The Shrewd Manager

Thoughts from Luke 15:1 through 16:15. 
My mind keeps going back to that dishonest manager that Jesus talked about in last week's sermon! Was Jesus really commending dishonesty? I thought shrewd was another way of saying dishonest, but I was mistaken.  Synonyms for shrewd include astute, smart, perceptive, wise, insightful, clever.  The manager in the parable was both dishonest and shrewd, deceitful and clever, corrupt and wise.  

In this instance, Jesus told a collection of parables in response to a specific situation. The story of the shrewd but dishonest manager is the last of four stories and seems to be best understood in that greater context. 

Large crowds followed Jesus from place to place, listening to his teachings, asking him questions, seeking his advice.  In addition to his closest disciples, the crowd was made up of common people of all sorts, as well as disrespected tax collectors, people of ill-repute, and, occasionally, religious leaders meandered along with them.   In this particular situation the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, respected religious men, faulted Jesus for associating with this unsavory element of society. In their disgust they muttered, "This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them."   

Jesus heard the snide remarks and began to tell the story of a shepherd going to look for a lost sheep and finding it.  The shepherd's nature seeks and saves the lost.  The marginalized people in the crowd, those shunned by proper society, recognized themselves as the wandering sheep caught in the bush and found comfort to know the Shepherd was seeking for them, desiring to bring them back to the fold.  

Jesus hardly hesitated before he began a second tale.  A woman looks high and low for her coin that had fallen through the cracks.  She seeks for it because it is valuable to her.  Some in the crowd recognized themselves in that parable, too.  They had indeed fallen through the cracks, but were they really as valuable to heaven as the coin was to the woman?  Or as dear to heaven as the stranded sheep was to the shepherd?

The Pharisees and the teachers of the law listened to the same stories, but focused on the joy of the shepherd when he found his sheep and the great celebration of the woman as she retrieved her coin.  That kind of celebration was normal in those situations because the sheep and the coin were of monetary value, but to think that the angels in heaven would rejoice over one of these sinners... that was a stretch for anyone to believe.  And yet, that is exactly what Jesus said.  The religious leaders doubted he knew what he was talking about.  

Taking a deep breath Jesus continued.  His third tale, very similar to the first two, told about a man with two sons.  The younger one requested his share of the inheritance.  Without much delay the younger son took his new found wealth, left home, and squandered it in extravagant, wasteful living.  In this story the father did not go after his son, but waited, always hoping his son would return to him. When the younger son finally come to his senses and returned to the old home-place he found his father waiting for him, eager to welcome him home.  

The father's joy was equal to that of the shepherd and the woman in the previous stories, and the celebration even much more elaborate.  Those alienated from their spiritual roots found comfort in this story as they had in the previous ones.  However, Jesus added another element to this story.  The older son comes in from the field, sees the celebration and begins to mutter, "My father welcomes this sinner and even throws a feast for him!  For me, his faithful son, he does nothing!"  

The Pharisees and the teachers of the law recognized their own words in this story!  The words of condemnation they had spoken only a few minutes earlier, "This man welcomes sinners and eats with them!"  They realized Jesus had overheard their critical comments.  The "tax collectors and 'sinners'" had, indeed, squandered their inheritance, thought one of the religious leaders.  Jesus had described the sinners well, but obviously Jesus was also saying something about him and his religious colleagues.  

Jesus was not yet finished.  He continued with a fourth tale--a story of a rich man and his manager.  The story develops as the manager is accused of squandering the possessions of his rich master.  

'Much like the younger son in the previous story squandered his inheritance,' thought one of the Pharisees with disdain, 'very much like these sinners crowding closer to hear Jesus.'  

The rich man in this story calls the manager to account for his activities and in the same conversation dismisses him.  The religious leaders smile.  Now Jesus is telling it the way it is!  The sinners will have to give an account for their lives. They will answer for how they've wasted it.  The religious ones finally felt justified.
  
