Jump Start # 1361

Luke 16:1 “Now He was also saying to the disciples, ‘There was a rich man who had a manager, and this manager was reported to him as squandering his possessions.’”

  Our verse today is the opening of the parable of the unjust steward. Dishonest, caught and facing the consequences, the unjust steward cuts a deal with those who owed the master money. They too were dishonest. He is praised for his shrewdness. He didn’t just roll over and give up, he came up with an idea to survive. For that, he is praised and the disciples were to learn from him.

This parable is often hard to understand. It’s troubling because of the number of bad people in it. Many of the Lord’s stories were raw, and saw the ugly side of life. In the good Samaritan, the injured man is ignored by two people. His injuries were not the result of a fall, but of violence and theft. In the story of the prodigal, the rebellious son was broke and without friends in the far country and when he returned home, his older brother refused to have anything to do with him. That family had problems. The parable of the wise and foolish virgins does not end well for the five who ran out of oil. The door was shut and they were not allowed in. Poor Lazarus was ignored by a rich man who could have helped him. Poor Lazarus died.

Jesus’ illustrations were not fairy tales. Not everyone lived happily ever after. Not everyone was good. Not everyone did what they were supposed to do. Not everyone got the message and turned around by the end of the parable. There is a darkness to many of the parables. There is a reality to many of the parables. Going all the way back to the Proverbs, there seems to be a contrast between the righteous and the wicked, the wise and the fool. There is a pain in the parables

As a parent, this is a hard lesson to teach to children. Not everyone is going to be nice. Not everyone is going to apologize. There are bullies. There are people who are mean. There are some who will try to take advantage of you. There are some who do not care. There is an ugly side to life.

It also reminds us that not all problems are easily solved or solved at all. Unlike TV shows that ends with everything worked out and back to where it should be, life isn’t always like that. The rich man never helped Lazarus. The rich man’s brothers were going to follow the same selfish path that he traveled. It didn’t look like that problem was going to be solved. We are left wondering about the elder brother of the prodigal. Did he ever ‘get it,’ and eventually join the celebration, or did he remain outside, stubborn, unforgiving and hard in his heart? Some problems just do not seem to be solved.

We also see God in all of these parables. He’s the master. He’s the father. He’s the shepherd. He’s the groom. He’s the one who forgives and accepts. He’s the one who calls for the books. He’s the one who shuts the door. He’s the one who asks the questions. God is always there, as He is in our lives. He’s there. Often we may not recognize it because things aren’t going the way we want them to be. When Lazarus died, the angels were there, sent by God, to carry his soul to Abraham’s bosom. God is always there. He is involved in our lives. He is blessing us. He is watching us. He is counting on us to do right. He knows. He sees.

The parables are also mirrors to our lives. In the parables we find ourselves. So often, Jesus used the parables to specifically address an issue or a question at the moment. When challenged about associating with the riffraff, such as the publicans and sinners, Jesus told the parables of lost sheep, lost coins and lost sons. The elder brother of the prodigal was pointed directly to the Pharisees who accused Jesus. They were that elder brother. Refusing, avoiding, condemning, just like the elder brother. When Jesus told the story of the rich man and Lazarus it was pointed to the Pharisees who were lovers of money. The context plainly states that. They were the rich man. Cold, selfish, and headed to torment because of their indifference to others. We get the most out of the parables when we put ourselves right in the story. We have been that rebellious prodigal. We can be the forgiving father to others or we can be the unforgiving brother. We stand in their shadows as we read the story. The intention of seeing ourselves, often not in a very pretty sight, is to move us to change. It is spoken so we can be helped. The parable of the sower illustrates the various kinds of hearts, one of which represents our heart. It shows us a picture of ourselves that we may or may not want to see.

The parables were a powerful and wonderful way of teaching. They are a avenue to see ourselves and to see what God wants.

Roger