Lancaster First United Methodist Church
June 13, 2010
Luke 16:1-9
Rev. Robert McDowell

“Puzzling Parables – The Unjust Steward”

Have you ever noticed how puzzling parts of the bible can be sometimes? Sure, there are scriptures that appear to be very clear and straight forward like the Ten Commandments. “Do not covet.” “Do not murder.”

But then you run across a passage of scripture that can leave you scratching your head and wondering what on earth it means. And we can easily get discouraged since we can’t make heads or tails of what we’re reading to the point where we might even want to quit reading the bible altogether.

If this has ever happened to you, then my hope is that this new sermon series on “Puzzling Parables” will shed new light on some passages of scripture that have been known to leave readers of the bible confused and bewildered.

Before we look at one of those puzzling parables to kick off this sermon series, I want to first think about what we mean when we use the word “parable” from a biblical perspective.

And real briefly, parables are stories that are used to help us hear a spiritual truth that we are often times not willing to hear through more straightforward literary means.

A great example of this is from the Old Testament when King David committed adultery with Bathsheba and then had Bathsheba’s husband, Uriah killed so that he would be able to have her as his wife.

Nathan is the prophet at the time and as a prophet must tell David that what he has done is wrong in so many ways. But knowing that the King would probably not receive such news with an open mind and would probably want to have him killed for delivering this message, Nathan decides to go with the parable approach with the King.

And he tells a story about a rich man who had a large flock and a poor man who had only one lamb and loved this lamb greatly. A traveler visits the rich man, but instead of the rich man taking from his flock to prepare for this traveler, he goes instead to the poor man and takes his only lamb and uses it for the traveler.

After Nathan tells David this story or this parable, David is understandably upset with this rich man in the story, and that’s when Nathan tells him, “You’re that man, David!” This is how David realizes that even as a king with a lot of power, he had no right to do what he did to Bathsheba and Uriah. And this leads him to repent of his sins.

Psalm 51, which is a Psalm of confession, is attributed to David and this story of his sin against Bathsheba and Uriah.

This is what parables are meant to do. They are meant to help us reshape our worldview and see things in a new and fresh way. To see things from God’s perspective.

Another way to look at it is that parables are a storytelling device that is meant to make us think. So, if you ever get discouraged when you don’t understand the point of a parable, don’t give up on the parable because it’s probably doing what it has been designed to do. To get you and me to think about God and who we are as God’s people.

So with this in mind, let’s take a look at our first puzzling parable in this sermon series. This parable from Luke 16 is often referred to as the parable of “The Unjust Steward.” We’ve already heard the parable read for us. But let’s think about what we’ve already heard.

First of all, Jesus is the one who is telling this parable, and he is speaking specifically to his disciples. And he tells them this story about a wealthy man who has a manager and this man finds out that his manager has been cheating on him. So he has him fired.

And this is where the parable gets really interesting because this dishonest manager is already thinking that he’s going to need to find a new job and rather than having to take some low level type of job, he decides to do something unethical again.

Before he leaves his job, he takes the existing purchase orders of his boss’s customers and he lowers the amounts that each of them owe. And the customers, thinking that they are simply getting a break in price, are thrilled that they don’t have to pay as much.

And the fun thing about parables is to read between the lines a little bit and flesh out the story. Can you imagine the conversations that this dishonest manager had with those customers when he showed them their new bills?

“Here’s your bill, sir. I know it’s lower than what we had originally agreed, but since you have been a faithful customer, I just thought it would be a nice gesture on our part to give you this discount.”

And just think about what the customer probably said in response. Maybe something like, “Well that’s really nice of you to give me such a nice break on the price. Thank you, very much. And by the way, if there’s anything I can do to return the favor, just let me know.”

And the dishonest manager says something like, “Well, you’re welcome, and who knows, maybe a day will come when I will need a favor. Have a nice day.”

