The Shrewd Manager

In Luke 16 we have one of the most confusing bible passages to understand. Jesus tells his disciples a parable about a very shrewd business manager:
“[1] He also said to the disciples, “There was a rich man who had a manager, and charges were brought to him that this man was wasting his possessions. [2] And he called him and said to him, ‘What is this that I hear about you? Turn in the account of your management, for you can no longer be manager.’ [3] And the manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do, since my master is taking the management away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg. [4] I have decided what to do, so that when I am removed from management, people may receive me into their houses.’ [5] So, summoning his master’s debtors one by one, he said to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ [6] He said, ‘A hundred measures of oil.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.’ [7] Then he said to another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ He said, ‘A hundred measures of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write eighty.’ [8] The master commended the dishonest manager for his shrewdness. For the sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light. [9] 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.”(Luke 16:1–9)

What makes this so confusing is on the surface it sounds like Jesus is commending someone who was very dishonest. But Jesus would never encourage dishonesty, would He? How could this possibly relate to how we live as christians or about anything we are taught in the bible? Does Jesus really want us to do whatever we can, even if it means being dishonest to get as much money as we can? No that is not the message.

If we look at it a little more closely we see that Jesus is not commending the dishonesty of the manager, but the shrewdness of what he did. Notice: “The master commended the dishonest manager for his shrewdness…” What is Jesus’ point? Well He continues: “For the sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light.” Jesus is highlighting how people of this world will go to great lengths for survival. They will do whatever is necessary to obtain treasures on earth. And Jesus is asking us: why don’t we have this same attitude toward spiritual things? Why are we not shrewd when it comes to things that are eternal? The world will do whatever it takes to survive, will we do whatever it takes to spiritually survive? Are we shrewd to obtain more prayer time, bible reading, giving, serving, evangelizing, fellowshipping etc. The world will do whatever it takes for treasures here on earth. To accumulate more wealth. To buy more things. To build a plush life. Are we doing the same for our treasures in heaven? Are we doing what we can, how we can, when we can to build up our rewards from the Lord? To put it quite plainly, are we being shrewd spiritually?

Jesus is not teaching us to be dishonest. He is using the example of a dishonest man to show us the drive we should have for things that are eternal. It's almost like he is saying, “See how far this guy is going to get money? See what lengths he goes to get something that only lasts for a little while? Look at his creativity, shrewdness and wit for something that is temporary. For something that only lasts for at most eighty or ninety years. How much more should you be just as eager and shrewd for things that will last for all of eternity?”

He then goes a step further by saying in verse 9, “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.” (Luke 16:9) In this statement he means to use your worldly money to build your treasures in heaven. On this verse Matthew Henry says, “What it is that our Lord Jesus here exhorts us to; to provide for our comfortable reception to the happiness of another world, by making good use of our possessions and enjoyments in this world.” Jesus is saying, be generous and giving. Don’t waste your money on earthly things. Because your earthly money will not last forever. And when it fails, if you used it wisely, you will be well received in your eternal dwellings. Matthew Henry again, “The scope of Christ's discourse in this chapter is to awaken and quicken us all so to use this world as not to abuse it, so to manage all our possessions and enjoyments here as that they may make for us, and may not make against us in the other world; for they will do either the one or the other, according as we use them now. If we do good with them, and lay out what we have in works of piety and charity, we shall reap the benefit of it in the world to come; and this he shows in the parable of the unjust steward, who made so good a hand of his lord's goods that, when he was turned out of his stewardship, he had a comfortable subsistence to betake himself to.” So let us all be shrewd for spiritual gain!