“Lord, make me more like the unbelievers!

Can you ever imagine praying a prayer like this, “Lord help me to be more like the unbelievers.” That sounds preposterous doesn't it!? I mean, everywhere in the Old and New Testament we're told to walk in the pathis of the Lord, and not in the ways of the wicked. Jesus himself and his apostles tell us over and over in the New Testament to walk as children of the light and not to walk in darkness. And so that would be a very strange prayer indeed: “Lord help me be more like the unbelievers.”

But is in that almost what we are led to do after studying Jesus parable before us this morning of the unjust steward. He says,

But listening to Jesus’ parable this morning, that’s almost where we end up—Jesus makes a positive point about our faith by saying, “Look at how unbelievers act, and notice how devoted they are to their way of life, and learn something from me about yours.”

In a way Jesus compliments the wicked when he says, “The sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light.” In other words, my dear children, there’s something you can learn from the unbeliever.

“The sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light.”

Jesus tells the story of a master who entrusts his wealth to manager who ends up wasting his possessions. Hearing the report the master calls in his steward (the manager of his affairs) and says, “What is this that I hear about you? Turn in the account of your management, for you can no longer be manager.”

Picture the man’s face falling as the reality hits him. “What will become of me now?” As he’s walking along and thinking about his options, he knows they’re few—“I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg.” Before his firing is final the master tells the steward to return with his books to give a final accounting of things. So the manager leaves and it dawns on him that control over his master’s goods is still for a very short time in his hands.  So, he hatches a shrewdly devised plan—he says, “Okay, here’s what I’m gonna do, so that when I lose my position, at least I won’t be out on the street, broke and “people may receive me into their houses.” The manager calls each of his master's debtors In one by one, and as each of them arrive, he hands them a record of their debt, and says, “Okay, let’s look at this—what do you owe?”

standing before his master.  He knows he’s right.

His master has heard a report of this steward squandering his goods.  The steward is ordered to give a final accounting before his firing becomes official.  He pales as the career counselors only offer digging or begging as replacement vocations. 

of this steward squandering his goods.  The steward is ordered to give a final accounting before his firing becomes official.  He pales as the career counselors only offer digging or begging as replacement vocations. 

Neither of those things sounds good at all—but then it dawns on him that his master’s goods are for that short time still in his hands.  So, he hatches a shrewdly devised plan—he says to himself, “Here’s what I’ll do, so that when I am removed from management, people may receive me into their houses.” The manager calls each of his master's debtors one by one, and as each of them arrive, he hands them a record of their debt, and says, “What do you owe?”

So he thinks to himself, “I have decided what to do, so that when I am removed from management, people may receive me into their houses.” The manager calls each of his master's debtors one by one, and as each of them arrive, he hands them a record of their debt, and says, “What do you owe?” One says, “100 measures of oil.”

One says, “One hundred measures of oil.”

“Make it fifty.”

To the other he says, “What do you owe?”

“One hundred measures of wheat.”

And  – viola! – all of a sudden his master’s debtors simultaneously become his debtors!  He won’t be sweating in any ditches but sinking down in ease.  He will have plenty of warm meals handed to him without need of any nasty eleison’s. 

urges them to take what’s written there and change it in their own hand to amend what’s printed, and  – presto! – his master’s debtors simultaneously become his debtors!  He won’t be sweating in any ditches but sinking down in ease.  He will have plenty of warm meals handed to him without need of any nasty eleison’s. 

“Make it eighty,” the manager says—and viola! – all of a sudden his master’s debtors simultaneously become his debtors!  He knows he’s on his way out—but his shrewd plan assures that his master gets something—and so does he—he gains friends who owe him one, so that he won’t end up digging ditches or begging for his next meal. And so (v.8) “The master commended the dishonest manager for his shrewdness.” More than anything he wanted his money—but he had to admit, his manager was shrewd and it saved his own skin.

What surprises, however, is how Jesus pierces through the parable to send us a message— “Before wagging your finger at anyone else, I’ve got something for you.  (Still in v.8)“For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light”  

And Jesus says, (v.8) “The master commended the dishonest manager for his shrewdness.” Not at all what he wanted—what he wanted was his money—but he had to admit, though dishonest, his manager acted shrewdly to save his own skin. What surprises us even more, however, is the way Jesus pierces through the parable to send us a message— “Before you start wagging your finger at that man, I’ve got something for you, Jesus says, (Still in v.8)“For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light”  

Obviously, Jesus hates sin, but he’s just as serious about the way we approach the saving work we do with him. He’s saying, “They’re good at what they do—and they’re committed to it—it’s sinful, it’s idolatrous, but they’re focused—they know their time is short.  So, they shrewdly deal with their fellow unbelievers in order to get the most they can out of life—see how they serve their god of money and things with such great zeal and a single-minded devotion.” 

next, is the master’s commendation of the shrewd manager,

Mammon with earnest, zealous, and single-minded devotion. 