The same type of conversation happens with the next customer. “Thank you so much for the discount. And please let me know if there’s anything I can do for you in the future.”

“You’re quite welcome. You never know in this economy. If things don’t work out here, I just might be looking you up some day.”

Is this guy shrewd or what? He’s sticking it to his boss again just so that he can easily get another job that’s not too hard and pays well.

But of course, the parable doesn’t end there. The real kicker in the story is what comes next. When the owner who had fired the dishonest manager finds out what his former manager did to him by lowering the bill amounts of his customers, he actually ends up commending his former employee for acting so shrewdly.

And then Jesus turns to the disciples and says to them, “I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of dishonest wealth so that when it is gone, they may welcome you into their homes.”

This ending to the parable is why many people consider this parable to be the most puzzling of all of Jesus’ parables.

And we can understand why. Since Jesus is the one telling this parable, it appears that he is advocating that it’s OK to be dishonest and unethical in our places of employment. Otherwise, why would Jesus say to make friends by means of dishonest wealth?

Trust me, this is not the Jesus I grew up hearing about in church and Sunday School. The Jesus I learned about was one who did things differently than the ways of the world. And yet, here, Jesus is telling us that sometimes, those of us who are in the church have a lot to learn from the people who are out there in the everyday business world.

What does it mean to be “shrewd” which is the word used by the New Revised Standard Version? Another word for “shrewd” is “clever.” Being clever is quite a complement. Clever means to show skill and to be resourceful. It also means to be witty and to be a person of ingenuity.

And this makes me wonder, “When was the last time someone used the words, “clever,” “skillful,” “resourceful” in describing something the church has done?” This is really what Jesus is getting at in this parable. He’s not commending dishonesty or unethical business behavior but he is advocating for his followers to be clever and resourceful in living out what it means to be his followers. Jesus wants us to be a people of ingenuity.

A while back, I was having a conversation with a friend who is involved in an incredible ministry in the city in which he lives. And we might think that this ministry is a bit odd at first but it truly is an amazing story.

And keep in mind that my friend is United Methodist. He was telling me that his neighborhood was having problems with a strip joint located in the neighborhood of the church. And of course, the church didn’t like it and most of the neighbors didn’t like it being there.

The neighbors would protest and carry signs in front of this establishment now and then. But those protests didn’t work.

Interestingly enough, one of the dancers of this strip club came to this United Methodist Church to worship one Sunday morning out of the blue. And she ended up giving her life to Jesus Christ during that worship service.

And the church members rallied around this woman following the service to help her to know that Jesus loved her and had a wonderful plan for her life. She continued to be part of this church family. And through the unconditional love of this church, she was able to experience the good news of Jesus Christ.

And I said to my friend, “That’s an incredible story.” And he said, “But wait. There’s more. This lady went back to the strip joint where she was employed and ever since that day in worship, she has been telling the other dancers about Jesus. And some of them have started a bible study right there in the strip joint.”

And then I asked, “But why hasn’t she quit working there?” And he said, “Well, she would like to but she doesn’t have any other job and she feels like she’s making a difference in the lives of these other dancers who need Jesus too.”

He went on to say how the church is trying to find ways to help people like this woman, find a better way to make a living and know that the church is there to help them. He said, “Right now, the church is meeting every week to pray for the strip club owner to give his life to Jesus Christ so that that whole neighborhood can be transformed.”

Since that conversation with my friend, this United Methodist Church continues to offer God’s love to the dancers who are working in the several strip joints near where that church is located. With the permission of the strip club owners, members of the church are taking home cooked meals into the club, they are providing counseling services since so many of the dancers have been the victims of abuse, and they are providing training to help them find other avenues of employment.

How’s that for being shrewd and clever and using a little ingenuity in helping to bring renewal and transformation to a community in need of God’s love?

Will Willimon, Bishop of the North Alabama Conference tells the story of when he was invited by one of the pastors in his conference to preach at his church. It’s a church that uses unconventional methods in order to reach the unchurched population that surround the church.

