This Sunday, the lectionary invites us to ponder Luke 16:1-13. The English Standard Version supplies the lection with the heading “The Parable of the Dishonest Manager.”
For a long time, I wished this story wasn’t in the Bible. I wished Jesus hadn’t told it. But now I see that it’s stories like this one which make me certain that the stories about Jesus in the Bible are true. I mean, who would invent a story like this one?
Jesus spoke this parable,[1] a sharp, penetrating story, to his disciples, while the Pharisees looked over their shoulders. He spoke to them after he’d spoken three parables to the Pharisees – the parables of the lost sheep and the lost coin, which I reflected upon last week – and the parable of the prodigal son.
A very rich man, a tycoon, appointed a manager to manage his money and properties. Then, he went to a far country. The manager got to work. Time passed. Word got to the tycoon. The manager had squandered his wealth.
Jesus doesn’t say what the manager did. We remember that the last time he used the word “squander,” he was referring to the partying of a son who rudely collected his share of his father’s wealth, went to a far country, and spent it all on wine, women, and song: you know, the prodigal son.
Is that the type of squandering this manager did? We don’t know. We just know that he thinks he’s guilty as charged.
The tycoon called the manager. Told him to hand over the accounts. Then say his goodbyes. The manager said “sure thing, boss. Just give me a couple of days, I’ll wrap up the accounts and hand them over.”
Then, the manager got to work. Quickly. He called all the people who owed money to the tycoon. He told them to bring their documents. They sat together, drank tea, changed the documents.
Those who were supposed to pay back a million, now just had to pay back half a million, and so on. Earlier, he made them agree to make exorbitant repayments; now he cut it all down. They’re happy, he’s happy.
Jesus says the manager did it because he wanted to provide for his own future. Now, all these people will have to pay back a lot less than what they had promised before. Therefore, now they love the manager.
The manager used the remainder of his days as manager to make friends, to make certain there would always be people who would treat him well.
The tycoon heard what the manager had done. How did he respond?
He didn’t report the manager to the police. He didn’t call the manager’s new friends and demand full repayment of the loans. He didn’t complain to everyone about how the manager had cheated him.
How did he respond? He praised the manager! He said the manager had acted shrewdly.
It’s possible you haven’t heard the word “shrewd” before. In Malaysia, we rarely use it. It’s viewed as a negative word.
If I had to give you a couple of examples of shrewd actions, I’d point to a Prime Minister who used stolen money to pay for dozens of people to do the haj, the pilgrimage to Mecca. And to a Deputy Prime Minister who did much hanky pranky, but also headed a charity focused on helping orphans. These two men instantly got many holy, loyal friends.
There’s some ambiguity in Jesus’ story. It’s not clear who said the manager was shrewd – in a positive way. Was it the tycoon or was it Jesus, in his commentary on the story? It could be either or both.
But much is clear. The tycoon believed the manager had done wrong by squandering his wealth. The manager believed he had done wrong and deserved to be punished. The manager abused his position in the last days before he left office. He cheated; he did wrong, in order to avoid a sad, friendless future in a society where friends counted for a lot.
And that’s the point of Jesus’ story. If people knowingly cheat in order to have a happy earthly future, shouldn’t people do the right thing in order to ensure a happy eternal future?
And what’s the right thing to do in the kingdom of God, the right thing to do for people who call Jesus “Lord” and put themselves under his kingship?
The right thing to do is to always care for our neighbours’ earthly and eternal wellbeing, regardless of whether they’re rich or poor.
When we choose to spend time only with those who can help us keep or increase our wealth and honour, we squander our master’s wealth.
Do you agree?
Peace be with you.
[1] This is clearly from verses 1 and 14.
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