This morning, we’re going to first take a closer look at this parable to understand the story, and then we’re going to look at its implications in our lives.

The story begins with a rich man whose manager took care of his business. Word got to the master, though, that the manager was being wasteful. The master called the manager in to his office and demanded an explanation. When confronted with the charge, the manager gave no answer. Instead of being immediately fired, though, the manager was given a window of opportunity. The master requested an audit to verify the charges leveled against the manager. The manager’s dismissal was inevitable, but it was not yet final or public. Time was short.

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The manager panicked. He didn’t know what he would do after he lost his job. It would be embarrassing for someone who used to collect bills to become a temporary hired hand.

Suddenly, he figured out a plan. He called in his master’s debtors one by one and reduced their debts. Since he still had his position as manager, the changes in the debts were binding. With his actions, he knew that he had just made new friends who would gratefully help him in the future. The manager had used his resources with effort and imagination in looking out for his future well-being.

The master soon found out about what the manager had done. But instead of being furious, the master commended the manager. To us, the master’s reaction is unexpected and difficult to understand.

It’s important to note that the master did not commend him for his morality. The master did not say that what he did was a good thing. The master commended him specifically for his shrewdness. The master was impressed with how much effort and creativity the manager had used. The master was simply a defeated foe and had to admit the superior tactics of his adversary.

The most troublesome thing, however, is not the story. The biggest surprise is that Jesus uses this story as a positive example for His followers. Jesus says through this parable and the following verses that we should be shrewd like the manager. But instead of being shrewd for our own interests, we must be shrewd for God.

We are all managers. God has entrusted to each one of us temporary resources. These resources are described in verse 9 as worldly wealth. Our money, positions, relationships, spiritual gifts, time, and energy are all resources and forms of wealth.

As managers, we are to use our resources for God with effort and imagination. As Jesus says in verse 9, we are to win spiritual friends, essentially followers of Christ, with the resources God has given to us.

Shrewdness can be difficult to define. For some of us, shrewdness brings up images of shady car salesmen, politicians, and businesspeople. To be shrewd, however, means to use your resources with effort and imagination. Shrewdness is not a negative thing in itself. What matters is how we use our shrewdness. We must be shrewd for God.