2 Samuel 22:26-34/1 Corinthians 10:6-13/St Luke 16:1-9(10-13)
In the Name + of JESUS. Amen.
The dishonest steward, this unrighteous house manager, is a rogue and scoundrel! He’s a dirtbag! And he’s a dirtbag for two reasons: First, he is a sinner in God’s sight, for “we should fear and love God so that we do not take our neighbor’s money or possessions, or get them in any dishonest way” (SC I). Second, he is also a dirtbag in his master’s sight because he is squandering his possessions and therefore an unrighteous, corrupt, no good, lazy, thieving worker!
And yet, for all of this, his master commends him, and our Lord Jesus urges us to emulate him saying, The sons of this world are more prudent in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light. And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous mammon, so that when it fails they may receive you in the eternal dwellings.
We are rightly outraged at this man’s brazenness and conniving. But our dear Lord Jesus is teaching us two lessons: the first, which He makes very plain, is make friends by means of unrighteous mammon, that is, He is teaching us the proper use and priority of wealth and money; the second, He says, is that the dirtbags of this world outdo you Christians by far in prudence and shrewdness; you could learn something from them. It sounds strange, but His argument is from the lesser to the greater; from earthly things to heavenly.
Concerning the wickedness of the children of Israel and God’s wrath against their sin St Paul says, These things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction. Consider, then, the first lesson: This steward was a scoundrel and squandered the possessions that belonged to his master. It sounds similar to the behavior of the prodigal son who squandered his father’s possessions.
Do you see anything different in yourself? We squander and waste the money and goods that do not belong to us. We buy things we don’t need. We extend ourselves too far, we splurge too often out of greed and covetousness. Some will say, “But it’s my money. I earned it. It comes from my account.” I ask you, What do you have that you did not receive? God gives daily bread to everyone without our prayers. If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it (1 Cor 4:7)?
In a sermon on this text, C.F.W. Walther preached, “A person has nothing from himself. Whatever he has, he has from God. It is God’s gift, and God can take it back at any moment. [Even] his body and his soul are not his, but the Lord’s alone” (God Grant It, 618). What is the true point and the purpose of your stuff? Whether you have much or little? “Many spend their lives in fretting over trifles and in getting things that have no solid ground” (LSB 732:3).
Repentance is needed. We too are scoundrels and rogues, dirtbags, when it comes to the proper use of the temporal goods God gives us. We use them not to His glory and honor, supporting the Church and the proclamation of the Gospel, in having compassion and showing charity upon those in need, but we use them to God’s dishonor and our neighbor’s harm.
Our Lord shows us a more excellent way. Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you (Mt 6:33). And, make friends for yourself by means up unrighteous mammon. The unrighteous steward excels in this behavior, saying to himself, I have decided what to do so that when I am removed from management, people may receive me into their houses. He and others like him know how to win friends for themselves by means of someone else’s riches. How much more should Christians be good stewards of the possessions God has given them? Using them to His glory and for the good of the neighbor.
The other lesson our Lord praises in the unrighteous steward is that he acted so shrewdly or prudently, and He reproaches the sons of light, that is Christians, for being so listless and unproductive. Consider how much effort and thief or a drug dealer puts into his illegal activity. The anxiety and danger he experiences as he sneaks through fences and windows or ducks down alleys and hides from police. Day and night they have no peace, no rest. They are constantly on alert, but always looking to further their businesses, to accomplish their mischief, villainy, and deceit.
And on the other hand, we see how children of light, that is, confessed Christians, are unproductive, negligent, and lazy in divine matters. We ignore preaching and the Word; choosing to never attend a Bible study, but to be content with “putting in our hour” on Sunday. And we know how much God delights in the efforts of His Christians, how it pleases Him to see His children serving the neighbor in need, caring for the sick friend, helping the small child, but still we sit on our hands. We must not put Christ to the test; for, His eyes are on the haughty to bring them down.
