18 Sep SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2022
A rich man had a manager, lucky him. He was already successful and possessed wealth, now he had enough resources to hire a manager which is different from hiring help. Managers are more capable and can work independently. They supervise, rather than require supervision, and are not so much operators as ones who oversee operations, enforcing what the owner dictates, managing the work done and the people who do it.
Anyone who’s owned a business or hired employees knows that a manager either adds or detracts from success. When charges are brought that the manager has recklessly wasted money, time, or allowed profits to be lost, a wise owner must investigate.
But, the owner doesn’t investigate or give the manager a chance to give an account before saying they can no longer be trusted. The owner seems to trust whoever brought charges forward more than his new hire.
Without the option of defending himself or even a chance of explaining, the manager becomes desperate to maintain his position. Knowing his own strengths and limitations, he devises a strategy. His future is at stake, his reputation, everything. He decides to do whatever will save himself from being cut off.
“What will I do, now it appears that (blank) will be taken away?” That’s the exact point of desperation faced by many today who are about to be arrested or sentenced, about to lose employment or custody, about to experience a change in marital status, or have other ties to their identity, freedom, sense of belonging, income or status removed against their will.
Sensing weakness or shame, many people act impulsively to exercise or preserve what little power they have. Any creature backed up against a wall will fight. The person about to suffer loss takes control. Self-preservation is powerful energy. Unable to satisfy his boss, he’ll give customers what they want, freedom from debt. Seems like the owner got rich by lending the staples of life, olive oil and wheat. He was a shrewd man himself, recognizing need, people’s inability to provide for themselves and opportunity for gain.
The manager lowered one man’s debt by half. Imagine having a mortgage cut in half, half a student loan forgiven, or car debt reduced by fifty percent. Huge deals by anyone’s account. Another had his bill reduced by twenty percent. That’s not a bad deal either. Bed Bath and Beyond and Boscov’s get lots of customers from Save 20% coupons, right?
Was the master angry? No. Not only didn’t he fire him, he commended him for acting shrewdly. The manager’s actions did have a positive impact. The rich man would still have customers in debt, only less so. The business connection had not been broken. You might say it was actually strengthened because part of their debt had been forgiven.
Come to think of it, doesn’t God gain customer loyalty by doing the exact same thing? Once a person acknowledges their debt of sin and their inability to pay in full, we become grateful, too.
Forgiveness reduces not only the principal owed, but saves interest, too. If I didn’t know better, I’d swear President Biden and other presidents took a page straight from the Bible when deciding to put money in people’s pockets, forgive debt, and hand out other freebies.
As managers of the country’s assets, you might say politicians are constantly spending the master’s funds to make themselves welcome once out of office. When they no longer hold a position of influence, at least folks will speak well of their dealings with them personally. Is this acting shrewdly or dishonestly? Are they to be commended?
There are always two sides to every story. According to biblical commentary, the charges brought against the manager were really accusations, not legal proceedings. The manager may not have been an outside hire; he may have been a slave trained to oversee the family business. Like many employees asked to take greater responsibility, he may or may not have been adequately compensated. To squander doesn’t actually mean waste, it describes a literal scattering of assets. (NET Bible Notes)
These issues plague our society today. What is accomplished by freely distributing what people need to live or by forgiving their debts? Who are really in positions of incapability regarding work? Who’s really threatened by the idea of having to beg? What advantages do the rich have? What is God’s intention regarding relationships, goods, wealth and access to homes?
We are all beholden to “the master” for our livelihoods and goods. It is God’s wealth we live off of. Anything we forgive or give away are debts owed to God, not us. Everyday, we benefit from what first belonged to God. The core of our relationship is this: dependency is established and debt is incurred. We are dependent to some extent and in debt to some extent. If we are entrusted to handle or manage the books, we are also asked to see the big picture and balance things according to our ability.
Our ability is related to our position in life, power or authority, opportunities to win not only favor for ourselves, but have a positive impact on lives we know are strapped. Commending dishonesty just doesn’t make sense.
One good outcome is that each party examines their own motivation. The master examines his own shrewd behavior in creating relationships characterized by long term dependency, him always having power over others and the advantage. The manager must face his desire to save his social reputation through dishonest means. The debtors must realize that receiving credit for debts they incurred but don’t have to pay through a middle man isn’t the same as being credited by the one to whom they owe a debt.
