Sermon Tone Analysis
Overall tone of the sermon
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Anger
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Analytical
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Openness
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Conscientiousness
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Tone of specific sentences
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Anyone who has raised more than one child knows, each child is different.
They each have unique temperaments and each one is motivated in a different way.
The same with groups, there are times when you speak differently to those inside the group than to those outside the group.
REVIEW
A good communicator will actually adjust there method of delivery so every person they speak too understands the same intent of the communication.
Review
For the past three weeks, we’ve observed Jesus telling stories to highly trained and highly confident religious leaders (Pharisees).
But while Jesus is telling those stories, he’s aware another group is listening in—those who actually supported Him.
Typically, Jesus would address a specific group, then speak to those listening in.
As He shifts His attention away from the Pharisees, He tells a very intriguing story about a shrewd manager.
So in Jesus’ typical fashion, he finishes talking to the outsiders and shifts to those in His inner group.
He tells them a very intriguing story about a scoundrel who’d bet the farm on a person he had offended.
A person he had mistreated.
But because of the character of the mistreated one, the scoundrel won the bet and secured his prosperous future.
That’s the story I want to tell you today.
If you’re still trying to figure out whether God can be trusted and whether you’d ever want to trust your life to him, you’re going to like the way this story turns out.
If you’re a believer, and you’ve made a causal commitment to Christ, and you’re wondering if you should commit everything to him, you may take that step after you hear this.
If you’re already committed to Christ—fully invested, given your life to Him (your time, your talents, and
Let’s start…
When Jesus finishes addressing the Pharisees, He turns to His disciples and tells them the story of the shrewd manager.
It’s a story about a rich guy, a nobleman, who finds out he’s being cheated by one of his employees.
He fires the employee, who then does something very creative, but very unethical, to ensure his future.
The twist to the story is, instead of his boss being outraged, he praises the manager for being shrewd.
As
For centuries, this story has confounded logical, right-brained Western thinkers.
Why would the Rich Man praise the Manager’s actions?
Why would the Rich Man, who is figure for God, praise someone for doing something unethical?
What was Jesus teaching us through this story?
There has been a lot of theories about the story.
But they often miss the mark!
However if we take a look at Middle Eastern culture, we will discover an explanation.
Let’s start!
The story of the Shrewd Manager has four scenes:
SCENE ONE starts in the Rich Man’s office where the Manager gets word the company is downsizing and he’s being fired.
SCENE TWO is when the Manager hatches a plan to secure his future using the reputation of the Rich Man he’s been cheating.
In SCENE THREE the Manager making illegal deals.
SCENE FOUR is back in the RichMan’s office where he evaluates the Manger’s actions.
SCENE ONE: In the Rich Man’s Office
In this scene, three characters are introduced, though only two of them are actually in the room.
Three characters are introduced:
Notice the characters in the story:
(1) Rich Man (Represents God).
A wealthy landowner the people in the area respect so much, many of them come to him to tell him that his regional manager is cheating him.
The first character is the master.
He’s a wealthy Middle Eastern landowner.
Jesus calls him, “a rich man” and tells us the people in the area respect him so much, many of them come to him to tell him that his regional manager is cheating him.
(2) The Shrewd Manager (Scoundrel).
He’s an agent for the Rich Man, a middle man who manages property and assets that don’t belong to him.
Only he’s not managing them, he’s mismanaging them.
He’s cooking the books to his own advantage.
(3) The third group in this scene is hinted at, but not present.
They are the Debtors (Peasants).
These are the peasant farmers who live on the land as sharecroppers.
Every year each person negotiates with the Rich Man, through the manager, to farm a certain number of acres.
In exchange for the right to farm, the Rich Man gets a specified amount of wheat, olive oil, or whatever product they are farming.
However, the Manager is supposed to take a fair share, but he’s cooking the books and exacting a severe price from the peasants.
It is the peasants who have blown the whistle on the shrewd manager.
It is the peasants who have blown the whistle on the shrewd manager.
The second character is the manager.
He’s an agent for the master, a middle man, managing property and assets that don’t belong to him.
Only he’s not managing them, he’s mismanaging them.
He’s cooking the books to his own advantage.
In the scene the Rich Man (Master) approaches the Manager calmly and graciously.
He doesn’t scold, berate, or threaten him.
He doesn’t demand repayment or put the manager in jail, which were well within his rights.
He’s a rather impressive landlord.
Jesus’ exact words are:
Jesus’ exact words are:
The tense of the verb in the original language indicates that the manager was accused repeatedly of this kind of embezzlement.
“There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions” ().
The tense of the verb in the original language indicates that the manager was accused repeatedly of this kind of embezzlement.
According to the Mishnah, the Jewish commentary on the Old Testament, there were three kinds of managers legally recognized to play a management function in the life of Israel.
This particular man was a shaluah in Hebrew.
According to the Mishnah, the Jewish commentary on the Old Testament, there were three kinds of managers legally recognized to play a management function in the life of Israel.
According to the Mishnah, the Jewish commentary on the Old Testament, there were three kinds of managers legally recognized to play a management function in the life of Israel.
This man was a shaluah in Hebrew.
That means the Manager is an educated man, who has worked all his life with people, contracts, and records.
He’s an agent, hired by the master to negotiate and administer land contracts between the master and the peasants who work the land.
The peasants hated these landowners because they exploited them and were usually absentee landlords who were uninvolved and unconcerned about local affairs.
The peasants hated these landowners because they exploited them, bled them dry, and were usually absentee landlords, uninvolved and unconcerned about local affairs.
They were represented by managers like this, who not only bilked them for the master’s gain, but bilked them a second time, on the side, for their own gain as well.
They were represented by managers like this, who not only bilked them for the master’s gain, but bilked them a second time, on the side, for their own gain as well.
Kenneth Bailey, who lived in that region of the world for 15 years, wrote, “The [Turkish] Landowner... is vividly remembered as corrupt, ruthless, and indifferent to any suffering he or his steward might cause his renters.
[But] this scene is a little different.
The Rich Man is actually respected by the Peasants.
They were able to come to the Rich Man and report the unscrupulous conduct of the Manger.
The Rich Man is clearly a part of the community.
He’s NOT a distant, foreign, ruthless landowner.
At the very beginning, someone cares enough about the welfare of the master to report the actions of the dishonest steward.
The master is clearly a part of the community.
The wealthy, distant, foreign, ruthless landowner is unknown in this parable.
The Rich Man asks a simple question: “What’s this I hear about you?”
The entire action of scene one takes place in two sentences, both from the lips of the master.
It is the peasants who have blown the whistle on the shrewd manager.
That’s the set up for the action.
The entire action of scene one takes place in two sentences, both from the lips of the master.
The first sentence is a question.
The master calls the manager into his office and says, “What’s this I hear about you?”
The question is carefully crafted!
He doesn’t say, “I hear you’ve been ripping me off!”
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