Scripture: Luke 16:1-13
Today’s sermon is about three important things: Number One: A Merciful Master. Number Two: A Working Faith. And Number Three: A Ticking Clock…
But first, a Merciful Master…
Does anybody miss the penny? The U.S. mint officially ended production of it on November 12, 2025. Speaking only for myself, I stopped caring about pennies around 1980—when I could no longer buy a gumball from a gumball machine for only one penny. After that, they went up to a nickel! Inflation! Now they’re, what? 25 cents? So good riddance, I say.
But you know a coin that was never popular with the American public?
The dollar coin… whether the Susan B. Anthony—which came out in the ’70s and looked, confusingly, a lot like a quarter—or the Sacagawea dollar coin that came out in 2000.
They’re both long gone, of course. But it’s not because our government didn’t try to get Americans interested in these coins! In fact, the U.S. Mint introduced a program in 2008 to increase the circulation of the Sacagawea coin. They had a program in which you could purchase a nearly unlimited amount of dollar coins, and the U.S. Postal Service would ship them for free to your house… That’s quite a deal when you consider how heavy a box of coins might be!
Except… guess what some clever consumers started doing? People who had frequent flier-branded credit cards—like a SkyMiles American Express—which awarded frequent flier miles proportional to the money you spent on your card… These people would purchase large quantities of these dollar coins on their credit cards—much more than they could otherwise afford. But it didn’t matter because—with free shipping—the coins would arrive at their house, and they would turn around and drive them to their bank, deposit them, and immediately pay off the large debt on their credit card balance. And then… “rinse and repeat”… Until they had racked up an incredibly large number of frequent flier miles!
Very clever!
I read that at least one person purchased, like, a million dollars worth of dollar coins over time—and racked up however many SkyMiles a million dollars would buy!
We can’t help but admire this kind of cleverness, can we?
And in today’s scripture, the same can be said for this shrewd steward… or is it dishonest manager or unjust steward!
What do we even call the guy?
The fact that no one can agree goes to show how difficult the parable is!
So, to say the least, we need to figure out, as best we can, what’s going on in this parable…
First, we have a wealthy landowner who hires a business manager to oversee his properties. Think of him as a modern-day CFO. He handles the money, keeps the books, manages investments, and collects rent from farmers who lease his boss’s land. And we’re talking about enormous farms.
This manager is literally a steward: He manages property, assets, and money that belong to someone else. None of this wealth belongs to him.
Anyway, word gets back to the landowner that his steward has squandered his property. Maybe he was lazy, incompetent, or corrupt. We’re not told.
So the boss calls him in and fires him. Except there’s one problem: This manager still has the books. Remember, there are no online spreadsheets. These are physical ledgers that he has to turn in. So perhaps he tells his boss, “My ledgers are at home. Let me put them in order, and I’ll be back in a jiff.”
And here’s where things get interesting…
See, this guy’s clever. He hatches a plan, but he has to act fast—before he has to turn in his books.
He goes to his boss’s tenants, who owe enormous debts, and offers them a deal: He’ll significantly reduce what they owe. And he has them write the new amounts in the ledger.
Of course, he probably has no authority to do this! He’s likely cheating his boss—cooking the books… Jesus calls the man “dishonest” for a reason!
And his boss finds out… And the great “twist” ending of this most twisted of Jesus’ parables happens in verse 8: “The master commended the dishonest manager for his shrewdness.”
His boss commends the man—not for the fact that he cheated and stole and cooked the books, but because the steward’s plan was just so darn clever.
And what has the steward done that’s so clever? He’s counting on these tenants being so grateful for all the money he’s saved them that of course they’ll welcome him into their homes when he’s unemployed. He figures he can spend the rest of his life calling in favors, mooching off these new friends. He may never have to work again!
That’s clever! And don’t we grudgingly admire people like him?
Some of y’all remember the prime-time soap Dallas from the ’70s and ’80s. And you loved J.R. Ewing—even though he was a terrible human being! You couldn’t help admiring him. He was your favorite character—not that goody-goody Bobby Ewing!
