A Good Example from a Bad Example
The Parable of the Shrewd Manager and the Redemption of the Guilty
Jesus' parables are always meant to be received by the "sons of light", those who have been reborn into the kingdom of God. But what if you're not sure you're a son or daughter of light?
I'm going to try and help you sort that out by looking into the parable of the shrewd manager and ultimately learning about redemption from the prophet Zechariah.
Let's begin:
There was a rich man who had a wasteful manager. He gets wind of this managers mishandling of his business and he confronts him about it. He calls him into his office, and he sets him down, and he says, "what's this I hear about you?" "Get all your records and reports together, I want all the receipts and ledgers, I'm going to have to let you go." He basically gives him a two weeks notice. He sends him back to sort out the books, and of course this diabolical man is going to cook up something. I mean seriously, what's was this rich man thinking? He knows his manager is corrupt, he's lazy and mismanaging his affairs, and he's going to give him time to cook up a benefit for himself at his expense?
The bad manager panicked, he's out of a job, he's fat and lazy, he knows he can't work physical labor anymore and he sure as well wasn't going to beg for money. So, he schemes to secure a position for himself. He's a committed white-collar worker, he can't imagine having to tighten his belt after all the years of white-collar crimes, and fat cat living.
Luke 16:5
"So, he invited each person who owed money to his employer to come and discuss the situation."
The bad manager...
let's call him Jim Bezzler
...cooks up a scheme to dramatically cut the prices owed by his employer's debtors so that they'll owe him their loyalty. He wants them obligated to him and he knows that in the corrupt white-collar world this is how the son's of this age operates. That's how Jesus portrays the situation. These are representative of unbelievers, sinners, corrupt politicians and people, wicked judges and lawyers, everybody in the world taking what they can to get what they can out of all sorts of schemes and through criminal practices. It's a systemic problem that Jim knows all too well. And Jim knows how to shrewdly manage his way into securing friends for himself. Jim Bezzler manipulates his way into their good graces so that when he needs their help the door will be open for him.
Jim Bezzler tells one debtor that he only needs to repay half of what he owes his employer. And another he discounts about a third of that debt. Jim knows he's setting up these men with an offer they can't refuse. They want the discount, and they know something's not completely above board, but they want the deal, and the manager knows they want it. And you see, that's the point of this tale.
Jesus comments about this criminal behavior.
Luke 16:8a
“The rich man had to admire the dishonest rascal for being so shrewd. And it is true that the children of this world are more shrewd in dealing with the world around them than are the children of the light."
This is the parable of the prodigal manager. You've probably heard about the parable of the prodigal son, but did you know what prodigal means? It simply means wasteful.
What did this prodigal wasteful manager do?
He used the behavior of his age to make a home for himself in a future career. He used his wealth (his shrewdness) from within the unrighteous system to purchase his welcome into their good graces.
So, what are we supposed to do with that story?
How are we supposed to glean some sort of moral lesson from this unrighteous behavior?
What Jesus is saying is you need to invest your time and money, energy and resources, and put them to work in the business of capturing friendships with people how are going to be with you in the kingdom of God. Invest what you have in bringing people together to be with you in the kingdom enterprise. Use what gifts you have from within the system you've enslaved yourself, in order to secure theirs and your futures.
Jesus said it like this...
Luke 16:8b
"Here’s the lesson: Use your worldly resources to benefit others and make friends. Then, when your possessions are gone, they will welcome you to an eternal home."
He's talking about being faithful in the little things. He's talking about not feeling guilty for the things you've done but using what you've learned to preach and teach the kingdom gospel.
You may have been a scheming liar.
You may have been self-indulgent.
You may have been corrupted by your circumstances and you didn't flee from those things but instead dove in headfirst.
You may have reaped benefits for yourself through wicked deeds. You used someone else's resources to secure for yourself a place among the players. And now the shit has hit the fan.
What are you going to do with it?
First, you're going to quickly realize that nothing is really yours. You've been squandering what belonged to someone else. You've been living large on someone else's dime. And now you're going to be out on the street, penniless, homeless, and a slave to a lifestyle that doesn't give a damn about you when you're broke and weak. You'll quickly learn that you brought nothing into the world and you're not going to take any of it with you. Notice...Jim Bezzler didn't take any of the wealth that he had embezzled from his employer with him. He put that money to work for himself. He enlarged his prestige to make friends who will pay his way for him later on. He's a real sleazy Douchebag-this guy. He's very shrewd and he uses what he knows about the corrupt system to fix up a situation for himself later on.
And Jesus reflects upon this shrewdness.
Luke 16:10-12
“If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities. And if you are untrustworthy about worldly wealth, who will trust you with the true riches of heaven? And if you are not faithful with other people’s things, why should you be trusted with things of your own?"
