September 21, 2025 Sermon
Guest Minister: Rev. Drakar Druella
Sermon Title: “A True Servant”
Scripture: Luke 16:1-13
Luke 16:1-13
The Parable of the Dishonest Manager
1Then Jesus said to the disciples, “There was a rich man who had a manager, and charges were brought to him that this man was squandering his property. 2So he summoned him and said to him, ‘What is this that I hear about you? Give me an accounting of your management, because you cannot be my manager any longer.’ 3Then the manager said to himself, ‘What will I do, now that my master is taking the position away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg. 4I have decided what to do so that, when I am dismissed as manager, people may welcome me into their homes.’ 5So, summoning his master's debtors one by one, he asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ 6He answered, ‘A hundred jugs of olive oil.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it fifty.’ 7Then he asked another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ He replied, ‘A hundred containers of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill and make it eighty.’ 8And his master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly; for the children of this age are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light. 9And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of dishonest wealth so that when it is gone, they may welcome you into the eternal homes. 10“Whoever is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much; and whoever is dishonest in a very little is dishonest also in much. 11If then you have not been faithful with the dishonest wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? 12And if you have not been faithful with what belongs to another, who will give you what is your own? 13No slave can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.”
To be honest, this is a scripture that has puzzled me for years, because it seems contradictory when it comes to values. How could a dishonest man be commended for being shrewd? As is generally the case when something puzzles or confuses me, I did some research on it. For this scripture, it is important to explore the background and to break it down into a few central points to better understand it.
The scripture begins with an unknown third-party accusing a slave manager of squandering his rich master’s resources. Because of the rumor, the master accused the manager of dishonesty and of cooking the books, then demands that he give a full account of the property (Luke 16:2). No external audit is done, which suggests that any account the slave provides would not be considered credible.
Why wouldn’t a slave’s word be considered credible? Because slaves were considered dishonest. In fact, back then they could not serve as witnesses in court except under torture, because it was believed they would not give credible testimony unless tortured. Due to this understanding, masters placed their trust in their slave managers, and an untrustworthy manager would be demoted to hard labor or field work. In this case, the manager was neither fit for manual labor nor wanted to become a beggar.
Before I continue, it is worth noting that this scripture has a strong similarity to the prodigal son in the previous chapter, but the difference is that the elder son is not an enslaved man like the manager. Fathers tend to forgive sons who complain and feel neglected, as well as leave home and squander their property. Enslaved persons, on the other hand, are expected to always act in the best interest of their masters, to turn a profit; otherwise, they can be accused of squandering the master’s property.
So, let’s go back to the story. Disgraced and perhaps falsely accused, the manager devised a plan that might allow him to remain useful to other enslavers (Luke 16:4). He offered his master’s debtors a deal they couldn’t refuse by reducing their debt in exchange for immediate payment (16:5-7). To understand the appeal of this deal, it’s important to understand that many shrewd or dishonest businessmen overcharged for goods and services and would often pay laborers little or nothing to amass wealth. The bottom line was that money in hand was preferable to IOUs.
One by one, the manager renegotiated the contracts of his former boss’s debtors, substantially reducing the amounts they owed (verses 5–7). The scale of the debts—“a hundred jugs of olive oil” and “a hundred containers of wheat” (verses 6–7) also indicates that the debtors still have much to gain from such a renegotiation. Most likely, nobody knew that the manager was fired and simply assumed that the debt reduction was authorized by their wealthy creditor.
When the rich owner learns about it, he commends his former manager (verse 8), and although he doesn’t rehire the man, he recognizes how his strategy ingratiated the one-time steward with new friends. To reinstate the debts in full or cancel the transactions would be unthinkable, as this would damage the owner’s now glowing reputation in town. Why? Because honor and public esteem are more important even than money!
Now, it would only make sense to consider the manager’s conduct as dishonest. After all, Jesus calls him an “unrighteous manager” (verse 8). Still, by reducing the contracted debts at the expense of his master, it could be regarded as a virtuous act in that it removed unlawful interest built into the debt principal or by voluntarily forfeiting the master’s commission. What’s interesting, though, is how the story doesn’t highlight virtue. Instead, it focuses on the slave manager’s shrewdness in surviving a desperate situation.
In verses eight through thirteen, however, it’s made clear that the manager’s praise does not mean that dishonest conduct is being considered acceptable. Rather, all are urged to be utterly trustworthy in handling the affairs and resources entrusted to them. Even so, in commenting on the parable, Jesus laments that the people of God don’t seem to be as savvy as others who are driven by self-interest—in the manner of this manager, for example (verse 8b). In a round-about way, the parable points to a more positive point that although money may often lead to corruption, it can also be a vehicle for forging relationships of value (verse 9) that contribute to the flourishing of others.
