Pentecost 18 (2)

(NIV)

God will Hold us Accountable

1 Jesus told his disciples: “There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions. 2 So he called him in and asked him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your management, because you cannot be manager any longer.’ 3 “The manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do now? My master is taking away my job. I’m not strong enough to dig, and I’m ashamed to beg—4 I know what I’ll do so that, when I lose my job here, people will welcome me into their houses.’ 5 “So he called in each one of his master’s debtors. He asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ 6 “ ‘Nine hundred gallons of olive oil,’ he replied. “The manager told him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it four hundred and fifty.’ 7 “Then he asked the second, ‘And how much do you owe?’ “ ‘A thousand bushels of wheat,’ he replied. “He told him, ‘Take your bill and make it eight hundred.’ 8 “The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light. 9 I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings. 10 “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. 11 So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? 12 And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own? 13 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”

God will Hold us Accountable

Do you agree with the following statement: God will hold us accountable for the way we live our lives.

I ask this because this is the lesson that Jesus teaches us in the parable of the Shrewd Manager. Whether or not you agree with the fact that God will hold us accountable, God’s Word tells us that we will be held accountable for the way we live our lives. Consider the following clear statements from the Bible:

If anyone does not listen to my words that the prophet speaks in my name, I myself will call him to account.

19If anyone does not listen to my words that the prophet speaks in my name, I myself will call him to account.

what will I do when God confronts me?

What will I answer when called to account?

Why does the wicked man revile God?

13 Why does the wicked man revile God?

Why does he say to himself,

“He won’t call me to account”?

14 But you, O God, do see trouble and grief;

you consider it to take it in hand.

The victim commits himself to you;

you are the helper of the fatherless.

15 Break the arm of the wicked and evil man;

call him to account for his wickedness

that would not be found out.

But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. 37For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”

36But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. 37For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”

So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God.

12So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God.

Hebrews 14:13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

Hebrews 14:13

13Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

These passages should convince you that God will hold accountable for our beliefs, our words, and our actions. Therefore, we are to be very careful how we live and see to it that we are doing that which is pleasing to God.

Now Jesus could have just said that. But he employed a teaching method which helps to present the truth in a memorable way not only so that the hearer understands it but so that they can in turn teach this truth to others. So, as he often did, Jesus teaches this truth by way of a parable—earthly story with a heavenly meaning.

The story revolves around a manager who was in charge of his master’s estate. It was his responsibility in his master’s absence to make sure that his masters affairs were being taken care of in the proper way. In the KJV we have the word “steward” from which we get out word “stewardship”. Those who practice stewardship are entrusted with someone else’s property, goods, or even people and are to use them in a responsible way. In church we often apply this to the stewardship of time, talents, and treasures. As children of God, we believe that we are created by him and belong to him and that in this lifetime he has blessed each of us with resources that are to be used as he commands. We consider a passage like

(NIV)

1 The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; 2 for he founded it on the seas and established it on the waters.

1 Corinthians 6:18–20 NIV

18 Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body. 19 Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.

This calls for certain basic Christian statements of faith.

There is a God who has created the heavens and the earth all that is in it.

Psalm 14:1–3 NIV

1 The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good. 2 The Lord looks down from heaven on all mankind to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. 3 All have turned away, all have become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.

2. We belong to him because he created us and because Jesus has redeemed us from sin, death, and the devil.

We belong to him because he created us and because Jesus has redeemed us from sin, death, and the devil.

(Bought at a price) see above.

3. God graciously gives us all that we need for body and life as well as what are referred to as “spiritual gifts”.

Romans 12:3–8 NIV

3 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. 4 For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5 so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. 6 We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; 7 if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; 8 if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.

We are to use these gifts for the benefit of others.

1 Peter 4:7–11 NIV

7 The end of all things is near. Therefore be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray. 8 Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. 9 Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. 10 Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. 11 If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.

Peter tells us that we are to do this as faithful stewards. As he wrote these words decades after the time he was trained by Jesus, he may very well have been thinking about a story Jesus taught of what happened when a steward was not faithful and the consequences of his unfaithful use of possessions.

Luke 16:1–2 NIV

1 Jesus told his disciples: “There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions. 2 So he called him in and asked him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your management, because you cannot be manager any longer.’

Jesus teaches the point we started with today. We are accountable to those who are in charge of us and ultimately that is God.

One may wonder why the manager was slothful? Maybe it was because he didn’t think he was being watched or because he thought it didn’t really matter. Not being watched is a strong temptation to not be faithful. The reason children are tested in school is to teach them that they are being watched when it comes to doing homework. I used to assign readings from Luther’s Small Catechism and never tested that only to find out that most of the students did not do their assignment because they weren’t being watched.

I shopped at a “rock shop” in Arkansas once with signs indicating it was under video surveillance which was interesting because the power wasn’t on. Well, there were no cameras but the sign was there to give the impression that shoppers were being watched to keep them from stealing. Notice how many stores do have such cameras and their purpose.

Well, whether the teacher or other authority figure is watching, we are to believe that God is watching us.

(NIV)

22 Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to curry their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. 23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, 24 since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. 25 Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for their wrongs, and there is no favoritism.