These parables are stories to motivate righteous behaviors. These stories are meant to be understood by the children of light, those who are of the kingdom, the followers of Jesus Christ. They understand because the Holy Spirit helps them to understand. He softens their hearts, opens their ears and eyes, and stirs up in them a desire to please God.
Is Jesus telling us to corruptly win people for the kingdom by unrighteously telling the gospel?
No... but he is telling us that while we're still filthy, we're given the cloak of Christ.
What do we do when we stumble?
What do we do when we sin and how do we deal with the guilt that comes from it?
What do we do when Satan accuses us and torments our conscience?
What Jesus wants you to know is, everyone is a part of the corrupted system. Everyone is living in this unholy world. And everyone is operating on borrowed mercy and grace.
Take a look at my favorite prophet:
Zechariah 3:1
"Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right side to accuse him."
Jesus is saying, "look at the high priest...he's covered in filth, he looks like crap, his stench can be smelled everywhere, and Satan is accusing the high priest before God"
Satan is demanding that the priest be taken out...he doesn't belong there...he's unclean, unworthy and shouldn't be allowed in.
And God says...
Zechariah 3:2
“The Lord rebuke you, Satan! The Lord, who has chosen Jerusalem, rebuke you! Is not this man a burning stick snatched from the fire?”
That means every one of us has filthy garments. And God saved him and us from that situation. He pulled him and us from out of the fire. He puts his clean cloak on him and us, and he chases off Satan.
He, (The Angel of The Lord), clothed Joshua in redemption. God replaced his and our filthy clothes with clean clothes, but in the meantime while we're still in our sins we all must endure the snipes and barbs of the accuser Satan.
Did you know you can know whether you're in a state of Grace or not?
Think about Joshua...he's standing there silent before the judge, listening to these heavenly courtroom arguments being made. He's in his filthy clothes. He's under the weight of Satan's accusations. And Satan is charging Joshua with things he hasn't done and things he has done. He's slandering him. He's filthy after all. It's true. He has a disease...it's called sin...but does he feel guilty? Is Joshua convicted in his sin?
How can we know?
That's the purpose of the Holy Spirit. He confronts us with our sin but he simultaneously assures us with a promise of forgiveness. Satan only accuses us in order to destroy us, nothing more. The Spirit however communicates that he is for us. The Spirit hits us with conviction but assures us with love.
The Lord instructs his angels to strip Joshua of his filthy clothes, he even clearly states that he's taken away his sin, and he has given him a new clean cloak and a turban for his head.
He removes his past.
He's forgiven his corruption.
He's done with all of it.
Today is a new day.
And then he begins the instruction into holiness...
Zechariah 3:6-7
"The angel of the Lord gave this charge to Joshua: “This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘If you will walk in obedience to me and keep my requirements, then you will govern my house and have charge of my courts, and I will give you a place among these standing here."
Joshua confesses his sin and is given a new home in the kingdom of God. He has traded in his unholy garments for a new holy place among the kingdom servants. And from that day forward the Holy Spirit is no longer on the outside drawing him into the kingdom, he's now living within him, daily cultivating a new inner manifestation of the Spirit that with not only redeem him but will help him to live out the rest of his days being the instrument of Christs message. His purpose now is to live out his days sharing the message of truth and hope from within an unholy world. He's finding and making friends for the kingdom of God. He's going where he's unwelcome, into an unholy messed up systemically corrupt world to make friends who will welcome him when he and they receive their heavenly rewards. He's now forgiven, redeemed, clean and righteous, and a servant, a minister for God's sake.
Zechariah 3:9-10
"See, the stone I have set in front of Joshua! There are seven eyes on that one stone, and I will engrave an inscription on it,’ says the Lord Almighty, ‘and I will remove the sin of this land in a single day. In that day each of you will invite your neighbor to sit under your vine and fig tree,’ declares the Lord Almighty.”
Friends,
The meaning of the stone with seven eyes is uncertain. It's thought that maybe it represents the all-knowing God who sees all the sins and corrupt affairs of all the people throughout the world. But the significance is made clear by the last phrase in v.9, when the Lord says, “I will remove the sin of this land.”
The point is that He, God, The Lord God almighty is the One that gets it done. His Spirit travels the world drawing his children to him, and they're ALL sinners, they're ALL unworthy. They're all polluted by unholy garments. And His Spirit finds the repentant children and brings them home. The point is that HE gets it done. He removes the guilt and replaces it with righteousness. And he commissions his children to go and preach that good news to the other children still lost in that filthy world. He chooses the thief to go and save the thieves. He uses the weakness of the sinner to be his strength. He chooses the nameless to bear his name. He makes the way for them and tells them to "go...go and tell them my name and tell them I want them to come home."
Remember what the Lord told Joshua, "You will invite your neighbor to sit under your vine and fig tree", now friends, you go...go and tell them to come and sit with you under your fig tree. Wherever or whatever that place is. Invite them to come home.
God Bless You and Keep You Always.