Thursday 8 August
Dr Peter J. Williams is the Principal and CEO of Tyndale House, Cambridge. He was educated at the University of Cambridge, where he received his MA, MPhil, and PhD in the study of ancient languages related to the Bible. He has been leading Tyndale House since 2007 and is also an Affiliated Lecturer in the Faculty of Divinity in the University of Cambridge, Chair of the International Greek New Testament Project and a member of the Translation Oversight Committee of the English Standard Version of the Bible.
Today we have an extraordinary parable to look at. A bit different than some of the other ones because it is the example of a crooked, dishonest manager. It is interesting because it comes in a series of stories told by Jesus. The last one we looked at was the story of two sons. The first thing I want to do is to talk about some doubts I had when I was younger.
I grew up in a Christian family but my parents had come to faith from a non Christian background. My father came to faith at a Billy Graham rally. My mother was brought up in an atheist house and rebelled as a teenager by becoming a Christian.
My parents brought me up in a context where we thought and discussed in lively ways around the dinner table. I went to a school where I learnt Greek and Latin and thought I might become a Bible translator. I went to university and I met Bible scholars who knew the Bible better than anyone else I knew but who did not believe it.
At the time, they were able to raise all sorts of things that were very troubling and I went through all sorts of doubts. People helped me through that time and then I felt a new calling to be a Bible scholar who did believe!
I want to take a little bit of time out in order to do something unnecessary; namely to convince you that these stories come from Jesus. I know you are already convinced but our culture is eating away at our confidence in Scripture. Even in conservative churches people have doubts but they are not allowed to talk about them.
One of the things we learn when we look at Jesus’ teachings is they have the hallmarks of stories by a single genius mind – the work of a creative genius. I want to tie things down to show that these stories really comes from Jesus of Nazareth.
You will notice the this unjust manager forgives the debts of his master and gives specific measures. Measures vary from place to place. In America they were talking about a quart. People measure things differently. These particular measures Jesus uses are Old Testament measures that were used by Jews in that particular location at that particular time.
The phrase that Jesus uses, “sons of light” was a phrase that comes up in the Dead Sea Scrolls. And the word for money was “mammon”- an Aramaic work from the time of Jesus.
You have lots of other local features here. When we look at this story, it begins “there was a rich man” (the same way v19 starts in the same way). We find that this story links with a story before because both of them are about people who waste possessions. This has the man addressing himself (exactly in the same way that the prodigal son uses).
The phrase “how much” is exactly the same phrase as used by the progical son “how many”.
The old brother “calls the servants” and the manager “calls the debtors”. The phrase “quickly” also links these stories.
Luke 16 is the invention of someone who comes from the land of Jesus and this story is linked with Luke 15.
The two stories at the start of Luke 15 are about a man and a woman. Look at Matthew 13 there are a two parables in row the first is about a man (link with Daniel) and the second about a woman putting yeast in flour (link with Sarah in Genesis).
Often this is happening in Jesus’ teaching. It is another feature of His teaching and we know that we have bits over in Matthew with the same feature even though they are different stories from those in Luke.
Yesterday we saw how the prodigal son longed to be filled with the pods that the pigs ate. Tomorrow we will read how the poor man longed to eat what the dogs ate.
But over in Matthew we see in the sermon on the mount that Jesus references pigs and dogs.
In Matthew 21:28 there is also another story about a man who had two sons. What we have here is something that is only in Matthew but it has the same thought as in stories that are only in Luke. These stories cannot be invented by the gospel writers.
Who could possibly be a great teacher that comes from the land of Jesus who comes before Matthew and Luke? It only makes sense that they all come from Jesus.
People have their own style of speaking. We can see that in Jesus’ stories. You find that many of them often end a particular way. Luke 15:7 (just so I tell you there will be more joy in heaven) or Luke 15:10 (just so I tell you there will be more joy in heaven).
You have the same features and there are many more of them. Jesus tells stories back to back. No other rabbi does that. The early church doesn’t use parables at all.
The audience for Luke 16:1 is different but the same as what he had in Luke 15. We know from chapter 16:14 that the Pharisees are still listening. Of course his disciples are there the whole time and now we have a story particularly addressed to his disciples. It is talking about money.
