 By Ben Cluff, Lay Preacher
May the words of my mouth and the meditation of all our hearts be acceptable in Thy sight, O Lord, our strength and our redeemer. Good morning, Our gospel lesson today has challenged me for quite some time. It generally confuses me. I do not think I am alone in this confusion. In preparing for today’s sermon, I encountered a wide variety of interpretations of today’s gospel passage. Jesus shares this parable with His disciples. This particular parable is often referred to as the Parable of the Unjust or Unrighteous, or Dishonest Steward. We are introduced to a rich man who has in his employ a steward or manager. Word gets to the rich man that this steward is squandering the rich man’s property. We are not sure exactly what the steward is doing, but whatever the specific mismanagement is, it justifies firing the steward. The rich man calls the steward to him. The rich man says, “I have heard reports about you. Give me an accounting of your management, because you cannot be my manager any longer.” Then we are given a peek into the internal voice of the steward-“What will I do now?” I have always found it interesting that the steward never denies any wrongdoing - he just says, what am I going to do now? The steward conducts a quick self-assessment. I am not strong enough for physical labor - I am not strong enough to dig. I have too much pride to beg- I am ashamed to beg. Aha!!! I have a plan - I have decided what to do so that, when I am dismissed as manager, people may welcome me into their homes. He has a plan that he hopes will take care of him upon being without his job. So the steward gathers some of his master’s debtors, those of whom have an outstanding balance. To the first debtor, the steward asks What do you owe? The response: One hundred jugs of olive oil. OK listen, he says, take your bill and cut it down to fifty. To another debtor he says, how much do you owe? The response: a hundred containers of wheat. The steward says, take your bill and reduce it down to eighty. And here is the confusing part for me; the steward is commended. “And his master commended the dishonest manager because he acted shrewdly; for the children of this age are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light.” Jesus then says, “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.” You know that phrase that we encounter many times, “Let those with ears, hear what is being said”? This phrase comes to mind whenever I encounter this particular parable. I hear it, but cannot claim, with any degree of confidence, that I understand it. Thank goodness, what I call the punchline of this passage, is unambiguous. “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.” As Dan reminded us last week, this parable fits into a series of parables found throughout the gospel of Saint Luke. Last week we heard of the lost sheep and the lost coin and the joy before angels of God over one sinner who repents. Last week’s gospel lesson is followed by the Parable of the Prodigal Son. This week we hear of the Unjust Steward and how we cannot serve God and wealth. Next week we will hear of a rich man who learns what is really important, after it is too late. The general theme of these seems to be our consideration and acknowledgement of wealth; but wealth broadly, generally; material wealth, financial wealth, spiritual wealth, charitable wealth, intellectual wealth, wealth of talent and treasure. And this consideration and acknowledgement being within the context of, one of my favorite topics for reflection, the inherent tension between the spiritual and the secular. Before I go any further, I would like to include the two verses that come immediately after today’s gospel lesson. Verse 13 concludes with “You cannot serve God and wealth. Followed by verses 14 and 15: 14. The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all this and they scoffed at him. 15. But he said unto them, You are those who justify yourselves before people, but God knows your heart; for what is exalted among people is an abomination in the sight of God.” Are there days when you feel wealthier than other days? Are there days when it is easier to share your money, your time, yourself with those around you or with complete strangers? Taking a page from the unjust steward, are we shrewd in the use of our spiritual resources or the application of our faith to our daily lives? It did occur to me that the steward’s plan did not have an immediate payoff. He was hoping that the consideration given to the debtors would benefit him, in the long run. I do not even know if this is a noteworthy observation. Again, I hear but do not always feel as if I understand completely. Generally, these parables often can generate more questions than answers. For example; Do I pursue a list of priorities that exclude God? Am I busy throughout any given day, working with my nose to the grindstone - and never give God a second thought? Do we let God in, as we pursue the acquisition of people, places and things? Are we driven to obtain and protect some level of status or public esteem? Is God present in that pursuit? Am I balanced between work and home? Am I in balance between selfishness and charity? All of these questions, and more can be prompted by these parables. Some days I hear better than other days. I think entertaining these questions and reflecting on these parables, given to us by Jesus, can be a very important part of our daily, ongoing, relationship with God. They encourage us to reflect, they provide means by which we actively participate in our relationship