Now consider what you do for me, and the level effort you put into this.

For the sons of this world[c] are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light. 9 And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth,[d] so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal dwellings.

approved of anything done with an unbelieving heart. bBut here’s where says, How so?  How devoted the unbelievers are as they manipulate one another and their circumstances to serve their god, Mammon.  They know their time is short.  So, they shrewdly deal with their fellow unbelievers in this age to enable them to serve Mammon with earnest, zealous, and single-minded devotion. 

Would not our Master, after watching us steward the riches of his gospel with all too frequent apathy and carelessness, be justified in saying to us long ago:  “Give an account of your management, because you cannot be manager any longer” (2)?

Suddenly Jesus announces categorically that every believer finds themselves put to shame by this shameless man! 

“The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly.”  But just as those words reveal the amazing turnabout in this shrewd steward’s fortunes, Jesus stuns us, without warning, by piercing through the parable to signal that we better not be hissing at that man since the ones who deserve our hissing are…us!  “For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light” (8).  Suddenly Jesus announces categorically that every believer finds themselves put to shame by this shameless man! 

You see what Jesus is really getting at? We’re managers, too—we’re God’s caretakers in many ways—everything that we have for the good of our body and life has come to us from his hand—the car or cars in our driveway, the roof over our heads, the money in our pockets, the food on our plates—the ability to work and make a living—we and everything we are and enjoy—not to mention all he gives us above and beyond our daily bread—we shouldn’t think of it all as our personal property to do with as we please—No! The psalmist reminds us that, () “The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it.” We are simply managers of the things he places into our care, for a short time. The person who forgets this may well find that at some point God takes some of these things away form us—if that doesn’t happen sooner then it will happen later at death—when a man must leave everything behind.

He won’t be sweating in any ditches but sinking down in ease.  He will have plenty of warm meals handed to him without need of any nasty eleison’s. 

He doesn’t have much time to consider his options! 

What kind of answer do we have for Jesus—here we are–-“the people of the light” no less! – when it comes to our zeal for what the Master calls us to do, how do we match up?! You know, sometimes I wonder if we as members get more in mail or email in the way of follow ups and “we missed yours” from our dentist, or optometrist or chiropractor than from our church—I've often been struck by the contact I get from businesses who are asking us about roof repair or other marketing—and happy birthdays from people I hardly know—or “we want you back”—that kind of stuff—how good are we at shepherding our people and enlisting them in the Great Commision?! Do we do it with the same urgency and financial commitment? Millions of dollars are spent on product research—customer preferences and satisfaction—how does all that compare with our efforts at making a foray into our fallen culture with the gospel? How much time and thought is given to seek and to saving the lost and regaining the straying? Compare our devotion to the one true God and the unbeliever’s devotion to their god, that is no god at all!  If the Master would look down and say, “Give an account of your management,” would he be justified in saying, “you cannot be my manager any longer” ?

After reading Jesus’ parable

in our devotion to the true God than unbelievers are to their god that is no god!  What should our heavenly Master say looking down at us, and after watching us manage the riches of his gospel with all too frequent apathy and carelessness, be justified in saying to us long ago:  “Give an account of your management, because you cannot be manager any longer” ?

Could we just give that some thought this morning? Do unbelievers perhaps understand Jesus’ words better than us sometimes?  “No servant can serve two masters. 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 both God and Money.”   The world gets that.

“Lord, make me more like the unbelievers!”

They’d agree with Jesus--no one can serve two masters! But we believers beg to differ—we know by faith that money and things are no god—and yet again and again we try to have it both ways – a little service of God here, a little service of money and things there. 

Again, the world gets that—at the heart of what Jesus is saying is that a divided heart = a less than desired outcome--

We know by faith that money and things are no god—and yet again and again we try to have it both ways – a little service of God here, a little service of money and things there. 

