THE WORD 4 ev 1

Today’s reading is Luke 16 (click here for link)

I don’t think there is any parable that causes more consternation than the one that begins our reading today: The Parable of the Dishonest Steward. How can a guy who is so clearly crooked and self-seeking be commended for his action, so much so that his action is an example for us on our conduct in the kingdom of God? Seems bizarre, doesn’t it?

Well, I suppose if I were to be preaching on this text, I would now begin the arduous task of pulling out every commentary I own on Luke and parables (and brew gallons of coffee) trying to figure out this problem. But this morning, I don’t want to take the time to do all of that. Instead, let’s just answer one question: What, precisely, is it that the steward does, albeit without authorization and with deception, that Jesus finds so commendable?

The servant forgives! The answer seems a bit too simple. Yet, it's been a moral of great emphasis for Luke so far: FORGIVE. Forgive it all. Forgive it now. Forgive it for any reason you want, or for no reason at all. Just forgive.

Jesus points out that if even the crooked and the self-seeking of this world understand the value and advantage of forgiveness, how much more should we as children of light live in forgiveness and practice forgiveness?

Of course, forgiveness is a hard business to be about. It extends to all facets of life. Can we forgive more often than we are willing to sue? Can we forgive more often than we are willing to defend ourselves? Can we forgive even when it doesn’t seem right or fair?

Why forgive someone who's sinned against us, or against our sense of what is obviously right? We don't have to do it out of love for the other person, if we're not there yet. We could forgive the other person because of that whole business of what we pray in Jesus' name every Sunday morning, and because we know we'd like forgiveness ourselves. We could forgive because we've experienced what we're like as unforgiving people. We could forgive because we know that refusing to forgive so that the other person does not benefit is, as the saying goes, like eating rat poison hoping it will hurt the rat. We could forgive because we are, or we want to be, deeply in touch with a sense of Jesus' power to forgive and free sinners like us. Or we could forgive because we think it will improve our odds of winning the lottery. We could forgive for just about any reason in between.

However, it all boils down to the same thing: deluded or sane, selfish and/or unselfish, there is no bad reason to forgive. Extending the kind of grace God shows us in every possible arena -- financial and moral -- can only put us more deeply in touch with God's grace.

Now, I suppose I should look in some of those commentaries and see if they agree!

Have a forgiving day,
Pastor Aaron