Proper 20 :: Amos
8: 4–7; Psalm 113; I Timothy 2: 1–7; Luke 16: 1–13
This is a homily by Fr. Gene Tucker given
at St. John’s Church in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania on Sunday, September 18, 2016.
“FAITHFUL LIVING AS CHILDREN OF THE LIGHT”
(Homily texts: Amos
8: 4–7 & Luke 16: 1-13)
Both our Old Testament reading from the
prophet Amos and our gospel reading for this morning have to do with
dishonesty. In the Amos reading, it is the rich who are cheating the poor.
Jesus’ parable about the dishonest manager is just the opposite: The manager is
cheating his rich master.
Jesus’ parable might – at first glance
– appear to be difficult to understand. Indeed, biblical scholars take
differing views of the details of some of the Lord’s teaching.
But the overall meaning (and challenge
for us as disciples of Christ) is clear in Jesus’ statement, when He says,
“Whoever is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much; and whoever is
dishonest in a very little is dishonest also in much.”
As we look at the details of this
parable, let’s remember the target audience…Jesus is speaking to His disciples.
He is also speaking to us. (Last week’s gospel and the two parables we heard
then were addressed to the Pharisees and the scribes. Remembering who are the recipients
is important to understand the application of the teaching.)
So then, Jesus is telling us what
faithful living as a follower of Jesus looks like.
Now then, let’s look at some of the
details of Jesus’ parable, remembering that the Lord is a master story teller.
First of all, we should notice that the
dishonest manager is consistent in his dishonesty. When confronted with the
accusation of dishonesty, he acts dishonestly to cheat his master out of what
is rightfully his. In so doing, he does so quickly (perhaps so as not to be
caught and prevented from carrying out his dishonest act?). Jesus says that the
dishonest manager tells the first debtor to sit down “quickly” to reduce the amount
owed.
The dishonest manager is pulling others
into his web of deceit. (Isn’t that exactly how sin works? Once sin becomes a
reality, then it tends to affect others and to involve others….consider the act
of telling a lie: Once a lie has been told, then the liar has to remember the
tale that was told in order to keep the story straight and to maintain the
falsehood. The liar might also involve others in maintaining the false
narrative.) The manager is basically guaranteeing his retirement (the ancient
equivalent of an IRA or a 401K account) by creating a debt owed to the manager
by those who have benefitted from his act of generosity (at the master’s
expense, we ought to note). Put in very blunt terms, the manager is telling
these debtors “You owe me, and once I am dismissed, I’ll be coming to collect
on my debt.”
Jesus’ statement “And I tell you, make
friends for yourselves by means of dishonest wealth so that when it is gone,
they may welcome you into the eternal homes,” may seem difficult to understand.
Allow me to attempt an explanation: Jesus is saying, in effect (I think), “Go
ahead and live dishonestly. You can live that way if you choose to. Go ahead
and get friends for yourselves (like the dishonest manager), so that you and
they will have an illicit agreement based on cheating…for that agreement and
the wealth attached to it will both come to an end.” At least that’s what I
make of the statement. (Again, biblical scholars puzzle over the meaning, but I
think my interpretation of the statement’s meaning is generally faithful to the
Lord’s intent.)
Now, let’s return to the central theme
of this parable.
Jesus is instructing His first
disciples and His modern day disciples that they must make a choice in the way
they will live their lives. Here are reminded that the letters of the New
Testament contain numerous admonitions to the early Christians that they cannot
live as they used to live before they came to faith in Christ. They must put
away their former ways of living and they must live upright and holy lives
before God. One passage from I Peter 1: 14 – 15 will illustrate this concern:
“As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former
ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also must be holy in all your
conduct.” (English Standard Version)
Finally, the Lord tells us that the
little things count. He admonishes us to remember that the one who “is faithful
in a very little is faithful also in much.”
Just as the dishonest manager was
called to give an account of his stewardship of the master’s wealth, so, too,
we will be called to give an account of our conduct and of our stewardship of
the love of God which has been given to us.
AMEN.
