Clean Hearts, Faithful Stewards

Clean Hearts, Faithful Stewards

The Ninth Sunday after Trinity – 8/2/2026

Luke 16:1-13

Rev. Dr. Christopher W. Brademeyer

That portion from God’s holy Word for consideration this morning is our reading from the Holy Gospel according to St. Luke in the sixteenth chapter with special emphasis on verse nine which reads as follows:

                [Jesus said,]  ^“And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth, so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal dwellings.”[1]

Thus far the Scriptures.

In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The parable before us this morning is one of the more difficult parables of our Lord. At first glance, it seems almost as though Jesus is holding up a dishonest man as an example for us to follow. The steward in the parable has wasted his master’s possessions. He has been unfaithful with what has been entrusted to him. When he learns that he is about to be removed from his position, he quickly acts to secure his future by reducing the debts of his master’s debtors. And then Jesus says something surprising: “The master commended the dishonest manager for his shrewdness.” What are we to make of this?

Is Jesus teaching us to be dishonest? Is He telling us that the end justifies the means? Certainly not. Jesus does not praise the steward’s dishonesty. The steward is still called “unjust.” His actions up to this moment have been sinful. Rather, Jesus points to something else: the steward recognized the seriousness of his situation and acted with urgency in view of what was coming. That is to say, the steward knew that an accounting would be demanded of him. So, this unjust steward prepared in the way he knew best: cheating, defrauding, and ingratiating others by means of unrighteous mammon.

Our Lord makes the point here that an accounting, a reckoning of accounts is at hand. This is not true for this steward, but also for each and every one of us. That is to say, God has entrusted gifts and possessions to His people and He does have expectations for their use. One day we will answer for our use of these things before God. The question before us is whether such an examination will find us faithful or unfaithful in our use of them. Good stewardship, good use and care of what God blesses us with is not optional in the Christian life. We are not devoted to God on Sunday in order to be devoted to ourselves the rest of the week. Every part of our lives is under the rule and command of God. So, then, how can we be faithful with what God grants us? The answer is simple: faithful stewardship begins with a clean heart.

Stewardship is Corrupted by Sin

The problem with stewardship is not primarily our possessions. The problem is us. More specifically, it is our sin. Everything that we have comes from God. Our time, our abilities, our families, our possessions, our bodies, and even our lives themselves are gifts that God has placed into our hands. But sinners are not inclined to see themselves as stewards. We tend to see ourselves as owners. We do not talk about God’s things, we talk of ours. My money. My possessions. My life. My plans. Mine, mine, mine. But the truth is rather different. You came into this world possessing nothing. You will take nothing with you when you die. Everything that you have acquired in the meantime is lent to us by Almighty God.

This problem shows up throughout Scripture. Consider David. Psalm 51 is David’s prayer of repentance after his sin with Bathsheba. David had been entrusted with great things. He was king of Israel. God had protected him from his enemies and had blessed him abundantly. But David took what God had given him and used it according to his own desires, indeed, his greed led to adultery and murder. His problem was not merely that he broke a commandment as if transgressing the command of God were simply like violating the speed limit. His problem was that he had turned away from the Giver of every good gift.

The same thing happened with Israel. St. Paul writes: “These things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did.” Israel received God’s blessings and word of promise through the prophets. They had been delivered from slavery in Egypt. However, they continually turned those gifts into opportunities for sin. They worshiped idols. They grumbled against God. They desired what God had forbidden. They received gifts from God but ignored the Giver.

That same sinful heart lives in us. God gives us wealth, and we are tempted to trust in it instead of God.  God gives us families, and we are tempted to make them more important than Him.

God gives us time, and we are tempted to spend it only on ourselves. God gives us abilities, and we are tempted to seek our own glory rather than serve our neighbor or give praise to God. God’s gifts are not bad. The problem is that sinful hearts corrupt even good gifts

God Creates What He Commands

The remarkable thing about Psalm 51 is that David does not ask God merely for better behavior. David does not ask God for help towards greater personal discipline. Rather, David prays, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.” David understands something important. His inner self, his heart, needs to be made new before his outer behavior can be addressed. Only God can create a clean heart.

The Hebrew word David uses is the same word used in Genesis when God created the heavens and the earth. David is not asking God to polish up what is already there. He is asking God to do a creative work, that is, to make something new. This may not be immediately obvious, but this is Gospel language. God does not wait for sinners to become worthy before He loves them. God does not wait for us to become faithful stewards before He gives us His gifts. Instead, God gives His Son for sinners who have wasted His gifts. Jesus Christ is the faithful steward that we have failed to be. Where Adam was unfaithful, Christ was faithful. Where Israel grumbled, Christ trusted His Father. Where David sinned, Christ obeyed. Where we have squandered God’s gifts, Christ offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice for our sins. Our greatest debt before God was not money. It was our sin. Our Lord paid that debt completely. He took our guilt upon Himself and gave us His righteousness. Through His Word and Sacraments, He creates clean hearts within us. He forgives our sins. He renews our spirits. He makes us new creations in faith. The Christian life does not begin with our work for God. It begins with God’s work for us and our salvation.

Forgiven Sinners, Faithful Stewards

Once God has created a clean heart, then faithful stewardship follows. The order here is very important. We do not become faithful stewards so that God will love us. God loves and forgives us in Christ, and therefore we become faithful stewards. The Christian does not give because he is trying to buy God’s favor. The Christian gives because God has already given everything in Christ. This basic reality is how we Christians see every part of our lives. In matters of stewardship, we no longer see our money as something to accumulate. Rather we confess that our money and possessions are something that God has placed in our hands to serve our neighbors and provide for the preaching of the Gospel here in this place. Our time is no longer merely ours. It becomes an opportunity to serve our family, our congregation, and those around us. Our abilities are no longer merely tools for our own advancement or amusement. They become ways that God works through us to bless others.

This is why Jesus says: “One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much.” God cares about faithfulness in ordinary, everyday things. Faithfulness is shown in the daily vocations God gives us. A husband loving his wife, a wife serving her family, parents bringing their children to hear God’s Word, and helping neighbors in need are acts of Christian love and charity, yes, but also faithful thanksgivings to God for His gifts to us.

These may seem like small things in the eyes of the world, but they are precious in the eyes of God. The world asks us “How much did you gain?” “How successful are you?” “How impressive is your life?” But God asks, “Were you faithful with what I entrusted to you?” The Christian knows that everything belongs to God already. We are simply managers of His gifts. And unlike the steward in the parable, we do not have to scramble at the end trying to secure our future. Our future is secure because Christ has secured it. The eternal dwelling place has already been prepared for us, not because we managed our lives well enough, but because Jesus has gone to prepare a place for us.

Conclusion

The dishonest manager understood something that many people forget: an accounting is coming. One day we will stand before God. For us Christians, that day is not a day of terror. It is a day of hope. Jesus Christ has already been judged in your place. Your debt has already been paid; your sins have already been forgiven. And because Christ has created clean hearts within us, we are freed to live as faithful stewards of His gifts. And having received that clean heart, we live as those who belong to Christ. Christians are faithful, whether with little or much, until the day when our Lord welcomes us into the eternal dwellings He has prepared.

In the holy Name of + Jesus. Amen.

The peace of God that passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

[1] Luke 16:9 English Standard Version. All further quotations from the Holy Scriptures are from the ESV.