Scripture: Luke 16:1-13 ; Ephesians 4:28; Psalm 79:1-9
Theme: Stewardship
Title: Dollars and Jesus Sense
Jesus teaches us about money/stewardship. A great formula for being a good steward is to: 1. Gain all we can 2. Save all we can 3. Invest in the lives of others all that we can (Adapted from John Wesley's Sermon on Money)
Grace and peace from God our Father and from His Son Jesus Christ who came to take away the sin of the world.
One of the greatest things about the Christian Life is it's Experiential nature. That is to say that Christianity involves more than learning dogma, practicing the art of mental assent or inward introspection. Christianity is to be lived out in everyday life.
Yes, there are great theological truths to be meditated upon and assimilated. There are deep philosophical truths to be examined and reflected upon. But at the heart of Christianity is a life lived in the image of Christ. Christianity must be fleshed out; it must be experienced in everyday life. A life in Christ is just that - a life. Authentic Christianity is practical, breathable and concrete.
I believe that is one reason why Jesus taught through parables. His parables come out of everyday life experiences. He wanted his listeners to experience and breathe them inwardly and outwardly. Take the Parable of the Four Soils (Luke 8:4-21) for example. It's theology can be waxed eloquently as one speaks of the majesty of the Good News, the tragedy of sin and the permanence of the evangelical message.
But one loses it all if one doesn't understand that Jesus wants us to take that parable and experience its truths in our individual and corporate lives. We are to see the dangers of superficial discipleship. We are to see the dangers of worldly temptations and spiritual indifference. We are to rejoice in the supernatural multiplication that surrounds spiritual blessings; 30, 60 and 100 fold.
Jesus' teaching are sensible and practical. Jesus was not interested in teaching a philosophy, a theology or an ideology that could not be actively experienced and practiced. A Christianity that cannot be lived out in the here and now is not orthodox Christianity.
This morning, our passage for some people is a rather sticky one. It involves the story of a certain dishonest steward. He was under suspicion of embezzlement. His boss thought he was doctoring the books. As a result of his mismanagement his services would no longer be needed. It is understood that there will also be a full audit done on his activities.
However, before the audit can be concluded the dishonest steward sees a golden opportunity. He will rewrite some of the invoices and gain some advantage. Apparently, he had been padding the bill. So, before he is dismissed he reduces some of the outstanding bills of his best clients to curry their favor. He believes that by doing so when they will in turn feel indebted to him and take care of him. He is not strong enough to do manual labor and his has too much pride to beg. Plus he already has already been cheating his boss so what is wrong with a little more graft?
The Bible tells us that the amounts this dishonest steward changed were quite substantial. His olive oil client saved around 1,000 denarii ( about three years' salary) while the wheat client saved around 2,500 to 3,000 denarii ( around 9 1/2 years wages).1 These reductions were so significant that no wonder this man thought his clients would feel the need to repay him. After all one hand washes the other and he had provided a lot of soap.
I think we can safely conclude that the owner did not know what was going on and by the time he realized what was happening the deals were already done. The bills have been rewritten and the amounts been paid. Instead of being over upset with his dishonest steward he heaps praise upon him. He praises him not for his pilfering but for his shrewdness in strategic planning. He praises him for his ability to curry favor at his boss's expense.
Now, please understand that Jesus doesn't condone this man's dishonesty either. That is not the purpose of Jesus sharing this story. Jesus uses this story to teach a lesson on stewardship. Jesus wants us to understand that we are to be good stewards of everything that God has placed in our control. We are to understand first and foremost that everything comes from God and belongs to God. While we are here on his earth we are mere stewards and caretakers.
Anytime you broach the subject of money and resources you can feel the stress level rise. In our country we are far more likely to talk about anything else before sharing any information concerning what is in our financial portfolios. The Northwestern Mutual’s 2014 Planning and Progress Study found that conversations about money outrank any other uncomfortable conversation topic among Americans—including talking about the “birds and the bees,” asking adult-age children to get a job or move out, and discussing death. Sex is no longer #1 taboo subject. All you have to do is turn on the TV, read social media and you will agree. Money, however, in many ways is the #1 taboo subject. We’re taught it’s impolite to talk about how much something cost or how much money someone earns. And we are taught that money is a subject that one avoids even more than politics or religion.
