2 Samuel 22:26-34; 1 Corinthians 10:6-13; St Luke 16:1-9
In the Name + of JESUS. Amen.
Dear saints in Christ, when you hear the parable of the father who has two sons and the younger sone says to his dad, “Hey old man, you’re dead to me. Where’s my inheritance?” And then you hear of all that ensues: the squandering, the pigs, the slop, the confession, the restoration. From which perspective are you listening to this parable? Is it the Parable of the Prodigal Son? The Parable of the Merciful Father? Or even, the Parable of the Self-Righteous Brother? Where are you?
I venture to believe that you hear the same parable differently depending on your situation and circumstance. If you’ve been the son, wandering far from your heavenly Father’s house, squandering His mercy and love. Or if you are a father of a wayward child. Or even if you’ve been pretty good your whole life and try to defend your position in the Father’s household based on your works. Hearing it any of these ways are good. It is the Holy Spirit who works through the Word read and preached to work in you, within your heart and conscience, to convict or comfort you. To bring you to repentance and confess and speak the absolution and the assurance of forgiveness.
Why do I ask? Because that parable immediately precedes this one and has several linguistic connections. We’ll get to that. But first, the same question again: how do you hear it? Are you the dishonest manger squandering the master’s possessions? Or do you hear the character of the master to be merciful and just. Not all parables are “go and do likewise,” such as the Good Samaritan or the humble tax collector in the Temple. Some, like this one, are not to be emulated, but rather serve to catechize us in the character and nature of God.
To put it another way, Do you read the Scriptures looking for yourself or Jesus? Its not a trick question. Its not an either/or. Its a both/and. The answer is “yes.” The Scriptures reveal to me the merciful character of God the Father in sending His Son, Jesus Christ my Lord, to bear my sins, my enormous, insurmountable debt, and to pay it with His holy precious blood and His innocent suffering and death. The Scriptures reveal that Jesus is my Redeemer.
But they also reveal to me the true nature of my nature. The mirror of God’s Word shows me the true fallenness of my flesh and my hostility, even hatred and enmity with God. The inspired and inerrant Word of God is both theological and anthropological.
Now the prophet tells us with the merciful God shows Himself to be merciful. With the crooked He makes Himself seem tortuous. God desires merciful and not sacrifice. Thus when a rich man who has a steward heard that this man was squandering his possessions, he didn’t immediately fire the man and throw him in prison. Or worse! Rather he calls him to give an account. Much like our Lord God called to the man and woman in the Garden, Where are you? He offers the opportunity for confession, to come clean, to own up to his sin and ask forgiveness.
Here’s where the connection to the Prodigal Son begins. The manager, or better rendered, steward, is accused of squandering the possessions of the rich man, even as the younger son squandered the possessions of his father. They both used the goods of another for personal gain. This is not a 21st century problem of narcissism. This is the default nature of man who is sinful and unclean. We do not love our neighbors as ourselves. We love ourselves. We look out for number one. We presume that the stuff we have is our own and not a gift from above to be used for the good of the one God has given us to serve. And when we’re caught red-handed in our unfaithfulness with the goods of Another, what will we do?
For we are not strong enough to dig ourselves out of this pit and climb up to heaven by our works. We are too proud and arrogant to beg and plead for mercy. Where do we turn? To whom shall we go? Who will help?
The manager doesn’t blame others or give excuses. He does something completely unexpected. He calls and gathers his lord’s debtors to him one by one; individually. He prudently has them cut their own debts; writing their bill in their own hand, lest his deception be found out. He does it before his termination is finalized in the hope that his fellow debtors, in receiving forgiveness on their debts, would welcome him into their homes after he is evicted from his. Its not altruism. Its self-preservation.
Swedish Lutheran Bishop, Pastor Bo Giertz said this: “The man knew that he had no way of escape. He had no illusions. He knew that he was going to be out on his own. Therefore he saw the consequences and acted with dispatch and resolution. But people who want to be Christians sometimes do just the opposite. They harbor the illusion that this is not so important and that everything will come out right in the end. And so they procrastinate. They do not deduce the consequence that their salvation is a matter of dead seriousness and that they must reckon with God in everything above all” (Preaching from the Whole Bible, 88-89).
