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Luke 16:1-15 · The Parable of the Shrewd Manager
Clever Christians
Luke 16:1-15
Sermon
by Richard Patt
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There is nothing unusual in talking about faithful Christians, active Christians, committed Christians, obedient and humble Christians, about Christians who are loving and loyal. But clever Christians? Some of us may never have heard it put that way.

This is what surprises us about the parable here in Luke 16. Toward the end of it Jesus says that the "sons of light" (v. 8), that is, the people of God, ought to be clever in their religion, like the "sons of this world" are in their business dealings; the Christian enterprise calls for shrewdness! Let's try to understand a little more clearly what Jesus means by all of this as we consider the theme, "Clever Christians."

At first reading the whole story here may impress us as a little shocking, because it almost sounds like Jesus is using a criminal as an example of the type of person Christians should be. Look at the parable. There is this rich man, probably a successful farmer. He was so successful that he could afford to be an absentee landlord. He hired a manager to run the farm and keep the books. The manager in turn hired workers to do the actual farming. Most of the crops the workers raised were given back to the owner of the land as rent. The workers kept a small portion and that was the way they made a living. One day the rich owner got wind of a rumor that his hired manager was embezzling some of the funds, or at least wasn't running the business very efficiently. The owner called in the manager, told him he was fired, and that he should have his desk cleared and be out of the office by noon on Friday.

The manager took his boss seriously; he took his own shaky situation even more seriously. He immediately began wondering how he could save his own neck. He would be unemployed by noon on Friday -- out on the street, humiliated, finished! All this demanded some quick and resourceful action. "Friends! -- That's what I need, plenty of friends who will feel they owe me a favor when they see me down and out." Within seconds the whole plan flashes before him. He determines that he is not going to end up digging ditches or begging on street corners. He will go to all those who are working the farm and ask each of them the amount of their debt to the owner. Whatever it is, he will alter their bills so that they will only owe half as much, or two-thirds as much. At any rate each worker will receive a huge discount, thanks to the manager. What a way to build instant friendships! Very clever, indeed.

When the manager finishes clearing his desk, he is about to walk out into the Friday afternoon sunshine. His wealthy boss stops him for a parting shot. "You know, you were a lousy manager; but I have to hand it to you: your little farewell discounts to the workers were a shrewd stroke. You are a clever one, aren't you?"

At this point Jesus ends the story and tells his hearers, in effect, how wonderful it would be if the people of God could be that clever when it came to their religion. Typically, Jesus doesn't say exactly what he means by being "clever" in the practice of religion, but surely he must have meant something like the following.

First of all, didn't he mean that we should be clever enough to face the facts when they are staring us in the face? When the boss told the manager he was fired, he believed him. The manager didn't engage in any denial about the seriousness of his situation. He didn't say, "Oh, my boss wouldn't do that to me; why I've been with him for over twenty years. He'll cool down in a couple of hours when he realizes what a valued employee I really am!" Nor did the manager assume that all of this was not as serious as it sounded, as though, after all, he was an experienced worker and could get another job in a snap.

No, we do not hear that kind of talk at all. Immediately he asked himself, "What shall I do...?" He committed himself to immediate action. He shifted gears instantly until his thinking was open only to the most clever and most resourceful thoughts.

When it comes to getting serious about religion, do not a lot of people surmise that they have plenty of time? This is true of unbelievers and believers alike. The unbeliever concludes that religion, yes, is a nice twist in our cultural expression as human beings. A significant number of people seem to be taken by religion; it is part of their daily lives and even seems to be personally helpful or, at least for many, has a calming effect. Later on, when perhaps much of their lives are over and they have nothing else to do, then they too will try to find something meaningful in the Bible or in a church.

People who consider themselves believers also think along such lines at times. They are members of churches, or at least know they have been baptized or maybe even confirmed, but they never go to church. A lot of their relatives are active in the church, and here and there, at work or in school or among neighbors, they hear certain folks talking about going to church or being involved in some church activity. They consider themselves religious -- even Christian -- but they regard most of it as being something for a few who are attracted by "that sort of thing."

