1. Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our heavenly Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen. The text is the Gospel from Luke 16, and let’s get right to the difficult verse, verse 9: “And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth [wicked mammon], so that when it fails [runs out], they may receive [welcome] you into the eternal dwellings.” The message today as we continue our sermon series, Parables for Pentecost, is entitled, “The Shrewd Steward,” dear brothers and sisters in Christ.
2. Today’s Gospel forces me to face at least three things about Jesus’ teaching that are going to help me with verse 9. First, we pastors preach mainly to one group, and we’re all on the same team—same beliefs, same goals. But when we’re talking about Jesus’ hearers, welcome to the big leagues. Most of the time, he was addressing two or more groups, goals, beliefs, disciples, and enemies. He even had two kinds of enemies that didn’t even like each other try to gang up on him and trap him in his own words. We just got through looking at the parables that Jesus spoke to both the sinners and the religious leaders, and when he was done: the sinners believed in him, which is what he wanted, and those with religious pride wanted to kill him, which is what he wanted. Something for everybody.
3. The second thing is that Jesus used a lot of bad people as positive examples. When he was teaching us to be persistent in prayer, remember the man who wouldn’t give bread to his friend in the middle of the night, but finally would give it just to get rid of him (Lk 11:5–13)? If persistence works with a bad person, won’t it work with God, who is good? Then there’s the “treasure hidden in a field” (Mt 13:44). Here’s a guy who knows the land is worth more than the owner does and makes it his life’s work to get it! That’s bad. That is a sin against the Ninth Commandment. And in the parable, God is the buyer! But, again, he uses the savviness of sinners to illustrate even God’s desperate act of love.
4. Which brings me to a third thing about Jesus. 2000 years ago, in Galilee, Jesus was smart. He knew the stunts people pulled in business. He was smarter than everyone else, and more clever. Wise as a serpent, and innocent as a dove. The reason he didn’t sin is not because he didn’t have the skill or opportunity. He didn’t because he wouldn’t. He loved his Father too much to sin against him, and he loved you too much to let you down.
5. So, Jesus spoke to multiple audiences. Here in Luke 16 Jesus spoke to his disciples, but when he’s done, we find out in verse 14 that there were eavesdroppers: “The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all these things, and they ridiculed him.” Do you think that Jesus was smart enough to know who was listening and to include something for everybody?
6. In this parable, Jesus talks about money, because he knows what is near and dear to our hearts. He uses a man who’s a scoundrel as an example. Remember, Jesus made up this story, because he knows real life in our world. The manager, or steward, was in a crisis. He was reported to his boss as squandering his possessions, and he knew he was not in a position to deny it. All he had was a pink slip and the logbook to turn in. Did he decide to admit what he was and get his hands dirty with good honest work or at least come clean and ask the boss for mercy? Heck no. He appealed to his god, mammon. If you enjoy plots that twist and turn, this guy is poetry in motion.
7. First, he approaches those who owe his rich boss money. He makes friends for himself by discounting their debts. He does it one at a time, so each thinks he’s special. Take your bill and knock off half, buddy! Now they love him, so maybe he’ll have a place to live and work once he’s fired. They love his rich boss too, because they think this kind gesture was the boss’s idea! Now the boss is in a pickle. How will it look if he goes through with firing the steward, right after he lowered their bills? Does he then tell his customers the truth about their bills? They’d all hate him. And, just in case his new friends weren’t grateful enough to welcome him into their homes, he had dirt on them! He’d involved them in a criminal conspiracy, to set them up for extortion later. Remember, he had them take their bills and lower them.
8. We call it conspiracy to defraud. And the employer praised the dishonest steward for his cleverness (Luke 16:8a). “Do you believe this guy? He’s been bleeding me dry, and the day he’s exposed and fired he picks my pocket on the way out! Bravo!” Takes one to know one. “To their own kind, the sons of this world seem more clever than sons of light” (Luke 16:8b).
