Don Friesen
When my children were young I used to watch the Superman television shows with them. In one particular episode Lois Lane was rhapsodizing about her co-worker, Clark Kent, saying he was strong, ...yet gentle; rugged, ...yet vulnerable; determined, ...yet open to suggestions; tough as steel, ...yet delicate; handsome, ...yet ordinary; with penetrating eyes, which at the same time revealed a depth of compassion. On and on she went, describing, of course, Clark Kent, as well as his Superman persona. Her description readily lent itself to parody, in which, much to my children's chagrin, I proceeded to indulge myself, thinking up pairs of adjectives diametrically opposed to each other.
Last Sunday I introduced the idea of congregational polarities, encouraging us to be a warm and inviting church, without compromising our high expectations of each other. I mentioned a congregation that is particularly attractive to young adults – young adults who described the congregation using several sets of polarities. Carry this too far, of course, and it also invites parody. Trying to be everything to everyone is more of a challenge than most pastors can handle! During Arthur Boers' visit to our congregation earlier this year, he and I had a chat about congregational ministry, and to make a point I stated that a minister is called to serve the congregation, the inference being that the minister is not there to impose his own ideas. He quickly caricatured my point, likening that kind of a minister to a dog at a whistlers' convention! Vivid image! And point taken.
Life, however, is not without paradox, and we are capable of seemingly contradictory things, "capable of fear and courage, generosity and selfishness, vulnerability and strength. ... Sometimes our vulnerability is our strength, (and) our fear develops our courage...." (Rachel Naomi Remen, Kitchen Table Wisdom: Stories that Heal, page 38) The Apostle Paul hints at similar paradoxical pairs when he writes that God assured him, saying, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness. ... Therefore," says Paul, "I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities ...for whenever I am weak, then I am strong." (2 Corinthians 12:9-10) Paul makes the same paradoxical observation of congregations, noting that "the members of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable...." (1 Corinthians 12:22)
A Rogue Steward
Human beings can be a curious amalgam of qualities – fear and courage, weaknesses and strengths – and in today's Gospel reading we meet a strange character in that regard. He's a rogue, but his behaviour is commended! He's a scoundrel, but he gets away with it! He's cunning, but almost too cunning by a half! He's incompetent, yet clever! This fellow was hired as a steward – a manager recruited to look after a wealthy landowner's assets, which he did poorly, it turns out, although we don't know whether because of dishonesty, irresponsibility, or whatnot. Whatever the reason, the manager is dismissed!
If I were dismissed from a responsible job I would want to crawl into a hole and feel bad about myself, but this imaginative little rascal asked himself: "What shall I do now that my master is going to fire me? I can't dig ditches, and I'm ashamed to beg. I know what I'll do" (Luke 16:3-4, CEV), and he set about putting his plan into motion.
This rogue steward was well aware of the social rules by which his society was governed. The rules of reciprocal hospitality were not optional in his day. If he could offer his boss's debtors a favour, they would be obligated to take him into their homes as a return favour. This rogue steward – let's call him Roger Rogue – knew how to work the system. He knew how to network, and he knew how make the net work in his favour. So this is what Roger did: He summoned the landowner's debtors, one by one, calculated the amount owed, and made a deal with each debtor to pay less than the full amount, if the debtor paid it now.
"You owe him a hundred jugs of olive oil?"
"Yeah."
"How many jugs do you have on hand?"
"Fifty."
"Make it fifty, but I'll take them with me today."
And so it went, until Roger had made deals with each of the landowner's debtors, and in so doing managed to please everyone! He pleased the debtors, because they were able to dissolve their debt for less than the full amount owed. He pleased himself by collecting a number of hospitality chips he could cash in later, when he was unemployed. And he pleased the landowner, for the latter's cash flow increased, and who knows, maybe the landowner never expected to collect on some of those debts. For whatever reason the landowner was very impressed with Roger's ingenuity. He "commended" Roger for his shrewdness. (Luke 16:8)
Now, there are all kinds of problems with this parable, and its interpretation is difficult. It leaves much to conjecture and to the imagination. Most of Jesus' parables are characterized by simplicity and clarity. This one, however, is neither simple nor clear. One theologian (Elton Trueblood, 1900-1994) suggested that it's an example of Jesus' humour, implying that there could be no other reason for our Lord to commend behaviour that is shrewd and then some!
