The Prairie Home Companion radio show did a comedy bit called The World's Oldest Jokesters. They told jokes from pre-history and early history and (sounding like New England Jews) included several jokes tied to Bible stories. They claimed they'd even heard Solomon, the first comedian to write down his material. The theater audience chuckled as they quoted dire verses from Ecclesiastes and explained they were hilarious as Solomon said them. They just lose something in the translation.
Today's parable may lose something when it's stuck in print. It can be funny if we hear the punch line delivered through laughter. "The Master commended the dishonest manager... ppphaw-haw-huh... because he acted shrewdly." Ok, maybe something is still lost in translation. But how else do we explain the crazy circumstances of this story. The manager wastes the master's money. He's given a pink slip. The manager cooks the books, robbing the master of still more in order to buy his way into people's homes. The master, impressed with the dishonest manager's creativity, gives his approval. In our culture the punch line might sound more like, "DOH! Why'd I fire him? That crook knows how to take care of business!" Wait... does Jesus want us to be dishonest?