Perhaps the shrewd steward is the J.R. Ewing of Jesus’ parables!
But as clever as he is, the steward is taking an enormous risk. He’s cheated his boss out of a fortune, and he knows his boss will find out when he hands in his books. The steward might lose not only his job… but his freedom—if his master presses charges and he goes to prison.
But he does it anyway.
Why? Because he is acting on faith—a kind of faith… Faith that his master will show him mercy rather than punish him. It’s a tremendous risk, but he thinks it’s a risk worth taking.
So here’s a connection, by the way, to last week’s Parable of the Prodigal Son: Both the younger son and the shrewd steward took a big risk; they were both counting on mercy.[1]
But here’s one important difference between the steward’s human master and our Master, Jesus Christ: When we turn to Jesus in repentance and faith, we’re not taking a risk. We’re not gambling on his mercy. Not even close!
About ten years ago, an internet atheist tried to troll Christians with a meme featuring David Berkowitz, the infamous “Son of Sam” serial killer who murdered six people in the 1970s. The meme showed Berkowitz in prison, smiling and holding a Bible, with a caption explaining that he’d found Jesus.
Then, in large letters, dripping with sarcasm: “Guess Who’s Getting Into Heaven?”
As if it were a defect of the gospel rather than a feature that Christ’s mercy and grace are available to even the vilestoffender!
This atheist was offended that Christianity teaches that even a serial killer like Berkowitz could have all his evil, awful, ugly sins forgiven and receive eternal life—simply by sincerely repenting and believing the gospel!
“You mean to tell me that even David Berkowitz can go to heaven?”
And all I want to say is, “Provided that he has truly repented and believed… Yes! Praise God, he can!”
Because that means that if Jesus can save even David Berkowitz, there’s hope for me! And there’s hope for you!
If even his sins don’t put him beyond the reach of God’s grace, then neither do mine. And neither do yours!
Why? Because the Bible says that the “record of debt” we owe God because of our sins—a debt we could never repay—has been canceled; “nailed to the cross.”[2] Scripture also says, “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us.”[3]
This means that on the cross, Christ took our sins—past, present, and future—and suffered the punishment we deserved, in our place. And in return, he clothed us in his perfect righteousness.
So here’s my point: It’s never a risk or a gamble to turn to our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ, in repentance and faith, and count on his mercy, grace, and forgiveness.
It’s a sure thing! We’ll receive mercy every time… so long as the Lord gives us time!
And that’s Point Number One… we can count on A Merciful Master…
Point Number Two… A Working Faith… By which I mean a faith that lives itself out in concrete actions…
Like the shrewd steward’s faith…
As I said, he did all of this… banking on a risky faith. His faith may cost him everything, but he does it anyway.
There was a time in my life—in seminary twenty years ago—when I was filled with doubt. It didn’t help, perhaps, that that time period corresponded with something called the “New Atheist” movement—in which people with smart-sounding British accents wrote best-selling books and showed up on TV lecturing us about how wrong we all were to believe in the God of the Bible and to be Christians.
But it was for me a season of doubt: I doubted the truthfulness of God’s Word—and along with it some core doctrines of our faith… I was kind of a mess, spiritually speaking. But God was so faithful and patient with me during that time. And he used several different people and circumstances to rescue me—including having me read a very thick book by a New Testament scholar and bishop in the Church of England named N.T. Wright. The book, The Resurrection of the Son of God, was 900 pages long—and it was a defense of the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ.
My Christian faith had burned down to a smoldering wick at that point… and the Lord used this book by Tom Wright to reignite my faith… to restore my confidence in the truthfulness of God’s Word… to change my life—not to mention the trajectory of my career as a United Methodist pastor! Which is why I’m now Global Methodist…
My point is, I simply don’t struggle with those kinds of intellectual doubts anymore—but if you do, please talk to me. I can help.