St Paul wrote to the Christians in Galatia: Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. But let each on test his own work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor. For each will have to bear his own load” (Gal 6:2-5). What does this mean? Our Lord Jesus commends the prudence of the godless man for he knew how to secure his temporal future. So ought we to use the goods of our Lord God in such a way as to secure our eternal future. The salvation of your soul, keeping it unstained from sin, having a clean conscience before God is a deadly serious matter. as godless prudence was praiseworthy before the world, so is true prudence praiseworthy before God.
The key to the parable is the perspective from which it is read. Is Christ commending the example of the unfaithful steward and offering his dishonesty as an example? By no means! Consider the parable from the lord’s perspective and the focus is not on the dishonesty of the manager, but the mercy of the lord. The master is an honorable man. He is a merciful man.
For your Lord and Master, the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, is exceedingly rich in mercy and grace, in love and forgiveness. And though you have squandered His possessions and wasted the mammon which He has so graciously given, He does has not condemned you and cast you into the eternal prison. Rather His Servant, our Lord Christ, has called you to Himself, gathered the Master’s debtors to Himself, and not merely slashes your debt, but pays 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 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 and so are not your own.
Thus do you honor God with your body and life, with the unrighteous mammon He has generously bestowed upon you. Be a good steward of His gifts. Care for your neighbor in love as a faithful servant, as Christ, your faithful Servant, has cared for you. For we are all steward’s of God’s varied grace, using His gifts to serve one another. St Paul goes on to say to the Galatians, God forbid that I should boast, except in the cross of my Lord Jesus Christ by which the world has been crucified to me and I to the world (Gal 6:14).
Come now, dear saints, receive in faith the gift of finest wheat, the very Body of your true and faithful Servant, Jesus Christ, given for you for the forgiveness of your sins. For who is God, but the Lord? He has had mercy on us. On the day when unrighteous wealth fails, that is, upon you death, He shall welcome you into the eternal dwelling of your heavenly Father where He shall say to you, Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your Master (Mt 25:21).
In the Name of the Father and + of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
In the Name + of JESUS. Amen.
Dear saints in Christ, when you hear the parable of the father who has two sons and the younger sone says to his dad, “Hey old man, you’re dead to me. Where’s my inheritance?” And then you hear of all that ensues: the squandering, the pigs, the slop, the confession, the restoration. From which perspective are you listening to this parable? Is it the Parable of the Prodigal Son? The Parable of the Merciful Father? Or even, the Parable of the Self-Righteous Brother? Where are you?
I venture to believe that you hear the same parable differently depending on your situation and circumstance. If you’ve been the son, wandering far from your heavenly Father’s house, squandering His mercy and love. Or if you are a father of a wayward child. Or even if you’ve been pretty good your whole life and try to defend your position in the Father’s household based on your works. Hearing it any of these ways are good. It is the Holy Spirit who works through the Word read and preached to work in you, within your heart and conscience, to convict or comfort you. To bring you to repentance and confess and speak the absolution and the assurance of forgiveness.
Why do I ask? Because that parable immediately precedes this one and has several linguistic connections. We’ll get to that. But first, the same question again: how do you hear it? Are you the dishonest manger squandering the master’s possessions? Or do you hear the character of the master to be merciful and just. Not all parables are “go and do likewise,” such as the Good Samaritan or the humble tax collector in the Temple. Some, like this one, are not to be emulated, but rather serve to catechize us in the character and nature of God.
To put it another way, Do you read the Scriptures looking for yourself or Jesus? Its not a trick question. Its not an either/or. Its a both/and. The answer is “yes.” The Scriptures reveal to me the merciful character of God the Father in sending His Son, Jesus Christ my Lord, to bear my sins, my enormous, insurmountable debt, and to pay it with His holy precious blood and His innocent suffering and death. The Scriptures reveal that Jesus is my Redeemer.
But they also reveal to me the true nature of my nature. The mirror of God’s Word shows me the true fallenness of my flesh and my hostility, even hatred and enmity with God. The inspired and inerrant Word of God is both theological and anthropological.