Jesus continued.  The manager assesses his situation, looks at himself honestly, saying, "I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg."  Faced with this recent change of status, the manager constructs a plan of action in his mind and methodically carries it out. Tying up loose ends before he leaves his post, the manager calls in the rich man's debtors, looks at the inflated bill that he had given to each debtor previously.  Then he glances at the master's books to see the actual amount due.  The bill says 100 jugs of olive oil.  The amount on the books was only 50.  The manager had intended to take the extra 50 jugs of oil for himself, hurting no one... or so he thought!  

The tax-collectors in the crowd recognized what the manager was doing.  They had done exactly that!  Rome tells them to gather 10 coins, they gather 15 and pocket the extra 5. Profit is the name of the game!  At first the tax-collectors felt justified in their abuse of power because Jesus was using it in his story.    

However, as Jesus continued his story, the manager seems to have a change of heart.   With his future hanging in the balance the manager willingly gives up 'his share' of the profit!  He turns his back on the 'dishonest wealth' and with this selfless act he ingratiates himself to the debtors and, perhaps with this denial of himself, he demonstrates to his former rich master that he is repentant of his dishonest ways.  The rich man commends the manager for his cleverness, recognizing the manager's wisdom in sacrificing short-term gain for future security.

Everyone in the crowd, the religious leaders, the so-called sinners, and the disciples, lean in toward Jesus to hear the end of this tale!  What exactly is Jesus saying?  Is the rich man commending his manager's dishonesty?  Surely not!  Jesus clarifies, "...the children of this age are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light."  

The disciples, the closest followers of Jesus, stood puzzled, still trying to sort out the meaning of this tale.

The tax collectors and sinners recognized themselves as the dishonest manager and the children of this age. They heard Jesus commend them for turning their backs on their present circumstance as they turn from their dishonest ways.  

The religious leaders heard, "...the children of this age (that would be the sinners and the tax collectors) are more shrewd (wiser) in dealing with their own generation (recognizing their present condition) than are the children of light (that's us, the religious upstanding citizens, we are the children of light!)."  But as the religious Pharisees and teachers mulled this over in their minds, they realized that Jesus was saying the disreputable, marginalized citizens are wiser in recognizing their present condition than are the upstanding citizens! That did not set right with them because they were the upstanding citizens!  With that, their muscles tensed and their ire began to rise.  

Jesus did not stop there!  He went on to insinuate that everyone skims off the top!  All of us are accumulating for ourselves this 'dishonest wealth' just as the manager was!  None of us are good stewards!  The question is whether we can recognize it and deny our self this unlawful profit. Jesus indicates we are to "make friends" with this portion that is not really ours, this "dishonest wealth" as he calls it, so that when it is gone (when we willingly give it up) we can be welcomed into "the eternal home."  

Again, the jaw muscles of the religious listeners tightened.  The 'upstanding citizens' did not like what they were hearing.  

Jesus begins to spell out the implications for those listening to his stories.  Character, true character, is demonstrated in little things. Whether faithful or dishonest, it shows up in how one handles the insignificant aspects of life.  

So, how are we doing with that portion we have squirreled away for ourselves?  Do we even recognize that we are dishonest stewards of our God-given responsibilities?  Do we continue to hoard it, to squander it, to claim it as our own?  If we can't be trusted with the things of this world (the gifts of nature, the provisions for life given by God), how can we be trusted with "true riches" ...that which is eternal in nature?   Do we serve faithfully as good stewards or are we serving ourselves, selfishly skimming off the top?    

Jesus finishes speaking, saying, "No one can serve two masters!  You will hate one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other.  You cannot serve God and wealth!"  

The religious ones in the crowd loved money and they sneered at this teaching of Jesus! They loved money but despised the disreputable element in society that Jesus welcomed. What was this country preacher trying to say with these stories!  They were the religious leaders!  They were the teachers of the law!  They were the upstanding citizens! People looked up to them!  

Jesus simply responded to their sneer by saying, "You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of others; but God knows your hearts; for what is prized by human beings is an abomination in the sight of God."

Luke 15:1 through 16:15. 

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