The puzzle in the middle. Luke 16.

If yesterday's passages are some of the most familiar in all of the New Testament, today's are some of the most tricky we face. While the parable of Lazarus and the rich man is well known, the parable of the shrewd steward is a real puzzler. Jesus even explains most of that parable in verses 8-13, and yet that commending the shrewd guy... ? In between is this curious set of teachings:

The Pharisees (who loved money) heard all this and ridiculed him. But Jesus said to them, “You are the ones who justify yourselves in men’s eyes, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly prized among men is utterly detestable in God’s sight.

“The law and the prophets were in force until John; since then, the good news of the kingdom of God has been proclaimed, and everyone is urged to enter it. But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one tiny stroke of a letter in the law to become void.

“Everyone who divorces his wife and marries someone else commits adultery, and the one who marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery.” (Luke 16:14-18 NET)

It's not so much that these are indecipherable individually (although that bit about law might cause some difficulty), as it is that collectively these seem like outliers for the rest of the context. That is, what do they have to do with each other, and what do they have to do with the teachings on money on either side of them? One of our principles in understanding Luke is to remember that he felt free to combine and recombine teachings of Jesus into an "orderly account", and that some of the time he appears to have done so to enhance the message of Jesus. A second principle is to recognize that the formation of Luke's gospel, like the rest of Scripture, is God-breathed, so that Luke is acting on God's behalf if does rearrange the material. We could add a third principle, which is, Luke may simply be recording what Jesus taught on this occasion, repeating teachings of His that we read in other contexts in the other gospels, in which case it's Jesus' decision to group these teachings together.

Practically, there is no difference in whether Jesus grouped these sayings together or Luke did. For us, the question is, 'How do they hang together? What is the full message of these teachings that we might not otherwise understand individually? How are they connected?'

Personally, I puzzled over this all day. A post that began on Wednesday morning, I'm only just now completing on Thursday morning. In the end, do I have a clue? Well, maybe just a clue. Or a way to search for clues. What I hope will be instructive is to map out the process I used to try and understand these verses in context. Typically, this process is in four stages. First, I write down what I know about the passage -- more or less a summary of what's stated. Second, I look for general ideas in what I've written down, hoping to discover some organizing principle that I can use to complete stage three. This third stage is a high-level outline of the passage. The final stage is where I develop any conclusions based on the outline. Along the way, the other clues that can be discovered are found in things like repeated words or phrases, references to other Scripture, and connecting words.

Stage 1.
Verses 1-8a, the story of the shrewd manager. For disciples. Conclusion in 8b-9, which seems to be that worldly people do better in the world, that those in the light. But we're also to be shrewd in the world -- use our resources to make friends. But since these are friends in eternal homes, this must really mean God. Understanding parable will require more work, but conclusion should be sufficient for now -- we need to be smart about the use of our assets, putting them to work for eternal purposes. This is about MONEY, etc.

Verses 10-13. More about MONEY. Continuation of the previous lesson about handling what we've been given, well? Major counterpoint -- this is about the use of money, not the gathering of money, nor about the skill in doing so -- can't serve MONEY and God. This seems in contrast to the manager's handling of the boss' money. Hmmm? Clue to parable's full meaning? Ignore the specifics or ethics of the manager's actions, but concentrate on the fact that he was commended for shrewdness.

Verses 19-31. Story of the rich man and Lazarus. Point -- choose wisely while you have time. Prophetic statement at the end seems directed back at the Pharisees. Once blinded even the most spectacular events won't help in the seeing. That's grim. That's how it came out, too. Reinforces the idea of serving God, not worldly values. That fits Luke's description of the Pharisees in v.14. Look into the possibility that Pharisees practiced prosperity thinking -- this was an OT way of viewing life -- blessed in worldly things, you're righteous; poor in worldly things, you're not. See beatitudes.

Verses 14-18. Jesus addresses Pharisees who were ridiculing Jesus' teachings about MONEY. First response is that Pharisees are seeking worldly justification and what they prize is detestable. Pursuit of MONEY and prestige? Second response is that John the Baptist is the marker when the change in God's relationship to man or to Israel takes place -- from the Law and prophets to the coming of the kingdom. Time to enter the kingdom. Weird statement at the end about the law not passing away. Why then the kingdom? Third response is about divorce. What does this have to do with MONEY? Or the law? Or the kingdom? Or the Pharisees? Oh, wait, the pharisees. This goes against their teachings, especially the "loose cause" for divorce proponents.

Stage 2.
The overall focus of this chapter is on MONEY, wealth, material versus spiritual, and how we're to live as children of the light in a decidedly dark world. The final parables tells us that we can't/shouldn't measure righteousness by position in the world, and that righteousness will count for a lot more, eternally. We don't want to trade what the Pharisees have traded -- temporal reward for eternal reward. The statements in the middle verses, then, are directed against the pharisees, as is the final parable, in response to their criticism of Jesus' teaching His disciples about this new way of living and use of money -- for kingdom purposes.

Stage 3.

1. Jesus teaches about the proper use of resources.
1. Use them well.
2. Use them for the kingdom.
3. Use of them is one way to see our value as servants.
4. Don't get caught up in the acquisition/use of the resources -- serve God.
   
2. The pharisees object - they value worldly stuff.
1. Jesus tells them what God's values are.
2. Any justification they may look for in the law and prophets is superseded by the coming of the kingdom. Enter the kingdom (with its values).
3. The kingdom is the fulfillment of the law, so it doesn't pass away.
4. Look at your views on divorce, for example. They're wrong, and incomplete. Even the men are responsible in this area, in kingdom values.
3. The rich man and Lazarus - final teaching on what' s important.
   
1. If you have any doubts about God's view, look at the swapped positions.
2. Death is the point where the consequences of one's actions are meted out.
   
3. Once sold out, and serving MONEY, even a resurrection will be insufficient evidence for those who are hardened to the reality of eternity and eternal consequences.

Stage 4.
This is good enough to go forward with. As in other circumstances, Jesus teaches according to what's taking place. The pharisees are in for it again. What about me? The reality of being a shrewd steward is a hard one. I've failed in that, countless times. How do I do better, without letting the pursuit of MONEY become an overriding value? Use it for good purposes along the way. Keep kingdom priorities as priorities. Choice between working extra hours and family time -- choose family. Choice between good paying job and great paying job with large amounts of travel -- choose good paying job. Choice between expensive car and decent car -- got it. And while we're at it, work hard to get a good deal on the decent car. Bottom line -- beware of the pharisees' values which flipped God's priorities while seeming to serve and be blessed by God.

I'm ready to leave this chapter for now, but welcome any discussion on that shrewd manager.