Well, in the parable the owner was watching. And the manager got caught. As a result, he was about to get the sack i.e. fired. So he came up with a plan to secure his future which involved renegotiating with the customers. Although the master does not agree with the dishonesty, he does commend the shrewdness.

The manager believed in the “law of reciprocity”. or “You scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours.” Things done for others have a way of coming back to us positively or negatively.

In the master’s commendation of the manager, Jesus teaches us a lesson. (NIV)

9 I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.

What does this mean?

Luke 16:8b–9 NIV

8 “The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light. 9 I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.

Luke 16:8b–9 NIV

8 “The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light. 9 I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.

Luke 16:8b–9 NIV

8 “The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light. 9 I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.

Luke: Verse by Verse First Application: Give It Away (16:8B–9)

God’s people are the polar opposite of the world. People get ahead in the world by taking everything they can for themselves. The saints get ahead with God by using what they have to help others. Christ followers repudiate the manipulative techniques of the world and so are the opposite of both the manager and the owner. Jesus is interpreting his own parable and applying it to his listeners. The key is the great contrast between “the people of this world” and “the people of the light,” namely, the secular person and the Christian. There is a lesson to be learned: the shrewd act of the manager showed that he as an “unrighteous” agent of this world knew how to use his resources for his advantage. He and other worldly people are “more shrewd” than believers who belong to “the light” of God. They know how to get ahead in this world (“dealing with their own kind”), while believers don’t know how to get ahead with God, namely, how to use their resources wisely.

In verse 9 Jesus proceeds to answer the dilemma and tell his followers how to be “shrewd” with their “worldly wealth.” It is exactly opposite from what the manager did. He stole his master’s resources for his own needs, but he did it to “gain friends” (the debtors) and get a job that would provide an earthly, temporary home for himself. Most likely it didn’t last long. The one thing that didn’t change was his incompetence, so it is doubtful that his new job lasted much longer than his first one had. Jesus is telling his followers that they too need to use their worldly wealth to “gain friends for yourselves,” but in this case it could actually be seen as an idiom for almsgiving. We are shrewd when we use our resources to help others and to benefit the kingdom. As in 6:20–26; 12:13–21, 33–34, possessions should be seen as a divinely bestowed treasure to be used to benefit others more than self. This is the primary difference between followers of Christ and the shrewd manager.

Jesus here turns to the eschatological reality in which the saints use this life to prepare for the next. He concludes (in the Greek) with “they will welcome you into eternal dwellings.” Most see the third plural “they” as passive in thrust, “you will be,” a reference to God welcoming us to heaven. This could well be, but I prefer to keep the “they,” with it meaning that the people we have helped will be in heaven to welcome us there. They will be our heavenly reward, all the good we have done with our resources. Everything we spend helping others is immediately banked in heaven waiting for us to arrive to collect the rewards we have earned. The manager had only temporary rewards and a temporary home, but ours is eternal.

Application to the local congregation.

JeLuke 16:1–13 (NIV)

1 Jesus told his disciples: “There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions. 2 So he called him in and asked him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your management, because you cannot be manager any longer.’ 3 “The manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do now? My master is taking away my job. I’m not strong enough to dig, and I’m ashamed to beg—4 I know what I’ll do so that, when I lose my job here, people will welcome me into their houses.’ 5 “So he called in each one of his master’s debtors. He asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ 6 “ ‘Nine hundred gallons of olive oil,’ he replied. “The manager told him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it four hundred and fifty.’ 7 “Then he asked the second, ‘And how much do you owe?’ “ ‘A thousand bushels of wheat,’ he replied. “He told him, ‘Take your bill and make it eight hundred.’ 8 “The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light. 9 I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings. 10 “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. 11 So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? 12 And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own? 13 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” sus also teaches who we are able to gain responsibility.

We have perhaps heard of the employee who started in the mail room of an office building and became the CEO of that company. Through the years and faithful service he worked his way to the top.

We see this in the public ministry as well. Where do seminary graduates start in the public ministry with their first call? Those who have been faithful over the years will often realize holding positions of greater prestige and responsibility. I know some of these men and even though they are the most respected of called workers in our synod, they have continued to be humble servants and faithful stewards.

Luke 16:10–12 NIV

10 “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. 11 So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? 12 And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own?

Application to the local congregation.

It has been reported that of the 400,000 members of the WELS, about 155,000 attended worship services at their congregation only twice a year (usually Christmas and Easter). What can we do about it? One of the steps is to emphasize to them that they are being watched. Church leaders are encouraged to update church membership records and be more proactive in keeping attendance and contacting those who have been absent for as little as four weeks in a row.

Another step in the process is to contact the members and work with them to find out why they are absent and encourage them to be more responsible.

For those who respond well, we are encouraged to welcome them home.

For those who do not respond well, the leaders of the congregation are to be trained to teach more clearly the concepts of responsibility and accountability.

Why? Not to improve the statistics or increase offerings (although this would be a result) but to encourage members to grow in their relationship with Jesus through a more regular exposure to the Law and the Gospel.

Although Jesus was not introducing a program with this parable, he is teaching the importance of the fact that God does hold us accountable. In the parable the shrewd manager responded to discipline in a positive way. Our God disciplines us so that we too will grow in our responsibility. (NIV)

7 Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? 8 If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all. 9 Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live! 10 They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. 11 No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

13 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”