Reflection on Luke 16:1-13

All the guy is worried about is his own survival.  But, at least that is better than what he was worried about just moments before: money. 

What are you worried about? 

I only ask because it is your worry that will control your life.  The dishonest manager is a clear example of what I am talking about.

At one time all the dishonest manager worried about was making money.  The man had been entrusted with keeping a rich man’s estate, and I assume that he was paid well for such a role.  However, the money that he earned must have still left him craving and desiring more because the manager started to squander the rich man’s estate.  The worry and desire for more led the man to take what was not his.

It is kind of like the church secretary and her husband who just a few years back were entrusted with a church’s money.  The couple stole from that church to the tune of thousands of dollars in order to fund their vacations to the Caribbean as well as other luxuries such as all terrain vehicles to drive around their home. 

On the outside, the couple appeared to be the epitome of great church members.  They would be the ones to greet people at the door with welcoming smiles.  They would be the ones who would encourage other people to get involved with things like Sunday School and the church’s soup kitchen.  They would be the ones to enthusiastically run the stewardship program.  Wait a minute.  That should have been the first clue.  No one enthusiastically runs a church stewardship program. 

In the end, the church discovered that the church secretary, who wrote out the checks for the church, was easily able to redirect investment money into her personal account because the church president and chair of finances who oversaw all of the money just happened to be…wait for it…her husband.

The dishonest manager is like them.  At one time, money and all that money can buy was what controlled the manager’s life and his actions.  What controls your actions?  What are you worried about?

I only ask because the punch line to Jesus’ whole story is, “No slave can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth."  In other words, everyone has something that controls their life. 

Everyone has some desire or ideal that is ultimately in control of everything.  Maybe, it is being a people pleaser, and everything that you decide has everything to do with what makes family and friends happy rather than what is good or right.  Maybe, it is children, and everything that you do revolves around what the children want in life and all other considerations have been left out of the equation.  Maybe, it is your career, and all of life’s decisions revolve around what your job dictates. 

Theologian Paul Tillich calls this having an “ultimate concern.”  Each one of us is controlled by some sort of “ultimate concern” whether you are religious or not.  And, these ultimate concerns direct all of our actions and decisions in very specific ways.  The dishonest manager’s previous ultimate concern, money, caused him to squander the estate entrusted to him.  But, once he was caught in his dishonesty and the money was taken away, his ultimate concern quickly shifted to “survival.”

“What will I do now?”  The soon to be former manager asks himself in his last hours of employment.  “I’m a weakling so I can’t go and dig ditches, but I’m also above begging.”  “You know what I will do?  I will make people happy so that they will love me and want to help me out once I am thrown to the streets!” 

That is exactly what he did.  During his last hours of employment the dishonest manager continued his dishonesty and squandered his master’s property even more by forgiving those who were in debt to the master part of their indebtedness.  So, the one guy who owed the master 100 jugs of oil had his debt reduced in the books to 50.  And, the guy who owned 100 containers of wheat, with the stroke of some ink, now only owed 80.  Soon, both the manager and the rich man were viewed as gracious and merciful people by those in the community because of the guy’s dishonesty.

Listen.  Let’s be clear here.  The dishonest, former manager is not gracious and merciful.  He only cares about his own survival.  But, at least his concern about his own survival caused him to do something good.  At least his ultimate concern was no longer money because money was no longer an option.

Money can be so corrupting.  It can lead people to think that they are self-made and make them feel self-righteous. 

“I’m rich, you’re not, and you must be doing something wrong if you also are not rich.  Work harder, care about money more, and you can be rich too.” 

I know that is portrayed quite crassly, but that is how it works, right?  Money and wealth is so powerful of an ultimate concern.  I once talked with a struggling single mother who lamented, “I don’t want to care about money.  I don’t want to focus on money.  But, when you are trying to keep your children safe and fed, I am forced to focus on money all the time.  How do I get more?  How do I spend it wiser?  Where did the kids put my purse?  I don’t want money to be my god, but it is anyway.”

I get it.  I understand.  Even when you do not want to sin, you sin even more.  The Apostle Paul has a lot to say about that in Romans, chapter 7, “I can will what is right, but I cannot do it. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do…I find it to be a law that when I want to do what is good, evil lies close at hand.”

But, do not forget that the dishonest manager is commended for at least choosing to help someone through his dishonesty rather than hurt someone.  What I mean to say is: Jesus is able to take your less than honorable concerns and turn them in a way that serves him.  The man’s desire for survival was used to relieve other people’s burdens in ways that his pursuit of money never did.  I guess it all comes down to who you serve.  Who do your serve? 

Serving money never leads to God.  Jesus is clear about that.  But, serving your own need to survive?  Jesus might be able to work with that and transform it.  Serving your need to keep your children safe?  Jesus might be able to work with that and transform it.  Serving your need to make others happy?  Jesus might be able to work with that also and transform that too.  Jesus is able to transform your weakness into something merciful and compassionate and good.  Jesus is able and willing to transform you.

As Paul says in Philippians 3:20-21:  “Our citizenship is in heaven, and it is from there that we are expecting a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. He will transform the body of our humiliation that it may be conformed to the body of his glory, by the power that also enables him to make all things subject to himself.”

Jesus was a guy with no money who healed, fed, and forgave everywhere he went.  Ultimately, he gave his life on the cross to show mercy to the whole world.  His focus was in no way on money.  He never accounted for how much money his ministry of mercy needed.  Jesus just did it.  He just showed love and served those who needed him.  Jesus’ focus was entirely on God’s love.

How is that for an ultimate concern?  What if God’s love directed your every action?  What if God’s love was the final factor in your thoughts and decisions in life?  What if God’s love was the final factor in the church’s thoughts and decisions? 

Maybe, just maybe, people would find relief when they encounter you rather than stress.  Maybe, just maybe, people would find love when they encounter you rather than deception and false motivations.  Maybe, just maybe, people would find God’s love, because you have actually allowed God to fill you with that love.

Be devoted to the one who is devoted to you, even to the point of death; Jesus Christ our Lord.