The pharisees were mocking and Jesus mentions the word “abomination”. If you have been reading through the old testament the word “abomination” is a strong word. Talking to these Pharisees and using this word is quite serious. And then he tells them that “everyone is crowding into the kingdom” and then what seems incredibly random is a verse about divorce but it is connected. We’ve had lots of relationships brother, father, servant, master and now we look at marriage. There doesn’t seem to be a connection between marriage and money but so often in those times, marriage was a financial transaction.
Let’s look more deeply at the passage
Let’s get into this bizarre story that Jesus tells that seems to be a bad example. If we can learn about God from an unjust judge then why should we not learn from an unjust manager?
The rich man wants to sack the manager. He is not just marched straight off. He has been given a period of notice. There is going to be a reckoning so you need to prepare the accounts. He was still the manager and he has a limited window of opportunity.
He thinks what shall I do? I can’t dig and I can’t beg. I’ve got a great idea, why don’t I buy some friends. Of course, real friends can’t be bought. The truth is that in the business world, if you give someone a good deal they will stay with you.
This manager possesses documents signed by them that says how much they owe. He asks them how much to you owe?
This is big business 100 baths of oil is the produce of 500 trees. 100 cors of wheat would be the product of 50 fields. Elsewhere Jesus gets the three measures of flour from Genesis 18. The story of the unforgiving servant owing 10,000 talents, that same amount of money referenced in the book of Esther. These numbers come from the Old Testament.
The debtors come in but the manager says, reduce the amount in your own handwriting with your signature and no one will be able to get you legally. No one can argue. It is a perfect case of bad management (a perfect crime?) If someone pays half your mortgage how would you feel about that? These debtors would be incredibly grateful.
Then we have a difficult verse. The master commended the manager for his shrewdness. How can the owner who has been conned out of so much be happy about it?
It might seem an extreme reaction but don’t be worried about this. The way God reacts is far better than you think. You might think of Him as a hard master but God is a loving Father. Is this owner unaware of the trick or unconcerned about the trick? Really this master is like God. God is glad when we give away His money. We are like this steward because we don’t own anything. In the image of God, you are of infinite value. Every human is a 3D picture of God because God is so manifold and so amazing, no one picture can do Him justice. If we lose one human we have lost something of infinite value. That is why every human is so valuable.
Your net worth is nothing. Everything we have is on loan or stewardship from God. We are God’s managers and we are on our notice period. We are going to come to an end of this time when we have our management. If someone has a notice period, they will do something about what happens after our notice period.
This is what Jesus says after this story v10. One who is faithful in very little is also faithful in much. If you have not been unfaithful in the “unrighteous wealth” who will trust you in true wealth. Nothing in this world is true wealth… it is the “small stuff”. The point is everything you have in this world belongs to God. But there is this extraordinary plan that we are told about in Romans 8:17 – we are heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ.
If it weren’t in scripture, I would feel it would be verging on the blasphemous to say we are co-heirs with Christ. Such are the wonders God has prepared for us and such is His generosity that He is willing to give true wealth to us.
The value of this corrupt manager is his wisdom of realising that his time is short and he needs to get his affairs in order. Jesus is talking about a secure investment scheme (investing in heaven). Jesus talks about gold that perishes. Humanly it is one of the most imperishable things we know but compared with heavenly things, it is perishing.
This is a parable not about buying your way into heaven but it is how we steward what we have. It doesn’t tell us to be unjust or corrupt. It says we are managers and one day we may be owners.
How is heaven described… ? Worship, feasting and responsibility.
We need to think about heavenly inheritance. (Matthew 6:21) Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven. Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
It is important to realise that when the bible is talking about rewards it is not in a worldly way. Humanly a reward is something we deserve but we know that we deserve judgement; these are grace awards earned by Christ’s precious blood.
In Tyndale house, I live on site and there is a garage. My son used to use that space and he called it “his” space. I’m an indulgent father so I bought it from him. Even though it wasn’t his in the first place. I paid him money to get back that corner of the garage. I wanted to find a way to give my son money.
We have a wonderful opportunity to show the authentic gospel to our culture. If we get caught up with worldly things we don’t realise the urgency. When you have a notice period, like in this story, there is an need to act quickly. We can learn from secular wisdom, the urgency about time. How much energy people put into making money? Will we not do the same for the kingdom of God (not money but investment in heaven)?
For those of us in Christ, our debt is paid but nevertheless, God has given us a notice period. He has entrusted resources that do not belong to us. We need to use that notice period to use those resources thinking about our eternal future.