Ninth Sunday after Trinity

Among my colleagues in the ministry, there is a running joke that resurfaces every year leading up to the Ninth Sunday after Trinity. “I should have remembered to go on vacation this week.” Why? Because many pastors find it difficult to preach on the Parable of the Dishonest Manager. Some have even called it the hardest parable. That’s because it’s unlike any other parable that Jesus tells. In nearly every other case, his parables are meant to teach us about the kingdom of heaven. In fact, most parables begin with these words: “The kingdom of heaven is like…” And since the kingdom of heaven is centered around Jesus, you will always find Jesus in these parables. He is the Good Samaritan who rescues the man lying in the road. He’s the Good Shepherd who goes after the lost sheep. He’s the merchant who finds a treasure hidden in a field and sells everything to redeem it.

But not so today. Some theologians have tried very hard to make a connection between Jesus and the dishonest manager. “Jesus fudges the books of heaven to help us out with our debt of sin.” But that doesn’t work. Does Jesus say, “How big of a sinner are you? How much do you owe? One hundred? Let’s make it fifty.” Of course not. His death on the cross pays for all sin in full, not half of it. And does Jesus get fired by God the Father for bad stewardship? No. Jesus is not the dishonest manager.

Well then, what’s going on here? This parable is different because today Jesus is not directly teaching us about the kingdom of heaven. He’s making a point, instead, about how things work here on earth. The children of this world are very wise about a great many things. But in the end, none of those things have any eternal value. It’s possible to be so smart and still miss the big picture. St. Paul writes, “Professing to be wise, they became fools” (Romans 1:22). Jesus’ parable serves as a warning to us.

The manager is a true scoundrel. He has been abusing his position for quite some time. How exactly, we don’t know. Perhaps he’s been skimming profits, siphoning funds, misreporting his hours. In any case, his shady behavior finally catches up with him, as it always does. His master fires him on the spot and sends him to clean out his desk. But technically, until he hands over the books, he’s still the manager. So in a desperate move, he calls in all his master’s debtors and significantly reduces their debts. This is theft and further abuse of his position. It’s exactly the sort of behavior that got him fired in the first place, but he doesn’t care about that. All he cares about is his immediate future, and now he’s got all sorts of people who owe him a favor. “I don’t want to do manual labor, and I’m ashamed to beg, but now these people will receive me into their houses…” (Luke 16:3–4).

Even though his master has been ripped off, he still commends the steward for his craftiness. Jesus isn’t condoning this behavior. He’s not telling us to be thieves and tricksters. But he is pointing out how good the sons of this world are at plotting in this way. Here’s a man who was so devilishly clever at stealing from his boss that even the boss was impressed with his ingenuity. The problem with this man is that he was shortsighted. For all his cleverness, he failed to see the big picture. He was, as the saying goes, penny wise and pound foolish. Where is his nice house now? Where did all his schemes get him in the end? He was shrewd, but he didn’t know the true purpose of wealth. This is what Jesus wants to teach us in this parable.

Think of this: people all over the world are preparing for retirement. If you’re haven’t already retired, then you too are planning for it. This means working hard now, investing, calculating, thinking ahead for the future—years in advance. Just like the steward, you’re investing in the next phase in your life: what will you do, where will you live? And if you have retired, hopefully your years of planning have paid off, and you can now live comfortably without fear. Nearly everyone is busy with this, though some people are far better at planning that you or I. By the time they retire some people saved up far more than anyone could spend in a lifetime. They’ve got houses and yachts and cars and everything else imaginable. The sons of this world are way better at this stuff that we are.

Is it bad to plan ahead like this? No. Of course, God doesn’t want you stealing from your boss and ripping other people off, but thinking ahead isn’t wrong. The problem is that, for all its wisdom, the world is incapable of thinking far enough ahead. We only live on this earth for 70, 80, or 90 years, but we will live somewhere forever after that. Why is it that people work tirelessly to ensure that they will have an earthly dwelling, but so few are concerned with their eternal dwelling?

You’ll notice that Jesus doesn’t say, “You shouldn’t want to live in a nice house.” Because you are his child, God cares deeply about your life, including where you live. But He is more concerned with your eternal dwelling. That’s what Jesus is preparing right now. But imagine if we spent a fraction of the energy we devote to securing our earthly dwellings focusing on eternal matters. Imagine what would happen if the sons of this world used their time, energy, talents, and resources in pursuit of the kingdom of heaven? That’s the point of this parable.

Money and possessions are a gift from God. But what are they for? Jesus tells us to use them toward the kingdom of heaven. Can Christians use filthy lucre, as some people call money? Yes. Jesus calls it the “mammon of unrighteousness” saying, “Make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth, so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal dwellings” (Lk 16:9). This was the dishonest manager’s problem. He gave no thought to his eternal home. He was too caught up in the immediate future to consider eternity. He was smart, it’s true, but ultimately, he was a fool.

He didn’t know what Jesus tells us clearly: unrighteous wealth will fail. That’s a guarantee. And when it does, then what? All of that scheming and plotting will then come to nothing. Don’t be shortsighted like the unjust steward. Don’t make friends whose hospitality is fleeting and who can help you only for the things that will perish with this world. Make friends with whom you can enjoy the treasures of heaven. Use whatever material gifts you have received from God to promote the extension of his kingdom in this world. You don’t need to buy anyone’s favor, as the dishonest steward did. Instead give God’s favor away freely, even as you have freely received it. Give the gospel and give your money to promote the proclamation of the gospel. The gospel reveals the favor of God that is purchased, not with any amount of money, but with the blood of Jesus Christ.

The gospel is the best way to make friends. There is a cost to the gospel, but we don’t pay it. Christ paid it. Understand what is for sale and what is not. Men buy and sell favor for money. But their favor is short lived. Memories are short. Loyalties are fleeting. Only in Christ can anything last. Only in him is there eternal life. Everything else will fail. Money will fail. Your little haven on earth will fail. Even your body will fail. But all who trust in Jesus will be raised with glorified bodies to live in the heavenly mansions for all eternity. Amen.