September 19, 2010 – Seventeenth Sunday After Pentecost, Proper 20

Year C

By the Rev. Kay Sylvester

(RCL) Jeremiah 8:18-9:1 and Psalm 79:1-9 (Track 2: Amos 8:4-7 and Psalm 113); 1 Timothy 2:1-7; Luke 16:1-13

“Makefriendsforyourselvesbymeansofdishonestwealth.” Jesus didn’t really say that, did he?

Imaginethediscipleshearingthisstory.TheyprobablyaskJesustorepeathimself,cleanthewaxoutoftheirears,andlookateachotherforverification:didhereallyjustsaythat?

Itseemshedid.Someonerememberedthisstory,andJesushasdemonstratedaknackthroughoutLuke’sgospelfortellingmemorablestories.Mostofthemareparables,whichinviteustorememberthestoryandmullonit.Itisalwaysamistaketotreatparablesinthesamewaywetreatallegories,andthisstoryinparticularcouldrepresentrealtroublefortheinterpreterwhotreatsitasallegory.WhoisGodinthestory?Whoisthedishonestmanagersupposedtorepresent?

That’snotwhatJesusisdoing.It’sdifficulttoknowpreciselywhatheisdoing,buthehasn’tstoppedbelievinginanddemonstratingthekingdomofGod,arealitythatincludesperfectjusticeandmercy;soweassumethatthedishonestmanager,whooperatesentirelyoutofself-interest,isn’tadirectstand-inforGod,orforus.

Thisstoryhighlightsourneedtotakegreatcareininterpretingpiecesofscriptureinlightoftheircontext.IfweweretoreadthispassageundertherubricthatwearetotakeeverythingintheBibleliterally,we’dfindourselvesinrealtrouble,andprobablyinjail.

Clearly,thestartlingimageofthedishonestmanagerasthe“hero”ofJesus’storywillhelpustorememberit.Butifit’snotliteral,whatarewesupposedtomakeofit?

ThestoryinLukethatcomesimmediatelybeforetoday’sstoryisthemuch-belovedstoryoftheprodigalson,thecrankyolderbrother,andtheridiculouslyforgivingfather.Today’sstorymaywellhighlightthesamesituation:someoneintroublestumblesintogracepracticallybyaccident.Inthestoryoftheprodigal,theyoungersondoesnotacquithimselfwell.Hemakessomeveryselfishchoicesthatoffendnearlyeveryone,andonlycomestohissensestothedegreethatherealizessomethingmustchangesothathecansurvive.Continuingtoactinhisownself-interest,hereturnshometodiscoverthatgraceandforgivenesshavebeenwaitingforhimthewholetime,andwehaveasensethathemayfinallygetwhatitmeanstobeloved.

Intoday’sstory,thedishonestmanagerisinanequallybadsituation,andforthesamereason:hehasactedentirelyselfishlywithoutconcernforhowhisactionswillaffectothers,justsohecanslipsomemoneyintohispocketthatdoesn’tbelongtohim.Whenhisemployerfiguresoutwhathe’sdone,hefigureshisgooseiscooked,andsohecontinuestoactinhisownself-interestbycuttingdealswithhisemployer’sdebtors.Whathewantsisforthesepeopletoowehimsomething,becauseheissurethatmanuallaborisbeneathhim,andbeggingissoembarrassing.What’sdisturbingtothoseofuslisteningtohisstoryisthatitworks!Itworksevenbetterthanhehadplanned;notonlydothepeoplewhoowemoneytohisbossgetabetterdeal,themanagerhimselfhasregainedsomestatusintheeyesofhisemployerbecauseofhisshrewdness.

Thisisjustcrazy,upside-downgrace.Wewhohearhisstorywanthimtopayforhisdishonesty,nottogetoutofastickysituationsmellinglikearose.Whatkindofmoralexampleisthis?

Well,itisn’tone.WhatJesusseemstobehighlightinginthisstory,whichwecanperhapsseemoreclearlybycomparingittothestoryoftheprodigalson,istheridiculousnatureofGod’sgrace,andourcalltoliveinit.

Thisfoxymanagerandself-servingyoungersonsoundalotlikeJacob,whosenamebecameIsrael;heconnivedandmanipulated,wrestledandargued,whenGod’sblessingwasavailabletohimfromthebeginning.