I'm not sure that this parable has to prompt great moral anxiety and hand-wringing. If you've seen the movie, Oceans 11, ...or Oceans 12, ...or Oceans 13, the story Jesus told would be equivalent to Oceans 2! The Oceans series of movies are about highly complex and daring heists which are great fun to watch. Of course we don't condone thievery. Of course we don't condone dishonesty, but it's a story! And it's great fun watching one set of unsavoury characters put one over on another set of unsavoury characters.
We also shouldn't pretend that Roger Rogue is the first unsavoury character we encounter in the Scriptures. Take the Old Testament Jacob, for example – father of the faith – but who as a young man cheated his brother, Esau, in order to get a double-double birthright! Later he hoodwinked his nearly blind father, Isaac, in order to get a double-double blessing! All of which earned him a death-threat! Frightened of the situation he himself had created, he fled! Never came home again! Yet the New Testament book of Hebrews, in its compendium of saints, mentions him three times – one of those a tear-inducing scene with Jacob on his death-bed blessing his children. (Hebrews 11:21)
We Have an even Bigger Challenge on our Hands!
Far more troublesome to me than the interpretive challenge of Jesus' parable is the subject matter itself! Money. This is only one of a series of stories Jesus tells in which money is the main theme. Next week's gospel reading is about the rich man and Lazarus, and it's even harder to take than today's story. Of the three synoptic gospels, Luke is the most relentless when it comes to money. One out of every seven passages in his Gospel is about money. Not marriage. Not sex. Not family matters. Not worship matters. Not music. Not prayer. Not politics. Not sports. Money. Luke says more about money than any other topic – and it's not just Luke talking; he's remembering what Jesus said about it.
A clue to Luke's focus on money can be found in the verse immediately following our passage. It reads: "The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and jeered at him." (Luke 16:14, NJER) Jeered and sneered. Roger Rogue wasn't the only rascal around. He wasn't the only one to work the hospitality system. Josephus, an historian of the period, tells how Pharisees would inveigle women to support them, because a teacher of the law could not be paid for his teaching. However, a subtle word to a person of means that there was in fact no higher duty and privilege than to support a teacher in comfort – and it was done. If needed, one could also offer the benefactor a privileged place in the heavenly sanctum.
Jesus said of these rascals: Beware! "Be on your guard against the teachers of the Law, who like to walk around in their long robes and love to be greeted with respect in the marketplace; who choose the reserved seats in the synagogues and the best places at feasts; who take advantage of widows and rob them of their homes, and then make a show of saying long prayers!" (Luke 20:46-47, TEV) In contrast to Old Testament leaders like Elijah – who, while staying with the widow in Zarephath, gave generously to her in return for her hospitality, prompting her to recognize him as a true "man of God" (1 Kings 17:24) – the Pharisees gave nothing in return for hospitality received.
Remember the vivid contrast Jesus drew between the poor widow who put two toonies into the offering box, and the Pharisees, who put but a token amount into the offering box. (Luke 21:1-4) These stories are included in the New Testament not so much as a moral judgment upon the Pharisees, as a warning to the Church's leaders not to fall into the same trap!
There may also be an implicit contrast between Jesus and the Pharisees. The Pharisees were skinflints who carefully watched over every penny they had, parting from any one of them only under great duress. As in money matters, so in spiritual matters. They nickled-and-dimed their way through moral matters, meting out judgments with great moral seriousness. In contrast, Jesus must have appeared to them to be as reckless as Roger Rogue! It upset the Pharisees that Jesus so freely forgave the sins of those who came to him. He healed the diseases of those whose disease was their own fault! The Pharisees saw Jesus as a rogue rabbi who was giving the farm away! God's justice and forgiveness should only be extended after evidence was presented that forgiveness was warranted. Jesus healed ten lepers without even inquiring as to the sin that brought on their leprosy in the first place! (Luke 17:11-19) He refused to condemn a woman caught in adultery, dismissing her with a soft admonition not to do it again. (John 8:1-11) To the Pharisees it looked like Jesus was having a garage sale on love and grace!