In Acts, the Christian community is one where disciples share “all things in common,” distributing “to all, as any had need” (2:44-45). Although this carries a powerful spiritual message, it also points to a practical one in that Luke is simply talking about a different way of using wealth. He is saying that our wealth belongs to God and is to be used for the purposes of God’s reign among us and not simply for our own interests.
So why is our dishonest manager shrewd? Even though he is still sinner who is looking out for his own interests, he models behavior the disciples can emulate. Instead of simply being a victim of circumstance, he transforms a bad situation into one that benefits him and others. By reducing other people’s debts, he creates a new set of relationships based not on the vertical relationship between lenders and debtors rooted in a monetary exchange, but more like the reciprocal relationships of friends. What this dishonest manager sets in play points to what happens when the reign of God emerges among us. Old hierarchies are overturned and new friendships are established. Indeed, outsiders and those lower down on hierarchies now become the very ones we depend upon to welcome us — not only in their homes in this life, but even in the “eternal homes” (6:20-26)!
Even more important than the symbolism of the manager’s shrewdness in this scripture is the message that “no slave can serve two masters … you cannot serve God and wealth” (16:13). This reiterates a central theme in Luke. It means that the kingdom of God entails giving up all other commitments, including the commitment to economic security (14:33; 18:18-25). Luke places great emphasis on how the reign of God reverses the status of the rich and the poor (1:51-53; 6:20). But this is about more than just money, wealth, and the economy of right-relationship with God and other people, although these are important points. More significantly, it begs the question as to what we serve in life: Is it our self-interests or those of God and our fellow human beings? To which are we a true servant?
If you think about it, money is not always the most valuable resource we have to offer others when it comes to being of service. And it is not the only thing we seek to hoard for ourselves. In fact, I have found that one of the most important resources we have to offer others, and often hang onto tightly, is our time and our full presence. When was the last time you gave somebody your complete attention and fully listened to them when they talked to you? How about stopping for a brief moment to say hello to somebody when you are in a rush? Or taking the time to walk slowly with your grandkid who is dawdling and allowing them to simply be a kid without rushing them? How about allowing your dog those extra two minutes to sniff every last little blade of grass on that lawn before it marks a spot?
You know, I have often been like the shrewd manager who tries to cut a deal, when it comes to time, through shaving off the amount of it I offer others by hurrying through a conversation and not completely listening. I catch myself doing this because, as much as I hate to admit it, deep down I think I have more important things to do than offer others the kindness of my time and attention. But here is the thing: ultimately, when we offer our time to others, we are acting as true servants. We are serving God and not any other master.
But this is not always easy, because there often exists the struggle deep within each and every one of us between serving two masters: ourselves or God. And as inconvenient as it can be, serving God often calls us to serve others in some way. When Luke talks about money, ultimately it is about serving our own best interests, whether it is a desire for more money, more time, more security, or more status. It all points back to us and what we want for ourselves. Although there are several central themes, I believe the true message is about whether we choose to serve God or just our own private interests, because when it comes to genuinely helping others, it is difficult to do both. The irony is that when we do serve others from a genuine place of care, we are helping ourselves, too. I would like every one of you here in this room to just take a moment to reflect upon a time when you helped somebody. Picture the moment, if you can, and try to capture how you felt. If it helps, feel free to close your eyes for just a moment to help picture it. Okay, now open your eyes if you have them closed. Notice how you feel now. Do you feel any lighter? You feel better, don’t you? You see, there are benefits to this!
Albert Schweitzer said, “I don’t know what your destiny will be, but one thing I know -- the only ones among you who will be really happy are those who have sought and found how to serve.”
I would like to close with a story called “The Parable of the Spoons” by Rabbi Haim of Romshishok.
I once ascended to the firmaments. I first went to see hell and the sight was horrifying. Row after row of tables were laden with platters of sumptuous food, yet the people seated around the tables were pale and emaciated, moaning in hunger. As I came closer, I understood their predicament.
Every person held a full spoon, but both arms were splinted with wooden slats so he could not bend either elbow to bring the food to his mouth. It broke my heart to hear the tortured groans of these poor people as they held their food so near but could not consume it.
Next, I went to visit heaven. I was surprised to see the same setting I had witnessed in hell – row after row of long tables laden with food. But in contrast to hell, the people here in heaven were sitting contentedly talking with each other, obviously sated from their sumptuous meal.
As I came closer, I was amazed to discover that here, too, each person had his arms splinted on wooden slats that prevented him from bending his elbows. How, then, did they manage to eat?
As I watched, a man picked up his spoon and dug it into the dish before him. Then he stretched across the table and fed the person across from him! The recipient of this kindness thanked him and returned the favor by leaning across the table to feed his benefactor.
I suddenly understood. Heaven and hell offer the same circumstances and conditions. The critical difference is in the way the people treat each other.
You see, there is a built-in wisdom behind serving only one master – God – as it always entails helping somebody else in some way. You will be richer for it. The beautiful wisdom behind this is that you are ultimately helping yourself, because in being a true servant, you serve ALL.
