One day while out taking a walk several years ago, I made an unbelievable discovery.\u00a0 Scattered on the ground under the bushes in front of our house, I found some money.\u00a0 A lot of money, in fact.\u00a0 There were ones, fives, tens, twenties, and even some $100 bills.\u00a0 When I counted it all up, I had about $2,000!<\/p>\n

I know your question:\u00a0 \u201cDid you keep it, or did you try to find the owner?\u201d\u00a0 Well, there\u2019s a certain way of doing things in this world.\u00a0 You have to take care of yourself.\u00a0 Besides, you know the saying: \u201cFinders keepers, losers weepers.\u201d\u00a0 So what would you have done with the money?<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t be too quick to answer.\u00a0 At least not until you consider the parable of the shrewd manager.\u00a0 Here Jesus seems to be saying that not only is there a certain way of doing business in the world, but that we ought to participate in it<\/em>.\u00a0 He seems to be saying that we should live by the ethics of the world.\u00a0 And if that is the case, the last thing you should do is return the money.<\/p>\n

The scene described in today\u2019s Gospel was common.\u00a0 Many absentee landlords hired managers to oversee their affairs.\u00a0 The catch in this parable is that this manager is about to be fired because he\u2019s wasting his master\u2019s money.\u00a0 The word translated \u201cwasting\u201d is the same Greek word used of the prodigal son in Luke 15 \u2013 \u201cscattering\u201d or \u201csquandering.\u201d\u00a0 The manager obviously has no concern for his master\u2019s well being.\u00a0 Now he\u2019s about to be fired.\u00a0 What will he do?\u00a0 He\u2019s too proud to beg and too weak to work.\u00a0 He hits upon a survival scheme.\u00a0 He calls in several of his master\u2019s debtors.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow much do you owe my master?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEight hundred gallons of olive oil.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCross that out and write four hundred.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd you, how much do you owe?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA thousand bushels of wheat.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cErase that and write eight hundred.\u201d<\/p>\n

What happens next is very surprising.\u00a0 The master finds out what the manager has done and commends him!\u00a0 You would expect him to be angry, but he congratulates the manager.<\/p>\n

The manager\u2019s action is not particularly surprising.\u00a0 In a \u201cdog-eat-dog world\u201d you have to take care of yourself.\u00a0 But why does the master commend him?\u00a0 There\u2019s an expression: \u201cIt takes one to know one.\u201d\u00a0 A cutthroat rascal often admires this in other people.\u00a0 This parable is populated by some rather shady characters!<\/p>\n

And what about Jesus?\u00a0 He not only commends what the manager did; he actually recommends his followers do the same.\u00a0 That<\/em> is distressing.\u00a0 Why is Jesus recommending this sort of behavior?<\/p>\n

To gain understanding, it will help to know that some parables make their point by similarity<\/em>, such as: \u201cThe kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed . . .\u201d\u00a0 Others use contrast<\/em> to make their point.\u00a0 The man at the wedding banquet is one example.\u00a0 When he is thrown out for not wearing a wedding garment, listeners get the point \u2013 don\u2019t be like this guy!<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s Gospel makes its point by means of contrast.\u00a0 Jesus essentially says, \u201cHere is the world\u2019s way of doing things.\u00a0 The manager was keen, astute, and shrewd in his dealings in order to take care of himself.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow,\u201d says Jesus, \u201clearn a very important lesson from an unprincipled person.\u00a0 If the people of this world, in order to take care of a future that will not last, are willing to expend every energy, and exhaust every possibility in securing their future, what should be said of the children of the Kingdom who need to secure their eternal future?\u00a0 You need to invest more in eternity than in today.\u201d<\/p>\n

But how<\/em> do we do that?<\/p>\n

First, we can invest more in people than in things.\u00a0 The manager used people for his own ends.\u00a0 In contrast we are to use our possessions and resources to bring eternal benefit to others.\u00a0 Jesus says, \u201cI tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jesus means that our worldly goods should be used in ways that go beyond purely material significance.\u00a0 For the manager, the most important thing was to look after his needs in this world.\u00a0 Jesus advises a different approach.\u00a0 While we have worldly goods, we should use them is such a way that when they have ended their use in this world, they continue working to our advantage.<\/p>\n

Our physical possessions belong to God.\u00a0 We are managers over His goods.\u00a0 The question is: Are we investing what God has given us in things or in people?<\/p>\n

Second, we can invest more in the soul than in the body.\u00a0 This is in contrast to the manager who was more concerned with security than his soul\u2019s integrity.<\/p>\n

We live in an era in which great emphasis is placed on physical health.\u00a0 Eating the right foods, getting enough rest, drinking enough water, and exercising regularly all receive much attention.\u00a0 We must equally emphasize the care of the soul.<\/p>\n

How different things would be if we paid as much attention to the things that concern the welfare of our souls as we do the welfare of our temporal lives.\u00a0 If we invested as much time, energy, and care in the well being of our spiritual lives as we do in the advancement of our careers, we would be spiritual giants!<\/p>\n

A rich man once dreamed he had arrived in heaven.\u00a0 Anxious to see his mansion, he asked an angel to take him there.\u00a0 As they walked the golden streets, they passed mansions beyond description.\u00a0 At each one, the man asked, \u201cIs this it?\u201d\u00a0 \u201cNo,\u201d answered the angel each time.<\/p>\n

They walked on to the suburbs, where the houses were a bit more modest.\u00a0 The man was convinced they had missed his new home, but the angel assured him they had not.\u00a0 As they left the suburbs and reached the rural countryside, the homes became smaller and smaller.\u00a0 Then, suddenly, the angel stopped in front of a tiny hut and said, \u201cWell, this is it.\u00a0 It\u2019s all yours!\u201d<\/p>\n

The man was flabbergasted.\u00a0 \u201cSurely this must be a mistake!\u201d<\/p>\n

The angel re-checked the housing list.\u00a0 \u201cNope.\u00a0 This is yours, all right.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut how?\u00a0 Why didn\u2019t I get a mansion?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell,\u201d said the angel, \u201cthis was all we could afford to build with what you sent ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n

We must invest more in eternity than we do in today by investing more in people than in things.<\/p>\n

Christ says that there are some things that last, and some that don\u2019t.\u00a0 Some things are of true value, but others are only of passing value.\u00a0 If we are to learn from the unprincipled, we must shrewdly learn to invest our energy, wisdom, and astuteness in securing the eternal future.\u00a0 We must learn to invest more in eternity than we do in today.<\/p>\n

I still haven\u2019t answered your question: What did you do with the money you found in front of your house?\u00a0 Did you keep it?<\/p>\n

Well, to be honest with you, yes, yes I did . . . I kept it.\u00a0 For a while.\u00a0 And then I did exactly what you would have done.\u00a0 I tossed it in the circular file, the garbage can.\u00a0 After all, I could never secure my future with old, worn out Monopoly<\/em> money.\u00a0 Nor can you.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

One day while out taking a walk several years ago, I made an unbelievable discovery.\u00a0 Scattered on the ground under the bushes in front of our house, I found some money.\u00a0 A lot of money, in fact.\u00a0 There were ones, fives, tens, twenties, and even some $100 bills.\u00a0 When I counted it all up, I […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"pgc_sgb_lightbox_settings":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5072","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sermons"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n