Jesus taught that people should sell their possessions and give the money to the poor. Then they should come and follow him. We know that teaching well. We don’t like it. We don’t like it because our stuff is so important to us. And, we don’t like it because it raises all sorts of questions: “Does Jesus really mean that? How would that work? How would we survive? If everyone did that then what would happen?”
Then we have the parable of the dishonest manager that we read today. It leaves us completely puzzled. What are we supposed to get from this? Isn’t commending someone for mismanagement which is covered up by sneakiness the exact opposite of what Jesus taught? Indeed it is.
Biblical scholars that I’ve studied say that this parable is intended to continue the teachings from the previous chapter. We read those last week. You’ll remember it was three parables about lost things: 1 in 100 sheep lost, 1 in 10 coins lost, and 1 in 2 sons lost. However, the scholars think that even though we are intended to see it as a continuation of the teaching we should not use the same interpretive technique.
Jesus often taught in parables. Parables are memorable and a good way to teach things, especially if you’re trying to get across multiple meanings at once. The problem with parable is knowing how you’re supposed to interpret them. In some, like the three we read last week, every detail is important and they are very symbolic. But other parables may be loosely created and not symbolic at all. The biblical scholars say we shouldn’t read too much into the parable of the dishonest manager. Jesus was just using an example that people of the time would easily understand.
So we have a rich man who has a manager and the rich man finds out that his manager has been reckless and irresponsible with his property. The rich man decides to fire the manager and demands that he turn over the accounting records.
Now these days if a person gets fired from their job, or even in the case of layoffs and downsizing, a person may be told of their firing and then immediately escorted to the door. If they have possessions at their desk or work area someone else will gather them and bring them to them. The fired or laid-off employee is not allowed to return lest they do something malicious in revenge. That is the smart way to get rid of an employee. But as Jesus has crafted this parable the manager is allowed to leave to get the records. While he may technically be fired at this point, no one outside knows it. Certainly the rich man’s debtors do not. The manager makes use of this. The manager is an agent of the rich man. He is allowed to make business deals and legal transactions in the rich man’s name. They are binding just as if the rich man did them himself. And so, he shrewdly and systematically summons his master’s debtors and lowers their debts. The amount of these debts are quite large. We’d call them commercial quantities. A hundred jugs of olive oil would be 25 times the amount a family farm could produce. So, it’s not like this manager is making little deals with little people. He’s making big deals with commercial producers. It was a quid pro quo system. I scratch your back and you have to scratch mine. The dishonest manager has reduced the amounts his master was owed and in so doing put those in debt to his master in debt to him. It is very cunning – manage someone else’s assets such that they lose them and you benefit. Those who owed the master will now be under social obligation to the manager when he is fired.
You’d expect the rich man to be apoplectic with rage. But as Jesus crafts the parable the master commends the shrewdness of the manager. It makes no sense, but this is Jesus’ parable and he puts the sudden twist on it to make his point. He says, “For the children of this age are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than are the children of the light.” In other words, if you have wealth use it shrewdly for God’s purposes. Earthly wealth is completely worthless in eternal life. But it is a tool that can be effective for doing God’s work in this life. See it and use it as such.
Let’s look at how this can play out, for it gives us principles for the use of money.
I believe most financial management companies offer what is called social purpose investments. Many highly profitable ways to invest money do not fit with Christian values. Weapons manufacturing, pornography, and gambling are solidly profitable industries. But do they fit with our values? Do we feel right investing in them? How does a comfortable retirement feel knowing your comforts are coming at the exploitation of others?
Similarly, investing in things that are socially
constructive, environmentally sustainable, and promoting human rights may not be as profitable, but you are putting the power of your money to work in ways that align with your values. The national church’s retirement plan has social purpose investing which I’m glad to be a part of.
That’s all fine and good. But it can lead to people building towers of righteousness for themselves and boasting about how superior their morality is. When, in fact, they are hardly doing anything at all. Plus, based on this parable, Jesus is calling for more.
Let’s say you don’t like what a company does. You’re most obvious choice is to avoid them. Boycott their products. If you can get enough people to boycott them they may change what they do. But there’s also another way. Instead of avoiding the company, you invest in it. If you and enough other investors buy enough stock you’ll be able to influence the board of directors and thus company operation. Now this is becoming more shrewd. I’m often critical of pastors and church leaders who go on and on about avoiding this product or that because they don’t think what they do is good. They are quick to say: “…don’t buy this product because they don’t treat animals well, …or they aren’t environmentally sensitive, …or they’re exploitative of labor.” But I’ve never heard the opposite approach. People never say, “Let’s buy up a company and force it to change.” That’s a more effective approach. The problem is that aside from the fact that it takes a lot of money, it also requires a good deal more thought and management than just complaining about a company, and because you complain you’ve put yourself on what you think is the moral high ground. My thoughts on this are these: If you have enough economic clout to make a boycott successful, then you probably also have enough economic clout to make a buyout possible. And if you don’t, then what are you really accomplishing?
Let’s return to Jesus’ words to focus the point. Jesus concludes, “And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of dishonest wealth so that when it is gone they may welcome you into the eternal homes.”
What is “dishonest wealth” we ask? Jesus would say that all wealth is dishonest. All wealth gives a sense of power and security that is false. It may appear to in terms of this world, but it does not in eternal life. And ultimately it is eternal life that our lives should be focused upon. There is the silly story of the lawyer who somehow gets permission that after he dies he gets to take one suitcase full of earthly stuff to heaven. He loads his suitcase full of gold bricks. When he arrives in heaven the angels open his suitcase and laugh hysterically at what they see saying, “He brought paving stones!?!”
All money, all power, all status is dishonest. In this parable Jesus teaches us how to use all of it. Use it to spread the good news of salvation.
I think we need to look at all the stuff that we have – furniture and household possessions, our cars, the stuff in our closets, the stuff piled up in our garages, the stuff we may have in a rented storage area, and ask ourselves how we are using all of that dishonest wealth to build God’s kingdom? If not, then why do we have it; especially if we are having to pay extra to store it. And we need to look at our bank account balances, mutual funds, stock and bond investments, and all sorts of savings; plus real estate, homes, business investments and the like and ask ourselves how are we using that dishonest wealth? Are we using it in a way that is focused on ourselves and our comforts and indulgences and safety, or are we using it in a way that does God’s work. If you aren’t using it for God’s work, then what is its purpose? Comfort and ease are not the goal of this life. That’s shallow short-term thinking.
Then further ask ourselves, what clever, shrewd, savvy, and unconventional ways can we apply those assets for our God? You know full well that many people lay awake at night cooking up schemes to increase their wealth. We should be laying awake at night cooking up schemes to do God’s work.
Be creative. Be shrewd. Don’t think that doing God’s work is always clean and pure and white such that you’ll never get dust on your finest clothes. Jesus didn’t live that way. Jesus walked in the dust of the earth with no earthly means of wealth and yet with nothing bought for us the greatest gift of eternal life.
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