Gospel according to Luke – 9-23-95 – You cannot give yourself to God and to money. The rich were getting richer while the poor were getting poorer.Why has this happened? Because deep down we have bought a lie from the devil. That happiness is having a nice comfortable life. That happiness is in what money can give you. And therefore in order to be happy, which everybody wants to be, we need the money, honey. Now this is slavery. It is a slavery that Jesus Christ has come to set us free from. This is the new song, the song of the resurrection, no longer to be the slave to money. Now in Chapter 16 of Luke’s gospel, he takes up what is a theme peculiar to his own gospel. And that is the relationship of the Christian to things. He is very interested in this. In order to understand the parable that he gives us, context is everything. The context of this story which is the story of the parable of the crook. A fellow who all these years has been padding his own little pocketbook, stealing silver from his master until one day he is caught. And then he is in crisis because he realizes that once the order has been given to audit the books, his goose is cooked. Because they’re going to find all the evidence; there’s a paper trail going everywhere. And he could see it coming. He knows that very quickly he is going to be out on the street. Now what happens when you’re in a crisis? What do you need to do when you’re in a crisis? Because you see, for Israel the coming of Jesus Christ was a crisis. He was going to Jerusalem and for Luke that is to say he was going to his death and resurrection. The center point of all time was about to take place. God was entering into the mystery to offer them the gift of salvation. It is a crisis. Jesus Christ is inviting people to come with him to make His experience their experience. So many people seem to be deaf, they seem not to realize what they were living in, living in a crisis, to realize that judgement was to fall upon them. The crook saw very clearly that when you are in crisis, the worst thing you can do is do nothing, just to let time slip by, to have to act and act out decisively. So what does he do? He thinks like a crook, he knows all the angles. So what does he do? He is an even bigger crook. He calls all the debtors, he changes all the accounts. To give everybody a break, because next week when I’m on the street I’m going to go down the street and knock on the doors. Remember what I did for you last week? Now what are you going to do for me? He wants to put all the debtors in his debt so that when he has no place to go they’ll take him in. And through the mouth of the master he commends that attitude that at least he didn’t sit on his hands. He acted, he recognized a crisis and he did something. Because from this, children of light, they’re very nonchalant. When it comes to the real crisis, children of this world, they know all the angles. They are quick to take the initiative, to get what they want. Children of light, no. Now Luke says this parable has something to say to us. Because you see, in a certain sense, these parables have an enduring value. What does it mean for us today, what does it mean for his community 40 years after it was first spoken. It was a community that had to deal with the question of money. They were in a crisis situation. And the crisis was very simple: one day you are going to die. This whole life you’re living, it’s going to come to an end. What do you do now that you have this little bit of time in order to prepare for that final judgement day, so that there will be somebody there to take you in when everything else gives out. The answer is, learn from the wily manager. You see, what did he do? He tried to get the debtors in his debt. Who says you need to put God in your debt? So that when this world gives out for you, he will be ready to receive you because you have put him in your debt. Our God is a God who stands in solidarity with the poor, with those in need. Whatever you do for the least of my brothers, you do for me. And if they don’t repay you, then he takes it on himself to repay the debt. He is the one who gives the IOU’s. And these are the only things that you can take with you to the judgement day, so stuff your pockets while you can. See? Why? Look, if you do something for someone else and they do not repay you. Rejoice! Why? Because that means that your Father now has to pick up the tab. Your Father in heaven, you got Him in your debt. You see, so when you come knocking at the door at the pearly gates and Peter opens the peephole and says who’s there? It’s me and pull out all the IOUs. See what I did for you, and what are you going to do for me. Well, come right in. You have to redeem the IOUs. Now, this is the way Luke uses the parable. To that he then adds sayings of Jesus which originally were isolated sayings said at different times but he gathered them all together to drive home the point more forcefully. Remember our God is not a God who likes to put guilt trips on you. We could have an awful lot of guilt trips with trying to decide what should I keep for myself and what should I give to somebody else. And look, if you’re putting it in that context, forget it, because you’re going to end up with a guilt trip questioning what you have to do. The victory that Jesus Christ came to give us is to set us free from the concern of what am I going to give, what I’m going to keep. The whole wrapping of my life around money and seeing money as my security. What He wants to do is set us free so that our approach to life is in what way can I foster the gospel of Jesus Christ. When we begin to approach it from that aspect, how can I further the evangelization, that is, things that God has given me, these talents, possessions; how can I put them in His service. Then it changes the whole context because you’re not worried about saving something for myself. My Father, my father loves me. He will provide for me what I need. He will not leave me empty- handed. He is not stingy. This is part of the victory over sin and death. To be able to pass out of my self-centeredness, no longer living to get something in this world. But living in order that I might be useful seeing everyone that comes to me in their needs and looking to see what I have to share with them. No longer afraid, no longer holding back, but trusting that my Father will be generous with me. This is the victory over the idols of money. In our culture, it is a very strong idol and, therefore, it has to be renounced. Jesus Christ wants to sing his victory song with us. That is why he is coming today to set us free. Free to be able to put Him in our debt so that on that final day we can reach into our pockets and pull out all the IOUs and ask what are you going to do for me?