Ninth Sunday after Trinity (1891)

Luke 16:1-9 One of the most comforting chapters of the whole Bible is the chapter which precedes our Gospel and which treated in the three parables of the lost sheep, lost coin and com the prodigal son, the comforting theme: "Jesus receives sinners." In turn, the chapter from which our text is taken contains a number of serious warnings to the right use of the time of grace, while here before our eyes is placed the rich man in his joys of life and in his agony, but a similar warning is also included in the first part of the chapter, our Gospel, which reminds us of the shrewd unjust steward. Let us consider 1. the unjust steward's injustice. It consisted a. in the fact that he broke down, embezzled, his master's goods, which also were not his property, but over which he was set only as a steward.1 Let us examine ourselves, as we who are stewards of God's property, bodily and spiritual, temporal and eternal, we have dealt with such goods, what would we answer the Lord when He would say to us: "Make an account of your stewardship", whether or not we would have deserved it, that He would say to us, "You cannot henceforth be steward"2; b. in the fact that He also induces others to sin against his master's goods.3 Let us examine ourselves, we parents, supervisors, we Christians compared to the world, whether or not those that we should have to keep away by word and example from the misuse of the goods of God, perhaps those have been instructed by us for embezzling or have been encouraged in that respect. And we find that somehow we are similar to the unjust steward in his unrighteousness, God grant that we also are similar to him in shrewdness. Let us consider to that end 2. the shrewdness of the unjust steward. It consisted a. in the fact that he was not mistaken about the situation in which he found himself.4 Many are not so shrewd, who are stewards in the same injustice; they convince themselves no one would ask afterward about how they worked, or they do not pay attention when the coming judgment is brought to their attention, they console themselves that it will not be so bad;

1 2

Luke 16:1. Luke 16:2. 3 Luke 16:5-7. 4 Luke 16:3a.

b. in the fact that he did not quit on his own wealth and actions for the time of need5, "I do not like (= cannot) to dig", etc. - Many are not so shrewd as the unjust steward; they think when it finally matters, they would come through it well with their works or with begging; c. in that fact that he looks around at times for friends that should come to him in need of help, and that he did not rest until he had secured such help.6 Such shrewdness God give and preserve in us, that we now secure for ourselves, in the time of grace, the aid of which He, although He was not a debtor of our Lord, nevertheless has paid a great debt, and indeed without deduction; that we flee in faith to Christ, Who is our righteousness, and thus not delay until it is too late and eternal starvation has begun. We are in such shrewdness of faith, because it will be even better here with our household, we will also show faith in our hearts in greater faithfulness to "unrighteous mammon" to which we are entrusted, embezzled property from most men; we shall therefore give witness that day, which we will have proved our love with his goods according to God's will, through which our faith was active. A.G.

5 6

Luke 16:3b. Luke 16:4ff.