Our Lord is known for saying some rather shocking things. They are things that not only surprised the people of His day but things that continue to surprise us even now. Imagine the shocked look on the rich and powerful when He says, “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” Or think of the first time He said, “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.” Or all the times He praised forgiveness, compassion, and love over justice and revenge. Over and again, Jesus speaks about the last being the first and the first being last. He calls for His followers to bear the cross and to welcome hardship and suffering.
But even with all of this, all the shocking things our Lord says, over time, as we hear His voice, as we gather around His gifts, we become somewhat accustomed to His surprising language. We begin to expect Him to run counter to the wisdom of our day. But every now and then, there is something which still surprises us, still catches us off guard. Today’s Gospel reading is one of those moments. Now, we are used to Jesus’ parables. These strange stories take something we can understand, whether it is shepherding sheep, sowing seeds, or helping a person dying on the side of the road, and He uses them to tell us something about the Kingdom of God or the life of a disciple. They reveal something about the work of God and our lives as His people. However, this parable of the dishonest manager is quite unusual, not that it is difficult to follow, but it is difficult to see its application.
Jesus tells the story of a wealthy man who has a manager responsible for overseeing his business affairs. Charges are brought against him that he has been less than faithful in performing his duties. As a result, the master calls for him to turn in all the books, so a fair accounting can be rendered. This guy says to himself, “What shall I do, since my master is taking the management away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am too ashamed to beg.” And then it comes to him, a solution which will ensure that he is welcomed into the homes of others when he loses his job. Before he hands over the books, he summons all those indebted to his master. And one by one, he invites them in to sit down and lower the amount they owe. You owe a hundred measures of oil; make it fifty. You owe a hundred measures of wheat; make it eighty. Then, Jesus surprises us by saying, “The master commended the dishonest manager for his shrewdness. For 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.”
That is right. The dishonest manager is praised by the master for his shrewdness. His wheeling and dealing with the unrighteous stuff of this world is commended. Now, there are a few ways we might understand this parable. The first is to notice that the manager’s shrewdness only works in his favor if the master does not turn around and immediately throw him in prison for his actions. Clearly, his actions with the debtors amounts to theft. He gives what is not his to give. To be shrewd is to be mindful of your own interests over those of others, and that is precisely what he does. So, we can easily draw the conclusion that he knew something about the character of his master. He knew, perhaps, the master was a man of mercy, and he acted accordingly.
In fact, in his actions, he proclaims the mercy of the master. As far as these debtors know, he is still employed by the master and has legitimate authority to hand over this mercy to others. The dishonest manager banks on the master’s mercy. Therefore, this parable becomes one that gives us a picture of what it looks like to trust in the mercy of God. This is a guilty man in a world of sin, but he knows the character of his master, and he acts in accordance with this knowledge. And if this dishonest manager can be so shrewd, how much more should you or I live in the mercy of our Master? For you know the gifts of His forgiveness and compassion, you know the lengths He goes to set you free.
But then we get to verse 13 where our Lord says, “No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money,” and the focus seems to sharpen a bit. There is a challenge here regarding whom we serve. So, when Jesus calls us to make friends by means of unrighteous wealth, He is calling us to prioritize the things of God over the things of man, the eternal blessings over the temporal riches of the world. Over and over again throughout our Lord’s teachings, He warns against the lure of wealth. Money is easily our favorite false god. In money, we find the illusion of identity, security, and meaning in the world.
As a result, this parable challenges the people of God to serve their Lord by using the resources of this world as a means to make friends for themselves, to foster relationships, to show compassion, and to be merciful. It is a call to see all our unrighteous stuff as just that… stuff. It is stuff that will pass away, stuff you cannot take with you. So, use it for the things that do last, for the fellowship of the people of God, for showing His mercy, for being kind, compassionate, and generous. Serving God is to care for His stuff over the things of the world. And what is God’s stuff? It is your brother and sister. It is the hurting and suffering around you. This is a radical way to live, and it will undoubtedly bring opposition and ridicule. But our Lord reminds us in the face of His detractors saying, “What is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God.”
Therefore, this challenging and surprising parable of Jesus calls for His disciples to serve God rather than money. Serve God because you are trusting in the character of your Master, because you are forgiven all your sins, because you are invited to feast on the gifts of God, because you, even in your sin, are loved. Be shrewd, my friends, with the unrighteous wealth and serve your Lord by loving what He loves.