However, Jesus didn't feel that way. He didn't shy away from the subject because he understood the power of money, resources and possessions. Jesus knew that "the pursuit of wealth can cause us to ignore God, undervalue family, walk over people; use them, act unethically, and engage a host of other destructive actions." (Darrel L. Brock).
Many years ago, the great Methodist reformer, John Wesley was asked his opinion concerning money/stewardship. He was asked to put Jesus' theology concerning money into a capsulated formula. He was asked to take all the lessons that Jesus taught about money, wealth, finances and stewardship and present something that his Methodist brothers and sisters could use to help them in their spiritual formation.
This morning, I would like to share some of Wesley's counsel for I believe what Wesley shares is exactly what the LORD wants us to understand from this passage. And I believe that what Wesley shared is exactly what is needed for us today.2
In dealing with all matters concerning stewardship - John Wesley challenges us to
I. GAIN ALL WE CAN
There is nothing wrong in earning money or in possessing money. There is nothing wrong in being the most productive workers or stewards possible. (Proverbs 6:6) Remember in Jesus' Parable of the Talents (Luke 19:12-28) it was the individuals who gained five and two more talents that were praised. And the one that gained the most was given the most praise and received an additional bonus of one talent.
I believe that the LORD desires that all of us learn how to properly use our talents and skills to gain all that we can provided of course:
+That we keep in mind the stewardship of our bodies. The Lord does not want us to gain riches at the expense of destroying our physical bodies. ( 1 Corinthians 6:12-20)
+That we keep in mind the stewardship of our minds and souls. The Lord does not want us to gain the whole world and lose our souls. (Luke 9:25) The Lord does not want us to gain all that we can at the expense of losing our mental health. (Romans 12:1-8)
+That we keep in mind the stewardship of our neighbors. The Lord does not want us to gain all we can at the expense of our neighbor's physical, mental, emotional or spiritual health. Therefore, we should not be involved in doing anything to promote or sell a product that we know by its very design will harm our neighbors. (Matthew 22:36-40)
+That we keep in mind the stewardship of our earth. The Lord doesn't want us to gain all we can at the expense of the health of the earth and it's non-human inhabitants. We are not to be gaining all we can while at the same time destroying our planet and our fellow creatures. (Genesis 1:26-28; 2:15).
+That we keep in mind the stewardship of obeying God's Holy Word. The Lord doesn't want us to gain all we can while at the same time disobeying His commandments; especially the Sabbath. We are to make all we can but to do so in six work days, not seven. The 7th day is for the LORD and for the recreation of our minds, bodies and souls. The 7th day is for the LORD to teach us to rest in Him, trust in Him and depend on Him. (Psalms 119:105)
II. SAVE ALL WE CAN
Gaining all that you can is a good thing. Wasting money, time and resources however is extremely foolish and against God's perfect will. Just because the LORD allows us to obtain riches does not give us a license to then throw those riches away on foolish things. We are not to foolishly spend our God given resources on things that are simply designed to satisfy the desires of the flesh, the eye and the pride of life. (1 John 2:16)
We must be careful to not succumb to the addiction of buying foolish things - things that in the end do not bring any lasting meaning to our lives or to the lives of others. We must be care about over spending on things that in the end will be dust and rust.
For those us of us that live in the United States this has become a great temptation. Billions of dollars are spent in advertisement designed to tempt us to be consumers rather than savers. We are even told by our politicians that to be a good citizen we need to be consumers.
We are tempted to use the money the LORD gives us for things that we will later attempt to resale through on-line "buy and sale" web sites. Or we will convince ourselves that we should store them away in storage containers believing that some day they will be used or worth something. Those same blue jeans that are sold for $ 100.00 today more often than not will go for under $5.00 at our next garage sale.
The Devil relishes when we use our God given resources so foolishly. He loves it when we become consumers to our own detriment. I believe he laughs when we purchase things that will only last a few days before they are ruined and have to be repurchased. I believe he rejoices in watching our economy build disposal items that end up in landfills. I believe he is rejoicing because our money is gone, the item is gone and we are ruining the good earth God has given us. For the Devil it is a win, win, win proposition.
From McDonald's, to Macy's, to Lowe's, to Ford, Toyota and Nike we are all tempted to buy things that are simply designed to bring pleasure to our flesh, to our eyes and to our pride of life. We are tempted to buy things that we are told we cannot do without or that we should not deprive ourselves. We are told to buy things that will make us look better, feel better and promote our esteem in the eyes of others.
