Shrewd as Crooks

“Be wise as serpents and innocent as doves” (Matthew 10:16).  That is one of those paradoxical statements of Jesus that seems to make sense but then often leaves me scratching my head.  Jesus doesn’t quite say that in this Sunday’s gospel reading, but comes really close (Luke 16:1-13).  He tells a parable about a terrible account manager who is squandering his boss’ money.  His boss, who is angry, demands an audit, and the manager knows he’s going to lose his job.  So, what does he do?  He defrauds his boss (!) by decreasing on the books what the boss’ debtors owe him… so that the debtors will “welcome” the bad account manager after he’s been fired.  Then Jesus PRAISES this crook for being shrewd!  How am I supposed to preach on that?? 

            The rest of the reading is straight-forward.  You can’t serve two masters—God and money.  That’s true.  So be shrewd with your money; make friends with your wealth by giving it away.  And in the context of the larger Gospel, give it away to the poor—the people who can’t pay you back in any way, so they may welcome you into God’s eternal home. 

            You can’t serve two masters.  Who do you serve?  I think a lot of us serve ourselves.  And we support people who’ll serve us and our self-interests.  And, I think, we’re very shrewd when it comes to all that.  There are a lot of challenges in our world, challenges that I believe the Gospel can address.  Are we as shrewd when it comes to addressing them, to advancing Christ’s Kingdom?  The crooked manager won friends by “forgiving debts.”  Funny how that’s the wording of the King James Version of the Lord’s Prayer—“Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors” (Matt. 6:12).

Peace,

Pr. Christian