The Pharisees often missed the forest for the trees! And Jesus confronted them, saying, "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! ...you clean the outside of the cup and ...plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence." ...hypocrites! ...you are like whitewashed tombs, which on the outside look beautiful, but inside ...are full of the bones of the dead and of all kinds of filth. ...on the outside (you) look righteous to others, but inside you are full of hypocrisy...." (Matthew 23:25, 27-28)
The Generosity-Prudence Polarity
In a way Jesus and the Pharisees represent a New Testament polarity, Jesus the archetype of generosity, the Pharisees an embarrassing example of prudence taken to an extreme. Prudence is discretion in practical affairs, and in matters of money it means frugality. Prudence, in the Scriptures, is considered a good thing. Of Solomon, David's son, it is said that he was "endued with prudence...." (2 Chronicles 2:12, KJV) We are advised in the Scriptures "to teach shrewdness to the simple, knowledge and prudence to the young...." (Proverbs 1:4) Proverbs tells us, "O simple ones, learn prudence; acquire intelligence, you who lack it." (Proverbs 8:5), and then provides a practical example, noting that "(one) who gathers in summer is prudent, but (one) who sleeps in harvest brings shame." (10:5) And while "the simple (person) believes everything, ...the prudent (person) looks where he is going." (RSV) It is also noted that a "prudent (person) sees danger and hides himself; but the simple go on, and suffer for it. (22:3, RSV) Luke talks, in earlier chapters, of a "prudent manager" (Luke 12:42), a person who can be trusted to watch over another's property and staff with great care and attention.
While prudence is praised in the Scriptures, so is generosity. The psalms tell us that it "is well with those who deal generously and lend, who conduct their affairs with justice" (Psalm 112:5), and that while "the wicked borrow, and do not pay back, ...the righteous are generous and keep giving...." (Psalm 37:21) "Those who are generous are blessed, for they share their bread with the poor," says the Old Testament. (Proverbs 22:9) In the New Testament Pentecost prompted a great generosity of spirit. (Acts 2:46) Generosity is one of the fruits of the Spirit. (Galatians 5:22)
There is a curious note in Paul's second letter to the Corinthians. Telling them of the churches of Macedonia, he notes, "They have been severely tested by the troubles they went through; but their joy was so great that they were extremely generous in their giving, even though they are very poor." (2 Corinthians 8:2, TEV) To the generous poor Paul gives praise; to the rich he issues a warning: "Warn the rich people of this world," he tells Timothy, "not to be proud or to trust in wealth that is easily lost. Tell them to have faith in God, who ...blesses us with everything we need to enjoy life. (We) are to do good, to be rich in good works, generous, and ready to share...." (1 Timothy 6:17-18) "Every generous act of giving," adds James, "...is from above" (James 1:17), noting that "God ...gives ...generously and ungrudgingly...." (1:5)
There is much more in the Scriptures about both generosity and prudence, but I can't help but think that there exists some tension between these two praiseworthy characteristics. Can a prudent person be generous? Can a generous person be prudent? Will a big-hearted person end up with a small bank account? Are there times when it may be prudent to be generous? The Scriptures provide various answers to those questions, but at the base of its challenge to us is the challenge posed to Roger Rogue: Turn in an account of your stewardship. We are invited to provide a record of how we are handling the wealth God entrusted to us.
The Meaning of Stewardship: Exhibits A and B
The Bible provides us with examples of good stewards. Take Joseph, for example. Sold as a slave by his brothers, he became an indentured employee of Potiphar, an army captain under the Egyptian Pharaoh. Joseph was victimized by his own family, but in his new circumstances he was given a job to do, and he did it well. His prudence did not go unnoticed, and soon he was entrusted with additional responsibilities. Everything Joseph touched seemed prosper. In time he was appointed chief steward, responsible for Egypt's entire economy. This too he did well, ensuring that crops were stock-piled during good harvest years and distributed during times of famine. Joseph, in the words of the New Testament, was a steward who "look(ed) not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others." (Philippians 2:4)
The New Testament offers up a steward par excellence in the story of the Good Samaritan. A man beaten and left for dead on the side of the road was ignored by two passersby whom we would have expected to stop and offer help. One was a priest, the other a Levite, both religious leaders, heirs of a tradition that taught them to be both prudent and generous. Then a Samaritan – a stranger, a foreigner – despised and rejected by Jesus' listeners – came upon the wounded man, and gave of himself, his time, and his money in order to help the man in need. Prudence in this situation would caution us, lest someone take advantage of us. Prudence is uneasy in risky situations. Generosity hears the cry for help, and knows when to override prudence. The religious leaders erred on the side of prudence. The Samaritan erred on the side of generosity, only it was not an error, said Jesus, and to the person whose question prompted this story, Jesus said, "Go and do likewise." (Luke 10:37)
Prudence alone would have passed by the wounded man. Generosity alone may have given the wounded man some ointment and a few band-aids, and then, looking at his watch, would hurry off. The Samaritan practised what we might call "prudent generosity," putting considerable thought and time into the man's predicament, bandaging the man's wounds, pouring oil and wine on them, transporting him on his own animal to a place of hospitality that could care for him, the next day leaving money with the people there and promising to pay any additional costs incurred. (Luke 10:34-35) He provided extended care.