And if we are not careful we will teach our children these same poor lessons. I remember one time as a young boy that I was convinced that I needed a pair of Chuck Taylor Converse Shoes. Everybody that was anybody had a pair and they were the #1 shoe of all the athletes. But they cost 2 - 3 times more than any other tennis shoe at that time.
I remember hounding my parents for a pair. I tried my best to convince them that I really needed a pair of converse shoes. I wanted to play basketball so I just knew that I would be able to run faster, jump higher and shoot straighter if I was wearing a pair of converse shoes. My whole future was wrapped up in owning a pair of those shoes. Finally, they gave in and I had a pair of the greatest shoes of all time. I owned my very own pair of Church Taylor White top Converse Athletic Shoes!
Sadly, my middle school, high school, college and NBA career never became a reality. The only court time those shoes saw was on a grass/dirt basketball court in my backyard. I ended up being too short and too slow. What I found out later on in life is that my dad had to work over five hours to pay for those shoes. Today, you could buy over 150.00 worth of products for what it cost my dad to buy those shoes.
On top of all that those shoes didn't last long. Certainly not longer than what could have been bought for the family with that amount of money. Was it wrong for him to spend that kind of money back then on a pair of tennis shoes? Many will say today that he got a bargain. Others will say that we should splurge on our children. While I look back and deeply appreciate what he did, I wonder if I would have been better off if he had sat me down and talked to me about the true value of money and things. I think now I needed a lesson more on proper stewardship than I did on basketball shoes.
You see we must be careful to take the necessary time to think and pray about our purchases and the way that we spend our God given resources. That is what Jesus is trying to teach us in this passage. It's not about whether or not we should buy this or that. Rather, it about taking the time to see if we are operating in the will of the Lord and not just spending to please our flesh, our eyes or to appease our pride. It's about gaining all we can and saving all we can for a purpose. That purpose is not to become hoarders but to do what Wesley points out as his third point:
III. GIVE/SHARE/INVEST ALL YOU CAN
Wesley was convinced that we should gain all that we can.
Wesley was convinced that we should save all we can.
And most importantly Wesley was convinced that we should share all that we can with others. We are to be givers, investors and sharers bringing glory and honor to our LORD.
God's people have always been known for their over abundant generosity. One of the greatest studies we can do is to study the Jewish concepts of charity (tzedaka) and acts of loving kindness (g'milat chesed). Giving, sharing and investing in others is never to be viewed as a duty. It is never to be seen as a ritual requirement. One gives as a way of co-partnering with God. By giving and sharing we become God's co-partner in transforming the world.
There is an old story in the Talmud about a man who is called a pious fool3. The story goes that one day he is standing by a seashore, wrapped in his prayer shawl (tallit) devoutly engrossed in prayer. Suddenly, he hears the screams of someone in the water fighting for their life. He thinks - I could jump in and save this person but if I do so I will leave my time of prayer with God. Now, how can I leave God merely to aid a human being in distress? I will let the man drown. The rabbis called this man a pious fool. He doesn't understand that he can save a soul at the same time he can continue his to God. He doesn't understand that he is the answer to the other man's prayer. He is the man God placed there to save the other man. God is calling upon him to co-partner with Him to save the drowning man.
There is another great story about a group of people sitting in a boat. One of them begins to drill a hole in the boat beneath his seat. When his fellow passengers begin to complain, he said to them, "What has this got to do with you? I'm boring the hole under my own seat."
We all understand the meaning of this last story. Whatever actions we take have an effect on the lives of others. We are all in the same life boat. Someone can say that what they do with their own money is their own business but that is not the truth. The English poet John Donne was right when he stated - "No man is an island unto himself."
This is what Wesley, more importantly what Jesus wants us to understand from our passage. The quality of our stewardship has an effect on other people - either good or bad. Therefore we must be careful not to be dishonest or to foolishly spend our God given resources. We are not to commit the same sin as the Foolish Rich Man who wanted to keep it all for himself. (Luke 12:13-21) Winston Churchill was right when he stated - “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give."
By making all we can and by saving all we can we can then be the LORD's vessels in sharing all that we can. We are never to see ourselves as proprietors but as stewards. In other words we are never to see ourselves as owners and masters but as caretakers and administrators. At first this may not make sense to us. As Americans we are taught to be owners, masters and to think first of ourselves and our families. Only after our needs and desires are met are we to think about helping others.
