I need the wisdom of Bweinh!ers…

September 17, 2007, 2:39 pm; posted by
Filed under Articles, Mike J  | 5 Comments

…to help me with my sermon this week.

It’s on Luke 16:1-13, the parable of the dishonest manager.

Any insights into the parable that readers/contributors have would be welcome, but I’m especially wondering if you think it’s fair to treat this parable as an allegory. I can’t find any reputable commentary that says it is, but it just seems so logical to me that when a master and a steward appear in a parable, it’s likely about God and religious leadership (see the parable of the vineyard, Mt 21:33-45).

To me, one of the messages of the parable is that wise Christians share the good news that the crushing debt the world thinks it owes God is much less onerous than it seems. The shrewd and generous Christian reflects the shrewdness of God, who is not so much about exacting punishments that fit the crime but showing deep love to His creation. So God commends us when we do this, because our “shrewdness” reflects his “shrewdness.” We are cunning and unfair in the same way God is cunning and unfair–always working quietly to give us more than we deserve.

Is this a fair reading of the text? What do you think?


Comments

5 Comments to “I need the wisdom of Bweinh!ers…”

  1. Steve on September 17th, 2007 6:03 pm

    I do think that’s a fair reading of a parable that, in my opinion, is classically one of the most difficult to understand in all the Gospels.

    Worth noting also that it directly follows (at least in our Bibles) the parable of the two sons, in context a clear indictment of the scribes and Pharisees, upset that their years of keeping the Law were being overlooked while Christ kept company with sinners.

    And after this parable, which talks about the use of “unrighteous mammon” to benefit the Kingdom of God, and concludes by declaring the impossibility of serving both God and money, the text describes those same Pharisees as “lovers of money” who derided Christ for His words.

    So it does seem both logical and likely that this parable has some application to the Pharisaical tendency to condemn rather than forgive, couched in language that lovers of money would understand.

  2. David on September 18th, 2007 8:03 pm

    I like Lukes parables because he always makes sure to tell you what the parable is about, or at least what the point is. In vs. 8 he notes that Jesus commends him for wisdom in making a new place for himself by using shrewdness. It is akin to proverbs commending the spider for the wisdom that allows it to end up in the palace (Pro. 30:24-28). Then in vs. 9 he has Jesus saying be wise, use your worldly wealth to accomplish things in people that will resound in eternity. I’ve never been able to go any deeper than that with this section. Sorry if that doesn’t help at all.

  3. Mike J on September 19th, 2007 4:07 pm

    Hi David & Steve–thanks for this. David, that does help–I still just wonder–thanks. I think the key is in v.9–if it’s translated “mammon,” then I think you have to understand it as worldly wealth. But if it’s translated “dishonest wealth” then it could be symbolic. Anyway, you can check out the result on Monday when I post the sermon!

    Thanks.

  4. Steve on September 21st, 2007 5:03 pm

    Someone visited this site today after searching for “parable of the dishonest steward” + “children” + “coloring.”

    Wow.

  5. Steve on September 21st, 2007 6:00 pm

    And now another one who looked for “jokes about Luke 16:1-13.” We’re disappointing a lot of people!

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