It’s true that God’s people come in a distant second sometimes, don’t we, compared to the unbeliever’s earnest devotion to the things of this world—which is Jesus’ main point—and as much as I hate to say it, it’s a painful reality for me and you as we to have a sinful nature in this life.  Jesus’ warning will always be in place, won’t it? There will never be a day on this earth when I have put my sinful nature completely aside with it’s divided loyalties.  And if Jesus’ warning is missed on me, I run the risk of ending up in the shoes of that dishonest manager, andn my Master that I cannot be his steward any longer…ever.  And, unlike the parable, there will be no time left for me to connive my way out of that!

fun with drawn in by the allure of serving at the altar of what I can see and touch and taste and handle.  This inevitably, Jesus notes, leads us in the direction of despising the God we cannot see, forgetting that this God and his unseen gifts are what are eternal!    

And yet again and again we try to have it both ways – a little service of God here, a little service of Mammon there.  We allow ourselves to be drawn in by the allure of serving at the altar of what I can see and touch and taste and handle.  This inevitably, Jesus notes, leads us in the direction of despising the God we cannot see, forgetting that this God and his unseen gifts are what are eternal!    

But we believers often beg to differ--yes, we know by faith that money and things are no god—and yet again and again we try to have it both ways – a little service of God here, a little service of Mammon there.  We allow ourselves to be drawn in by the allure of serving at the altar of what I can see and touch and taste and handle.  This inevitably, Jesus notes, leads us in the direction of despising the God we cannot see, forgetting that this God and his unseen gifts are what are eternal!    

But we believers often beg to differ--yes, we know by faith that money and things are no god—and yet again and again we try to have it both ways – a little service of God here, a little service of Mammon there.  We allow ourselves to be drawn in by the allure of serving at the altar of what I can see and touch and taste and handle.  This inevitably, Jesus notes, leads us in the direction of despising the God we cannot see, forgetting that this God and his unseen gifts are what are eternal!    

yes, we know by faith that money and things are no god—and yet again and again we try to have it both ways – a little service of God here, a little service of Mammon there.  We allow ourselves to be drawn in by the allure of serving at the altar of what I can see and touch and taste and handle.  This inevitably, Jesus notes, leads us in the direction of despising the God we cannot see, forgetting that this God and his unseen gifts are what are eternal!    

But, as much as there for me to learn from that shrewd steward, there is something I must not imitate.   I don’t want to wait for my Master to call me to final account for having wasted his wealth.  In fact, begging is entirely appropriate!  I want to run to him and confess all the wastefulness of my half-hearted devotion!   I want to confess to him how often I have arrogantly believed what even the world knows is a lie:  I cannot serve both God and Mammon.  “Lord,” we can say, “forgive us for half-hearted service in your kingdom that, if I tried that with a worldly employer, would have found me fired long ago!”

to be more consumed by anything and everything, filling up our time with endless diversions

What would you think if I ever led you to pray that way.

and things that are entertaining and fun in this life—while all the while setting God’s eternal things aside—his gifts in Word and sacraments—his work of reaching the lost and filling up heaven—the things that are eternal become small.    

we have to confess this reality: 

remember the that we’re managers, too—we’re God’s caretakers in many ways—everything that we have for the good of our body and life has come to us from his hand—the car or cars in our driveway, the roof over our heads, the money in our pockets, the food on our plates—the ability to work and make a living—we and everything we are and enjoy—not to mention all he gives us above and beyond our daily bread—we shouldn’t think of it all as our personal property to do with as we please—No! The psalmist reminds us that, () “The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it.” We are simply managers of the things he places into our care, for a short time. The person who forgets this may well find that at some point God takes some of these things away form us—if that doesn’t happen sooner then it will happen later at death—when a man must leave everything behind.

You see what Jesus is really getting at? We’re managers, too—we’re God’s caretakers in many ways—everything that we have for the good of our body and life has come to us from his hand—the car or cars in our driveway, the roof over our heads, the money in our pockets, the food on our plates—the ability to work and make a living—we and everything we are and enjoy—not to mention all he gives us above and beyond our daily bread—we shouldn’t think of it all as our personal property to do with as we please—No! The psalmist reminds us that, () “The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it.” We are simply managers of the things he places into our care, for a short time. The person who forgets this may well find that at some point God takes some of these things away form us—if that doesn’t happen sooner then it will happen later at death—when a man must leave everything behind.

What is the main point anyway? Is it mostly about a test of our faithfulness, or his?

Which brings us back to the way the main point of Jesus’ parable. What is the main point anyway? Is it mostly about a test of our faithfulness, or his?

isn’t always to get us back to Jesus—and how Jesus in this case!

Master now directs us back, not to our wise use of resources, but his.