It is now easy for me to believe, for instance, that “in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth”… that “God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son…” that “while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us”[4]… that “in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who believe.”[5]
Those things are not hard for me to believe anymore.
You know what is often hard for me to believe?
When Jesus says stuff like this: “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.” Matthew 10:29-31.
That’s hard for me to believe!
I mean, it must be! Otherwise, why am I so often afraid? Why do I worry so much? Why do I so easily get angry the moment I perceive that things aren’t going my way?
It doesn’t take great faith to be justified—that is, to be brought into a right relationship with God. Even the smallest faith in a great Savior is enough! But living out that faith—putting our faith in Christ into practice, day after day, through concrete actions—that’s hard!
I apologize if I or some other preachers you’ve heard have given you the impression Christian faith is easy… I know of way too many professing Christians who think of faith as something that’s happened in their past. Like, “I made the decision to be a Christian when I was twelve years old… I got baptized… I got confirmed… And yeah, my life may be indistinguishable from any average heathen, but I’m okay!”
No… Authentic Christian faith is never something that has happened in your past… after which you don’t need to worry about it… Authentic Christian faith is a living faith that ought to make a profound difference in our lives. If your faith isn’t making that kind of difference, please repent while the Lord is still giving you time! After all, as scripture says, “Faith without works is dead.”
And that’s what I’m talking about when I’m talking about a working faith!
And I’m preaching to myself, too!
It was around New Year’s Day in 2025. I read Matthew chapter 8 as part of my quiet time that day. Which includes Jesus and his disciples in a terrible storm on the Sea of Galilee. You know the story: Jesus is asleep; the twelve disciples are battling wind and wave, bailing water, afraid for their lives. Until finally they wake Jesus up—because Jesus apparently isn’t afraid at all, which is why he’s able to sleep through the storm…
But they wake him up. “Don’t you care that we’re going to die?”
Does Jesus pat them on the head and say, “There, there… It’s okay. Y’all are doing just fine. I mean, of course you’re afraid. How could you not be, given this terrible storm?”
Is that what he does? Nope!
Instead, he scolds them. He says, in Matthew 8:26, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?”
So last year, for the first time, having been a Christian at that point for forty-one years of my life, having read that scripture and preached that scripture many times… I realized something about it that I took to heart, and I’ve never been the same… I realized that Jesus is disappointed in and unhappy with these disciples… disappointed that they have sat as his feet, and have heard him preach and teach, and have watched him perform one miracle after another… yet they still are unable to face this storm without fear.
Yes, they have “little faith,” but Jesus implies that they are no longer supposed to have little faith anymore. Their faith should be bigger by now. Their faith should have grown!
Jesus was not okay with their faith remaining “little”! Why are we so often “okay” with having “little faith”?
And, I promise you, on that particular morning, around New Year’s Day, Jesus was saying the same thing to me: “Brent, you’ve got to get over this nonsense of worry and fear and anger. Because that, dear Brent, demonstrates little faith. And I believe I’ve done enough in your life for decades now to prove that you can trust me! Haven’t I?”
“After all, Brent, are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value to me—and to your heavenly Father—than many sparrows.”
Well… I felt so convicted when I finished my quiet time that I shared this experience with my entire family—who were all at our house for the Christmas holidays. “Guys, the Lord is telling me that I don’t have to be afraid anymore!”
I mean, I’m sure there are many interesting reasons—mostly related to my family of origin—that I have been a fearful, anxious person most of my life… But it was as if the Lord were giving me permission to just let it all go! I don’t need to be like that anymore!
Anyway, when I told my daughter Elisa this, she said, “Look out, Satan!”
And maybe is saying something similar to all of us members of Five Forks this morning!
We need a faith that works. A faith that’s been plugged in… that’s fully charged… And when we turn it on, it’s ready to meet whatever challenge that the world, the flesh, and the devil can throw our way.
