The Unjust Steward

Laura Harris-Ferree, Minister of Outreach and Community Amos 8: 4-7
Luther Memorial Lutheran Church- Seattle, WA Luke 16:1-13

Jesus says, “You cannot worship both God and money”. Okay deep breaths lets shake it out. We are going to talk about God, money, and the most difficult parable in the Bible. This morning our texts focus on God, money, wealth, and oppressing the poor- its all light stuff really. Nothing too heavy to discuss! I’m kidding I’m kidding- this is uneasy stuff we are diving into so take deep breaths as necessary during this sermon!
Our first reading, Amos, is about those scheming to make more money off of the poor. Well, not really money because it wasn’t invented yet, but they were scheming about how to benefit from the poor by tilting their scales and selling subpar products. Then in Luke, we read about a landowner and his steward who is about to be fired. We don’t know exactly why the steward is about to be fired but instantly the steward becomes worried about his future and how he will live and eat. So, he rushes off and cuts everyone’s debts to the landowner which surprisingly the landowner appreciates and lets him keep his job. This devious steward, as the text calls him, works the system in his favor so that he doesn’t have to be poor and beg. He was terrified of being poor and homeless not willing to dig ditches or beg.
But let us not forget about the Psalm, “you raise the poor from the dust, and lift the needy from the dung heap to give them a place at the table with rulers, with the leader of your people.” Sandwiched between these two stories about the poor being oppressed and unjust systems working in favor of the devious we read and are reminded that God is on the side of the poor and the oppressed. YHWH gives power to the powerless and creates a place at the leaders table for the voiceless.
The devious steward, landowner, and those oppressors from Amos do not read this Psalm and shout out Alleluia! The exact people they are attempting to keep down and continue to benefit from YHWH is lifting up. Psalm 113 is not good news to oppressors and wealthy schemers. YWHW is threatening their privilege and power. If the poor and needy are at the table, they will know about the devious get rich quick schemes.
“You cannot worship both God and money.” Maybe this isn’t good news to us either as Jesus gives us a massive warning against the uses of wealth. Let’s face it, we live in a society that worships wealth. We are literally killing our planet over wealth. The richer you get the less taxes you pay. If you have money you can pay your way into colleges or out of legal trouble. We function daily in an unjust marketplace where the scales are tilted. Like payday loans, wage stagnation, student loans, the list could go on and on. In this unjust marketplace our society worships money. This isn’t good news.
“You cannot worship both God and money.” Our city worships wealth. Housing prices continue to rise while the minimum wage remains the same. Jeff Bezos, one of the wealthiest men alive, cuts his part-time employees health benefits and we don’t see a dime in taxes from his successful companies. Our homelessness crisis remains a crisis while new market price apartment buildings pop up all over the city. Our city worships money. This isn’t good news.
We cannot worship God and money because those are two opposing realities. In Amos wealth or the future idea of wealth encourages cheating the poor and creating devious systems. In Luke the thought of losing privilege and wealth results in working the system not to help those in debt but to help ourselves. Wealth encourages cheating the poor and the system.
Then we catch a glimpse of a different reality in Psalm 113. A reality where the poor are raised from the dust, the needy from the dung heap, and given a place at the table with rulers. A place at the table where these devious schemes are written, and rules are made to benefit the rulers. And if this isn’t enough to convince you that we cannot worship both God and money read the end of our Amos passage. “YWHW swears by the Pride of Jacob, ‘I will never forget a single thing you have done.’” God’s reality is a just marketplace. God’s reality is every person having a seat at the table. God’s reality is economic equity. This is the kin-dom of God.
But maybe this isn’t good news to use either. You cannot worship both God and money. We like money, right? We need money to participate in this society and live. We work hard to receive our money. So, it doesn’t feel great when Jesus vehemently warns us against money and wealth. It doesn’t feel great because we know we benefit from this system at some level. We benefit from a system that oppresses the poor and creates a never-ending cycle of oppression. We may be benefiting or have benefited from devious schemes or tilting the scales in our favor. It is a harsh and uncomfortable thing to say we benefit from this system and yet we do.
There are times when we have been so concerned with our own economic position that we do not care about our poor neighbor. There are times when it is just way too convenient to use Amazon that we forget how their workers are treated. There are times when we know we shouldn’t spend our money at this establishment, but we do it anyway. We are constantly surrounded by this unjust system of wealth that is set up in our society. We really don’t have much of a choice but to participate in it. Now, don’t get me wrong, I am a person who will have the biggest dreams about taking down unjust systems and fight ‘til the bitter end but honestly friends I don’t see an end in sight to our economic system. We are a part of it. We need to name that.
So, what do we do? We cannot serve both God and money. I think a fair first start is acknowledging the ways we benefit from our economic system. The ways in which we gain power and privilege through economic means and if necessary, we repent of the ways in which we benefit. It is so easy to be brain washed by money and live into our society’s call to want more and earn more. In those times when we start slipping into the brain washing of money, we do not notice our neighbor. We do not notice those who the system is oppressing.
It really comes down to loving our neighbor. When we take the focus off of ourselves and our economic wants and begin to notice and serve our neighbor it is at that moment, we stop worshipping money and start worshipping God. We find ways together to participate in the economic system without falling prey to its schemes. We find ways together to serve God with the means that we have earned.
There are times when this will not feel like good news. When we benefit while others suffer. But there is always good news in serving our neighbor or sharing our wealth. It is always good news when we can use our money to support organizations who make a difference in this world, like say the churches we attend. Sorry, shameless stewardship plug, but in all reality, we should give freely of our resources to benefit the world around us. This free giving should not feel like a burden or a requirement but we should do so gladly knowing that we are furthering the kin-dom of God.
When we shift our focus from money to God a whole new realm of possibilities are opened up to us. It is good news that God lifts up the poor, needy and oppressed. It is good news that we cannot serve both God and money. It is good news because God notices the least of these among us and makes a way. It is good news because money will not hold us captive and we will be set free by the grace of God.
So, while there are times when this feels like the worst news ever because we benefit just remember that God has a way and we can join it. We can shift our actions and behaviors to worship God instead of money. We can give a seat to the least of these at the table and ensure that God’s justice continues to reign because of how we spend our money. We do the good we can with our resources not to extend unjust economic systems but to extend to the kin-dom of God. Be freed from the shackles of money and live freely into the reality that is the kin-dom of God. Thanks be to God, amen.