Faithfulness in all things

Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost

Luke 16:1-13

"Faithfulness in All Things"

The television commercial seeking our business advertises: "You've got questions. We've got answers." After hearing what Jesus has to say in today's Gospel lesson (Luke 16:1-13), I think we've all got questions - questions like: Did the manager continue cheating his master after his dishonesty was exposed? Was his behavior within the bounds of conventional business practices of the day? Did the manager sacrifice what was owed to his master, or the customary cut he took for himself? Is Jesus approving of the manager's clevernesss, and if he is, isn't he then approving of shady dealings and immoral behavior? I can't promise that all of these questions will be answered in today's sermon; in fact, you may walk away with more questions than answers. What I can promise you is that the Lord Jesus Christ, who is our Master, calls us to wise and faithful management of what belongs to him; of what He has entrusted to our care. May the Lord's rich blessing rest upon the preaching, the hearing, and the living of his Word, for Jesus' sake.

I have shared this story before, but it bears telling again. In college, I was enrolled in the pre-seminary program, which meant we took courses in doctrine, church history, and Biblical languages (Hebrew and Greek) in preparation for the seminary. In Hebrew class, we were scheduled to take a comprehensive exam of the verb-root qal in its seven forms. This was a very important exam, and one that decided much of our grade for the class. Because of its length, this was a take-home exam, and when it was handed out one of my classmates jokingly (I think) asked our professor, "How do you know we won't cheat?" He quickly responded, "Gentlemen, if you cannot be trusted with a Hebrew exam, how can you be trusted with the real treasure of the Gospel?" I have never forgotten that lesson, and what it taught me about faithfulness in all things, as Jesus tells us: "Whoever is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much; and whoever is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. If then you have not been faithful with the dishonest wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches?" (Luke 16:10-11).

Today's Gospel lesson from Luke 16 follows three parables in Luke 15 on what was lost being found again. Jesus told these parables to the scribes and Pharisees (Luke 15:2), people who were not part of Jesus' following. They were outsiders. Now in Luke 16, we are told that Jesus is speaking to his own disciples, not to outsiders. And the call from Jesus to his disciples then and now is for faithfulness in all things - things great and small, in little and in much. Jesus cuts to the chase, and tells us clearly that we can't have it both ways. We cannot serve two masters. We're either going to hate the one and be devoted to the other, or vice versa. Who is our master? That's the question that is before us., and the answer to that question will decide how we manage what has been placed into our hands. Who is master of our lives? Is it ourselves or someone else? Is it work or pleasure? Is it money or power? Is it fear or guilt? Is it God?

So important is this understanding that we have built it into our newly-adopted congregational vision. It is summed up under the word "Manage," one of our four key vision words. The definition here is the free and joyous activity of the child of God, and of God's family, the church, in managing all of life and life's resources for God's purposes. To manage is to exercise faithfulness in all things for the sake of the Master, the One who has given us all that we are and have. To manage is grow in a lifestyle and worldview that are Christ-like, honoring the Lord in all things - ourselves, our time, our possessions.

In my own life, I know my management of what belongs to the Master is not what it could be or should be. I know I'm not alone here, either. All of us fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23) , and we are convicted of mismanagement of the Master's resources. When such charges are brought against individuals in positions of leadership - business, government, not-for-profit - if the individual is found guilty of misappropriation of funds, embezzlement, malfeasance, there are penalties, ranging from paying fines to imprisonment. What is the penalty for our mismanagement of the Master's resources? Is there a fine we can pay? Do we go to prison? That's how the human mind works: we want to know what we need to do to set things right. The human mind operates on an "if/then" understanding: if I am good enough, if I do the right thing, then God will accept me. Holy Scripture reveals a much different mode of operation on God's part. It's not "if/then," but "because/therefore." Because Christ Jesus has already paid the penalty for us, not with gold or silver but with his holy precious blood and his innocent suffering and death (1 Peter 1:18-19), because God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son for us all (John 3:16), therefore I am set free to enjoy that full and abundant life that Christ Jesus came to bring (John 10:10). I am set free to see all of life and life's resources in a whole new way, knowing that whether I have a lot or a little, I am loved by God more than I can possibly imagine. And that changes everything.

Because we are loved more than we can possibly imagine by God, therefore we are led by God to faithfulness in all things - the big things and the little things. God help us to do this, for Jesus' sake. Amen.