Sermons
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Pentecost 15, September 21 - Luke 16:1–15Other Lessons: Amos 8:4–7 Psalm 113 1 Timothy 2:1–15
Our Gospel text for today takes quite a turn from the previous chapter about repentance with the 3 parables of the lost sheep, lost coin, and the lost sons, to the topic of money and its proper use. There is great rejoicing and celebration in heaven and on earth over one sinner who repents, and indeed there is much of that because this happens daily and most especially when we all join together weekly at the altar with angels and archangels and all the saints. And in our text today, Jesus teaches us that there is one thing that often draws us away from this merciful God who calls us to repentance and faith, namely, money, possessions, wealth, etc. Either we use it to serve others or we become its servants. As such, this parable is directly addressed to the disciples, thought it was still in the hearing of the Pharisees, who responded with ridicule at the end.
The parable itself is actually not too difficult to understand but what baffles the readers for the last 2000 years is verse 8 in which the master in the story commends the unrighteous manager, and also verse 9 which seems like a strange application of the parable (even though it comes from Jesus himself). So baffling that a Roman emperor in the 4th century (Julian the apostate, nephew of Constantine) used this text to discredit Christianity. But how does this parable and its application have anything to do with eternal salvation, if at all? Let’s understand the first dilemma, which is the question of why the master commended this unfaithful manager. And is this something we are to emulate? The story is simple. The manager is caught wasting his master’s possessions, that is, he was not doing his managerial tasks properly. He is promptly fired and required to turn in his books. During this short period of time, this manager devised a plan that will secure some sort of safety net for himself in the very near future. He summons the debtors, who were most likely property renters who paid the rent from the harvest. The difference in the reduction of the debt probably reflects the difference in the market value. The ingenuity of this ploy highly depended on the character of the master. The manager reduces the debt in order to make friends, knowing full well that the master would not change the numbers back. The master certainly has every right to revert to the original debt owed, but that would make him an enemy of the people and ruin his own reputation. The manager knows this and knows that he will get away with what he did. And it also seems that the manager assumes the master is so merciful that he would not be put in jail for what he did. This is the irony of this story, that the manager knows his master so well and trusted in him that he acted deceitfully.
This is the only aspect of his shrewdness that is commended by the master, not his mismanaging of his possessions nor the deceit with the debtors. So then verse 8 sort of transitions into a commentary, with verse 9 its application. This manager is likened to a “son of this age”, as opposed to a “son of light”. The use of the word “son” is more than just describing a person of either side. It describes a legal standing as heirs. The sons of this age are inheritors of this world, they have nothing to expect except the things of this world, and therefore their hopes and all their works are limited to what they see and only within their lifetime. They are indeed shrewd in that they know how to gain an advantage for themselves with their limited resources, even with ones that are not theirs, though at the expense of their consciences and morals. They are “shrewd” but not wise in the biblical sense, because they must rely on themselves and their wicked ways to have a future, which even then is a very limited future. All they have is this “age”. So while in the beginning of verse 8 the master commends the manager in the parable, the second part of the verse does not necessary have the same thrust. When Jesus says “For the sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light”, it is merely a commentary on the ways of this world. They are more shrewd than the sons of light, but it is not necessary better or more advantageous.
This is different from the “sons of light”, which is an interesting contrast because it’s not exactly the opposite (they are not “sons of the age to come” but of “light”). Sons or inheritors of light are not just heirs of the age to come, but they inherit much more, they have the light. Clearly this is referring to the disciples that he’s addressing and all who would believe in him. What then is this light? It is the saving truth, specifically, the light is Christ himself. If we have him, then we have everything, forgiveness of sins, true life, eternal life, a kingdom, an eternal home. We have an inheritance that is simply incomparable. This is what we have in Jesus Christ. For having taken our sins to die on the cross and having been raised from the dead after 3 days, he now lives and reigns to all eternity as the king of kings and lord of lords. And as St John tells us in his Gospel, “to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God…(Jn1:12). Those who trust and believe in him as the savior from sin, death, and the devil, are called children, sons, heirs, inheritors of the living God. Since we are the sons of light, since we are inheritors of these great gifts from above, we then can have a proper perspective on the gifts of this world, and use them accordingly.