Now the prophet tells us with the merciful God shows Himself to be merciful. With the crooked He makes Himself seem tortuous. God desires merciful and not sacrifice. Thus when a rich man who has a steward heard that this man was squandering his possessions, he didn’t immediately fire the man and throw him in prison. Or worse! Rather he calls him to give an account. Much like our Lord God called to the man and woman in the Garden, Where are you? He offers the opportunity for confession, to come clean, to own up to his sin and ask forgiveness.
Here’s where the connection to the Prodigal Son begins. The manager, or better rendered, steward, is accused of squandering the possessions of the rich man, even as the younger son squandered the possessions of his father. They both used the goods of another for personal gain. This is not a 21st century problem of narcissism. This is the default nature of man who is sinful and unclean. We do not love our neighbors as ourselves. We love ourselves. We look out for number one. We presume that the stuff we have is our own and not a gift from above to be used for the good of the one God has given us to serve. And when we’re caught red-handed in our unfaithfulness with the goods of Another, what will we do?
For we are not strong enough to dig ourselves out of this pit and climb up to heaven by our works. We are too proud and arrogant to beg and plead for mercy. Where do we turn? To whom shall we go? Who will help?
The manager doesn’t blame others or give excuses. He does something completely unexpected. He calls and gathers his lord’s debtors to him one by one; individually. He prudently has them cut their own debts; writing their bill in their own hand, lest his deception be found out. He does it before his termination is finalized in the hope that his fellow debtors, in receiving forgiveness on their debts, would welcome him into their homes after he is evicted from his. Its not altruism. Its self-preservation.
Swedish Lutheran Bishop, Pastor Bo Giertz said this: “The man knew that he had no way of escape. He had no illusions. He knew that he was going to be out on his own. Therefore he saw the consequences and acted with dispatch and resolution. But people who want to be Christians sometimes do just the opposite. They harbor the illusion that this is not so important and that everything will come out right in the end. And so they procrastinate. They do not deduce the consequence that their salvation is a matter of dead seriousness and that they must reckon with God in everything above all” (Preaching from the Whole Bible, 88-89).
St Paul wrote to the Christians in Galatia: Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. But let each on test his own work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor. For each will have to bear his own load” (Gal 6:2-5). What does this mean? Our Lord Jesus commends the prudence of the godless man for he knew how to secure his temporal future. So ought we to use the goods of our Lord God in such a way as to secure our eternal future. The salvation of your soul, keeping it unstained from sin, having a clean conscience before God is a deadly serious matter. as godless prudence was praiseworthy before the world, so is true prudence praiseworthy before God.
The key to the parable is the perspective from which it is read. Is Christ commending the example of the unfaithful steward and offering his dishonesty as an example? By no means! Consider the parable from the lord’s perspective and the focus is not on the dishonesty of the manager, but the mercy of the lord. The master is an honorable man. He is a merciful man.
For your Lord and Master, the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, is exceedingly rich in mercy and grace, in love and forgiveness. And though you have squandered His possessions and wasted the mammon which He has so graciously given, He does has not condemned you and cast you into the eternal prison. Rather His Servant, our Lord Christ, has called you to Himself, gathered the Master’s debtors to Himself, and not merely slashes your debt, but pays 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 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 and so are not your own.
Thus do you honor God with your body and life, with the unrighteous mammon He has generously bestowed upon you. Be a good steward of His gifts. Care for your neighbor in love as a faithful servant, as Christ, your faithful Servant, has cared for you. For we are all steward’s of God’s varied grace, using His gifts to serve one another. St Paul goes on to say to the Galatians, God forbid that I should boast, except in the cross of my Lord Jesus Christ by which the world has been crucified to me and I to the world (Gal 6:14).
Come now, dear saints, receive in faith the gift of finest wheat, the very Body of your true and faithful Servant, Jesus Christ, given for you for the forgiveness of your sins. For who is God, but the Lord? He has had mercy on us. On the day when unrighteous wealth fails, that is, upon you death, He shall welcome you into the eternal dwelling of your heavenly Father where He shall say to you, Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your Master (Mt 25:21).
In the Name of the Father and + of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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