A Sermon preached on September 18, 2022, at St. Augustine’s and St. Christoph
1 Timothy 2:1-7, Luke 16:1-13
Doesn’t the 1 Timothy reading sound very topical: “I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone, for kings and all who are in high positions,” I just had to think of the prayers and intercessions that are being made for the UK’s new king, Charles III. And while the request “that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and dignity” may sound tame, in antiquity that was a good ruler’s main function. To keep the peace, to enable stable and safe lives, to ensure trade and commerce, and to allow people to go about their daily business and exercise their religion without fear. The pax romana – while imposed by force and intolerant of any dissent towards Rome – was still welcomed. We expect both more and less of King Charles of course. On the one hand, it is no longer his main responsibility to ensure quiet and peaceable lives, but that of his government, on the other he has already promised lifelong service and said that “Whatever may be your background or beliefs, I shall endeavour to serve you with loyalty, respect and love.” We know that Charles takes his new role as defender of the faith seriously, and that for him it includes allowing everyone to live lives with the godliness they desire.
But it’s the Gospel reading I want to talk about, even though – or better because – it is a difficult parable on many levels. For one thing, depending on your Bible edition, you will find it either described as the parable of the dishonest steward or of the shrewd steward. We find that tension throughout the story. Is he to be admired or is he just incompetent or a crook? We heard that he had squandered his master’s property (Luke 16:1) – literally spread it around or scattered it (it’s the same word used in the parable of the prodigal son who “squandered his property in dissolute living” Luke 15:13). We don’t know whether he just made bad decisions, or if like the son he also wasted it on wine, women, and song! In any case, he has not been a good steward, his master wants to see the books and then to fire him. Poverty threatens. No one will employ him as a manager anymore and he neither wants to beg, nor to become a manual labourer. Instead, he decides on a course of action that will bring him into his neighbours’ good graces: he significantly reduces their outstanding bills! And this is the next difficult part of this parable. What exactly does the steward do? If we look at the commentaries, we find three main options that are often suggested:
(1) He uses his still existing authority and simply lowers the price. A sort of end special sale marking the end of his stewardship – everything must go (down)! This seems the most unlikely possibility, and certainly not one for which his master would commend him! Instead, the master would now have two charges against the steward: ineptitude followed by dishonesty.
(2) The steward removes the interest charge from the debt. As Mosaic law forbids charging interest: “If you lend money to my people, to the poor among you, you shall not deal with them as a creditor; you shall not exact interest from them” (Exodus 25:25) his master would find it difficult to stop him. It is however strange there are such differing rates of reduction – 100% on olive oil and 25% on wheat and again.
(3) The steward removes his own commission, so what he sacrifices is his own money, not that of his master. In this alternative, the steward learns something from his failure and mistakes, and comes up with a generous solution, one that can be commended as being shrewd or wise. The steward sacrifices what he could have taken now, his commission, and has given it to others so that he can receive favours, credibility and respect later.
I think we can see why his employer commends the manager: He has responded shrewdly to a difficult circumstance. But why does Jesus? “And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of dishonest wealth so that when it is gone, they may welcome you into the eternal homes.” (16:9) I hope none of you have made money dishonestly – if you have, please make a private appointment for confession and absolution with me – but this would be a strange takeaway from today.
Let’s not forget that it is a parable, not a job description. Even though our manager is a sinner who is looking out for his own interests, he still models behaviour that the “children of light,” that is the disciples, can imitate. By reducing other people’s debts, he transforms a bad situation into one that benefits him and others. The word mammon, translated here as dishonest wealth, just means riches, worldly wealth. It was dishonest in the steward’s case, but not generally – just dangerous if wealth becomes our sole focus and all we serve. By all means use money wisely and justly, with a good and positive long-term effect, building friendships and serving God’s purposes. We certainly can’t take money with us, that’s been a consistent message in some of Jesus’s other parables.
How we use the resources at our disposal in this life is important, there’s a connection between being faithful (or dishonest) with “very little” and “very much” and with “what belongs to another.” It says something about how we will deal with “true riches” and “what is your own” (16:10-12). Be faithful, be generous, be kind, be good stewards of the resources we have been given. This is a good thing in its own right and our faithfulness with the "little thing" of money, also indicates how faithful we are with the true riches of our relationships to God and to others. God is our true wealth.
It is really all summed up in the final verse (16:13) “No slave can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.” The steward served wealth, first badly, and then shrewdly. We serve God, and we should do so with at least the same commitment and wisdom the steward showed. We can have and use money, we need money to pay our bills, to care for our children and other dependents, as a provision for our future. But ultimately God is our true wealth and our worldly wealth is from God and is to be used not only for our own interests and needs, but also for the purposes of God’s kingdom and for the needs of others. As the Collect of the Day said: “Grant us, Lord, not to be anxious about earthly things, but to love things heavenly….. and to hold fast to those that shall endure.”
Amen.
