There are certain scriptural passages that we preachers avoid, because they are difficult. One of those is my text for today. In my thirty-one years of ministry I have never attempted to expound this text. Why in the world would Jesus tell a story that makes a hero out of a thief? In most of Jesus' stories, the hero is a positive role model, like the Good Samaritan or the father of the Prodigal Son. But this story applauds a man who is obviously dishonest. Nevertheless, let's see if we can discover something useful in Jesus' story.

I heard about a young lawyer who was called in from the big city to represent a large railroad company that was being sued by a farmer. It seems that the farmer's prize cow was missing from a field through which the railroad passed, and the farmer was suing for t…