The Ninth Sunday after Trinity

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

It was revealed to the Old Testament patriarch Joseph by the Lord that seven years of prosperity were about to be granted to the land of Egypt. But following these seven years of plenty, a great seven-year famine would come upon the world. It would have been easy for the Egyptians to enjoy the years of prosperity with no regard for the future. But had they exercised such folly and lack of wisdom, the people would have starved to death during the famine. Therefore, Joseph presented a plan to the king of Egypt whereby the land would be saved from the famine. He encouraged Pharaoh to appoint a discerning and wise man and set him over the land of Egypt. This man would be responsible for taking the prudent action of storing up excess grain during the years of plenty in order to prepare for the years of famine. Seeing the necessity of this wisdom, Pharaoh deemed Joseph to be the wisest, most qualified man for the job. So it was that Joseph led Egypt in preparing for tomorrow. He used any means necessary to gather the excess grain into storehouses so that the land would be prepared for the coming judgment.

In today’s Gospel text, our Lord tells a parable about another wise man, known to us as the unjust steward. At first glance, it may seem as if the unjust steward has very little in common with the patriarch Joseph. And to be sure, the godliness and piety of Joseph certainly find no parallel in the unjust steward. But it is not true that these two characters have nothing whatsoever in common. For the shrewdness and wisdom of the unjust steward is praised by his master in the same way that Pharaoh praised Joseph for his wisdom.

But let us be clear about why the master commended the unjust steward in our text. Neither the master in the parable nor our Lord in His ministry praises unjust, sinful behavior. No, the unjust steward is commended for his shrewdness, not for his unrighteousness. For our Lord says:

“So the master commended the unjust steward because he had dealt shrewdly. For the sons of this world are more shrewd in their generation than the sons of light” (Luke 16:8).

Let us be clear, then: The Lord does not commend dishonesty. He does, however, commend wisdom. And by this parable He seeks to instruct us in Christian wisdom, namely that:

True Christian wisdom means always having the final, heavenly goal in mind.

Therefore, we will consider how possessing such wisdom is necessary as we seek to live with concern for tomorrow by using every means necessary to achieve this goal.

One need not live long on this earth to discover the necessity of wisdom and of living with concern for tomorrow. Children have the freedom to live care-free lives, truly embracing our Lord’s teaching to let tomorrow worry about itself. But as one grows up and begins to take on adult responsibilities, it quickly becomes apparent that the fridge won’t restock itself with groceries unless one plans ahead and makes the necessary trip to the grocery store. The laundry won’t wash itself. And bills very quickly get out of control unless one plans ahead through a budget.

And so, there is a worldly wisdom which the Christian must learn to balance with the childlike innocence which Christ repeatedly exhorts His followers to embrace. Of this balance, our Lord says in Matthew 10:16: “Be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.” Therefore, let us not deceive ourselves into thinking that worldly wisdom has no place in the Christian life. To be sure, worldly wisdom must not go unchecked in the Christian life, but it does have a place.

So it is that Christians would do well to learn from the worldly wisdom of living with concern for tomorrow. Financial planning, investment brokers, and general preparation for retirement all have a prominent place in our world—and rightly so. You are not getting any younger. You will not always be as physically healthy and capable as you are now. There almost certainly will come a time when circumstances will change. Therefore, proper preparation to ensure a secure future is wise.

Thus the unjust steward is to be commended for his wisdom in making preparations for the future. His established relationships with his master’s debtors allowed him to quickly act in his moment of crisis to secure his future. Again, his unrighteous actions are not to be emulated. It is his prudent preparation for the future which is commended by his master.

But let us also not lose sight of the fact that the unjust steward’s shrewdness and preparation have their shortcomings, and not only in a moral sense. His wisdom of preparing potential future homes for himself seems wise until death reveals the folly and limitations of his plan. So it is with all worldly wisdom—death soon brings the wise of this age to an end.

