July 17, 2005

In Praise of Shrewdness

Jeremiah 8:18-9:1
1 Timothy 2:1-7
Luke 16:1-13

The parable we just heard about the dishonest manager has to be one of the most obscure and difficult-to-interpret of all of Jesus' parables. From the early church fathers who shaped Christian theology up to some of the theologians of this past century, many of them would not touch this parable with a ten foot pole. One of them, the influential 20th century theologian, Rudolph Bultmann, admitted he just couldn't understand it. Well, I'm not sure I do either, but I'm willing to give it a try.

The story is simple enough. A wealthy man hires another to manage his affairs. Either because of laziness or incompetence, the manager is accused of squandering the other's property, and is required to give an accounting of himself, and then he is promptly fired. Not wanting to dig ditches, and too proud to go on welfare, the manager hits upon an ingenious scheme, what we might call today a "white collar crime." He decides to develop good will among the debtors of his employer by substantially reducing portions of their bills. He assumes he can then turn to them later for personal help - perhaps another job, a loan, whatever. For sure, they'll feel grateful to him for making their financial burdens lighter.

What he's doing is a Robin Hood sort of thing, taking from his rich boss and giving back to the poorer debtors (kind of the reverse of Ken Lay at Enron or Bernie Ebbers at WorldCom), yet still providing for his own future, as they tried to do. And what is the reaction of his boss? He praises him for his shrewdness! Though we're not specifically told, I'll bet the manager is offered his old job back with a bonus and stock options to boot ! The problem most of us have with this story is that the hero, the manager, is flagrantly dishonest. And dishonesty is not one of the Christian virtues. To make matters worse, he's praised for his shady dealings. Jesus then goes on to say that "the children of this age are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light," that is, than those who are supposed to be spiritually enlightened. Another way of saying this is that secular folks are more shrewd than religious folks. Is Jesus actually condoning cheating and dishonesty? Is he saying that we children of light are better off wallowing in the darkness of deception? Oh, I surely hope not!

Jesus often tried to explain a teaching point to his disciples by telling them a story, hoping they'd make the connection and see the truth revealed by looking at the issue from another angle. I'd like to try this approach this morning with another story, in hopes of shedding some light on this perplexing parable, so that maybe a glimmer of truth can be revealed.

Centuries ago in London, there lived a tight-fisted, dour moneylender to whom a merchant owed a considerable sum of money. One day the evil usurer proposes a vile bargain: he will cancel the debt owed if the merchant gives to him in marriage his beautiful daughter. If the merchant refuses, and he has no means to come up with the money, he will rot in jail. Naturally, the merchant is horrified with either choice. Then the moneylender piously offers another option, to let Providence decide the matter, saying that he will put a black pebble and a white pebble into an empty bag. The daughter, without looking, will reach into the bag and choose one of the two pebbles. If she chooses the black pebble, she will become the moneylender's wife and the merchant's debt will be cancelled. If she chooses the white pebble, she will be allowed to stay with her father, and the debt will still be cancelled. If she refuses to choose a pebble, her father will go to jail, and she will undoubtedly starve to death. Reluctantly the merchant and the daughter agree.

As the evil moneylender stoops to pick up two pebbles from the ground, the sharp-eyed young woman observes that he has picked up two black pebbles and he puts them into his bag. In that moment with her father's destiny and hers in her hands, she has to decide what to do. She can refuse to participate in the moneylender's corrupt charade, thus sending her father to jail and herself to a life of begging. She can expose the moneylender as a cheat, thereby stirring up his wrath and embarrassing him in front of the crowd that has gathered - and who knows what he'll do then? Or she can choose one of the two black pebbles that she knows are in the bag, and sacrifice herself for her father. Hesitantly she reaches into the bag, without looking, and pulls out a pebble, and still without looking at it nor showing it to anyone else, she "accidentally" drops it on the ground, where it is immediately lost among all the other pebbles there. "Oh how clumsy of me!" she exclaims, but quickly adds, "But it doesn't matter, for if you'll look in the bag you'll be able to tell which pebble I took by the color of the one that remains." The moneylender does not dare admit his dishonesty, especially in front of the crowd gathered, so he reaches in and pulls out the black pebble remaining, and the young woman and her father win their freedom. Now, what would you say? Was this young woman dishonest or shrewd? (i)

As we think about this story, we can see some similarities between the young woman and the dishonest manager in Jesus' parable. He, like her, recognizes that he's in a crisis, and that he needs to do something about it in a hurry. And he, like her, acts decisively, resourcefully, and shrewdly, and reaps the reward of his shrewdness. The important thing in the parable is not that Jesus is condoning dishonesty - he's not. Nor is he endorsing immoral behavior. What he commends is the manager's astute foresight and decisive response. The manager is praised for his prudence in shrewdly evaluating the seriousness of his situation and taking intentional and straightforward action that will guarantee him friends and allies as well as possible future employers. "How much more decisive," Jesus implies, "is the response of obedience required of those who hear my call to repentance." (ii) When we hear this parable of the dishonest manager, our minds need to think back on those first words of Jesus in Mark's Gospel: "The kingdom of God is at hand - repent!" Now is the time to act boldly.

