30^th September 2013

Rev Dr Max Champion at St John's UCA Mt Waverley Sunday 22 September 2013

Lessons - Proverbs 1:1-7; Luke 16:1-13

The master commended the dishonest steward for his shrewdness; for
the children of this world are wiser in their own generation than the
children of light. (Luke 16:8)

This is a most puzzling parable. Jesus praises a white collar criminal as a model for his disciples to copy. A man who is rightly sacked for mismanaging the business affairs of his boss is held up as an example of the nous that should characterise the Christian life. Instead of contrasting the way of the righteous with the way of sinners - the children of light with the children of darkness - he uses an unrighteous man to challenge the actions of the pious.

No wonder we are shocked! No wonder some scholars, like William Barclay, down-play this aspect and, instead, focus on why the children of light should not copy dishonest practices. He treats it as a story about three rogues - steward, debtors and master - who connive in, or approve of, corrupt behaviour.

Such interpretations are not surprising. It is hard to trace a common thread in a story that has become a bit scrambled in the re-telling.
Understanding is not helped by the apparently contradictory messages attached to the parable itself (vv 1-8). In verses 8 & 9 we are to follow the example of the steward. But, in verses 10-13 it seems that we are to avoid his irresponsible attitude because it will compromise our total commitment to God.

The first part of the parable may shock the pious. But its meaning is clear. Disciples are to be alert to the crisis that lies ahead. As the steward acted boldly in a time of personal crisis, so Jesus' disciples are to act boldly in the face of his impending suffering and crucifixion. Time is short. They must open their eyes to the crisis that is at hand and act decisively in the face of opposition to Jesus and threats to their faith.

The parable jolts disciples out of complacency. If a rogue is praised for his shrewdness in a parlous situation, how much more should they be astute in discerning the signs of the times! This unscrupulous, self-interested rascal teaches them not to be naive about the crisis that has come in Christ nor indecisive in following him.

This much is clear. But why we may ask does Jesus praise him when, as many commentators suppose, he has been a bad steward in mismanaging his boss's business affairs, defrauding him of the full amount of what he is owed by his debtors, and manipulating them to save his own bacon?

It is usually assumed that the steward is a rogue before and after his dismissal.

He does mishandle the master's affairs. Like the chap in the Parable of the Talents (Luke 19:12ff), he has been an untrustworthy steward. And like the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11ff), he has wasted what was entrusted to him.

However, contrary to the usual interpretation of the parable, it seems that he is not dishonest in dealing with his master's debtors. If he had been, then the master would have disapproved of his actions and been angry that he did not recover all of the huge debts owed: 800 gallons of oil and
100 acres of wheat. Instead, he is praised by the one who has sacked him for being so astute (v8)!

There is nothing fraudulent about the steward's negotiations with his master's debtors. He generously reduces their burden (vv 6 & 7) without cheating his master. How so?

Stewards often managed the business affairs of absentee landlords. The job involved debt-collecting. These debts probably had two parts: one owed to the master; the other was a management fee or interest payment owed to (and perhaps exploited by) the manager. If this is the case, then the steward, not the master, would have worn the loss when he reduced the total accounts of the debtors. The master gets what he is owed and the steward receives no financial reward. We know this because we are told that he is unemployed, broke and homeless.

Can we see here the conversion of a rogue who, having mismanaged his master's business and rightly been sacked, has a change of heart that (albeit with selfish motives) leads him to be generous to those who used to be in his debt but are now his friends? Might this not be as remarkable a story of conversion as the Parable of the Prodigal Son (15:11-32) which immediately precedes it in Luke's Gospel?

The return of the master who judges his wrong doing-brings about a profound change of heart. The crisis in his life leads to a fresh start.
Instead of defrauding his master, he recovers the debts. Instead of taking his cut, he is generous. Instead of cutting himself off, he befriends those whom he may have defrauded earlier.

The parable shocks the disciples to whom it is addressed (v1). It warns against complacent religion and summons them to repentance. Jesus holds up the rogue steward as a model of the Christian life! Like the prodigal son who came to his senses and headed home to find work, his motives are mixed (vv 3 & 9). If he does not act now he will unemployed, bankrupt and homeless for life! But the primary focus is on his astuteness in the face of a personal crisis that brings about a profound change of heart that opens out in generosity towards and friendship with those who were in his and his master's debt.

The central message of the parable now becomes clear. Disciples should come to their senses. The way of the cross (towards which Jesus is going as he teaches them) is not to be confused with safety-first piety that is naive about powerful forces that resist God's judgment and are closed to God's mercy. Followers of Jesus must realise that his coming has caused a crisis in human affairs that calls for our conversion. In him God has given us a fresh start where there is time for a radical amendment of life.

This radical change of heart best explains the mishmash of instructions about wealth and dishonesty in verses 10-12. The Church is to follow the example of a manager who, in his worldly dealings, came to his senses in a crisis and shows generosity and friendship that is the mark of being Jesus' disciple.

In these verses we get a thumbnail sketch of new life as given in Jesus'
teaching that ends this episode. In our everyday dealings with each other we are to be trustworthy and faithful. This way of life is not only a sign of the Kingdom of God among us now but a foretaste of eternity - the best reading of the difficult text about 'eternal homes' in verse 9.

This reading also explains why v13 has been added somewhat awkwardly at the end. 'You cannot serve God and wealth' reminds us that in all that we do, we are stewards of the Master who caused a crisis in human affairs.

In what he said and did, Jesus supremely embodied the generosity and friendship of God to all, including the enemies of God. In his crucified- and-risen life he gave us a fresh start - naming and forgiving wrong-doing and calling for a change of heart that is expressed in generosity and friendship with others, including those whom we have wronged.

If a corrupt manager and debt-collector can have such a dramatic change of heart, there is hope for all. The miracle of grace breaks through in the most unexpected places. Unlikely people are given a fresh start.
Generosity and friendship blossom in unpromising soil: for instance John Newton, a slave-trader, became a leader in the abolitionist movement.

It remains to be seen whether we Christians are open to being changed radically.

Jesus did not address this parable to corrupt officials, but 'to the disciples' (v1). It is possible - and a real danger - for Christianity to be a comfortable habit and to forget that the coming of Christ into our strife-torn world caused an uproar - a crisis - that resulted in fierce opposition and crucifixion.

That is why Jesus' parable is directed to people like us, who are shocked that an unrighteous rogue should be used as a model for the Christian life. That is why we in the Church need the bracing realism of Jesus'
words and example. The Gospel embodied in him is not an invitation to a quiet, peaceful and pious life or a guarantee of heavenly bliss. Rather it is a summons to a fresh start that is shaped by a Christ-like generosity and friendship to those whom we have wronged.

We need to hear this word and allow it to challenge us to the depths of our being so that we may be faithful stewards in the service of the Master, whose life-changing goodness and mercy for all has been decisively embodied in his life, death and resurrection.

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Rev Dr Max Champion is minister in the St John's Uniting Church, Mt Waverley, Victoria, Australia. Dr Champion is on the National Council of the Assembly of Confessing Congregations within the UCA.