There are still other types of believers who are active in the church in the sense that they frequently attend services but otherwise practice a fairly "private religion," assuming that, after all, religion, like politics, is a private matter. They are in favor of something but never engaged in it, really.

There are yet other believers who go to church and are considered very active in church programs but who have concluded that they could never seriously adopt the teachings or moral standards of Christianity in certain portions of their everyday lives. Countless numbers of Christian young people may therefore be admirable church members, but they know that they will never say "no" to certain beckoning sexual partners until later in life when their passions cool down. Countless numbers of Christian business people may be pillars of the church, but they know that making a living now unfortunately involves ongoing indiscretions on their part.

You get the idea: unbelievers as well as believers go on and on, year after year, telling themselves that one day they are "going to do something" about this matter of religion, about this matter of doing God's will. Someday, the unbeliever surmises, I am going to get serious about the whole matter of religion. I am going to look into it. Some believers, the ones who never go to church, tell themselves deep down that they will try to find time to worship at some future date. Other believers, who only attend church, or still others, who are, as we said, pillars of the church, resolve that they will get down to the serious side of faith someday -- the side that brings them to a personal and touching confrontation with the Lord Jesus Christ and to the moral heroism they know is part and parcel of rising above a merely hypocritical faith. All of these people know in their hearts that, as Jesus says here, "no servant can serve two masters," that "you cannot serve God and mammon." All of them know that there must come a day when Christ is either Lord or he is not Lord, when Christ is served or he is not served.

This "day that must come," frankly, is always today -- now. It is this fact that this parable is all about. Clever Christians know that now is the time for action, for doing, not the time for denial about the crucialness of the situation. Clever Christians know that not to choose is to choose; that the apostle Paul was right when he said, "Now is the day of salvation."

With the Second World War behind him, the German Lutheran pastor, Martin Niemoeller, wrote his now famous confession called "I Didn't Speak Up," and it is apropos: In Germany, the Nazis first came for the Communists, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Communist. Then they came for the Jews, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a trade unionist. Then they came for the Catholics, but I didn't speak up because I was a Protestant. Then they came for me, and by that time there was no one left to speak for me.

Would that all of those involved in the religious enterprise were as clever as the manager in this parable! "What shall I do...?" he immediately wondered. He quickly cleared his brain to answer that one. He did not deny the reality of his need to take action.

But this parable suggests being "clever Christians" involves something more. The manager here exercised sheer business shrewdness; Jesus is suggesting that in the area of religion the people of God should show a similar cleverness. They should not engage in shady practices or dishonesty, of course; nor should they function in the church for profit motives or selfish gain. But they should be committed to the kind of resourcefulness often employed in business circles for profit and gain.

Lest we think this observation of Jesus is outdated, it should be noted that many quarters of the Church are debating this very issue about being resourceful at the present time. Sometimes the issue is stated in questions like this: Should the churches as a first consideration devise forms and formats of worship that are "attractive" to people, or should such a "user-friendly" attitude be of secondary importance? Or how about moral issues? Do technology and other advancements of the twentieth century suggest a change in some of our moral stances, or does everything remain rigidly standard according to religious laws, some of which, by the way, are now over 4,000 years old?

The final answers to such questions are beyond the scope of a Sunday morning sermon, of course. But the very fact that such questions are being asked is an indication that churches are struggling with the issue of "cleverness" as it was brought up by Jesus in this parable. One fact is sure: most churches have adopted some of the ways of the world (of the business world, for instance) for the sake of effectively preaching the gospel. So, for instance, our church buildings use modern, thermostat-controlled heating and air-conditioning. Pastors think nothing of driving around in fully-equipped automobiles as they carry out their ministerial duties. Church offices make widespread use of computers, printing equipment, and advertising expertise in communicating with parish and non-parish persons. The list could go on enumerating "clever" ways and methods commonly employed in churches concerned about effectively carrying on the mission of the Savior.

CSS Publishing, Lima, Ohio, All Stirred Up, by Richard Patt