A San Francisco business executive, hoping to inspire his workers to act more boldly and efficiently, put up a number of posters throughout his offices and factory that read, "Do It Now." His employees, however, were motivated to a resourcefulness beyond which he had contemplated. Within a month from the time the "Do It Now" posters were displayed: the cashier skipped town with $5,000; three typists asked for a raise; the office boy joined the Navy; the factory workers voted to go on strike; and the head accountant ran off with the boss' secretary. (iii)

Resourcefulness can backfire at times, but as the old expression goes, if life hands you a lemon, you can always make lemonade. This was the lesson the older retired minister passed on to a young colleague. Many years before, the minister had been called to his first church, and the first week he was there he was invited to dinner at the home of one of the members. He enjoyed his meal until dessert was served. It was rhubarb pie, which he positively detested. But, wanting to make a good impression, the pastor shrewdly decided to eat the pie. Unfortunately, he ate it so lustily that his hostess brought him another piece, which he also managed to gulp down. To make matters worse, word spread throughout the congregation that the new minister's favorite dessert was rhubarb pie, and it was served to him practically everywhere he went. "After a year," commented the wise old pastor, "I not only learned to eat rhubarb pie without gagging, but I actually came to like it somewhat." (iv) As the pastor discovered, when we cannot have things in life the way we want them, it's best to learn to deal with the hand we've been given. The manager, the merchant's daughter, and the old pastor all acted boldly and seized the opportunity when it was offered to them. When life presents us with an opportunity to do what we know is the right thing to do, when God gives us a chance to serve, when God offers us a new life in Christ, it is up to us to respond, to act boldly and imaginatively, to seize the opportunity when it is offered.

There's a humorous old story of the religious man who is inside his house when a monsoon hits. It rains harder and harder, and before long there's a flood. The waters are almost up to the first floor windows when someone comes by in a rowboat. "Hop on board and I'll save you," yells the rescuer. "No thanks," replies the man, "God will save me." The waters rise higher and higher and are soon up to the second story of the house. Another rescuer comes by in a rowboat. "Hop on board and I'll save you," yells the rescuer. "No thanks," he replies again, "God will save me." Finally a helicopter hovers overhead and a bullhorn yells down to the man now on his roof, "Grab the rope and we'll pull you to safety." "No thanks, God will save me," he again replies. Well, the waters continue to rise - and the man drowns. He gets to heaven and he's really ticked off. He goes to God and demands, "Hey God, how come you didn't save me?" And God replies, "Give me a break, fella. I sent you two rowboats and a helicopter!"

Sometimes we religious folk act in rather stupid ways. We don't behave as shrewdly or as decisively as we should; we're not as committed to the tasks before us as was the dishonest manager in the parable. Our God asks for commitments from us, a commitment to following the ways of Jesus, and a commitment to using our God-given talents to face and solve the problems before us. What Jesus is saying in effect is "This manager is more committed to his cause than you are to yours!"

To be fair, most of us are fairly shrewd when it comes to worldly matters, like handling our money or investments; like how we manage our time to maximize leisure hours; like how we plan our career or professional goals; etc. We can be very shrewd, calculating, and creative as children of this world. But as children who are supposed to belong to the light, and follow the light, we often fall short. We can ingeniously find extra dollars for another luxury, but when it comes to increasing our pledge to the church, it's easy to rationalize that the family budget is just too tight - we'll give the same as last year. With great shrewdness we're able to figure out how to pack all the "important" things into our very busy days, but it's harder for us to be able to find the time for quiet meditation, Bible reading, and prayer. We spend a lot of time taking care of ourselves and our loved ones, but spend less time reaching out to others in need, or working for the causes of healing, reconciliation, justice, or peace. What our society needs, what our world needs desperately are more imaginative, creative, and shrewd children of light, who are willing to grapple with some of the problems facing us, and to act boldly and decisively. What each of us needs is a greater commitment to God and to the way Jesus taught us to follow, and to be as shrewd as the manager in living the fullness of life that God intends for us. (v) God gave to each of us brains, talents, various gifts and abilities and resources, and God wants us to use these for the furtherance of God's kingdom as wisely and as shrewdly as we possibly can. Let's "do it now." Amen.

The Pilgrim Church of Duxbury
Rev. Kenneth C. Landall

i Edward DeBono, "New Think," Pulpit Resource, 9/18/83.
ii Word & Witness, 9/18/83.
iii Brian A. Nelson, "Hustle Won't Bring the Kingdom of God," p. 109.
iv Emphasis, 9/83, p. 30.
v The Clergy Journal, 8/18/83.