raising Him from the dead, never to die again. By the oil of gladness, the anointing of the Holy Spirit in Holy Baptism you share in the resurrected and restored life of the Suffering Servant. He has written your name, in His own hand, with His blood, in the Lamb’s book of life. The ledger reads that you belong to Him, you were bought at a price. You are not your own. Therefore honor God with your body and soul and all things.
Live in order to serve. Knowing that you are merely stewards of God’s own mercy and mammon. You do not have real ownership. “What is the world to me with all its vaunted pleasure when You and You alone, Lord Jesus are my treasure! You only, dearest Lord, my soul’s delight shall be; You are my peace, my rest. What is the world to me!” (LSB 730:1).
This means, beloved, that you can risk persecution and ridicule. You can dare to trust in God in danger, such as when one is brought before a godless judge or a ruthless tyrant. At the last you can suffer martyrdom rather than be unfaithful to God. I know all this seems like foolishness to the world. But this is true wisdom. Real shrewdness. It shall not fail, but shall, by the grace of God, see you through into the eternal dwellings.
In the Name of the Father + and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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