Concerning the proper place of good works and prudence in the life of the Christian, St Paul has this to say to the Philippians, Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God works in you both to will and to work for His good pleasure. Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain (Phil 2:12-16).
It is a verse often misquoted by American Evangelicals. They take it out of context and misuse it. Properly understood, though, it is pertains to our Lord’s parable and is pertinent for us. For godliness, discipline, patience, meekness, gentleness, compassion, and other Christian virtues do not have their origin in us, in our hearts and minds and hands. But they originate in and from Christ Jesus, the Steward of His Father’s riches and mercy. He is God. But He did not cling to the honor and privilege of His divinity. He emptied Himself and took up the form of a Servant. And as the GodMan He humbled Himself in obedience to the Father, to the point of death, even death on a Cross. By His death He has reconciled you to the Father. He has made you His friends by the means of His Father’s wealth. He has canceled the debt that stood against you, nailing it to the Cross. He took scoundrels, rogues, dirtbags the lot of us, and in His mercy, He has made us sons and heirs through Holy Baptism, has reconciled to the Father. By faith in Christ the Christian is entirely free, owing nothing to anyone; and the Christian is indebted to all, servant to everyone.
In this paradox you live. You live as free men, freed from the tyranny of earning and working for your salvation; living freely in love for your neighbor, able to squander the riches of your Father in heaven for the sake of Christ and His love. Have no fear, the Father will certainly honor His Son’s sacrifice and accept this divine transaction, so that, in the end, you shall be welcomed into the eternal mansions. This is the proper use of wealth and the prudence of Christians in this world concerning eternal matters.
Jesus preaches the sermon this way, saying, This is My commandment, that you love on another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are My friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his Master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide. These things I command you, so that you will love one another (Jn 15:12-17).
Behold, dear friends of Christ, the abiding fruit of Christ’s own sacrifice, His very Body and Blood, given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins. God is faithful. And here His stewards, that is, His pastors, distribute to you, former debtors, the Righteous Wealth of heaven for the forgiveness of your sins, for the strengthening of faith, for the exercise of love and compassion, tenderness and humility.
In the Name of the Father and + of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
In the Name + of JESUS. Amen.
The dishonest steward, this unrighteous house manager, is a rogue and scoundrel! He’s a dirtbag! And he’s a dirtbag for two reasons: First, he is a sinner in God’s sight, for “we should fear and love God so that we do not take our neighbor’s money or possessions, or get them in any dishonest way” (SC I). Second, he is also a dirtbag in his master’s sight because he is squandering his possessions and therefore an unrighteous, corrupt, no good, lazy, thieving worker!
And yet, for all of this, his master commends him, and our Lord Jesus urges us to emulate him saying, The sons of this world are more prudent in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light. And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous mammon, so that when it fails they may receive you in the eternal dwellings.
We are rightly outraged at this man’s brazenness and conniving. But our dear Lord Jesus is teaching us two lessons: the first, which He makes very plain, is make friends by means of unrighteous mammon, that is, He is teaching us the proper use and priority of wealth and money; the second, He says, is that the dirtbags of this world outdo you Christians by far in prudence and shrewdness; you could learn something from them. It sounds strange, but His argument is from the lesser to the greater; from earthly things to heavenly.
Concerning the wickedness of the children of Israel and God’s wrath against their sin St Paul says, These things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction. Consider, then, the first lesson: This steward was a scoundrel and squandered the possessions that belonged to his master. It sounds similar to the behavior of the prodigal son who squandered his father’s possessions.
Do you see anything different in yourself? We squander and waste the money and goods that do not belong to us. We buy things we don’t need. We extend ourselves too far, we splurge too often out of greed and covetousness. Some will say, “But it’s my money. I earned it. It comes from my account.” I ask you, What do you have that you did not receive? God gives daily bread to everyone without our prayers. If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it (1 Cor 4:7)?
