Psalm 138
Amos 8:4-12
I Timothy 2:1-8
Luke 16:1-13
Several of the commentaries I read when I was working on this morning's sermon said that today's parable about the dishonest manager is noteworthy among scholars for its obscurity. It was a relief to find out that I wasn't the only one who was baffled.
What on earth is Jesus getting at?
To make this a bit easier to follow, let's just say that the manager's name is Jake and the rich man's' name is Karl.
So Karl fires Jake for mismanaging his money - Jake's probably been doing things like living it up with Karl's best wine and padding his expense account - and, as was common practice in those days, he's probably been gouging the customers too - you know, increasing the interest on their debts and pocketing the difference.
Now while Karl probably doesn't much care whether Jake's been gouging the customers, Jake taking advantage of Karl is another matter altogether. So he cans Jake - and warns him that he'd best get the books in shape - and do it quickly.
So does Jake learn his lesson and start trying to replace things he's used or ruined in order to make the books balance? Heck no! He just figures out a way to get in good with the folks he's been exploiting by doing some fancy footwork with the books.
And when he finds out that Jake's still fleecing him, does Karl have him arrested? Nope -instead he turns around and slaps the fellow on the back and congratulates him for his shrewdness. I can just see it - Karl handing him a drink and saying, "I like your style, Jake. You're almost a chip off the old block - gotta appreciate a man for using the wits God gave him."
So after Jesus tells the story, we might expect him to be pretty disgusted with both Karl and Jake. After all they're people who put themselves first and seem to have built up their wealth on the backs of those who are less fortunate. They sound like the folks Amos is talking about - people who exploit the poor and walk all over the weak; who give little, take much and never do an honest day's work. But Jesus doesn't even comment on the deceit and dishonesty. In fact he compares them to his own followers - and in the comparison, Jesus' followers don't seem to be coming out on top.
Jesus seems to be commending Jake for his wily ways, and pointing out that his disciples are pretty slow-witted by comparison. It sounds like he's agreeing with Karl - that you've "gotta appreciate a man for using the wits God gave him."
And if that isn't enough, then Jesus goes on to say that his disciples had better start using dishonest wealth to make some friends for themselves - so that when they're headed for the pearly gates, they'll have some friends there to vouch for them.
You know - It wouldn't be all that hard to read Jesus' remarks as supporting such beliefs as "the end justifies the means" or "God helps those who help themselves first" or "I'll scratch your back if you scratch mine." Now those don't seem like such savory principles to live by if you ask me.
When I was a kid, maybe 10 or 11, I remember a time when my and cousins and I were eavesdropping on a conversation between our Grandpa and one of our neighbors whose name was Bart. Bart was kind of like Jake - he was tricky and always watched out for himself. He never hesitated to ask Grandpa to help him out when he was in a pickle - but when Grandpa could use a hand, Bart never seemed to be around.
That day Bart had come over to tell Grandpa that we kids had gathered black walnuts that were on his property - and he expected Grandpa to pay for them. - even though the tree they'd fallen from was on our land. Well now, my Grandpa was a pretty mild mannered man and it took a good deal for him to get his dander up - but as they talked I knew that Grandpa was starting to get pretty riled up. I could always tell - cuz a red spot would start showing up on his throat when he was getting upset about something.
While they were debating the issue, Bart kept quoting scripture to justify his position - and this parable we're talking about today was prominent in his argument. Now Grandpa never wanted to make enemies of a neighbor - especially over something that seemed so petty. But he was also getting pretty tired of Bart's attitude - that Bart always came first - and to heck with the other guy.
So while Bart was going on and on about how Jesus appreciated a man that used his wits, Grandpa was getting more and more quiet. Now we kids always knew that when Grandpa started to get quiet real quiet like that - something was going to happen - and we still didn't know for sure who he as mad at - Bart or us.
Well Grandpa called all us kids into the kitchen and asked us about where we'd gotten the last batch of black walnuts we'd gathered. We confessed that they'd been on Bart's land - but protested that they'd come from our tree. Grandpa got quiet again - for what seemed like an eternity - and the red spot on his throat was getting bigger and brighter as we waited.
Now the Annual Community Social was coming up the next weekend. It was a time when there were lots of games and raffles and such - sort of like a great big church social. And the money that was raised for it was used to help folks get through the winter - folks who were having a rough time making ends meet - who needed money for warm clothes or heat or food and things like that.
Bart had always been very outspoken about the Social. In his opinion, it was all a waste of time and money - people who were down on their luck were just lazy and didn't want to do an honest day's work.
Grandpa had been involved in helping organize this event for years. And every year he'd ask Bart to donate something or come to the Social and support the project. And every year Bart told Grandpa what he thought of it and would have nothing to do with it.
Grandpa looked at Bart - he looked at us kids - and said - "Well, seems to me like everyone's got a stake in these walnuts. So I'll tell you what I'm gonna do." He told Bart that he was going to make us kids hull all those black walnuts and then make cakes to sell at the Social. And every cake would be identified as a donation from Bart. I think that was the only time I ever saw Bart at a loss for words.
You know when Jesus was talking about the wily and dishonest manager, I don't think he was telling Bart that anything goes as long as he's using the wits God gave him. I think Jesus is challenging each one of us to look at how we're using the intelligence God gave us. And when we're faced with the messes that only we human beings can create, God wants us to use all our wits to straighten things out in a way that helps those who are less fortunate.
So the next time we're in some kind of mess - whether it's of our making or someone else's, the next time God presents us with a baffling and frustrating situation, the next time we're tempted to use our gifts, talents and wits to wriggle out of a tough spot - perhaps we could take a few minutes and ask God how God wants us to use those gifts we've been given.
You know - each time we remember to do that, I suspect that the Kingdom of God will be just a little bit closer than it was before.
AMEN