✠ Psalmody: Psalm 54:4-5; 1; Psalm 8:1a, 1b; Psalm 78:1a; Psalm 19:8a, 10b–11a; Matthew 6:33
✠ Lection: Proverbs 16:1–9; 1 Corinthians 10:6b–13;Luke 16:1–9
In the Name of the Father and of the ✠ Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The parables of our Lord Jesus Christ are spoken masterpieces woven, painted, sculpted by the One Whose Word brought into creation all the beauty that we behold when we take time to look down, around, and up. The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork. Similarly, the priceless pieces created by man that stand and hang at places like the Cleveland Museum of Art imitate our Maker’s creativity, depth, and beauty. More than from what can be gained in days spent exploring those works of art with our eyes and mind, or from wowing a quickly-changing sunset of rich color are the treasures nestled in the details of our dear Lord’s parables. It is good for us to compare what wows us and what doesn’t, for the parables, and the whole counsel of God’s Word, are given to us to admire, to continuously learn from, to discover anew at each encounter for the majesty of the Almighty is being conveyed to us by them. He delights to reveal more of Himself to us. His majesty is conveyed to those with eyes to see and ears to hear, but the parables also are given for unbelieving hearts not to see or to hear by, for having eyes they do not see and having ears they do not hear. Let us turn then from the unbelief ever ready to creep into our hearts and ponder instead upon the Lord’s goodness as He seeks to teach us by the parable of the unjust steward. What aspect shall we consider this morning?
The story is of a man, a servant, a steward of a great, rich master, who possessed much and entrusted this steward to tend to, to manage, to be faithful with what was given into his charge. But the man had our heart, or is it that we have his? He was unfaithful. He was unjust with what the master had given into his care. He was greedy, covetous, and discontent. He was wasting the rich master’s goods. It is the sinful human heart that grows to take much for granted and not stop there. We are greedy, not content with the little that we learn to waste, but coveting more and more so that we may waste it, too, for we are not likely to become more righteous when we gain more than we already have. The saying is trustworthy: better is a little with righteousness, than vast revenues without justice. Let us, then, be content, faithful stewards with what we have been given, praying to the Lord the words of Proverbs 30: Two things I request of You[, O LORD] (Deprive me not before I die): Remove falsehood and lies far from me; Give me neither poverty nor riches— Feed me with the food allotted to me; Lest I be full and deny You, And say, “Who is the LORD?” Or lest I be poor and steal, And profane the name of my God. It is the default trajectory of every human heart to be greedy and covetous, to believe that riches of this world will make things better, smoother, more sure, more hopeful, than even how God is ordering things in His giving and taking away among us right now. Hearts of the rich and poor alike are able to covet with equal passion. It is a condition that must be drowned daily by the baptismal life that never lets the straying heart have its way. The old man in us must daily die with all sin and evil desire.
The steward of the rich master knew himself to be guilty of the charge, for there was no defense given, no argument made, no proof shown to the rich man that the accusations were false. Thus, at least the steward was honest in accepting the consequences of his actions. Even this unjust man refuses to stick to a lie, but faces the hard consequences of his wrongdoing. That is the scenario that our Divine Master Artist paints for us along with how it then plays out in the steward’s preparation for the future. We hear of how he went to multiple of the rich man’s debtors, shrewdly gaining favor with them by reducing their bills, so that when he is put out of the stewardship, they may receive him into their houses. The man was thinking about his future, and earthly speaking, he did it so well, acted so shrewdly in preparing for what was to come, that the master commended him with how he had dealt with things.
If we were to mistakenly relate this one-to-one with our own lives, we shall run into the dilemma of Jesus Christ, true God and true Man, condoning and commending dishonesty and the breaking of at least the first, second, seventh, eighth, and tenth commandments. But the aspect of our dear Masterpiece Artisan’s words that we consider today is how we interpret this parable as a comparison; a comparison that is good for every man, woman, and child to make, for we are all stewards.
To each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Therefore He says: “When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, And gave gifts to men.” God has given His good gifts to us all. What is it that the Master hears about you? Give an account of your stewardship. Think not with an earthly mind upon the things that we pursue and desire the most; perishable riches that will all be left behind when we die and ultimately burned up on the Last Day. We are to be good stewards of temporal wealth, indeed. But look higher, grander, for the riches that you possess, the riches with which the Lord desires you to be faithful cannot be taken away or consumed by fire. You are regularly given eternal riches to tend to. At the altar of Christ do Christians prepare well for tomorrow and eternity.
Thus, the comparison from the parable is this: the earthly-minded versus the heavenly-minded; the brief, earthly-life-minded versus the eternal, kingdom of heaven-minded. The shrewdness of the unjust steward shows him to prepare well for what remained in his future in this life. He took full advantage of what was before him so that he would be welcomed into houses, so that he would not dig or beg. The picture for the children of God, for the stewards of God is much, much grander, stretching not to a limited number of years to plan for that are beyond poor decisions and consequences, but to an eternal day.
Consider a hypothetical comparison that allows you to gauge how you view Christ’s gifts being bestowed upon you in this place, at His doing, with His good pleasure, every Lord’s Day. That truth alone of what you know and believe about this place is a bounty that should not be able to keep you or anyone else away. Yet, what would easily and quickly fill our pews next Sunday morning? What if we put an ad on Facebook that every person who comes and sits through the service will receive a new crisp $100 bill. Or how about a new iPhone? A new car? How many would then quickly make sure that they were here? How many would have to be turned away? But for what would they be coming? They’d be coming for the trash, for the things that won’t last while neither seeing nor hearing the riches of heaven that are here every Divine Service free for the taking.
What then are we doing, how then are we stewarding, the goods of the eternal Master that He has faithfully spread out before us? If we are to consider the eternal weight of all that we are given in this life, where shall our dedicated stewardship and shrewdness most greatly shine? Not in what we gain or do with our temporal riches and wealth and stuff, or with the worries tied to a lack or keeping of it, because as stewards of the Almighty, we lack nothing. We have eternal Treasure poured out generously; Treasure entrusted to us to steward; Treasure given for us to be more shrewd and determined with than a greedy, worrisome, lazy ole unjust steward who still did well to think of His future and to act wisely to preserve it. And we have a more and better future to think of than him!
Consider the Priceless Treasure that you are freely given week-in and week-out to come and receive in acts of shrewdness by which you prepare your soul to be received into eternal houses built by the love and sacrifice of Christ crucified for you. Blessed is this comparison by which the Lord awakens your heart so that every single time you come into His presence to receive His gifts, you give Him thanks and praise that He has shown you what eternal riches and favor await stewards that are faithful with His priceless goods.
We can never overvalue His holy Word and Sacrament given from on High, rained down upon us most unworthy servants. Yet, here they are. Here He is. Let us all take time every Sunday morning to prepare our hearts and minds, to set them aright upon the miraculous glory that comes into our midst, into our very persons, for our sake as our dear Lord and Master nourishes us with His eternal goods given for our eternal preparation and contentment.
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!
In ✠ Jesus’ Name. Amen.
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