What Does It Mean to Be Shrewd in God’s Kingdom?
Most parables Jesus told give us a clear example to follow like the Good Samaritan who helps his neighbor. Or there’s a clear warning like with the Rich Fool who trusts in wealth. But then we come to the Parable of the Shrewd Manager (Luke 16:1-15). What do we do with him? This man, the manager, is not a hero. He wastes his master’s possessions. When he’s about to lose his job, he refuses manual labor and comes up with a plan. He lowers the debts of others so they’ll treat him well later. To us it looks unethical. Yet Jesus says he is commended for being shrewd.
They say that when Uber began the company went into cities without permission, built a user base, and only then dealt with regulators. Not exactly ethical, but ambitious and determined to build their future. Those are the qualities Jesus points to – not dishonesty, but zeal, wisdom, and a view to the future.
If people and companies are so intense about securing their earthly future, shouldn’t Christians be even more zealous about how they live under God? Too often we treat our faith passively, as though drifting along is enough. But Jesus calls us to ambitious . . . . use of the resources God has entrusted to us—for generosity, for service, for building up his Kingdom.
The verses that follow the parable make it clear that this has nothing to do with greed or materialism. “You cannot serve both God and money.” The Pharisees thought riches proved God’s blessing. Jesus says true blessing is knowing how to use wealth shrewdly as an expression of faith.
At the same time, we remember that in the end, the manager had to trust the mercy of his master. So do we. Our standing before God does not rest on our shrewdness, but on Christ’s grace. His cross secures our eternal dwelling. To serve him as our only master with all we have is true shrewdness.
No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. (Luke 16:13)