The Rascal
Luke 16:1-9
Today we come to one of those parables we’ve read many times but have been uncertain what to do with it
a parable like this feels like it comes from another world
in some ways this would have to be
one of the most often ignored parables of Jesus
like anything we take from the Bible
it’s important that we read this parable in its context
Some parables require us to work a little harder to get the sense of them
This is one of those
The story Jesus tells is pretty straight forward in itself
It’s really a parable about a rascal
A wasteful estate manger who betrays
the trust of his master he’s found out
summonsed and sacked
before he leaves He goes to work changing what’s owed to his boss
& the shock of this story is the boss commends the manager for his shrewdness
Jesus concludes the parable
9I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.
It’s a story that feels upside down
we expect that when Jesus tells us a story about a corrupt manager that a villain like this simply gets what he deserves and that would be that
so as we come to a difficult passage like this one lets now pray and ask for God’s help as we look closely at his word and seek to apply it to our lives
Grace reminds us God coming towards us is about his mercy and not our own goodness
PRAY
Ever been in one of those situations
where you lock your keys in the car doesn’t happen as much now
With the central locking
Anyway there was this time my friend locked his keys in the car
We were in the city in Sydney
we were standing there talking about what to do next
when someone came up who’d overheard our conversation
To offer their services to us they said they’d open that door in a jiffy
they did with a bit of packing tape
That they just so happened to have in their pocket
we were both grateful
we drove off
remarking on how skilled this guy was at breaking into the car
we both praised this guy for his questionable expertise
which reminds me of this parable today
of a crooked manager who’s commended for acting dishonestly[1]
I mean if this guy could get into my mates car this easily what else was he doing with that piece of packing tape
As the parable itself goes I just want to re-read to have it clear in our minds
1Jesus told his disciples: "There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions. 2So he called him in and asked him, 'What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your management, because you cannot be manager any longer.'
3"The manager said to himself, 'What shall I do now? My master is taking away my job. I'm not strong enough to dig, and I'm ashamed to beg— 4I know what I'll do so that, when I lose my job here, people will welcome me into their houses.'
5"So he called in each one of his master's debtors. He asked the first, 'How much do you owe my master?'
6" 'Eight hundred gallons of olive oil,' he replied.
"The manager told him, 'Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it four hundred.'
7"Then he asked the second, 'And how much do you owe?'
" 'A thousand bushels of wheat,' he replied.
"He told him, 'Take your bill and make it eight hundred.'
8"The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light.
The thing that most stands out in this story of Jesus
Is the action of the estate manager that’s caught out by his boss
He’s asked to turn in the books
at the meeting with his boss remains silent
it’s a silence of guilt
We know that because of what he does next
the charges brought against him are serious
there’s a hint of what’s going on here as Jesus tells it
in the actions of his boss
or should I say the inaction of his boss
this guy fires the dishonest manager
but he’s not punished
something else then going on here in this story Jesus told
it’s something so simple but yet quite powerful
in understanding what happens next