Being Clever

March 21 - Joshua 9-11, 1 Corinthians 6

Joshua 9
Yeah, I picked the whole chapter.  The story is that important.  It couldn't come at a better time for me because it reminds me of the preaching text I've chosen for tomorrow.  So, if you're game, you've got another passage to look at:  the parable of the dishonest manager in Luke 16:1-13.  The parable is one of Jesus' hardest teachings and I'm almost giddy to find another place in scripture that bears out God's truth.

First, Luke's telling of Jesus' parable.  A manager is rotten at his job - on top of keeping shoddy records, he's probably skimming off the top of astronomical charges to the clients/tenants renting from his boss.  When the boss gets wind, he fires the manager, but not before the manager can sit down with each client/tenant and reduce what's owed to the 'master.'  I admit that I've struggled with Jesus' commendation of the manager's dishonest behavior  especially when the layer of self-service is slathered on top at the end of the story.  Just like I remind my congregation when we're dealing with a parable ... Jesus made the story up, telling it ON purpose WITH a purpose.  In short, I would argue that the dishonest guy knew he was in trouble and, in the end, knew he had no other alternative but to bank on the boss' mercy and grace which seemed to be plentiful.

Second, the story from Joshua about the folks of Gibeon and their clever dealings with the Israelites.  When we pick up the story with chapter 9, they've heard all kinds of tales about the Israelites defeating their enemies handily and know they don't stand a chance against them.  The Gibeon-ites' only hope is to strike some sort of peace treaty with the Israelites.  They won't even get an audience with the Israelite leadership without a little cunning and deceit.  So they pretend to be strangers from far off and argue their desire for a peace agreement.  Problem for the Israelites is two-fold:  they get the spiritual imperative to offer hospitality to stranger and neighbor alike (same way God was/is hospitable to them) AND they didn't ask for any decision or discernment from God about these people!  Truth was that those Gibeon-ites were neighbors, part of the people and land God was giving over to the Israelites, but now the Israelites' word was their bond and they couldn't, wouldn't take down their Gibeon neighbors.

When Joshua asked them why they did it, their answer was basically this:  we heard that God was giving you all this land so we knew we didn't stand a chance and this is what we came up with.  "Here we are in your power (v. 25)" but we're still alive!   With a little help from Michael Frost in his book, Jesus the Fool: The Mission of the Unconventional Christ, I've come to understand that the dishonest manager in Jesus' parable came to the same conclusion - he had no hope in facing the music with his boss, so he banked on the mercy and grace of that man.

For so long this has been a stretch for me, but I'm almost giddy, as I said before!  You and I are Gibeon-ites!  We are dishonest managers.  We recognize (because we're smart like that) that on our own we are inept, powerless, and defenseless.  If we really are 'smart like that' we'll do whatever is necessary to lean into God's grace and mercy.  After all, that's Who God has shown Himself to be ... Grace and Mercy.  Trouble with me is, I keep wanting to show God how good I am on my own when both of us know differently.  Oh, to be as clever as a Gibeon-ite or that silly manager that Jesus made up.  Oh, to be clever enough to realize how desperately I NEED God!

Lord Jesus, you were the clever one telling the story of my life and lead me to the realization that I'm not all that.  How slow I am to realize that my intellect and strength and cunning are not trustworthy, but your grace and mercy always are.  You, in your fullness, are trustworthy.  Teach me, Lord, to lean first on you instead of on self.  Thank you for your patience and understanding and your limitless love.  Let it be so ...