9. What a pathetic ending! The schemer, the blackmailed, and the pragmatists, all handcuffed together in greed. Who would even dream up a story like this? Jesus. Because he knows how the children of this world think. And there’s something for everybody. So, what’s in the story for the eavesdropping Pharisees, who loved money? Of course, when Jesus talked about money, the Pharisees smiled, as in, “If you’re so smart, how come you’re broke?” These words were directed at them, those Pharisees, and all who worship the god of money: then use wicked mammon to make yourself friends. What kind of friends? Friends in low places. Then be children of this world. Let them call you clever, so that when the money runs out, your friends will take you with them into eternal housing. He’s talking about hell.
10. And what’s in the story for the disciples, the children of light? He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much. If you couldn’t be trusted with wicked mammon, who’s going to trust you with real wealth? If you couldn’t be trusted with somebody else’s property, who’s going to give you something for your own? (Luke 16:10–12).
11. All this money and stuff we thought we owned was somebody else’s property all along. Christ is the sole owner. All human beings are managers of some part of his property. No one’s got any choice about that. We can be honest managers or dishonest, trustworthy or untrustworthy, but if we’re human beings, all things we have he’s richly given us to manage for the moment. And his orders are pretty simple: Don’t waste it. Enjoy it, but don’t squander it on yourself. For the moment, money’s powerful, so enjoy doing good with it. For the moment, money’s necessary, so give it to those who need it. Make money! Just don’t keep it all. Don’t obey it; manage it—for the moment that it’s in your hands. Great. That just leaves the 6000 pound elephant in the room: Who are any of us to play the role of a child of light?
12. Let’s not lose the big picture. Where was Jesus on his journey when he told this parable? He was about to enter Jerusalem, to die on the cross in order to make you a child of light! That’s what makes you a different steward, that you should be rescuing people on God’s behalf with his goods! Baptized into his name most holy!
13. But it’s way bigger and better than being made stewards of the stuff he owns. He owns you. He owns me. St. Paul writes, “You are not your own; for you were bought with a price” (1 Cor 6:19b–20a). Jesus is the owner now. He redeemed us, purchased and won us. You are a steward of . . . you! We’ve been entrusted with real wealth! Forgiveness, life, and salvation! So Be Shrewd like That Steward in the Parable.
14. What about those of us who agree that we should live as children of light, but our performance has been more like children of this world? What about the books we’ve already cooked? Be shrewd about believing him when he says, “though your sins are like scarlet,” write down “white as snow” (Is 1:18).
15. What if I mess up again? I have no faith in me. Good! Be shrewd about trusting Jesus to get you home! Even now, O child of light, Jesus is smart enough to notice when we pull stunts on ourselves. You know, the psalm says darkness and light are the same to him (Ps 139:12). It means he can see in the dark! Just because I can’t see in the dark doesn’t mean he doesn’t see all the games I play. That’s why he says, “At one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light” (Eph 5:8).
16. So, the stewards now are smart to realize the Owner can see in the dark, and they come out into the light. “You know all things, Lord. You know I’ve sinned.” The Owner says, “What have you wasted or squandered on yourself? Quick, write down ‘Nothing.’ ” He says, “How have you sinned with my property, that body I redeemed? Quick, write down ‘Not at all.’ ” And it must be okay, because he’s the Owner. His sacrifice settles all accounts. His death balances all books. The blood of the Owner cleanses us from all unrighteousness. His love writes “Well Done” on everyone who believes him. It puts eternal life into our hands, for us to take hold of. Even pastors are stewards of these mysteries.
17. The “one God, . . . one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Tim 2:5) was crucified like a scandalized steward, and, as if it were his life that was at stake, asked, “How much do you owe?” We said, “All of it, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Take your bill, and make it zero, child of light.” Be shrewd. Do it. Amen. Now the peace of God that passes all understanding, guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, until life everlasting. Amen.
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