Thus the application in verse 9: “And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth, so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal dwellings.” Money, wealth, possessions are called unrighteous not because in themselves they have a sinful quality, because objectively speaking it is simply a gift from God, used as a tool used for God’s purpose. It is called unrighteous here because it can and does become our master, a master that competes with God in our lives. Therefore we are to use it according to God’s purpose. Using it not for the self but for others. It is the exact opposite of what the manager in the parable was doing. He used someone else’s possessions for himself. Here, Jesus admonishes us to use what has been entrusted to us for the sake of others.
Is it just giving alms and being charitable? No, the purpose of money, aside from providing for your own self and family, is so that those you help “may receive you into the eternal dwellings.” This is eschatological language, describing what it is like at the end of time and beyond. Those who receive us are fellow believers, fellow sons of light. This is not just making friends like the manager, but it is about making eternal friends, and more than that, eternal brothers and sisters in Christ.
This is the proper management of our possessions, it is to serve others, either a fellow believer, or indirectly through mission work to enlarge the kingdom of God. And so Jesus’ final admonition in verse 10-12: “10 One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. 11 If then you have not been faithful with the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? 12 And if you have not been faithful with that which is another's, who will give you that which is your own?” But if you are faithful with the unrighteous wealth, you will be given the true riches, and if you are faithful with that which is another’s, then you will be given what is your own.
We are faithful, not in the sense of being loyal or dutiful in using the wealth, but faithful in having faith in the true master who gives us all things, the true riches that are truly ours. What do we have that is truly ours, that we truly keep forever? But in Christ we are given the true riches that are truly ours: faith, forgiveness, salvation, new life with a renewed body, the kingdom of God, and most importantly Christ himself. These are true riches that cannot fail. When we have these then we will have a right view and usage of our earthly possessions, which will fail one day. When we have this faith and all the heavenly gifts, then we will not serve 2 masters, but we serve the one who loves us and died for us and gives us all good things.
Our Gospel text for today takes quite a turn from the previous chapter about repentance with the 3 parables of the lost sheep, lost coin, and the lost sons, to the topic of money and its proper use. There is great rejoicing and celebration in heaven and on earth over one sinner who repents, and indeed there is much of that because this happens daily and most especially when we all join together weekly at the altar with angels and archangels and all the saints. And in our text today, Jesus teaches us that there is one thing that often draws us away from this merciful God who calls us to repentance and faith, namely, money, possessions, wealth, etc. Either we use it to serve others or we become its servants. As such, this parable is directly addressed to the disciples, thought it was still in the hearing of the Pharisees, who responded with ridicule at the end.
The parable itself is actually not too difficult to understand but what baffles the readers for the last 2000 years is verse 8 in which the master in the story commends the unrighteous manager, and also verse 9 which seems like a strange application of the parable (even though it comes from Jesus himself). So baffling that a Roman emperor in the 4th century (Julian the apostate, nephew of Constantine) used this text to discredit Christianity. But how does this parable and its application have anything to do with eternal salvation, if at all? Let’s understand the first dilemma, which is the question of why the master commended this unfaithful manager. And is this something we are to emulate? The story is simple. The manager is caught wasting his master’s possessions, that is, he was not doing his managerial tasks properly. He is promptly fired and required to turn in his books. During this short period of time, this manager devised a plan that will secure some sort of safety net for himself in the very near future. He summons the debtors, who were most likely property renters who paid the rent from the harvest. The difference in the reduction of the debt probably reflects the difference in the market value. The ingenuity of this ploy highly depended on the character of the master. The manager reduces the debt in order to make friends, knowing full well that the master would not change the numbers back. The master certainly has every right to revert to the original debt owed, but that would make him an enemy of the people and ruin his own reputation. The manager knows this and knows that he will get away with what he did. And it also seems that the manager assumes the master is so merciful that he would not be put in jail for what he did. This is the irony of this story, that the manager knows his master so well and trusted in him that he acted deceitfully.
