This weekend we observe the 20th anniversary of 9/11. We see again, planes taking down the twin towers; a plane setting ablaze the Pentagon, and a plane plowing up a Shanksville, Pennsylvania field in a cloud of terrorism. That day 2,977 lives were taken but not loss.
We see men like Atta and Abdulaziz al-Omar take stewardship of planes and chose to use them for horrific ends. But on that dreadful day, other men like passenger Todd Beamer and others took stewardship of their lives and made a choice to take back Flight 93 from the terrorists. They made the ultimate sacrifice. Other men and women in New York and Washington, D.C. ran toward the raining flames. These first-responders choose the lives of others over themselves.
As I reflect on men, and planes, and choices on the commemoration of 9/11, one word comes to mind—stewardship. Simply put, stewardship is what we do with what is on loan to us.
Jim Elliot wrote these words of the choice he would make for his life and plane on loan to him:
“A man is no fool to give what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”
Elliott (r) and four other missionaries—Pete Fleming, Ed McCully, Nate Saint, and Roger Youderian, commandeered a plane and flew it into certain death in the jungles of in Ecuador, South America. They fell, but they did not lose. Hope rose.
Here is their story: These seminarians could not rest knowing that a group of Auca Indians known as blood-thirsty killers, had not heard the gospel, that God was their hope and friend. So, they uprooted their families, moved to South America, and learned the Auca language. Some called them fools. One of them, Nick Saint, a trained pilot, cleverly rigged up an intricate rope and bucket system to lower food and farm tools like machetes to the Aucas. Each day, they flew their little yellow prop plane over the Auca village, dropping blessings from the sky. At every pass over the village, they broadcasted over a loud speaker in the Auca language this simple message: “I want to be your friend.” Every day, the Indians heard about a friend in the sky and they received the material blessing that fell from on high. But the time would come that these stewards of God in the sky would have to come down to meet these hopeless men face to face. They had to dwell among them.
So, these five men set up a camp down the river from the Indians. They first made contact with two women of the village. On the following day, the air was thick with anticipation that this would be the day they would make contact with the men of the village and do what they have prepared their entire lives for—to share the gospel. They radioed back to their base camp where their wives were stationed, that they had spotted a group of the men approaching them from downstream. As was their custom, they would radio back to their wives at 2 p.m.
But 2 p.m. came and went—no word; 3 p.m., no word; 4 p.m., silence. Finally, a search party by plane spotted Nate Saint’s yellow plane torn into pieces along the river. And one by one, the bodies of 4 of the five were spotted nearby, face down in the muddy water, spears protruding out of their backs, hacked to death with the same machetes they gave as tokens of friendship. They were all dead, but not fools. Hope would rise.
Their story stands in stark contrast to the 9/11 men and their planes—two groups of men, the Atta’s and Elliot's, if you will, two kinds of stewards. God gave them life. They made a choice how to use it. We have that same choice as stewards. Our life is a loan from God. What are we going to do with it? Will we be good stewards in the eyes of God—the maker and provider of every gift?
The answer to that question can be found in a little parable about two stewards found in Luke 16:1-9. This parable is far removed from men in modern flying machines, and towering skyscrapers and the steaming jungles. But this story speaks across the ages about Godly stewardship; and which of the two groups of modern-day stewards and their planes you fly. In Luke, chapter 16, 1-9, we will see two stewards: the worldly takers and the faithful givers. They each took Stewardship-Flight 16. Each ended up in the destination of their own making—one of hopelessness, and the other hope. Where you land is up to you?
The parable showcases a clever steward who was wise. He made friends with what he was entrusted with. To paraphrase it in today’s imagery:
There once was a multi-billionaire CEO whose manager was costing him millions with bad decisions. So, the CEO fired him. But the manager was wise in one thing. He went and made friends with the CEO’s clients that owed him big time money. He cut deals, in some cases cutting what was owed in half, hoping to win favor to arrange a possible job for himself in the future. He would have a home. When the CEO heard about it, he complimented him for his wisdom to make friends to secure a future.
In verses 8 and 9, Jesus explains the moral lesson of the story.
8 "And his master praised the unrighteous steward because he had acted shrewdly; for the sons of this age are more shrewd in relation to their own kind than the sons of light. 9 "And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by means of the mammon of unrighteousness; that when it fails, they may receive you into the eternal dwellings. Luke 16:8-9
Jesus’ steward lesson is this: Be wise in your stewardship. Build spiritual relationships. Use what God has given you to make friends so that they may listen to the Gospel. So when their pursuit of the world fails, they will seek a better place, and an eternal life in Christ. In contrast, do not be a steward like the so called “sons of light” priests who loved money over God, who took advantage of people. Instead of using their light to show people the coming Christ. These priests took advantage of people for their own gain. They were takers. On the other hand, the wise steward is an example of a better “light” of good stewardship. In other words, be spiritual in your use of what God has entrusted you with to show people the way to Him. Your stewardship should be heavenly, not worldly. Be a friend maker, a giver, not a taker.
Someday, all that God has called you to manage will all end. The money will end. Your talents will fade. God will ask an accounting of what he had given you on loan. You don’t want Him to say to you what Jesus asked of the man with many warehouses in another parabpe in Luke 12:21: “Why did you store up your treasure in barns for yourself." Big Brown does not make deliveries in heaven;
Good stewardship is “giving” stewardship. That’s why Jim Elliot could say:
“A man is no fool to give what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”
He and the other the missionaries gave their physical lives, but they did not lose their spiritual homes. Their wives continued their work, making friends with these Aucas. One by one, the village men accepted Christ and received His friendship, so much so, one native who killed the missionaries became the first pastor of the their tribe. He would baptize one of the slain missionaries’ sons in the same river where they gave their lives.
On 9/11, twenty years ago, takers named Atta and Abdulaziz al-Omar took stewardship of planes and chose to use them for horrific ends. But on that dreadful day, other men like passenger Todd Beamer and others took stewardship of their lives and made a choice to take their plane back by giving their lives. They made the ultimate sacrifice on that Pennsylvania pasture. Other men and women in New York and Washington, D.C. ran toward the raining flames. These first-responders choose the lives of others over themselves. They were wise stewards who made friends with the lives given them.
Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." John 15:13
We are all men with planes. The stewardship by which we fly them will determine our eternal destination and the light we leave.
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