The church doesn’t even meet in what we would call a church type of building at all. They worship at a big old warehouse in the midst of a very blue collar hard living type of area.

When Bishop Willimon entered this warehouse on that Sunday morning he was to preach, he couldn’t believe all of the smoke that was in the air. And so he asked the pastor who he met him at the entrance, “Why are all of these people smoking? They shouldn’t be allowed to smoke in a public area like this. Does this happen often?”

And the pastor said, “Oh, don’t worry about the smoke, Bishop. That’s just cigarette smoke. We’re making progress.”

The pastor then took Bishop Willimon into the worship space of the warehouse and had him sit in a chair up front. The only problem was his chair was next to a really loud amplifier, and as the pounding rock band led in the praise songs, Willimon was wondering if he had gone deaf from all of that loud noise.

The pastor of this church had told him that he would be preaching immediately after a video would be shown. Bishop Willimon asked, “What kind of video are you going to show?” And the pastor said, “Oh, don’t worry, it’s just a short video of some testimonies of people who will be joining the church today.”

So they showed the video. The first person in the video was a teenager, one of the meanest looking teenagers Bishop Willimon had ever seen. He had green hair and tons of tattoos. And then this teenager said why he had decided to join this church.

On the video, he said how he always saw himself as a freak who did freaky things just to get into trouble. But then, someone from this church had invited him to join the skateboard club of the church. The warehouse has a skateboard area in one of the large rooms.

And that’s where he met one of the ministry leaders of the church who introduced him to Jesus. And this ministry leader shared how Jesus was seen as a freak and did a lot of freaky things. And he even died on a cross to forgive us of our sins. And this ministry leader said how Jesus, who many people viewed as a freak, was actually the son of God.

It was because this teenager had invited Jesus into his life that he wanted to join the church that day.

Another person on the video said how he was addicted to drugs when he first came to this church. During his first visit at the church, he told the pastor that he was on crack. And instead of the pastor saying what he thought he might say, instead he simply told him, “Well, I can tell you are a smart person. Most people don’t realize that the world isn’t the way it’s supposed to be and they have quit searching. At least you’re still trying to find something more in life. But instead of finding what you’re looking for in drugs, I think you’ll find it by opening your life to Jesus Christ. He’s the one you’re looking for.”

The video concluded with this young guy saying how if it wasn’t for a church like this, he probably would have never found Christ.

Bishop Willimon says that when it was finally his turn to preach, there were so many tears in his eyes, he doesn’t know how he was able to preach after a video like that.

I could be wrong, but I think this parable of the unjust steward is Jesus’ way of telling us that if we want to truly make disciples for the transformation of our community and world, then we are going to need to be shrewd. Watch the methods of the world but use those methods for God’s purposes.

Thank you, First United Methodist Church for all of your shrewd ways. For Sunday Shop; an innovative, multisensory Sunday School experience which helps children grow in a relationship with Jesus Christ every Sunday morning here at our church.

For your creative clown, magic, and puppet ministries which reach into our community in ways that some of our other ministries might find more difficult to pull off.

For worship services that use movies and novels to communicate the good news of Jesus Christ.

Yes, you are a creative bunch. A clever and shrewd group of people who go to great lengths to reach people for Jesus Christ.

And I can’t help but wonder what crazy thing you’re going to do next.

(Pastor Robert Puts on a Santa Hat & the Christmas in July Video is Shown)


Thoughts/Action Steps for the Week

1. Why do you think Jesus used stories of the everyday business life of 1st century Palestine to help people understand what it means to be part of God’s kingdom on earth?

2. What questions do you have about this puzzling parable? Find a good commentary or a bible with study notes to provide some historical background for the meaning of this parable.

3. Think of a clever way that you can help someone know and respond to the good news of Jesus Christ this week? Are you part of an existing ministry that can learn from the shrewd ways of the unjust steward to reach our community for Jesus Christ?