with God. And hopefully those means lead to the end of participating in our lives and with those we encounter, in a way that is guided and influenced by the overwhelming loving kindness of a loving God. In considering the master, his dishonest steward, the Pharisees and Jesus’ response to them, there are familiar words that seem to rise to the top, so to speak. I wonder if that is the case for you as well. Prompted by the relationship between the master and his steward and the relationship between the steward and the debtors, this phrase comes to my mind: “Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.” And prompted by the desire to strive for balanced priorities: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first commandment. And the second is like unto it: Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” Amen  By Dan Carew, Lay Preacher
We find ourselves at the beginning of the 15th chapter of Luke but it seems we’re jumping into the middle of something. Prior to this, Jesus had dinner at a religious leader’s home, and then moved along with a large crowd traveling with him. However it is hard to tell if he was having a meal and the large crowds followed him or if he was traveling somewhere after the meal. Regardless, Jesus’ revolutionary actions and teachings continue to grate against the social norms, rituals and laws held by the religious leaders. Here those leaders are scoffing at Jesus’s hospitality towards tax collectors and sinners who were drawing near to him. Again, all the norm for Jesus. Luke documents four instances of Jesus eating with or in the company of “sinners and tax collectors”.1 His actions and words continually call for the changing of one’s mind - not only in those ancient times, but they are still speaking today. In these instances where the religious leaders are being… you fill in the blank because what is running through your head and what is running through mine is probably not appropriate for the pulpit, even if they are the best descriptive nouns. In these instances, Jesus always seems to have a savvy way of responding, sometimes cryptic, sometimes scaffolded and sometimes explicitly clear. It is here that he tells them a 3-part parable, two parts found in our gospel selection this morning and one that appeared during Lent this year that we need to consider in the bigger picture of Jesus’s response. He starts with a hypothetical mindset of a shepherd, who with 100 sheep loses one, and leaves the 99 other sheep in the wilderness to seek after the missing one. We know nothing about this sheep other than it went missing and the shepherd looked for it. What we can know is that the sheep most likely wandered away from the flock due to its own instinctual needs like thirst and hunger. Did the sheep sin? No, it’s operating on its instincts to meet its needs. Did it say to itself “I’m leaving the flock and going over here”? Mostly likely not based upon what research has told us of livestock intellectual capacities. So, the shepherd sets out to find this one lost sheep. When he finds the sheep he doesn’t drive it back to where it belongs and there’s no mention of a sheep dog to guide it back to the flock. This shepherd lays it on his shoulders. Let’s think about this for a moment. I don’t know about you, but I have had some interactions with sheep in my lifetime. First, there is no easy way to wrangle a sheep so one might put it on their shoulders. This I know from the few times that my son and I have spent helping a friend shear sheep. Our job was to escort the sheep from the pen to the shearer - a distance of maybe 15 or 20 feet. Needless to say they don’t move willingly and they don’t come when called - they avoid and run away at every opportunity. Second, sheep are not small animals, on average they are between 100 and 200 pounds. The energy it took to move a sheep laterally is one thing, to pick it up and hoist it onto one’s shoulders - that’s a whole different level. This shepherd is exerting an extraordinary amount of effort, he had to navigate the wilderness in order to find this sheep and then the physical effort in getting it and carrying it. Once he has the sheep in his possession he rejoices personally and then returns home, where he calls “friends and neighbors” to rejoice with him. We’ll get to the celebration in just a moment but first let’s look at the lost coin. In the second part of Jesus’s parable he talks of a woman who has ten coins and loses one of them. Historical research indicates that the coins were likely drachmas which were worth a day’s wages and about the size of a modern day nickel. So, something quite valuable but also relatively small in size. She, like the shepherd, takes great effort to find the lost coin. She lights a lamp. She sweeps the house. When the coin is found she calls together “friends and neighbors” to rejoice with her. The third part of this parable is about the lost son, or the prodigal son. As you might recall, a son asks his father for his share of the inheritance, leaves the family and squanders his wealth. He is “lost”. The son has some humbling experiences and returns back home, where he is “found”. The father rejoices by clothing the son with luxurious items and hosting a feast. Each of these parts ends with a communal celebration, which is implied with the lost sheep and the lost coin in the words “Rejoice with me for I have found…”. Each of these celebrations include friends and neighbors, or those that are near to the celebrant, but the celebrations are in excess. I mean, 1% of your flock is found and you’re throwing