Sunday's Message: The Parables in the Gospel of Luke - The Unrighteous Manager (Luke 16:1-9)

During the months of October and November, we'll discuss the following parables unique to the Gospel of Luke:

• October 16 – The Good Samaritan (Luke 10:30-37)
• October 23 – The Lost Son (Luke 15:11-32)
• October 30 – The Unrighteous Manager (Luke 16:1-9)
• November 6 – The Rich Man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31)
• November 13 – The Pharisee and the Tax Collector (Luke 18:9-14)

In our third service, we looked at the Parable of the Unrighteous Manager. Below is the sermon and a recording of the sermon:

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And so here we are, about to stick a fork in the month of October, which, of course, means that we’re looking at Thanksgiving in a little less than four weeks and Christmas is a little over a month an a half. How time flies when you’re having fun.

And it also means we’ve hit the midpoint in the sermon series we started a few weeks ago, one dealing with five parables of Jesus found only in the Gospel of Luke. Now, to this point, we’ve already looked at two of his most famous stories. I mean, first, we looked at the Parable of the Good Samaritan and talked about how the only way we may ever really understand what it means to be a loving neighbor is to put ourselves in the position of those in need. And then, second, we looked at the Parable of the Lost or the Prodigal Son and considered whether or not we’re willing to put aside our assumptions and to accept God's unconditional love and to celebrate with him when the lost are found. Now this is where we’ve been.

And this morning we’ll look at the third story on our list, namely the Parable of the Unrighteous Manager. And I’ll tell you, I think it’s really appropriate that we’re considering this on the day before Halloween, because I’ve got to tell you, I think it’s a real nightmare to preach. You see, as we’ll see in a little bit, not only does this particular story have no redeeming characters, but in the end, the guy who was most sleazy gets praised. I mean, there’s no good Samaritan. There’s no loving father. There’s only an unrighteous manager, a couple of slimy businessmen and a master who has a lot of respect for dishonesty. And that’s it. Now, what the heck is a preacher supposed do with that? It’s like A Nightmare on Colerain Street, with Michael,  Chucky and Jason as the guys I’m supposed to use to teach a Christian lesson. 

At least, that may seem to be the case on the surface. But this morning, well, we’re going to do a little digging to figure out what Jesus was getting at when he told this very unique riddle. And to do that, we’ll approach it in the same way we’ve done the other two. You see, first, we’ll consider the context for the parable, you know, what’s happening around the story. And then second, we’ll dive into the parable itself. And then third, we’ll talk about how we might apply it to our own lives. And I’ll tell you, even though the story is challenging to say the least, at the very end, I think Jesus offers us three ways we can claim it and use it to improve our daily living. Now that’s the plan.

And so, let’s start by talking about the context for the story. In other words, let’s look at what is happening around the parable, because I think that can really help us understand it a little better. For example, we know the folks to whom Jesus was speaking. I mean, right at the beginning of the passage, Luke wrote, “Jesus said to his disciples...” [Luke 16:1a, CEV] And so we know it wasn’t directed to the religious leaders who opposed Jesus, you know like the Pharisees. Instead, it was given to believers, you know, folks who’d decided to follow Jesus, in other words, people like us. 

But even though it wasn’t directed to them, those who opposed Jesus were still around. And in describing them, I think Luke gives us some insight about the parable’s focus. I mean, right after telling the story and explaining its meaning, Luke wrote this:

The Pharisees really loved money. So when they heard what Jesus said, they made fun of him. But Jesus told them:

You are always making yourselves look good, but God sees what is in your heart. The things that most people think are important are worthless as far as God is concerned. [Luke 16:14-15, CEV]

And so, by just looking at what’s happening around the parable, we already know the people to whom the story is directed, namely followers of Jesus, and a little bit about its meaning. I mean, it must have something to do with that stuff that the Pharisees loved so much, you know, money, or maybe in a broader sense, those things which we possess that might be used. Now, that’s the context.