Christian wisdom, however, recognizes that this fallen world is not our home. Therefore, worldly wisdom has its limits, for it does not teach us to pursue the final, heavenly goal. The one who is truly wise must come to daily acknowledge the fact that we are sojourners and guests on earth, that the future heavenly city is where we will dwell eternally. Thus, the Psalmist teaches us to pray: “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom” (Psalm 90:12).

For like the unjust steward, we all must face judgement in the end. The unjust steward was finally called to give an account for his unfaithful stewardship, and he prepared for this earthly judgment in an earthly way. In like manner, we all must come before the judgment seat of Christ on the Last Day. For as the Creed clearly teaches, Christ will come again with glory to judge both the living and the dead. This heavenly judgment requires heavenly preparation.

Therefore, those who would be prepared for the final judgment must learn to exercise true Christian wisdom by leveraging every means necessary to achieve the eternal goal.

If we would be prepared for the final judgment, then we must remind ourselves about how the final judgment will occur. For like the unjust steward, we will be judged for our own stewardship in the end. And this is a troubling thought because our conscience reminds us daily of how disordered our stewardship truly is. We have been disobedient, unfaithful, and lazy. We have been hot-tempered, rude, and quarrelsome. We have hurt others by our words and deeds. Like the steward in our Lord’s parable, we could be rightly charged with wasting our Master’s goods, for our thoughts, words, and deeds are soiled with sin. We have not faithfully used the skills, resources, and opportunities which the Lord has given to us. Far too often, we indulge in laziness or selfish pleasure. Like the steward in the parable, we deserve to be cast from the heavenly home into the fires of hell eternally.

But unlike the steward in our Lord’s parable, there is no clever maneuver which will allow us to dig out of the mess we have created for ourselves by our many sins. We are unjust stewards, and there is no way to change this by our own reason or strength. The only way that an unjust steward is made just is by the blood of Christ. For our Lord Jesus Christ is the truly just steward of His Father’s goods. He lived the perfect earthly life that you are unable to live. And He has suffered the Father’s wrath in your place so that you may come before the judgment seat with a clean conscience. The charge for your unfaithful stewardship has been dropped, for it has been placed upon the shoulders of Christ. For His sake, you are free to live in the Lord’s kingdom eternally. And this is a gift given by grace alone, not by works.

And yet, it is still within our responsibility to use every means necessary to achieve this goal of the eternal home. For the Gospel, the Word, and the Sacraments are the means through which we receive our Lord’s gifts of forgiveness, life, and salvation. Therefore, we must not despise the Word and Sacraments, nor the places where they are offered. For these are the means by which faith is both given and strengthened.

In the same way, the manner in which we manage earthly things also matters—not because of some kind of works righteousness, but because our body and soul are not divisible. The generosity and love you show to others both flows from your faith and, in a mysterious way, it feeds your faith. And so, for your own sake, stewardship of earthly things matters. But it also matters for the sake of others. For, as C.S. Lewis once said, you have never met a mere mortal. All people are eternal beings who will live forever—either in paradise or in torment.

Thus, our Lord says:

“I say to you, make friends for yourselves by unrighteous mammon, that when you fail, they may receive you into an everlasting home” (Luke 16:9).

For when we stand before the judgment seat of God, we will most importantly be covered by the blood of Christ and received into our eternal dwelling by virtue of His righteousness which covers all our sin. But we will also be welcomed by our brothers and sisters whom we have served and been served by in this life.

Dear friends in Christ, let us strive to live by this true, Christian wisdom. Let us learn this wisdom by devoting ourselves to the study of God’s Word, that we may learn the value and necessity of wisdom. Let us remind ourselves constantly that, despite appearances to the contrary, there is eternity awaiting us beyond the limitations of this life. And let us seek the aid of the Holy Spirit to dedicate our lives to the pursuit of the heavenly goal, as the Apostle writes:

What things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.

Not that I have already attained, or am already perfect; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:7-14).

God grant us both the wisdom to believe this and the strength to carry it out.

In Jesus’ name. Amen.