Have you ever read a passage in Scripture that left you scratching your head, wondering if you missed something important? The parable of the shrewd manager in Luke 16:1-9 is precisely one of those puzzling stories that seems to contradict what we know about God’s character. At first glance, it appears that Jesus is actually praising dishonesty! This disturbing contradiction often leaves believers confused—how could our righteous Lord commend someone who appears to be cheating his master? This tension deserves careful examination, because understanding this parable reveals profound truths about Kingdom wisdom and stewardship that can transform how we view our resources and relationships.
Biblical Insight
The parable begins with Jesus describing a rich man’s manager who was accused of wasting his master’s possessions. Upon learning he would be fired, the manager devised a plan: he called in each of his master’s debtors and reduced their debts significantly. For one who owed 100 measures of oil, he cut it to 50; for another who owed 100 measures of wheat, he reduced it to 80. Then comes the surprising turn in Luke 16:8: “The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly.”
To understand this parable correctly, we must recognize its cultural and historical context. In the first-century, managers often added surcharges to debts as their own commission. Biblical scholars suggest that what the manager likely eliminated was his own excessive commission, not his master’s rightful portion. The manager was essentially sacrificing his own profit to gain favor with both his master (by appearing generous on his behalf) and with the debtors (who would feel indebted to him). In Jewish law, charging interest was prohibited (Exodus 22:25, Leviticus 25:36-37), so these “cuts” may have been eliminating unlawful interest charges that had been disguised as part of the principal.
Jesus isn’t commending the manager’s previous dishonesty that got him fired, nor is He suggesting God approves of deception. Rather, the commendation focuses specifically on the shrewdness—the creative, forward-thinking wisdom—with which the manager used the resources at his disposal to secure his future. This is evident in Jesus’ application in Luke 16:9: “I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into everlasting dwellings.” Jesus is making a “how much more” argument: if even dishonest people know how to use resources strategically for future benefit, shouldn’t God’s children be even wiser in using their resources for everlasting benefits and purposes?
Practical Wisdom
The shrewd manager teaches us important lessons about faithful stewardship. Everything we have—money, possessions, skills, relationships—belongs ultimately to God. We are merely managers of His resources, not owners. The manager in the parable recognized the urgency of his situation and took decisive action while he still had opportunity. Similarly, we must recognize that our time as stewards is limited and we need to make strategic decisions about how we use God’s resources today in light of eternity.
Jesus wants us to be “shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves” (Matthew 10:16). This means employing godly wisdom and creative thinking to advance God’s Kingdom, while maintaining pure motives and methods. The Kingdom paradox is that true security comes not from hoarding resources for ourselves but from using them generously to bless others and honor God. When we do this, we store up “treasures in heaven” (Matthew 6:20) and develop relationships that have everlasting significance.
This parable should prompt us to examine how we’re using what God has entrusted to us. Are we being truly wise and strategic with our resources? Are we using our money, time, and abilities merely for temporary comfort and security, or are we investing them in ways that will matter in eternity? The Holy Spirit empowers us to discern how to be faithful stewards, and through repentance, we can continually realign our priorities with God’s Kingdom purposes. When we repent of selfish stewardship, the blood of Jesus cleanses us, and we’re free to move forward in new patterns of Kingdom-focused generosity and wisdom.
Clearing up misunderstandings
A common misconception about this parable is that Jesus is praising dishonesty itself. This misinterpretation can lead people to think that the ends justify the means or that God approves of unethical behavior if it’s done for a good cause. However, Jesus is not commending the manager’s dishonesty but rather his foresight and decisive action in a crisis. Throughout Scripture, God consistently calls His people to integrity and truthfulness. Jesus isolates one quality—shrewdness—to highlight, while never suggesting we should imitate the manager’s dishonesty.
Another misunderstanding revolves around the identity of “the master” in the story. In the parable itself, the master is the rich man who employed the dishonest manager, not God. It was this human master who commended the manager’s shrewdness, not because he approved of being cheated, but because he recognized the clever way the manager had secured his own future. Jesus then draws a lesson from this scenario, essentially saying, “Even in the unrighteous world, people understand the importance of being strategic with resources. How much more should God’s people be strategic with eternal resources?” The parable uses a negative example to teach a positive lesson, a common rabbinical teaching method in Jesus’ day.
Some also misunderstand the practical application of the parable, thinking Jesus is telling us to use money to “buy friends” or favor. Rather, Jesus is teaching us to use temporary resources (money, possessions) to invest in people and Kingdom work that has eternal significance. The focus is not on manipulation but on genuine generosity and wise stewardship that reflects God’s character and advances His purposes.
Conclusion
The parable of the shrewd manager challenges us to develop a Kingdom perspective on stewardship that is both wise and faithful. When we understand that Jesus wasn’t praising dishonesty but rather highlighting the importance of foresight and strategic action in light of coming accountability, we discover a powerful call to faithful stewardship. This parable invites us to evaluate how we’re managing what God has entrusted to us and to make whatever changes are necessary to align our stewardship with eternal values.
God hasn’t called us to passive management of His resources but to active, creative stewardship that advances His Kingdom. As we grow in this kind of faithful stewardship, energized by the Holy Spirit and cleansed by the blood of Jesus, we discover the joy of participating in God’s redemptive work. Our faithful stewardship becomes an act of worship, a testimony to God’s generosity, and a powerful means of storing up treasure in Heaven where it truly matters.
Did you know?
The term translated as “shrewd” or “wise” in Luke 16:8 is the Greek word “phronimōs,” which doesn’t necessarily have negative connotations like our English word “shrewd” might suggest. In fact, Jesus uses the same word in the Sermon on the Mount when He describes the wise man who built his house on the rock (Matthew 7:24). This linguistic connection reveals that Jesus is advocating for the same kind of practical wisdom in managing resources that He commends in building one’s life on His teachings.