And the parable itself, well just like he did in talking about the good Samaritan and the loving father, Jesus started his story by setting the scene. Now this is what he said:

A rich man once had a manager to take care of his business. But he was told that his manager was wasting money. So the rich man called him in and said, “What is this I hear about you? Tell me what you have done! You are no longer going to work for me.” [Luke 16:1b-2,CEV]

And so, there we have it, two main characters and neither one could you call positive. As a matter of fact, they were both really bad news. Now, before I go any farther, let me be clear, I’m not saying that all rich people are, by their nature, bad. I don’t believe that, anymore than I believe all poor people are good. It’s just that, in the Gospel of Luke, Zacchaeus was the only positive rich person mentioned, and he was also called a tax collector. And remember, by this point in the gospel, Jesus had already said, 

But you rich people

    are in for trouble.

You have already had

    an easy life! [Luke 6:24, CEV]

And I’ll tell you, this negative view of the wealthy, that’s certainly going to be the case in the parable we’ll look at next week, and I’m talking about Lazarus and the Rich Man. You see, in Luke, rich folk tended to be comfortable but not very sensitive to the needs around them. And they also had a difficult time giving up what they possessed. 

And so we have this guy with a lot of stuff and his manager, who’d wasted and squandered money that wasn’t his just like the younger son had wasted the money he got from his father in the parable we looked at last week. The same Greek word was used. And evidently, the rich man got wind about what his unrighteousness manager had been up to, and so he wanted his manager to present the books before telling him to take a hike. Now that was the scene. And then, as Jesus was telling the parable, he shifted the focus to the manager himself. You see, knowing that he was about to lose his job, he started thinking about his situation:

The manager said to himself, “What shall I do now that my master is going to fire me? I can’t dig ditches, and I’m ashamed to beg.” [Luke 16:3, CEV]

Now isn’t that sweet, a crook with a healthy sense of pride? Don’t you feel sorry for him, poor baby? Now that’s what he was thinking, but then, wham-o, he came to a decision.

“I know what I’ll do, so that people will welcome me into their homes after I’ve lost my job.” [Luke 16:4, CEV]

And this, brothers and sisters, was what he did:

Then one by one he called in the people who were in debt to his master. He asked the first one, “How much do you owe my master?”

“A hundred barrels of olive oil,” the man answered.

So the manager said, “Take your bill and sit down and quickly write ‘50.’”

The manager asked someone else who was in debt to his master, “How much do you owe?”

“A thousand sacks of wheat,” the man replied.

The manager said, “Take your bill and write ‘800.’” [Luke 16:5-7, CEV]

Now, isn’t that something? Not only did this manager squander his master’s money doing Lord-knows-what, he allowed those who owed his soon-to-be ex-boss to cook the books, something that the crooked manager assumed would enable him to win friends and influence people. I guess you could say that he transferred those debts owed from the boss to himself. And so, if he played his cards right, he’d never need to dig or to beg. Now that’s what this unrighteous manager did.

But evidently his master found out about his criminal activity. And since we’re talking about Jesus telling the story, we’d expect him to bring down the hammer on this low life, right? I mean, Jesus will certainly hold this crook accountable for his actions and condemn him for his crimes, right? My gosh, if Jesus, within the story, enabled him to avoid any responsibility, there would be no justice, right? It would be like the white preacher and song leader being justified and the older brother being excused. And that just ain’t right, right? Well, this was how the rich man reacted to his manager who’d ripped him off twice: 

The master praised his dishonest manager for looking out for himself so well. [Luke 16:8a, CEV]

Now do you see the problem with this parable? Is this kind of lesson we want our children to learn in Sunday school, when you get caught, lie and cheat in order to avoid taking responsibility? And is this the way we want our leaders to act, you know, the people we’re voting for next week? And is this the kind of morality Christians have fought and died to defend? I don’t think so. And the reason he said it, man, that didn’t make it any better. 

