THE UNFAITHFUL MANAGER

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.

          The third parable is about the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32).  We learn in this parable that no matter how we turn our backs on God, when we return to God, God is able to forgive us and takes us back. There is nothing a sinner can do that will let God disown the sinner. Here in this parable, the prodigal son represents the sinner drawing near to Jesus, and the son who was always at home represents the Pharisees who because of his focus on himself was unable to celebrate the return of a son who was lost and now returns home.

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.