Jesuscommendstheshrewd–andshady–managerasanexample,notforhisdishonestdealings,butforhiscleversolution.ButJesusdoesn’tstopthere. Hesaysthismanager–whois“ofthisworld,”meaningsomeonewhosevaluesareentirelyplebianandself-oriented–hasmanagedtoscratchandclawhiswayintoabettersituation;whatcanJesus’followersdo,heasks,withthegraceofGodbehindthem?

WhatJesusthinkshisfollowersarecapableofiswhathehimselfhasbeenbusydoing:healing,reconciling,truth-telling,andproclaimingthekingdom.Wemustbeascleverasthemanagerintoday’sgospel,withadifferentgoal:servingourself-interest,alongsidethebestinterestsoftheworldthatGodloves,bybuildingthekingdomofGod.

Today’scollectcontrastsbeing“anxiousaboutearthlythings”with“lovingthingsheavenly.”Itwouldbesimpletoimaginethat“lovingthingsheavenly”meanssomekindofethereal,spiritualexperience,bathedinlight,withsomeharpmusicplayinginthebackground.However,thestoriesJesushasbeentellinginthislongnarrativeofhisjourneytoJerusalemdon’tsoundetherealatall.Theyareearthy,everydaystoriesthatconnectrightintoregularhumanlives.It’sonceofthecentralironiesoftheChristianlifethatinorderto“lovethingsheavenly,”wemustturntowardthedustanddirtofwhichwearemade,andtrytoenvisionandbuildthereignofGod.

Today’gospelisareminderofacoupleofthings:whenwegetanxiousaboutmoney,status,power,whatletterscomebeforeorafterourname,whatkindofcarwedrive,whatbrandofclotheswewear;whenwegetanxiousaboutthosethings,weendupusingourbestskillsforourselvesalone.It’salsoareminderthatinspiteofourselves,wearebathedingraceandforgiveness.

Wearecalledtobeshrewdaboutrecognizinggraceandsharingit.Wearecalledtolovethingsheavenly,bylovingGod’screation,seekingjusticeforeveryone,

Perhapsmostimportantly,today’sgospeliscenteredononeaction:forgiveness.Themanagerintendstomakehisownsituationbetterwhenheforgiveshismaster’sdebtors,butthemorehethinksaboutit,thebetteritgets:thepeoplewhohaveowedhismastermorethanthey’lleverbeabletorepayaresuddenlygoingtohavetheirburdenlightened,andthat’sgoingtomakethemasterlookgood,andthat’sgoingtomakethemasterhappy,andthatmeansthemanagerwon’tlosehisjob.Everybodywins.Forgiveness–whichisanact,notafeeling–haspositiveconsequencesforeveryone.

Wecangethungupontheundeniablefactthatthepersoninthestorywhoforgivesisactingdishonestlyandmanipulatively,andwe’dliketodistanceourselvesfromthatkindofbehavior.ButJesuschooseshisstoryillustrationscarefully,andthisonesticksinthememorypreciselybecauseit’soutsidetheboundariesofanyconventionalmoralitytale.

Forgivenessanditsconsequencesarecentralinthisgospelandinthestoryoftheprodigalthatprecedesit.Nomatterwhodoestheforgiving,it’sgoingtocreateever-wideningcirclesofpositiveconsequences.Forgiveness,Jesusseemstobesaying,isthestartingpointforbuildingthekingdomofGod,andofcourse,thiscyclebeginswithGod’sgracetowardus.IfGodkeptscore,wewouldbeinsomeseriousdebt,likethepeoplewhoowedmorethantheycouldpayintoday’sgospel.ButGod’sgraceprecedesourentireexistence,andifwechoosetobekingdom-builders,webeginbyacceptingGod’sgrace,andextendingourownforgivenesstoothers.Thereisreallynootherwaytotransformourlimitedsenseoftit-for-tatjusticeintoanexpansivesenseofGod’sjusticeandmercy.

TheGoodNewsistoday’sgospelisn’timmediatelyobvious,butit’sthere;forgivenessistheenginethatdrivesourjourneytowardthekingdom,andwewhoreceiveitgladlyarecalledtoshareitfreely.

— The Rev. Kay Sylvester is the assistant rector at St. Paul's in Tustin, California. She is a teacher, trainer, retreat leader, and preschool chaplain. Her prior experience includes teaching piano and guitar, and selling volleyball and wrestling equipment.