That Time Jesus Told a Joke - Sermon by Rev. Stephen Milton

In That Time Jesus Told a Joke, Rev. Stephen Milton unpacks one of Jesus’ strangest parables—the tale of a lazy, dishonest manager who cooks the books and somehow earns praise. Rather than glorifying fraud, Jesus uses satire to poke fun at religious leaders who obsess over piety while ignoring God’s abundance. Drawing on the image of olive trees producing thousands of extra fruits and the Buddhist idea of “interbeing,” Rev. Milton shows that creation itself is built on generosity and connection. The parable invites us to laugh at our pretensions and embrace God’s call to share freely, delighting in a world made for joy and community.