Managing True Riches

Managing True Riches

Trinity 9 T Luke 16:1-13

INI

The idolatry of mammon looks like this: letting your stuff manage you, instead of you managing your stuff.

That was the failure of the dishonest manager. He was lazy at his job. He wasted his master’s possessions. He treated his master’s stuff with contempt. Thus, he was careless, and foolish in his task of managing his master’s business.

So, when the master found out how the manager was wasteful with his things, he fired the manager. Then the manager entered scramble mode. He needed some employment, some sort of security blanket for when his employment was fully terminated: what was he going to do? Was he going to dig, or beg? None of those things seemed right for him. So, what was he going to do?

            For whatever reason, when the master fired the manager, he didn’t immediately take away the books he managed. Thus, the manager still held some sort of authority. Perhaps he was given the ability to carry out his tasks for the rest of the day. But it seems foolish on the master’s part that he wouldn’t have taken the books from his manager right there on the spot. He treated the master’s money as play money. Something to just fool around with. So, why allow for even a second longer for this lazy worker to be in charge of the books? Perhaps, it’s because the manager didn’t really care much for his possessions either. Maybe, it’s because His possessions didn’t own him.

This allowed just enough time for the manager to devise a plan to secure his future. Since the manager didn’t honor or glorify his master’s things, he used them to cleverly devise a plan that might land him a job elsewhere. He used his master’s wealth unrighteously, that he might pursue his true master, which was comfort, ease, security, a place to land after he was fired. So, he went to his master’s debtors and reduced their debts. Instead of 100 measures of oil, he reduced a debtors’ due to 50. Instead of 100 measures of wheat, he reduced a debtors’ due to 80. He did this with the hopes that once the books were actually removed from him, his shrewdness in reducing those debts would earn him kindness from those businessmen. Maybe it could get him a job with them. Or at the very least, he could have a couch to crash on until he figured out his next move.

            Once the master found out what the manager did, he didn’t applaud the manager for his dishonesty. But he did applaud him for his shrewdness. Because he used whatever resources were at his disposal to serve his god. Now, he was unrighteous, because his gods were comfort, ease, and security. But he played the game well. He used all things at his disposal to reach his goal.

            When things start to spiral out of control, sinful man will do whatever is necessary in order to please the idolatrous gods of comfort, ease, and security. We see this all the time – people play the game of welfare systems just to get their material things secured. People take advantage of generosity in an unrighteous way, dishonoring the masters who gave them such generosity. But like the master, you gotta hand it to them – they were creative in their dishonesty. They used the resources at their disposal to win the game. They scratched and crawled their way to reach their gods. So, when the master applauded the manager’s shrewdness, it’s like handing it to an opponent who bested you at the game. Even if they had a cheap shot in there, you applaud their survival techniques.

            Now, Jesus tells us this story so that we would mimic the manger. Though, not that we creatively and shrewdly get security for ourselves in this life by engaging in dishonesty, deceit, and misappropriating the generosity of others. He tells us this story that we may creatively and shrewdly scratch and crawl our way to the true master we serve: Christ Jesus our Lord. That we should use all the resources He’s given to us to reach heaven’s goal.

      Johann Spangenberg, a German theologian during Luther’s time, put it well on the front of the bulletin. He said, “So does Christ want us also to do this to the people? Not at all. Rather, he wants us to seek after the heavenly, eternal treasures with as much earnestness and diligence as we see that the children of the world seek after their temporal, transitory treasures and lie in wait for them. We should seek after eternal treasures as industriously as the children of the world seek their worldly treasures. And it should not hinder us if they ridicule and deride these eternal treasures. Let them store up their treasures on earth, and you store up your treasures in heaven, and afterward let us see who employed their time in searching and storing most wisely.”

Due to our sin, we’re backed up against a wall. We have a debt that is too great to pay back. We constantly mismanage and waste the heavenly possessions given to us – whether that be a failure of proper, God-pleasing stewardship in the earthly possessions God has given us, or a failure in the stewardship or our time and resources that should be serving heavenly purposes.

That’s what Jesus means when he says, “If then you have been faithful in unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches?” Sinful man works so hard, so creatively, so shrewdly to secure earthly things for themselves – riches that will rot and decay. They think these things give them security, happiness, and contentment. So what does sinful man do? We will lie, cheat, steal, and misappropriate someone else’s stuff to gain unrighteous wealth and worldly status. We will use whatever resources at our disposal to serve ourseleves.

Don’t use your stuff to serve yourself. Use your stuff to serve God and others. There are riches beyond this world that are beyond compare at stake. What we could lie, cheat, and steal for ourselves in this world can’t compare to the treasure to come. That true treasure is Jesus’ shed blood from Calvary’s tree. His innocent suffering and death serve as the most valuable thing one could have in this life. So be like the manager, not mimicking his dishonesty or idolatry, but his zeal to be filled by His God. Though, we shall not be filled with vanities that we can’t take with us when we die. We shall creatively use the resources God has given to us, to secure for ourselves and others, the true riches which have no end.

I once talked to one of my seminary classmates about what sort of devotional practices pastors should encourage people to do in the congregation. One piece of advice he had was this: put your money where your mouth is. Is the bible truly the most valuable thing in our life? Is it even possible to put a price tag on God’s Word? Not really, but pricier things are more valued, cared for, and used than cheaper things. So, his advice was to buy a family Bible. But not just one that’s huge and sits unused on the shelf. He advised to buy one that was $250 or more – one that was hand crafted, with a sheepskin cover. Not because the words from that Bible are somehow better or more valuable than a cheaper one. But he saw it as putting the resources God had given him to work for kingdom purposes. And of course, that starts with devotions in the family. He put the riches he received in this world to teach him, his wife, and his children about the richness of Christ’s shed blood for them. Because Christ is his true master.

Jesus says, “No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” And the reason for that is that money is meant to serve God. As stewards of God’s riches, let us continue the work of His Holy Church, seeking creative and shrewd ways to use our resources for the work of God’s kingdom in this world – not seeking to build up storehouses of wealth which may give us security in this life. Rather, use all that we have in this life to secure for ourselves and others around us the free inheritance of life everlasting. Because the treasure in heaven is one for which we should strive. This heavenly treasure will not leave us wanting. The blood of Jesus will truly satisfy every need and good desire we have.

Our hymn of the day puts it well in all four stanzas, but let me re-read the third one for you: “The world seeks after wealth and all that mammon offers, yet never is content, though gold should fill its coffers. I have a higher good, content with it I’ll be: My Jesus is my wealth. What is the world to me!”

The Lord Jesus is the highest treasure. For He has purchased you from all the debts you owe to the Father due to your sin. He purchased YOU, not with gold or silver. Because again, these things are vanity. They’re meaningless. Rather, His currency was His Holy precious blood spilt on your behalf. Jesus used all the resources He had at His disposal – His body, His blood, His breath, His words, His strength, His courage, His miracles, His death, His resurrection – to rescue you, His treasure. That you might forsake your love of the world, and join Him in the bliss of heaven where true treasures are found. He even gives of His own resources to serve you while you live in His kingdom on earth as the Church militant. He adopts you into His family, giving you His heavenly Father to be your own. He sends the Holy Spirit to comfort you, and teach you of Christ’s own innocent suffering and death. He even visits you from heaven, to give you His body and blood here at this altar – to strengthen you with the riches of heaven, that you might be strengthened in your faith to life everlasting.

            So, manage your stuff. Don’t let your stuff manage you. Because one cannot serve two masters. Rather, let everything you have serve toward the heavenly goal of salvation – not only for you, but all those around you too.

Pastor Joshua Ralston