Managing?
This is the sermon I preached last Sunday, 9/22/19 at St. Timothy Lutheran Church . The text was Luke 16:1-13. Jesus’ parables are never easy to understand, but today’s is a doozey. It is so difficult that Luke attaches no fewer than four different lessons to it. Remember, too, that these are fictional characters in the parable and only after hearing the whole story could the audience determine its relevance to their situation, much less its relevance to our situation. This confusing parable can be divided up into four sections: the shrewd manager (vv. 1-8a), worldly wisdom (vv. 8b-9), trust in trivial matters, (vv. 10-12) and serving two masters (v. 13a). The majority of the parable concerns the shrewd manage, vv. 1-8a. The steward or manager may be a crook, but he was shrewd and knew how to get ahead. By reducing the debt of the debtors, the manager is making those that owe socially indebted to him. Therefore, he can drop by for free meals. The point of the