Pentecost 18

Pentecost 18 (Luke 16:1-13)

“Whoever is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much.”

Jesus sometimes used shock as a teaching device.

In the story of the unfaithful steward, Jesus contrasts the shrewdness of the embezzler with the folly of the faithful.

Jesus does not commend the disloyal steward for his crimes. He simply points out that this particular criminal is focused and alert and clever.

Jesus intended this teaching to shock people. It is a like the physical shock of diving into a cold lake or ocean. The intent is to wake us up from our self- induced slumber. Jesus understood very well that most people most of the time sleep walk through life. We simply accept the cultural norms we grew up with. We follow the path of least resistance when it comes to setting priorities and expressing values.

Once Jesus has the attention of the audience he moves into more profound spiritual truth. The teaching just does not stop with the parable. The parable is the splash of cold water to get our attention and encourage us to ask questions.

The first question might be: is this true? Is the shrewdness of the disloyal servant a virtue or a vice? Is Jesus comment about the lack of attention and planning amongst the faithful true? Are we missing opportunities for service by our complacency and lethargy?

Jesus used a teaching device designed to engage his listeners in a dialog. Sadly, virtually everyone who heard Jesus wanted quick easy answers instead. They wanted check lists for right behavior not principles to live by. They wanted detailed rigid inflexible and uncompromising beliefs. They did not want a broad universal and unconditional faith.

Underlying these desires was the demand: tell us what we must do to avoid God’s wrath and earn God’s reward.

They seldom asked questions because in the pride of Original Separation they inherited the belief that they knew everything they needed to know about the nature of God and humanity. They not only believed they claimed to know that God is power and the meaning and purpose of human life is to use that transcendent power of the divine to acquire worldly power and wealth.

Jesus challenges this assumption.

In Jesus God the Father reveals that the one God is an eternal community of love. What God wants from humanity is not submission to Law that brings people wealth and power. What God wants from humanity is an active transforming relationship.

God designed our species and each of us as individuals to grow in grace and to transform in love.

Our Anglican expression of faith encourages us to savor the Great Mystery of Divine Love, to delight in the Real Presence of Jesus Christ at the altar of sacrifice, and to enter into the transforming active dynamic relationship with God the Holy Spirit through reason, emotion and will.

What is it that Jesus invites us to be faithful in?

The disloyal steward was single-mindedly dedicated to his own wealth and power. Jesus did not endorse his crime but did use his dedication as a example for us to consider how we set our priorities.

Who are we faithful to? Where are our loyalties? How are we divided in our loyalties?

Moses, the prophets and the apostles are very clear about priorities. The three Biblically based priorities are Jesus, Others, You.

The three Biblically based principles underlying these three priorities are worship, charitable service, and personal growth and development.

Moses and the prophets were very clear in their teaching. A nation, a family and an individual cannot successfully live with divided loyalties. Jesus refines this teaching as he issues a call to make a choice in our loyalties, priorities and values.

The bottom line then as now is the bottom line: you cannot serve God and wealth. These are mutually exclusive loyalties. We will either paralyze ourselves through indecisiveness or we will fall into hypocrisy.

The direction we take in life is revealed to us in the details of our lives. It is the little choices of how we spend our time and resources that reveals our loyalties and principles.

That is why Jesus summarizes his teaching from the parable of the disloyal steward by setting forth the principle:  

“Whoever is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much.”