This is the only aspect of his shrewdness that is commended by the master, not his mismanaging of his possessions nor the deceit with the debtors. So then verse 8 sort of transitions into a commentary, with verse 9 its application. This manager is likened to a “son of this age”, as opposed to a “son of light”. The use of the word “son” is more than just describing a person of either side. It describes a legal standing as heirs. The sons of this age are inheritors of this world, they have nothing to expect except the things of this world, and therefore their hopes and all their works are limited to what they see and only within their lifetime. They are indeed shrewd in that they know how to gain an advantage for themselves with their limited resources, even with ones that are not theirs, though at the expense of their consciences and morals. They are “shrewd” but not wise in the biblical sense, because they must rely on themselves and their wicked ways to have a future, which even then is a very limited future. All they have is this “age”. So while in the beginning of verse 8 the master commends the manager in the parable, the second part of the verse does not necessary have the same thrust. When Jesus says “For the sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light”, it is merely a commentary on the ways of this world. They are more shrewd than the sons of light, but it is not necessary better or more advantageous.
This is different from the “sons of light”, which is an interesting contrast because it’s not exactly the opposite (they are not “sons of the age to come” but of “light”). Sons or inheritors of light are not just heirs of the age to come, but they inherit much more, they have the light. Clearly this is referring to the disciples that he’s addressing and all who would believe in him. What then is this light? It is the saving truth, specifically, the light is Christ himself. If we have him, then we have everything, forgiveness of sins, true life, eternal life, a kingdom, an eternal home. We have an inheritance that is simply incomparable. This is what we have in Jesus Christ. For having taken our sins to die on the cross and having been raised from the dead after 3 days, he now lives and reigns to all eternity as the king of kings and lord of lords. And as St John tells us in his Gospel, “to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God…(Jn1:12). Those who trust and believe in him as the savior from sin, death, and the devil, are called children, sons, heirs, inheritors of the living God. Since we are the sons of light, since we are inheritors of these great gifts from above, we then can have a proper perspective on the gifts of this world, and use them accordingly.
Thus the application in verse 9: “And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth, so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal dwellings.” Money, wealth, possessions are called unrighteous not because in themselves they have a sinful quality, because objectively speaking it is simply a gift from God, used as a tool used for God’s purpose. It is called unrighteous here because it can and does become our master, a master that competes with God in our lives. Therefore we are to use it according to God’s purpose. Using it not for the self but for others. It is the exact opposite of what the manager in the parable was doing. He used someone else’s possessions for himself. Here, Jesus admonishes us to use what has been entrusted to us for the sake of others.
Is it just giving alms and being charitable? No, the purpose of money, aside from providing for your own self and family, is so that those you help “may receive you into the eternal dwellings.” This is eschatological language, describing what it is like at the end of time and beyond. Those who receive us are fellow believers, fellow sons of light. This is not just making friends like the manager, but it is about making eternal friends, and more than that, eternal brothers and sisters in Christ.
This is the proper management of our possessions, it is to serve others, either a fellow believer, or indirectly through mission work to enlarge the kingdom of God. And so Jesus’ final admonition in verse 10-12: “10 One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. 11 If then you have not been faithful with the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? 12 And if you have not been faithful with that which is another's, who will give you that which is your own?” But if you are faithful with the unrighteous wealth, you will be given the true riches, and if you are faithful with that which is another’s, then you will be given what is your own.
We are faithful, not in the sense of being loyal or dutiful in using the wealth, but faithful in having faith in the true master who gives us all things, the true riches that are truly ours. What do we have that is truly ours, that we truly keep forever? But in Christ we are given the true riches that are truly ours: faith, forgiveness, salvation, new life with a renewed body, the kingdom of God, and most importantly Christ himself. These are true riches that cannot fail. When we have these then we will have a right view and usage of our earthly possessions, which will fail one day. When we have this faith and all the heavenly gifts, then we will not serve 2 masters, but we serve the one who loves us and died for us and gives us all good things.