Restoring the Flow of Generosity
Amos is on biblical back-up today, and he has harsh words for those who go out of their way to exploit the poor, those who "trample on the needy, and bring to ruin the poor, ...(who) practise deceit with false balances" (Amos 8:4-5) and do all manner of other malicious things. "Let justice roll down like waters," he cries, "and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream." (Amos 5:24) Paul uses a similar image, mentioning those whose "joy ... (has) overflowed in a wealth of generosity...." (2 Corinthians 8:2), an outpouring of ...generous gifts," another translation calls it.
What makes the generosity of some people flow more freely than the generosity of others? Prudence untempered by compassion will inhibit the flow of generosity, as will a number of other things. I suspect that most of us are well-practised in prudence. We get impatient with those who are imprudent, who handle their money poorly. We may have slowed the flow of our generosity to a trickle because we have doubts about its effectiveness, or because of more base motives, feeling, perhaps, that I own what I have, I've earned it, and it's mine to do with as I please.
Let me tell you a story. Two rabbis, Rabbi Levi and Rabbi Schneur, agreed to raise money to help a friend in need. Rabbi Levi put one condition on their enterprise. "Let us accept whatever donation is offered to us, no matter how small." Fine. The two men went door to door, and since two such distinguished rabbis seldom paid a visit together, most of those visited welcomed them warmly and gave generously. They came to the home of a wealthy man, who greeted them politely, then reached in his pocket, and drew out a half-penny. To Rabbi Schneur's horror, Rabbi Levi thanked the man warmly, blessed him, and turned to leave.
When they were outside, out of earshot, Rabbi Schneur could contain himself no longer. "Why should we accept that insultingly small amount from one who has so much!"
"I asked you to accept whatever we were given. Please be patient," said Rabbi Levi. They walked on.
Later the wealthy man caught up with them, and offered his apologies. "I am sorry," he said. "Please accept more from me." He gave them a silver coin, and turned to leave. Rabbi Levi called after him, "You are a good and generous man!"
Rabbi Schneur was fuming. "He could afford a hundred times as much! Why must we bless this stinginess?"
"Please bear with me," said Rabbi Levi, and they continued walking.
Later the wealthy man caught up to them again, and out of breath, he said, "Will you forgive me for how little I gave you?" And he held out a sack bulging with hundreds of silver coins.
"Yes, with all my heart," said Rabbi Levi, taking the man's hand, and the sack of coins. The wealthy man left, relieved.
"May I tell you the story of that wealthy man?" asked Rabbi Levi. "He has always given generously to those in need, but a week ago a beggar approached him while he was meeting with some guests. Reluctant to interrupt his guests to get his purse, the wealthy man reached into his pocket and gave the beggar the only coin he found there, a half-penny. The beggar was furious, feeling slighted. He threw the coin at the wealthy man, striking him in the face. In pain, the wealthy man vowed to stop being generous. From now on he would give everyone only a half-penny – and no more!"
"It is said," continued Rabbi Levi, "that each step in love and generosity leads to another. Once we accepted the wealthy man's half-penny, we loosened the stopper on his generosity. Each gift he gave made the next one possible. Our willingness to receive restored the flow of his generosity." (adapted from Doug Lipman, "Loosening the Stopper")
AMEN