The great problem in preaching many Scripture passages is that we think we already know what they mean—usually an interpretation we find easy and comfortable—so we don’t need to listen to them. That is not the problem this morning. Luke 16:1-8 is a problem parable, and our problems begin with the way our Bibles present it to us. The chapter break at 15:32 leads us to separate this parable from the one immediately before it and connect it instead with the poem that follows. We fail to see the deep connections between it and chapter 15 because, hey, it’s a different chapter! We take 16:9-13 as an interpretive key to our parable this morning—see the lectionary, which actually assigns all thirteen verses for this Sunday—when it’s actually transition and introduction to the parable of Lazarus and the rich man. As a consequence, we read verses 1-8 as a parable about money, which completely jams us up, because on that basis it seems clear Jesus is praising the crook for being a good crook. That is not what’s going on.
Tag Archives: Kingdom of God
Follow Me!
Note: I have preached on this passage four times now; some things evolve, others do not. This message is a direct reworking of the message I preached at Warsaw EPC in October 2019.
The title of this message is Follow Me!; there are two reasons for that. One, that is everything in this passage. If you wanted to sum it up in one sentence, that would be it. Two, while it might seem to you that I’ve just said something boringly obvious, it actually means a lot more than you might realize on a surface reading. Indeed, it means everything, as I hope you will see. To that end, those of you who know me well will not be surprised—indeed, I’m sure many of you are confidently expecting—to hear me draw on the work of Dr. Kenneth Bailey more than once this morning. For those of you who don’t, feel free to ask me afterward.
The first thing we need to understand here is that this is the hinge of the gospel of Luke. To this point, Jesus has had a spectacular ministry career. He’s established himself as a teacher who speaks with authority, he’s done stunning miracles—everything is rolling along beautifully. And then, instead of capitalizing on his success as any smart preacher would, Jesus tossed it all aside and—as Rich Mullins put it—“set his face like a flint toward Jerusalem.” This begins the section of Luke commonly known as the Travel Narrative, which continues into chapter 19. In these chapters, every interaction and every incident happens on the way to the cross.