a party? And you are slaughtering another animal to supply the party with a meal! 10% of your money is found, and you’ve called the neighborhood to party with you? How are you funding that party? Oh, right with the ten coins you own. With the lost son it makes some sense to be happy, but really? A party after he squandered half of the inheritance? Really? No doubt when we hear this parable we liken the characters to God. In the ancient times, in the times of Jesus, those listening may have made the same connections. However, these depictions that Jesus has given are revolutionary. Jesus’s life and teachings continually cut away and open up our understanding of the divine, that is if we let them. When Jesus hears the religious leaders grumbling, he uses the parable to further illustrate what Yahweh has been communicating through human history since the covenant with Abraham. They are grumbling because in those times, remaining righteous and clean meant adhering to laws and rituals that divided, excluded, and devalued other human beings who didn’t meet the criteria, were social outcasts, or ceremonially unclean. Humans of ancient times did these things to remain in favor with the gods, which in turn elevated their status among their tribes, their communities, and anyone who was not one of them. Oh, wait. This still occurs… today. Jesus’s life and teachings continually cut away and open up our understanding of the divine, if we let them. In the ancient mindset, humans lived in fear of divine punishment. This mindset comes through in much of the Old Testament writings and in the actions of people recorded in the New Testament. In today’s reading from Exodus, the Israelites have become impatient with Yahweh, and have fabricated a new god, a golden calf, in hopes of altering their circumstances. The ancient divine consequence, what should happen, is that the Israelites would fall out of favor with God, then experience divine wrath and eradication. This looks to be the case as Yahweh’s wrath is flaming hot, but what really happens? Moses petitions Yahweh to spare the Israelites and Yahweh is convinced, thereby showing mercy and upholding the Abrahamic covenant. In the 51st Psalm, we hear the words of David, a king who has committed adultery and murder. The ancient divine consequence, what should happen, is that David should expect a divine curse, to fall out of favor with god, and potentially be put to death. But what really happens? David asks for Yahweh’s mercy and for spiritual cleansing, thus showing that his relationship with God is intact. And if you weren’t sure, David is a great-, great-, great-, (25 times!) grandfather to Jesus. His lineage leads to Jesus. In Paul’s letter to Timothy, we hear of Paul's escapades - a violent pursuer and persecutor of early Jesus followers. Ancient divine consequence, what should happen, is Paul would be condemned and potentially put to death, and while he would eventually die, it was not at the hands of an angry god. What really happened? Paul was shown mercy, and transformed by his encounter with God through Christ. He was “appointed” for God’s service. Now returning to our Gospel selection, we have lost items. One of a hundred sheep, one of ten coins, and if we included the third part, one wayward child. Ancient divine consequence would say, abandon the items, they are not worthy of divine attention. Even the child that broke honor codes and brought shame to the family, especially the father. For the dishonor, he is disowned. Now remember we are likening the characters in the parable to God. So what really happens? The sheep is chased down. The coin is searched for. The lost son is welcomed with open arms. Excessive celebration is had by all. This God that Jesus depicts in the parable is radically different from the god the religious leaders adhered to. It’s one thing for a god of ancient times to potentially change their mind about a matter, but to pursue a lost and wandering human is far outside the norm of ancient beliefs. This God goes to great lengths. Finding takes time and effort. Searching a vast area is difficult. But according to Jesus, those that wander off, those that are lost, those that have strayed, God will seek and search. Whether it’s: ● a 50% loss, 1 of 2 sons; ● a 10% loss, 1 of 10 coins; or ● a 1% loss, 1 of 100 sheep; regardless of the loss percentage, God still pursues. God will find, and when necessary God will keep watch for a return. And when they are found there will be a raging celebration! Let me end with a quote from Brian McLaren, “to follow Jesus is to change one’s understanding of God. To accept Jesus and to accept the God Jesus loved is to become an atheist in relation to the Supreme Being of violent and dominating power. We are not demoting God to a lower, weaker level; we are rising to a higher and deeper understanding of God as pure light, with no shadow of violence, conquest, exclusion, hostility, or hate at all. … We might say that two thousand years ago, Jesus inserted into the human imagination a radical new vision of God—nondominating, nonviolent, supreme in service, and self-giving…”. Amen. |
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We believe God is calling us to cultivate a community of love, joy, hope, and healing. Jesus is our model for a life of faith, compassion, hospitality, and service. We strive to be affirming and accessible, welcoming and inclusive; we seek to promote reconciliation, exercise responsible stewardship, and embrace ancient traditions for modern lives.
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