In a sermon on this text, C.F.W. Walther preached, “A person has nothing from himself. Whatever he has, he has from God. It is God’s gift, and God can take it back at any moment. [Even] his body and his soul are not his, but the Lord’s alone” (God Grant It, 618). What is the true point and the purpose of your stuff? Whether you have much or little? “Many spend their lives in fretting over trifles and in getting things that have no solid ground” (LSB 732:3).
Repentance is needed. We too are scoundrels and rogues, dirtbags, when it comes to the proper use of the temporal goods God gives us. We use them not to His glory and honor, supporting the Church and the proclamation of the Gospel, in having compassion and showing charity upon those in need, but we use them to God’s dishonor and our neighbor’s harm.
Our Lord shows us a more excellent way. Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you (Mt 6:33). And, make friends for yourself by means up unrighteous mammon. The unrighteous steward excels in this behavior, saying to himself, I have decided what to do so that when I am removed from management, people may receive me into their houses. He and others like him know how to win friends for themselves by means of someone else’s riches. How much more should Christians be good stewards of the possessions God has given them? Using them to His glory and for the good of the neighbor.
The other lesson our Lord praises in the unrighteous steward is that he acted so shrewdly or prudently, and He reproaches the sons of light, that is Christians, for being so listless and unproductive. Consider how much effort and thief or a drug dealer puts into his illegal activity. The anxiety and danger he experiences as he sneaks through fences and windows or ducks down alleys and hides from police. Day and night they have no peace, no rest. They are constantly on alert, but always looking to further their businesses, to accomplish their mischief, villainy, and deceit.
And on the other hand, we see how children of light, that is, confessed Christians, are unproductive, negligent, and lazy in divine matters. We ignore preaching and the Word; choosing to never attend a Bible study, but to be content with “putting in our hour” on Sunday. And we know how much God delights in the efforts of His Christians, how it pleases Him to see His children serving the neighbor in need, caring for the sick friend, helping the small child, but still we sit on our hands. We must not put Christ to the test; for, His eyes are on the haughty to bring them down.
Concerning the proper place of good works and prudence in the life of the Christian, St Paul has this to say to the Philippians, Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God works in you both to will and to work for His good pleasure. Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain (Phil 2:12-16).
It is a verse often misquoted by American Evangelicals. They take it out of context and misuse it. Properly understood, though, it is pertains to our Lord’s parable and is pertinent for us. For godliness, discipline, patience, meekness, gentleness, compassion, and other Christian virtues do not have their origin in us, in our hearts and minds and hands. But they originate in and from Christ Jesus, the Steward of His Father’s riches and mercy. He is God. But He did not cling to the honor and privilege of His divinity. He emptied Himself and took up the form of a Servant. And as the GodMan He humbled Himself in obedience to the Father, to the point of death, even death on a Cross. By His death He has reconciled you to the Father. He has made you His friends by the means of His Father’s wealth. He has canceled the debt that stood against you, nailing it to the Cross. He took scoundrels, rogues, dirtbags the lot of us, and in His mercy, He has made us sons and heirs through Holy Baptism, has reconciled to the Father. By faith in Christ the Christian is entirely free, owing nothing to anyone; and the Christian is indebted to all, servant to everyone.
In this paradox you live. You live as free men, freed from the tyranny of earning and working for your salvation; living freely in love for your neighbor, able to squander the riches of your Father in heaven for the sake of Christ and His love. Have no fear, the Father will certainly honor His Son’s sacrifice and accept this divine transaction, so that, in the end, you shall be welcomed into the eternal mansions. This is the proper use of wealth and the prudence of Christians in this world concerning eternal matters.
Jesus preaches the sermon this way, saying, This is My commandment, that you love on another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are My friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his Master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide. These things I command you, so that you will love one another (Jn 15:12-17).
Behold, dear friends of Christ, the abiding fruit of Christ’s own sacrifice, His very Body and Blood, given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins. God is faithful. And here His stewards, that is, His pastors, distribute to you, former debtors, the Righteous Wealth of heaven for the forgiveness of your sins, for the strengthening of faith, for the exercise of love and compassion, tenderness and humility.
In the Name of the Father and + of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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