Doing what comes naturally often leads to failure. When tested or threatened we often grab for the thing that affords the greatest gain, or at least I do. One day at Hershey Park, I noticed a small box standing upright and parallel to the leg of a bench.
Upon opening the box, I discover a brand new pair of Oakley sunglasses, with a carrying case and product leaflet.
The price sticker, $189. I hurriedly glanced among the crowd. Who might have recently gotten up and forgotten their purchase? I followed and approached a likely candidate, but the sunglasses ended up in my possession.
As a result, my thoughts went like this: I sure was lucky to find these. Too bad for whoever lost ‘em. Who can afford to buy two hundred dollar sunglasses anyway? Sure was foolish to lay them down and walk away. Guess a couple hundred bucks wasn’t a big deal to them. Wonder why they haven’t noticed they’ve lost ‘em?
On my way to the park entrance, I found a security guard. After explaining what I’d found and where, I was assured she’d place them in Lost and Found.
Like Gollum from Lord of the Rings, I had held the cardboard box while looking at the retail price and cherished the thought of its value. “Two hundred dollars worth of new merchandise had come into my possession. What could I do with it?” I felt a force cause my heart to darken with delight. I recognized my own temptation to possess them. Now the security guard would have to deal with the dark force.
But the dark force followed me home. Although I had given up the sunglasses, I couldn’t resist calling up Lost and Found a couple weeks later. I wanted to find out if the security guard actually turned them in. I wanted to gain satisfaction from knowing the original owners claimed them. A small part of me with a toothy grin thought maybe if nobody claimed them yet, I could say that as the original discoverer of their misplacement, I was entitled to have them.
Me finding the pretty shiny sunset colored metallic mirrored lenses in frames bearing the Oakley brand name must have been entertaining to both God and Satan. Good thing only God could read my mind. Satan could only see my actions.
From an onlooker’s view, I did everything right. Only God (and now you) know I was tempted and what internal struggle took place, the not nice thoughts I had about rich people and my mistrust of the security guard. When the lady at Lost and Found said, “No one turned in any Oakley sunglasses on the date in question. Nothing on the shelves resembles them,” I was left with nothing but a life lesson.
Hopefully, the rightful owners claimed them. Perhaps they never tried, thinking whoever found them would’ve simply claimed ownership. Perhaps they purchased another pair as if it were no big deal.
What was a big deal for me was how hard it was to let them go and how hard it was for me to stop thinking about the whole scenario. Jesus said, “Whoever is faithful in very little is faithful also in much; whoever is dishonest in little is dishonest also in much.”
Each of us are entrusted with riches that belong to another. If we are not faithful, who will give us what is our own? Our motives cannot serve two masters. Either we will desire what is best for others or we will desire what is best for ourselves.
Strangely enough, this parable and that of the Oakley sunglasses teach that doing what’s best for others will also benefit us. It’s best to not claim what you can. What will bring the best outcome and the most positive energy to any situation is to connect with someone else, offer to distribute goods and not take delight in holding onto them.
Greed is a beast. It motivates some to collect debts or take advantage of another’s misfortune. It tempts those who owe to find ways of circumventing what’s due. It causes the proud to resist the idea of owing anybody and tempts us to hold onto possessions.
Lastly, the parable teaches that nothing is free, not even forgiveness. It comes at great expense to the original owner, the only one able to pay, offer discounts or wipe clean the debt. God, as the master does take delight when we imitate he does.
How can you restore something lost, repair a damaged relationship, renew faith between people, strengthen a social bond or preserve a good reputation? Be faithful, honest, and generous. Practice doing so, if doing so doesn’t come easily. Your efforts will always be rewarded.
I find it quite interesting that through two instances of late, hitting the car in a parking garage and finding those sunglasses, I’ve been tempted. In each case, I had to work through resistance and go against a natural desire to benefit from having the advantage. God knows how to keep me humble and guides me step by step when my natural inclinations aren’t the best.
Let me help you realize that God has entrusted us as managers, ones given the power to decide what happens next, to admit fault, to pay debts owed or save someone from incurring loss. Let me help you love that God tries us and is constantly willing to teach and save rather than dismiss us from a position chosen for us. Let us pray.
God, you’ve heard my heart and know the hearts of everyone listening. Help us be good partners and overseers of all you possess, realizing our place, our power to positively reflect your values: distributing basic necessities for life, being in ongoing relationships of give and take, forgiving debts and welcoming others into your eternal home. In your holy name we pray, Amen.