{"id":3795,"date":"2021-06-26T17:38:06","date_gmt":"2021-06-26T17:38:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/christforus.org\/NewSite\/?p=3795"},"modified":"2025-08-12T17:16:54","modified_gmt":"2025-08-12T17:16:54","slug":"bad-money-doing-good","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/christforus.org\/NewSite\/index.php\/2021\/06\/26\/bad-money-doing-good\/","title":{"rendered":"Bad Money Doing Good"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>The Ninth Sunday after Trinity| Rev. Rolf Preus| July 20, 2008| St. Luke 16:1-9<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-spotify wp-block-embed-spotify wp-embed-aspect-21-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"Spotify Embed: Bad Money Doing Good: Trinity 9 Sermon by Rolf Preus 2008\" style=\"border-radius: 12px\" width=\"100%\" height=\"152\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/embed\/episode\/3ZjC3qewNvPYO7ZTneArTi?si=293b74bdd78b4559&#038;utm_source=oembed\"><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;There was a certain rich man who had a steward, and an accusation was brought to him that this man was wasting his goods. So he called him and said to him, &#8216;What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your stewardship, for you can no longer be steward.&#8217; Then the steward said within himself, &#8216;What shall I do? For my master is taking the stewardship away from me. I cannot dig; I am ashamed to beg.&nbsp; I have resolved what to do, that when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses.&#8217;&nbsp; So he called every one of his master&#8217;s debtors to him, and said to the first, &#8216;How much do you owe my master?&#8217;&nbsp; And he said, &#8216;A hundred measures of oil.&#8217; So he said to him, &#8216;Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.&#8217; Then he said to another, &#8216;And how much do you owe?&#8217; So he said, &#8216;A hundred measures of wheat.&#8217; And he said to him, &#8216;Take your bill, and write eighty.&#8217;&nbsp; So the master commended the unjust steward because he had dealt shrewdly. For the sons of this world are more shrewd in their generation than the sons of light. And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by unrighteous mammon, that when you fail, they may receive you into an everlasting home.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the Large Catechism, Martin Luther asks and answers this question, in his comments on the First Commandment:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What does it mean to have a god? or, what is God?&nbsp; Answer: A god means that from which we are to expect all good and to which we are to take refuge in all distress, so that to have a God is nothing else than to trust and believe Him from the whole heart; as I have often said that the confidence and faith of the heart alone make both God and an idol.&nbsp; If your faith and trust are right, then is your god also true; and, on the other hand, if your trust is false and wrong, then you have not the true God; for these two belong together, faith and God. That now, I say, upon which you set your heart and put your trust is properly your god.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What do you think is the most popular god around?&nbsp; What do people trust?&nbsp; In what do they take refuge?&nbsp; What do they treasure in their hearts?&nbsp; What do they desire above all other things?&nbsp; Of the innumerable idols in which people put their confidence, which one is number one?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Money!&nbsp; Money is a powerful god.&nbsp; And he\u2019s cruel.&nbsp; He never provides the satisfaction he promises.&nbsp; St. Paul writes to Timothy:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content.&nbsp; But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition.&nbsp; For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. (1 Timothy 6:8-10)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Nevertheless, this cruel and implacable god has the most devoted followers!&nbsp; He promises everything but nothing he gives will last.&nbsp; Jesus gives this god the name: \u201cMammon.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Mammon is an Aramaic word.&nbsp; Aramaic was Jesus\u2019 native language.&nbsp; Mammon is usually translated money, but when Jesus uses this word it means more than just money as a medium of exchange.&nbsp; It refers to money as something that is cherished and loved.&nbsp; The unfaithful steward in Jesus\u2019 parable worshipped Mammon.&nbsp; It was his god.&nbsp; And he was quite devoted to his god.&nbsp; He feared losing Mammon.&nbsp; He loved Mammon.&nbsp; He trusted in Mammon above all things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Mammon doesn\u2019t care how you treat your neighbor.&nbsp; While the unjust steward loved money for himself he showed little concern for his boss\u2019s money.&nbsp; What did he care about his boss?&nbsp; So he was about to be fired for wasting his boss\u2019s money.&nbsp; What to do?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>His boss was a merciful man and didn\u2019t simply fire him outright.&nbsp; He gave him time to get his things in order.&nbsp; Well, he sure did that!&nbsp; Since he had a short time in which he still represented his boss he quickly went to his boss\u2019s debtors and significantly reduced their debt.&nbsp; He took advantage of the boss\u2019s good nature.&nbsp; He knew the boss wouldn\u2019t want to renege on deals his own steward had made.&nbsp; After all, a steward represents the boss and acts on his authority.&nbsp; So this man, after wasting his boss\u2019s goods, further cheats his boss by using his money to bribe his way into the homes of valuable clients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He looks out for himself.&nbsp; He uses people.&nbsp; He uses people in service to his god.&nbsp; Mammon demands this.&nbsp; He demands that you look to others for what you can gain from them.&nbsp; You first determine what your own self-interest is.&nbsp; Then you figure out how others can promote it.&nbsp; All personal relationships are valued in proportion to how they advance your own financial wellbeing.&nbsp; As you look out for number one, Mammon approves.&nbsp; But he is never satisfied and neither are those who serve him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One thing needful! This one treasure, teach me Savior, to esteem;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Other things may promise pleasure, but are never what they seem;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They prove to be burdens that vex us and chafe us,&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And true lasting happiness never vouchsafe us;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This one precious treasure, that all else exceeds,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Gives joy above measure and fills all our needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Mammon is a liar.&nbsp; But his followers refuse to reckon with that fact.&nbsp; They can see it clearly enough but they choose to deny what they see because they love Mammon too much to stop serving him.&nbsp; They see what Mammon does.