According to Luke,

That’s how it is! The people of this world look out for themselves better than the people who belong to the light. [Luke 16:b, CEV] 

Well, isn’t that special. Not only did the manager squander money that wasn’t his, not only did he cook his boss’s books and not only did he receive praise for his blatantly illegal and immoral actions, now he’s the poster child for the people of the world who look out for themselves better than those who belong to the light. In this story, he’s a positive example for crying out loud. And so, do you see why I think his parable is a nightmare to preach?

And I’ll tell you, I think that would certainly be the case, if Jesus hadn’t offered an application, which, praise the Lord, he did. You see, having established in the parable itself that utilizing what we have is really important, I think Jesus offered three expectations that can shape how we use what we’ve got. And they’re in three comments that he made right after telling the story. 

For example, first, I think we’re expected to use the resources we’ve been given effectively, in other words, to do the best we can with what we’ve got. I believe that’s really what Jesus had in mind when he said this:

My disciples, I tell you to use wicked wealth to make friends for yourselves. Then when it is gone, you will be welcomed into an eternal home. [Luke 16:9, CEV]

You see, we have the opportunity to use our wicked, worldly wealth, in other words, our money and our possessions, maybe even our time and our talents for a purpose that’s far greater than material comfort or personal pride. I’m telling you, we can focus on eternity. It’s like Jesus said a little earlier the gospel:

My little group of disciples, don’t be afraid! Your Father wants to give you the kingdom. Sell what you have and give the money to the poor. Make yourselves moneybags that never wear out. Make sure your treasure is safe in heaven, where thieves cannot steal it and moths cannot destroy it. Your heart will always be where your treasure is. [Luke 12:32-34, CEV]

You see, just like that unrighteousness manager used the wealth he controlled to assure himself a place to live after he was fired, we can effectively use what we have, looking forward to our eternal home. And that’s one expectation that we can claim based on this parable.

And second, I think we’re also expected to use what we’ve been given honestly. And I think that stands in contrast with the manager in the story. I mean, while he was effective in using his master’s property, something we can also do with an eye to God’s kingdom, he certainly wasn’t honest about it. And so, before we assume that God gives us carte blanche to do whatever we want with what we have, just so long as our motives are good, we need to hear Jesus say this: 

Anyone who can be trusted in little matters can also be trusted in important matters. But anyone who is dishonest in little matters will be dishonest in important matters. If you cannot be trusted with this wicked wealth, who will trust you with true wealth? And if you cannot be trusted with what belongs to someone else, who will give you something that will be your own? [Luke 16:10-12, CEV]

You see, for God, the ends don’t justify the means. And if we can’t be trusted, if we can’t be trusted to be honest with what we have and if we can’t be trusted to tell the truth to God and to others and if we can’t be trusted to love God and to love our neighbors as best we can, well, whether or not we might be effective just doesn’t mean much, now does it? Man, we’ve got to be honest with whatever it is we have. And that’s another expectation.

And third, right along with effectiveness and honesty, I think we’re also expected to use what we’ve been given faithfully, with a focus on God and a desire to do what we’ve been called to do. But I’ll tell you, sometimes, I believe this is really challenging, because I think it’s easy to become distracted, distracted by money and possessions and by comfort and praise. In fact, the desire to control and to protect what we have can become so important that we become slaves to our stuff rather than to our savior. And I believe that can happen even when we sincerely intend to be effective and honest with what we have. And I’ll tell you, for me, that’s why Jesus offered this right at the end of the passage:

You cannot be the slave of two masters. You will like one more than the other or be more loyal to one than to the other. You cannot serve God and money. [Luke 16:13, CEV]

You see, in God’s sight, to use what we’ve been given effectively and honestly, we really need to be faithful. And I think that’s the third expectation related to this story.

And so, maybe this parable isn’t all that scary or uncomfortable after all. I mean, even though it’s a story about a crooked manager who ends up being praised for his dishonesty by his less than honorable boss, this isn’t an attack on virtue nor is it a justification for immorality. Instead, I think it’s simply a story that points to how God expects us to use the money and possessions he’s enabled us to acquire. And while it certainly affirms that effectiveness is important, something seen in the story, so is honesty and faithfulness. And for me, that’s the point of this parable about an unrighteous manager.