Amos 8:4-7
Psalm 113
1 Timothy 2:1-7
Luke 16:1-13
Understandably,
we can all of us be left a little confused, a little disturbed by this parable
of Jesus. The very fact that it is commonly known by two names, the “parable of
the dishonest manager” or the “parable of the shrewd manager”, belies our ambivalence as to its significance
and our feelings towards it. That Jesus
calls the manager – or steward, as some older translations render the Greek –
both dishonest and shrewd doesn’t
help matters. Moreover, that the
landowner himself commends the manager’s actions equally confuses. Isn’t the landowner, after all, losing money? In our questions we are not alone, and from
the beginning this particular parable has posed problems and presented quandaries
to our ancestors in the faith. Indeed,
while most biblical scholars believe that the parable itself – verses 1-8 –
finds its origin in the words of the historical Jesus, it is generally accepted that (as one group
of scholars put it) “the several sayings [the writer of] Luke has attached to
it are attempts to moralize and soften it.”
That’s everything after the landowner commends the manager. Certainly, uncomfortable with the narrative’s
implications, various preachers and writers have tried to make sense of what is going on
by somehow explaining why Jesus would praise the manger’s dishonesty. Nevertheless, while positing several guesses,
none seem immediately satisfactory.
Whichever way we look at it, the manager has reduced the size of the
debt – whether interest or principle – and is cheating the landowner of his
due.
One of the
reasons we have trouble with the parable, is the vantage point in which we
place ourselves as we read or hear it. After
all, that is one of the beauties of any story, that it almost compels us to
identify with at least one of its characters.
Chances are that most of us fine upstanding people identify with the
landowner, the one who is cheated; and if not we certainly don’t identify
ourselves with the steward. And because
we don’t, what we see in the parable is only
an issue about money. But, placing
ourselves in the shoes of the manager we may come to realize – as he does – that
there are other issues at play, for example issues of relationship and
alliances, as well as quite possibly issues of justice and even faithfulness. Money is not the only currency here, and the
manager shrewdly uses that one currency – money – to get another one, namely
relationship and security. Upon learning
that he is soon to be sacked, he says “I have decided what to do so that, when
I am dismissed as manager, people may welcome me into their homes.” (Luke
16:4) It is after saying this that he
begins his program of reducing accounts in order to foster alliances. And it is for this that Jesus specifically praises
him, and encourages his hearers to do the same: “…make friends for yourselves
by means of dishonest wealth so that when it is gone, they may welcome you into
the eternal homes.” (Luke 16:9) While,
we may disagree with his methods, the shrewdness of the manager lies, not in
his dishonesty, pers se, but in his appreciation that there are forms of
currency other than money, and sometimes, in some cases, these are worth more
than money itself. The story highlights
the principles that when we come short of one type of currency there are others
we can draw on if we are shrewd and astute; and that, conversely, when we
narrow our vision and interactions to account for only one currency, we usually
sell ourselves short on the options available to us.
A few
weeks ago I was fortunate enough to be at ECCO for our annual Diocesan Ministry
Conference. The speaker, Eric Law, is
also the author of the book, Holy
Currencies: 6 Blessings for Sustainable Missional Ministries. He posits that there are six currencies
available to any organization – time and place, gracious leadership,
relationship, truth, wellness, money – and that most organizations, churches
included and almost especially, use only about three; some use only one, and
that is usually money. As I listened,
I immediately began to make links with our life here at the Church of the
Saviour. Take, for example the
relationships which have been built up in the community because of our soup
kitchen’s work? It is because of those
relationships we sometimes get a break on air conditioning repairs, or that
people like our soup kitchen manager give incredible amounts of time to our
community. They are relationships on
which one can’t really put a monetary value.
They are part of a currency all its own.
As you know, yesterday we launched our new outreach program, G.I.F.T.S. In a profound way, this project honors the
interplay of currencies – wellness, as we seek to enable people to live more
balanced lives; relationship, as we widen our network of partnerships, and as
we make contacts and friendships with local businesses; gracious leadership, as
we take a lead in making real the abundance of God and of our community; truth,
as we dare to say something honest about the difficult conditions under which
many of our fellow citizens live. Each
of these are a currency which flow in and out of each other, and enable various
kinds of wealth. For example, enabling wellness
in those around us, may quite possibly enable them to become more active and
concerned members of the community, in their participation they learn important
truths as to how our common life is both enriched and threatened, and so on. Yes, we may be low on financial resources,
let’s say, but what are other currencies available, and like the shrewd manager
are we taking advantage of them?
As we
begin our stewardship campaign this year, it is helpful – perhaps even crucial
– that we think seriously of how we are taking advantage – or not, as the case
may be – of the various currencies available to us beyond simply money. Now, don’t get me wrong, we definitely do
need the money, and unless we meet our costs we will certainly have to re-asses
some of things we do at the Church of the Saviour, and how we do them. Nevertheless, it is also very, very important
to think beyond money as our only resource, and this is undoubtedly not easy
because our society and culture tells us that money is the sole currency out
there of any value – the only game in town.
But this is simply not true. When
the shrewd manager saw the possibility of running out of his source of money,
he looked to other currencies which might sustain him, and interestingly enough
it was a currency that widened the scope of his world as he made new
friends. At the same time, he tapped
into a another currency altogether, respect, as he earned the commendation of the
landowner; and we are even left wondering if he will lose his position after
all.
When think
about stewardship, I have often said, that we have to think creatively and we
have to think holistically. We do need money
as one of the currencies to make
things run smoothly and well, but money alone does not a thriving community
make. A church rich in money, but poor
in relationship or truth or gracious leadership, will never be a sign of God’s
kingdom. As you spend the next few weeks
thinking intentionally on stewardship, consider not only what you can
contribute financially, but also consider what are the other currencies
available to you, available to us, and what are ways in which these can be
capitalized upon. Perhaps, his
dishonesty not withstanding, it might a good idea to think more like the manager
who was able to look at his situation dead-on and in so doing discerned other
possibilities. While he found himself –
to paraphrase the collect – among things that are passing away, like his
job, he was able to hold fast to something that would endure, see him through
the present trouble and beyond. I believe in large part that is the challenge
laid out before us. And I have little
doubt that it can be met, it will take thinking and dedication as wise – and perhaps that’s
another way to describe him – thinking and dedication as wise as that of Jesus’
ambiguously shrewd, ambiguously dishonest steward.
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