The Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost
September 23, 2001

By
The Rev. Ann M. Smith

How do we live faithful Christian lives in a world in which violence, injustice, hunger, poverty and disaster are everyday occurrences? That is the theme that has emerged for me from the readings. It is an even more poignant theme in the light of the spiritual and moral dilemma posed by the response of the United States to the terrorist bombings last week. What is the Christian response to such acts? Is the threat of retaliation, justified or not the right and moral solution to terrorism? Can Scripture give us some insight into our global situation?

Jeremiah lives at a time of political instability in Judah's history. They have not lived up to their covenant with God. They question how God could let such terrible things happen to them; Jeremiah wonders how they could possibly expect otherwise. He is in mourning for their lack of trust, for their stupidity in turning their backs on God, and at their inability to see that what has happened is a consequence of their own actions. Jeremiah holds the people of Israel accountable, but at the same time he recognizes that even our worst actions are not beyond redemption and mercy. The balm in Gilead is a way of love and mercy and healing.

The writer of Timothy knows that God’s character needs to be reflected in the prayers of Christian communities. We are to pray for public figures, even those whose policies we cannot condone. God’s saving love is for all of humankind. We are called as Christians to show compassion for God’s worldwide family.

Even a dishonest steward receives his master’s amazing and generous grace. In God’s scheme of things generosity and mercy balance the books. We receive, not what we deserve – thank God for that! – but what God’s compassionate nature is willing to bestow.

"There was a rich man," Jesus tells us in a parable, "who had a manager." He denounced the manager for being wasteful.

"What is this I hear about you?" he asked him. "Give me an accounting of your management, because you cannot be my manager any longer."

A rather frightening predicament for the manager! He is suddenly confronted with how he has been doing his job. He experiences a sense of failure and shame. But his reaction is a good one. For he begins immediately to re-evaluate himself, his lifestyle, his values, his goals. What on earth is he to do? And he comes up with a very creative, though deceitful plan.

"How much do you owe my master?" he asks a number of debtors.

"One hundred jugs of oil," one says.

"Make it fifty."

"A hundred containers of wheat," says another.

"Make it eighty." He arranges his affairs so that he will get out of his difficulties. It is not the most honest method. And yet, his boss praises him for what he has done. His actions show foresight, resourcefulness and initiative. And after all, those are good management skills. He has learned to manage his affairs.

The unbelievable thing about the story is that the master accepts what has happened with a sense of grace. There is a seeming lack of consequences for the steward’s actions. He gets away with murder! Everything in us says this is not fair. This is not just. Admit it! We want to see him get what he deserves. The master’s response is incomprehensible. He takes it in his stride. He acts as no boss ever would with a dishonest employee. Instead of firing him, he commends him for his shrewdness. He treats him with compassion and mercy that he simply does not deserve.

How do we understand a God who shows mercy and justice, not because we deserve it, but simply because that is the way of God? How do we begin to forgive the perpetrators of the violent acts unleashed in our world? How do we even begin to show the kind of compassion that God calls us to demonstrate in our lives? In our anger, do we even want to? Those are some of the issues that make the story of the steward such a perplexing one for us.

It is a perplexing story, but then we have a perplexing God. God turns the tables on all the norms of society. Consider the God we worship. The son of God was sent into the world to bring salvation. Jesus was born in poverty. He chose the most unexpected followers – men and women, ordinary people, fishermen, a tax collector. He ate and drank with low lifers. He died the death of a common criminal. He died to bring life.

And we are meant to live our lives in the same radical way. We are called to overcome hatred with unconditional love, to forgive, to be peacemakers, to hope in a world that seems hopeless, to hold the faith when reason says it simply doesn't make sense.

The story of the wealthy man and the manager speaks to us on a deep level of our relationship with God. We are in God’s service. We are responsible to God for the way we treat others. We are responsible to God for every aspect of our lives. We know as Christians that our relationship with God must permeate our lives. People must smell God on us. We must stand out from the crowd by our willingness to turn the tables on society, to live radically, to deal with others as God would deal with them. The same compassion and mercy that God shows to us, we in turn owe to other people. The way that we handle ourselves in the face of crisis is a door to self-discovery about our spirituality, about our relationship with God. And that takes vision and courage.

How does God want us to turn the tables on the happenings of the past two weeks? "Is there no balm in Gilead?" Jeremiah laments. "Is there no physician there?" It is turned around beautifully in a hymn.

Can we be like that faithful physician about whom Jeremiah speaks? Our lives and the lives of our children have been changed. It is up to us to teach them the way of mercy and justice. Violence breeds violence. War breeds war. The love of our radical God breeds the love and peace that conquers fear and hate.