Jesus is showing us how to live a different way. A way that involves investing in others, in pouring out our lives into the lives of other people. We must remember that Jesus tells us to first seek the Kingdom of Heaven and the LORD will take care of us (Matthew 6:33). We are to store our treasures in heaven not in rust and dust (Matthew 6:19-20). We are to love the LORD our God with all our hearts, souls, mind and strength (Luke 10:27). We are to love God more than money (our passage).
Rabbi Simeon ben Shetach lived a life of poverty. One day his students decided to surprise him by buying him a donkey. He could use it for transportation and to carry his goods. They found a donkey owned by an Ishmaelite and bought it. They then presented the donkey as a love gift to Rabbi Simeon. He graciously received their gift.
On his way home, the Rabbi noticed a small bag around the neck of his new donkey. Looking inside, he discovered a precious jewel worth a great deal of money. He went back to his students and asked a simple question - "Did you buy a donkey with a diamond and pay for both?" The students told him they didn't know anything about a diamond. Immediately, Rabbi Simeon searched to find the Ishmaelite in order to return his diamond. The Arab was overwhelmed with the rabbi's honesty. He told the rabbi - "Praised be Simeon ben Shetach and praised be the God of Simeon ben Shetach."
We are to live in such a way that God's name becomes beloved by the world because of our actions. That is never more true than it is with the way we handle our resources be they money, possessions or time. We are to use our resources to bring glory and honor to our LORD.
Jesus wants us to love God more than we do money. And Jesus wants us to love others more than we do money. It may surprise you but most people have more money spent on them after they have passed away than they do on them during last few years of their lives. The average funeral cost today are over 8,000 dollars and the average funeral flowers cost around $75.00. It is not rare to attend a funeral where over 10 - 12,000 dollars is spend on a dead body along with flowers, pictures and throws. Sadly, our culture has taught us to be more generous to people after their souls have left their mortal bodies than before.
Our culture has also taught us that the more we have the more we naturally are allowed to spend on ourselves. We are taught the monetary policy of each to his or her own. If others want something then they should get a job. However, with the inequalities of wages here in our country many people work very hard only to find themselves still not being able to meet end's meat. In so many people's lives it is not the willingness to work that is the problem but the scarceness of adequate wages. This is where we as people of God can pitch in and help.
John Wesley left us a vivid example of how to live a different way. Back in the 17th century a person could live comfortably on around three British pounds a year. So, John determined that he would try his best to do the same for the rest of his life. He would live on three pounds and invest any increase into the lives of others. Soon, John began making 5 British pounds of money a year. Instead of wasting it, John lived on three pounds and gave two pounds away. Towards the later years of John's life he was making hundreds of British pounds a year but was still committed to living a very simplistic life. Before his death he was living on 10% and giving away 90% of his annual income.
Now, that's not what Jesus is telling us to do here in our passage but what an amazing concept. It is one that has also been adopted by other people in history - Rich Warren and J. C. Penney are two that did the same thing - they lived on 10% of their income and invested the remaining 90% into the lives of others.
So, this morning, what does Jesus want us to do?
I believe that John Wesley's three little step formula can help us a great deal in living a life that is pleasing to the LORD. I believe that if we will implement his little three step formula we will be amazed at what God can do in us and through us this morning.
+Make all you can - gain all you can - as long as you do not harm your soul, body, your neighbor, the earth and your witness for the LORD.
+Save all you can - make sure that when you spend money it is with the Master's permission. Be careful not to buy things just to please the flesh, the eyes or the pride of life.
+Give away all you can. Co-partner with the LORD and transform a person's, a families or even a communities life for the LORD.
Let us commit today to allow God to be the LORD of our finances, our resources and our talents. Let us commit today to allow the LORD to work through us to bring Glory and Honor to His Holy Name! Let us go from this place and be the Body of Christ that will transform our world!
This is the message of the LORD for the People of the LORD!
1 Darrell L. Bock, Luke - The NIV Application Commentary - page 419
2 The Use of Money, John Wesley Sermon 50 (text from the 1872 edition - Thomas Jackson, editor)
3 Both the following stories are adapted from - The Complete Idiot's Guide to Understanding Judaism By Benjamin Blech
