Ninth Sunday after Trinity

Usually, the parables of Jesus are about the kingdom of heaven. “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed…” “The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning…” “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field…” Not so this morning. The parable of the wicked steward is not about the kingdom of heaven. The man is not even a Christian. He is a self-serving pagan who steals from his master in order to secure a future for himself. He is a son of this world who belongs, as John Lee did before his baptism, to the kingdom of Satan. And yet, as Jesus tells us, we have something to learn from the man’s shrewdness.

First of all—and this is perhaps a bit of an aside—the wicked steward knows something about collecting debts. A debt that can’t be collected is worth nothing. Half is better than nothing. The credit card companies know this. Of course, they’d like all their money with interest. But when their debtors truly can’t pay, the credit companies will make a deal: “Can you pay 80%? Can you pay 50%?”

You will find that this principle can serve you well in your relationships. Has your spouse sinned against you and is now trying to apologize? You could say, “I won’t forgive you because you don’t mean it. Your apology isn’t 100% genuine.” Perhaps so, but will you take 80%? A half apology (in your own estimation, ) is better than none at all. Learn a lesson from the way pagans collect debts. It might actually help your marriage.

But there is more to learn from this parable. Today, when an employee gets fired, security will immediately escort him from the building. The sons of this world have grown even wiser. But in the parable, the master gave his servant time to put his things in order—time that the servant used to buy himself friends at his master’s expense. While he still had his position of authority, the steward cut deals with his master’s debtors, in order to secure a better future for himself. He’s a crook, but a shrewd one, and his master commends him. Why? For stealing. No, for his shrewdness. He knows how to plan ahead. He knows how to make friends. He knows how to secure a place for himself in the next chapter of his life. The sons of this age are good at that, and Jesus wants you to learn something from them.

The problem with pagans, of course, is that they don’t plan far enough ahead. The steward is scheming to have a place to live after he loses his job. But what about after he loses his life? Where will he live then? He doesn’t care about that, because he’s an unbeliever. For unbelievers, this life is all there is, and so they plan accordingly—and they plan well. That’s Jesus’ point. If the sons of this world are shrewd and crafty in their plans for this age, how much more should you be wise in your planning for the age to come.

Consider how pagans plan ahead for retirement. They start in their twenties, decades in advance. A portion of every paycheck is set aside in order to build that nest egg. Every day at work is lived in the hope of future joys to come, though many won’t live to see them—on average, people die three years after retirement. And yet, the sons of this age are geniuses at planning ahead for the future in the only world that they know. How much more ought we to have our eyes fixed on the world that is to come?

Consider also how pagans plan ahead for their children. They start college funds for them years in advance. When it comes to sports, they spare no expense. They sacrifice countless weekends and evenings to give their children every opportunity, every advantage, even though only 1 in 1,000,000 will become professional athletes. How much more ought we to devote ourselves to preparing our children to enter eternal life?

Jesus says that the sons of this world are more shrewd in their generation than the sons of light. In other words, pagans are smarter about pagan things than Christians often are about Christian things. Let me give you an example: This morning we baptized John Lee. While it is very, very unlikely that he will grow up to be a professional athlete, there is a 100% certainty that he will stand before the judgment seat of Christ. The duty of his Christian parents, therefore, is to prepare John for that day.

People see a father who plays catch with his son. They see a mother who ferries her daughter from soccer practice to ballet day after day, year after year. And they say, “What selfless devotion!” They look at parents who started college savings accounts for their infant children and think, “What amazing foresight and dedication!” But if these children are not taught to love Christ, what good will a bookcase full of second-place middle school trophies do them?

It’s one thing when pagans do it—they don’t know any better—but when Christian parents live, act, and plan only for their children’s immediate future, with no thought of eternity, it is the worst kind of negligence and stupidity. And yet, many Christian parents do exactly this. They bring their children to the font to be baptized, according to Jesus’ command and promise—Baptize all nations. Be baptized and you will receive the Holy Spirit. This promise is for you and your children—but then, the parents go away from the font and give no thought to raising their children in the faith.

The Bible calls baptism the second birth, the spiritual birth. But when we consider purely natural things, what kind of mother would give birth and then think that her duty to the child was fulfilled. “Well, Junior, my job here is done. Good luck! I hope you have a nice life!” Of course not! Even pagan mothers show tender care to their children after the first birth, feeding and nourishing them, lest they die of malnutrition and exposure. And if the children of this age are shrewd in this way, how much more must Christian parents recognize the greater duty of feeding and nourishing their children in the faith after the second and more important birth.

The failure of so many Christians parents to do this is why many will question the biblical practice of infant baptism. People see a child brought to the font. They watch as he is granted entrance into the kingdom of God, made a member of the Holy Christian Church, given the gift of the Holy Spirit, born again to eternal life, all according to the clear promises of Scripture. And then they watch over the years as that child is deprived by his parents of all spiritual nutrition, kept away from the house of God where the gifts of Christ are given, starved for God’s Word until the seed of faith planted in holy baptism has shriveled and died… And people recognize that this is wrong—it is spiritual negligence and abuse—but they mistakenly conclude that the problem is the baptism of infants.

If you saw a malnourished child, would you conclude that the problem was that his mother had given birth? No, the problem is the negligence that happens after physical birth. So too with the second birth, the spiritual birth. The fact that some parents think that by bringing their child to the font, they have fulfilled their spiritual obligation to the child does not give the lie to the promises of Christ in baptism. But it does show that these parents are worse than heathens. At least, the heathen will plan ahead for their future and their children’s future, in so far as they are able to see it. For the sons of this age are more shrewd in their generation than the sons of light.

Every mother knows, or soon learns, that giving birth is just the beginning of the blessed duty and obligation of raising a child. How much more is this true for the second birth. Jesus told us to make disciples of all nations—this includes our children—by baptizing them and teaching them all His words. It takes only a few moments to perform a baptism. That’s the easy part, especially because God is the one doing all the work in baptism. But it takes a lifetime to teach all the words of Jesus, and that’s why many parents do the first part and stop there.

But Jesus bids us today to learn from the shrewdness of the pagans in the way they plan ahead for the future. And here we find the great comfort and assurance that belongs only to Christians. Consider the great effort that the sons of this world invest in a future retirement they may not even live to see. This age is passing away. Everything that this world values, everything they have built will fail. But our home is eternal. Our treasure is in heaven. The kingdom that we look for in hope, is everlasting, and it cannot fail. Therefore, fathers, as you lead your family in devotions; mothers, as you teach your children to love Christ; Christians, as you come to church to be fed with the words and promises of Jesus; as you seek first the kingdom of God, you show ourselves to be not just shrewd, but truly wise. Amen.