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SERMON on Luke 16:1-13
Sermon Title: ‘The unfaithful Manager’
Do you find this parable of the unfaithful manager
confusing? Well, you are not the only one! This parable has discombobulated or
confused many, many, people down through the ages. It is difficult to
comprehend how an unfaithful, steward who is about to be relieved of his
position ends up receiving praise from his master.
Another
thing I have noticed is the many different titles that are given to this
passage: The unjust steward, the shrewd manager, the unfaithful servant and much
more. My title today is fifty-fifty. Thus making it the ‘unfaithful manager.’
But
in order for us to really get a clear grasp of this parable, we need to look at
the context in which it was presented.
The
story of the unfaithful manager is one of four parables given in a series, and
begins in Luke 15. Luke 15 tells us that
tax collectors and sinners drew near to Jesus to listen to him. And the
Pharisees and scribes complained that Jesus welcomes sinners and eats with
them. So they concluded that since Jesus hangs around sinners he has something
in common with them. He must be a sinner also – an attack through
association. But Jesus responds through
his most potent means of defense and that is through telling parables, in this
case, four parables.
Luke 15 encompasses three of the parables. The first is the parable of The
Lost Sheep (Luke 15:3-7). This parable
expresses the great effort that is made to rescue the one sheep that was lost
and when it is found the owner lays it on his shoulder, rejoices that the sheep
is found, brings it home and calls all the neighbors to rejoice with him. The parable of the lost sheep communicates to
us how precious every single person is to God. And is worth every effort to save.
The scribes and Pharisees that were present, had their focus on the sins of
sinners but Jesus had his focus on sinners who needed to be saved
The second parable is about a Lost Coin (Luke 15:8-10). A widow loses her
10th silver coin, and searches thoroughly until she finds it. When she finds it
she calls her friends and neighbor to come and rejoice with her.
Jesus reminds us in this parable that we put a lot of effort in something
that we feel is valuable to us. The coin that the widow lost was about a day’s
wage, and like the one sheep that was import to its owner, even though the
widow had nine more coins she searched thoroughly for the one that was lost
because it was valuable to her. Just imagine, if so much effort and excitement
was placed on finding a lost silver coin, how much more God rejoices over a
sinner who was lost and is found.
Today’s Gospel passage tells
about an unfaithful manager (Luke 16:1-13). The passage may seem obscure or
confusing to us but the Scribes and Pharisees of Jesus’ day understood it well.
And they knew that Jesus was talking about them. (Verse 14)
Jesus uses
this Parable to make a point about unrighteous stewardship.
This unfaithful manager was entrusted with his
master’s possessions and was given the task to manage it. How often we expect a
steward who is entrusted with a master’s possession to be faithful in
management. But are we not all guilty of wasting valuable time and resources on
the job, which we could use productively in the master’s service? In today’s gospel the unfaithful
manager is forewarned that he is about to lose his job.
He did not want to work for a living and from
what we gather from the passage he was too lazy to put out much effort. Does
that describe us? How often many of us look for a way out that demands the
least effort.
In
the other three parables we see the great effort that was put forth in finding
whatever or whoever was lost. All around us, in our communities there are
people who find themselves lost in some way or other. If we make an effort to
search for them we will find them. That is part of being a faithful a manager –
a good steward. This unfaithful manager
refused to beg. It was beneath his dignity. Many of us find that there are
things and even people beneath our dignity.
After
the manager was forewarned that he is about to lose his job, he brilliantly
uses his master’s resources to provide for himself. When the master learns how clever the
unfaithful manager was, he praised him. It is here that we need to see that the
master did not praise the manager for the mismanagement of his master’s
resources, but instead he is praised for his very clever planning.
Verse 8 tells us that people in the world who are
ungodly know how to use the world’s system to get worldly thing, while godly
people don’t even know how to get the most from spiritual things. The Pharisees
were squandering precious resources. While there were people in their midst who
needed to be brought back to God, But they refused to see the importance or
worth of these people. And they refused even to use God’s rich resources to
bring them back to God.
As
Christians we can become so caught up in the daily activities of our lives, that
we lose sight of the spiritual goal. Thus we find ourselves living our lives
through temporal means. Vs. 13; goes directly to the root of the Pharisees
problem. It gives them a choice either to serve God or their wealth, and
reminded them that no one can serve two masters. We are faced with these same problems and the
passage also speaks to us.
Questions: What will you do with your life? What will you
do with your resources? And what will you do with the people in our midst? What will you do with the people who need to be brought back to God?
Will you reach out for the one who is lost and guide him or her back to the cross of Christ. Amen.
By: Pastor Salome
do with your resources? And what will you do with the people in our midst? What will you do with the people who need to be brought back to God?
Will you reach out for the one who is lost and guide him or her back to the cross of Christ. Amen.
By: Pastor Salome
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