&nbsp; They see how he steals affections and promises a joy that inflicts emptiness and pain.&nbsp; They see, but they refuse to see.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And in the end, Mammon leaves you dead in the grave: utterly poor, with no possessions, no honor, no home, and no hope.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And how many people worship this false god!&nbsp; The steward who wasted and cheated and manipulated his way to financial security was a very clever fellow in his own way.&nbsp; The boss commended him on his shrewdness, if not his honesty.&nbsp; While his religion gave him nothing to hope for beyond the grave, he was certainly devoted to it while he was alive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Our Lord Jesus encourages us to follow the example of those who worship Mammon.&nbsp; No, he\u2019s not telling us to worship Mammon.&nbsp; Mammon is a false god whose wealth passes away into nothingness.&nbsp; Jesus is telling us to use our money in service to the true God, not in service to itself.&nbsp; But notice how Jesus says it.&nbsp; He says: \u201cMake friends for yourselves by unrighteous mammon, that when you fail, they may receive you into an everlasting home.\u201d&nbsp; The friends of the unfaithful steward in our Lord\u2019s parable were not true friends.&nbsp; He used them for his own benefit.&nbsp; Jesus is not talking about giving to those who can give back.&nbsp; He\u2019s talking about giving to those who can do nothing in return.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Some have falsely concluded that Jesus is saying here that we can purchase heaven by giving to the poor here on earth.&nbsp; Nothing could be further from his meaning.&nbsp; Those who worship money use people to gain more money.&nbsp; Those who worship the true God use money to help people.&nbsp; They give as they have received.&nbsp; They don\u2019t give to others to gain for themselves.&nbsp; They give to others because God has given to them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Jesus says, \u201cGive, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom.\u201d (Luke 6:38)&nbsp; The god of Mammon tells you to take for yourself and he leaves you broke.&nbsp; The God who sent us his Son tells you to give to others and he makes you rich.&nbsp; You don\u2019t lose what you have by giving it away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We have nothing to earn by doing good.&nbsp; That\u2019s what makes us free to do good.&nbsp; Jesus talks about making friends for ourselves by unrighteous mammon.&nbsp; What is used in service to a false god in fact belongs to God the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth.&nbsp; He is our Father.&nbsp; For the sake of his dear Son he has made us his own children.&nbsp; The eternal Son of the Father, by whom all things were made, joined his own creation.&nbsp; He was born of the Virgin Mary.&nbsp; He became our brother.&nbsp; He gave of himself throughout his holy life.&nbsp; He gave without expecting anything in return.&nbsp; And he never stopped giving.&nbsp; He gave himself up for all sinners on the cross.&nbsp; There was a gift given unparalleled in the history of world.&nbsp; He gave his own innocence as the offering to God of all humanity.&nbsp; In his innocence he bore the sin of the world.&nbsp; He suffered for every single greedy, self-centered, idolatrous, money loving narcissist in the whole world.&nbsp; He suffered for everyone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He is the world\u2019s Redeemer.&nbsp; He is your Redeemer.&nbsp; A redeemer not only pays what you owe.&nbsp; He sets you free.&nbsp; You don\u2019t need to use others to get what you need.&nbsp; Christ gives us all we need.&nbsp; He gives us present peace with God.&nbsp; He gives us freedom from judgment.&nbsp; He gives us the forgiveness of all our sins.&nbsp; He gives us deliverance from every kind of evil.&nbsp; He gives us eternal life.&nbsp; The world values money and the things that money will buy.&nbsp; But this world and everything in it belongs to our Father in heaven.&nbsp; When he gave us his own Son he gave us the world as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So we use material things for eternal purposes.&nbsp; When we show generosity to our brothers and sisters in need we show it to God.&nbsp; He is the one who looks after our interest.&nbsp; Christians will welcome Christians into heaven.&nbsp; The mercy God shows us here on earth shines brighter than the mercy we show.&nbsp; But in his great condescension, our Father in heaven accepts our merciful deeds.&nbsp; He cherishes them just as he cherishes us.&nbsp; Every gift we give in Jesus\u2019 name is more valuable than any amount of money can measure.&nbsp; God treasures our gifts for the sake of his gift of his dear Son.&nbsp; His holy, precious blood has purchased us.&nbsp; The mercy we show as Christians testifies to Christ.&nbsp; This is why God loves what we Christians do to help one another in need.&nbsp; He loves his only begotten Son.&nbsp; Amen&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-audio\"><audio controls src=\"https:\/\/christforus.org\/NewSite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/TrinityNine2008.mp3\"><\/audio><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Ninth Sunday after Trinity| Rev. Rolf Preus| July 20, 2008| St. Luke 16:1-9 &#8220;There was a certain rich man who had a steward, and an accusation was brought to him that this man was wasting his goods. So he called him and said to him, &#8216;What is this I hear about you? Give&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/christforus.org\/NewSite\/index.php\/2021\/06\/26\/bad-money-doing-good\/\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,17,4,69],"tags":[516,238,212],"class_list":["post-3795","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-latest-sermons","category-sermons-by-historical-lectionary","category-sermons-by-rolf-preus","category-trinity-9","tag-luke-16","tag-rolf-preus","tag-trinity-9"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/christforus.org\/NewSite\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3795","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/christforus.org\/NewSite\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/christforus.org\/NewSite\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christforus.org\/NewSite\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christforus.org\/NewSite\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3795"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/christforus.org\/NewSite\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3795\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6609,"href":"https:\/\/christforus.org\/NewSite\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3795\/revisions\/6609"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/christforus.org\/NewSite\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3795"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christforus.org\/NewSite\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3795"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christforus.org\/NewSite\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3795"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}