Sermon: Wittenberg Academy – Tuesday of Easter 6 - 2021

May 11, 2021

Text: Luke 16:1-18

 In the name of + Jesus.  Amen.

 Christ is risen!  He is risen indeed!  Alleluia!

The Parable of the Dishonest Manager – like all of our Lord’s parables – is offensive.  “The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all these things, and they ridiculed Him. And He said to them, ‘You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts.  For what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God.’”

The “hero” of the story is a crook.  He is the manager who is costing the owner money – whether through laziness or embezzlement, our Lord doesn’t say.  But the point is that, when he learns that he’s being fired, he acts with single-minded audacity to ‘make friends in high places’ – even by cheating the boss even more.  The boss can’t help but be amazed at his crooked employee’s behavior.  And Jesus criticizes his hearers – both his followers and the Pharisees – for lacking this audacity in matters of the kingdom of God.

The dishonest manager knows what he wants, and he boldly pursues it.  “For the sons of this world,” says Jesus, “are more shrewd in dealing with their own than the sons of light.”  Why?  Because our loyalties are divided.  The lover of money works with single-minded purpose to pursue wealth.  But we Christians often have  a divided sense of loyalty.  We too love money, and this detracts from our mission to store up treasure in heaven, and to pursue the kingdom of God first.  And in this divided loyalty, we can learn a thing or two from the crooked employee of our Lord’s tale. 

Of course, the Pharisees are offended – as are not a few Christians – because “lovers of money” will feel the sting of the Law in our Lord’s parable.  He is calling us to repent, to put our priorities right, and to impress money into service for the kingdom of God, rather than allow money to detract us from the kingdom, to create a competing god, to confuse our priorities.

 For we must keep the cross central to our lives.  In the cross, Jesus has won for us innumerable treasures.  This spiritual wealth cannot be measured monetarily.  This, dear friends, is the Gospel, the Good News that we have for a spiritually impoverished world.  We have a more excellent way to share with all people.  And so we need to put our money and resources of this world into the service of the Gospel.  And when we do this, the Lord reaps a harvest of people whose lives are changed by winning for them forgiveness, life, and salvation.  These are indeed the greatest of treasures – treasures that money cannot buy.

Amen.

Christ is risen!  He is risen indeed!  Alleluia!

In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.