That’s a working faith. And that’s Point Number Two…
Point Number Three… A Ticking Clock…
As I’ve said, this steward had a kind of faith… Not Christian faith, of course… But the faith he had he put to work, and he acted with boldness.
And he had another important quality that we Christians desperately need: he had a sense of urgency.
Notice verses 5 and 6: “So, summoning his master’s debtors one by one, he said to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ He said, ‘A hundred measures of oil.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.’”
Notice that word “quickly.”
This steward is in a hurry! He knows his time is running out. He knows his mission is urgent.
And what is his mission? To cancel at least some portion of the large debts these people owed his master.
And here’s the thing: He’s canceling their debt and fulfilling this mission—even though he doesn’t care a thing about these people! They’re just a means to an end for him! Yet look at how urgently he acts to do this thing that—whether he cares or not—ends up helping them a great deal!
To say the least, we are not like this man in a lot of ways… even though, when you think about, our mission is not entirelydifferent: We ourselves share a ministry of canceling people’s debts—the debts they owe to God because of sin… We can’t do it ourselves, but Jesus can… And we are responsible for introducing people to Christ—using all the resources at our disposal to proclaim the gospel, to bear witness to Christ, and to love one another—by which, Jesus says, “all people will know that you are my disciples.”[6]
So one critical difference between us and the steward is that we actually love the people who owe a debt of sin to God! We love our neighbors. We love the people in our community. We care about their welfare—and especially their eternalwelfare.
With that in mind, brothers and sisters, should we not also share with this shrewd steward the same sense of urgency?Even more so!
Because the clock is ticking! We only have a very limited amount of time to make an eternal difference in people’s lives! Time in this world, at least, is always running out for any one of us!
I mean, it’s not hard to think about many of the petty, inconsequential, distracting, trivial issues that so often preoccupy Methodist churches… and cause us to fight with one another… Meanwhile, people are living and dying without knowing Jesus! Let’s fight for them instead. Let’s fight on their behalf to win them back from the devil!
I’m telling you, I’m over fighting about petty, inconsequential, distracting, trivial things… And I confess the only reason I often get caught up in these things is because of fear… “What if you don’t like me?”
Well, I’m not afraid anymore… But I am newly afraid of standing before God in Final Judgment and having him show me the many ways I’ve prioritized our small human agendas instead of prioritizing his Great Commission!
God help me, I repent!
Remember the movie Schindler’s List? Near the end of the movie, after Oskar Schindler has saved more than a thousand Jewish lives from the Nazis, he breaks down in tears.
Why? Because he realizes he could have saved more.
He looks at his possessions—his car, even a small gold pin on his lapel—and thinks of how many more lives he might have saved if he’d been willing to give up just a little more.
And he weeps!
Brothers and sisters, I wonder if we’ll ever look back on our lives and wish we’d done more with the resources God entrusted to us.
That’s ultimately what’s at stake when it comes to stewardship.
And that’s why Jesus says in verse 9 of today’s scripture, “Make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth, so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal dwellings.”
In other words, use the temporary wealth of this world—which comes from God and belongs to God—to make an eternal difference in the lives of people… to use what God has entrusted to you to help other people come to know Jesus Christ!
That’s what faithful stewardship is all about.
And by God’s grace and power, that’s what we’re going to do at Five Forks Methodist. We’re going to focus like a laser beam on our mission: Nurturing disciples to share Christ’s light.
And we’re going to do it with faith, with generosity, and with urgency—because the clock is ticking!
So if you’re prepared to join me in that mission—or to continue in that mission—turn in your stewardship commitment card today.
And let that card be your way of saying,“Lord, I’m still in. I’m all in. And I’m willing to give!”
Amen.
[1] Chad Bird, among others, shares this interpretation in “The Parable of the Unjust Steward and the Merciful Master,” youtube.com. Accessed 8 October 2026.
[2] Colossians 2:13-15
[3] Galatians 3:13 ESV
[4] Romans 5:8 ESV
[5] 1 Corinthians 15:20 ESV
[6] John 13:35 ESV