{"id":10749,"date":"2025-09-17T07:53:15","date_gmt":"2025-09-17T12:53:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/?p=10749"},"modified":"2025-09-17T07:53:15","modified_gmt":"2025-09-17T12:53:15","slug":"serving-god-or-wealth-wrestling-with-the-parable-of-the-dishonest-manager","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/serving-god-or-wealth-wrestling-with-the-parable-of-the-dishonest-manager\/","title":{"rendered":"Serving God or Wealth? Wrestling with the Parable of the Dishonest Manager"},"content":{"rendered":"

Prepare (This section is preparation for the leader, not content meant for the whole group.)<\/em><\/span><\/h4>\n

Our gospel reading for this week is not an easy one. Taking some time to remember the narrative context and who Jesus is speaking to is helpful as we try to untangle\u2014or at least loosen\u2014this knotted parable.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Back in chapter 14, Jesus had dinner with some Pharisees, where he healed a man on the Sabbath and told a parable on hospitality. He continues telling parables and teaching on hospitality and discipleship as he journeys toward Jerusalem. If there is a through line for all the parables and lessons, it is that the kingdom of God is a great reversal of the ways of the world: the humble are exalted and the proud are humbled (Luke 14:7-14); the lost are found and the found are lost (Luke 15:4-7, 11-32); the ones who suffer are comforted and the comfortable suffer (Luke 16:19-31).<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s not only the Pharisees who hear these teachings of Jesus, though. Along the way, there are also tax collectors and sinners (Luke 15:1), large crowds, and his disciples (Luke 16:1). It is worth considering how each group would have received these teachings.<\/span><\/p>\n

Our gospel reading for today is a particularly difficult parable because we cannot easily identify a God character, a hero, or an enemy, as we might be tempted to do with other parables. And it seems that Jesus is praising dishonesty in one place and condemning it in another. The work of interpretation here is not straightforward, but our attempts to pull apart the tangled threads are well worth the effort, and your guidance through this process will be a worthy exercise for your group. Challenge yourself to resist the desire to tie it all up in a perfect bow at the end.<\/span><\/p>\n

Opening Exercise:<\/b><\/h4>\n

Think about a time when you had the choice to do what was right, even though it might cost you. Or the option to do something questionable or rule-breaking that would benefit you. How did you decide what to do? Did you get caught? If you had it to do over again, what would you do?<\/span>\u00a0<\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Text Read Aloud<\/b>: <\/span><\/h4>\n

Luke 16:1-13<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Article<\/h4>\n
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A compass can only point in one direction, just as we can only place our trust in one thing. As Luther reminds us in the Large Catechism: Whatever you set your heart on and put your trust in\u2014that is truly your god.<\/p><\/div>\n

On September 10th, the answer to the question, \u201cWho is the wealthiest person in the world?\u201d briefly changed from Elon Musk to Larry Ellison, co-founder of Oracle, a software company that focuses on cloud computing and database technology. You can learn more about how that happened and who Ellison is <\/span>in this article<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

We, especially as Americans, have a fascination with superlatives and wealth. Put them together, and we want to know it all: How did they get so wealthy? What can I learn from them? Can I do what they did, if even on a smaller scale?<\/span><\/p>\n

Since the fascination is almost universal, it\u2019s no surprise that many news outlets offered takes on Ellison\u2019s wealth and how he earned it. They point to his business and how it compares to competitors. They make connections between Ellison and Musk, President Trump, and Oracle\u2019s competitors and contract partners.<\/span><\/p>\n

Even as Christians, we cannot deny that wealth\u2014or the lack of it\u2014has a grip on us. We are taught to trust in God over all else and build up treasure in heaven, but the security wealth provides is difficult to set aside. It keeps us chasing bigger, better, and more.<\/span><\/p>\n

It seems the manager in our parable was trying to obtain his own slice of wealth and security, even though it did not belong to him. He was afraid that when he lost his job he would be left in poverty with no prospects. So he took things into his own hands. He chose to exploit what he did have\u2014his fleeting power and influence\u2014to make friends for himself, hoping they would feel obligated to help him after he was fired.<\/span><\/p>\n

We expect the master (the same word as <\/span>Lord<\/span><\/i> in the language of the New Testament) to speak for Jesus and scold the manager\u2019s shrewdness, warning his audience of Pharisees, sinners, tax collectors, disciples, and ultimately us, not to do the same. But that\u2019s not what happens. Instead, the manager is \u201ccommended\u201d (Luke 16:8) for his shrewdness. Even more, the master almost seems to chastise \u201cchildren of the light\u201d for not being so shrewd.<\/span><\/p>\n

But the story does not end there. Jesus concludes by saying, \u201cYou cannot serve God and wealth\u201d (Luke 16:13). This is more of what we expect, but it does not fit perfectly with the lesson of the parable, does it?<\/span><\/p>\n

In a series of teachings and parables highlighting the reversal of the kingdom of God compared with the ways of the world, this story prompts questions about how we faithfully live in a world driven by wealth and the pursuit of it. Perhaps we will find it equally comforting and discouraging that this tension has persisted for so long.<\/span><\/p>\n

Reflective Questions<\/h4>\n