Can Shrewdness Be An Asset

𝐍𝐎𝐕. 𝟕, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓: 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐑𝐓𝐘 𝐅𝐈𝐑𝐒𝐓 𝐖𝐄𝐄𝐊 𝐈𝐍 𝐎𝐑𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐀𝐑𝐘 𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄

𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐈: 𝐑𝐨𝐦 𝟏𝟓:𝟏𝟒-𝟐𝟏

𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐏𝐬𝐚𝐥𝐦: 𝐏𝐬𝐚 𝟗𝟖:𝟏-𝟒 “𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫.”

𝐆𝐎𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐋: 𝐋𝐊 𝟏𝟔:𝟏-𝟖

𝑲𝒆𝒚 𝑽𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒆: “𝑭𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒉𝒊𝒍𝒅𝒓𝒆𝒏 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒔𝒉𝒓𝒆𝒘𝒅 𝒊𝒏 𝒅𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒓 𝒐𝒘𝒏 𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒏 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒆𝒐𝒑𝒍𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒍𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕.” (𝒗.8) 

         This parable can be described in two ways. It is paradoxical as it is incongruous and I’m sure there are many of those who will read this Gospel passage will find it to be perplexing if not difficult to interpret. All on account of what may seem to be a contradiction in the message that Jesus wanted to convey.

         What makes this parable difficult to understand was how Jesus could have commended the dishonest manager of the household for his shrewdness and expect his disciples to derive a spiritual lesson from the parable.

         To understand the whys and the wherefores of this Gospel passage, we must draw on how Jesus at times uses an interplay of words to deliver his message and in this parable the key word is the shrewdness of the manager or the steward who was entrusted with the management of the household of the rich man.

         It was common during those times for rich landlords to leave the affairs of their properties to stewards and this parable was one example of this practice. There probably were good stewards during the time of Jesus but to illustrate his teaching, Jesus used the shrewdness of a bad steward as an example.

         Though being shrewd has a negative character in it, shrewdness also has a positive connotation to it. The dictionary defines shrewdness as astuteness and or level-headedness and a person described as shrewd is also synonymous with one who acts with perceptiveness, discernment, inside, judgment and wisdom, intelligence, judiciousness and cleverness.

        A person who is shrewd is also known to have foresight and this is the main point that Jesus wanted to expound in this parable.

         It was not the dishonesty of the steward that was commendable, but it was the way he acted to avert the wrath of the rich landlord that Jesus wanted to emphasize. What Jesus wanted his disciples to acquire was the shrewdness with which the steward acted which he stressed when he said: “𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒅 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒉𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒅 𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒔𝒉𝒓𝒆𝒘𝒅𝒍𝒚. 𝑭𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒆𝒐𝒑𝒍𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒔𝒉𝒓𝒆𝒘𝒅 𝒊𝒏 𝒅𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒓 𝒐𝒘𝒏 𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒏 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒆𝒐𝒑𝒍𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒍𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕.” (𝒗.8)        

          This was the point that Jesus wanted to make because a shrewd person is one who acts with dispatch and foresight. When faced with a crisis such as an impending loss of job and being made to account for monies that he has embezzled the shrewd manager drew on his faith on himself and cleverness believing that he could pull it through and he actually did as his landlord commended him for a job well done.

         What Jesus was impressing upon his disciples was the need for the disciples and the people to translate this shrewdness in accumulating material wealth and comfort to a spiritual pursuit that would make them better persons. Jesus doesn’t want us to be dishonest but for us to have the shrewdness to prepare for our spiritual future – an eternal life spent in God’s kingdom.

         There is nothing wrong with trying to amass as much wealth as we can but what God wants is for us to be responsible in the way we dispense or spend our resources. And if we believe that everything here on earth is the Lord’s (𝐏𝐬𝐚 𝟐𝟒) then we have to act responsibly by using these resources that have been entrusted to our care to serve God by serving those who are needful.

          God loves a cheerful giver, and St. Paul says: “𝑨𝒏𝒅 𝑮𝒐𝒅 𝒊𝒔 𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒆 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒚𝒐𝒖, 𝒔𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒊𝒏 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔 𝒂𝒕 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆𝒔, 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒏𝒆𝒆𝒅, 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅 𝒊𝒏 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒈𝒐𝒐𝒅 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒌.” (2 𝑪𝒐𝒓 9:8) We have also been showered with spiritual gifts and God expects us to bear fruit and we can only do so if we will be shrewd enough to discern that we are still a work in progress and that we need to cooperate with God if we desire to take our place in heaven.

         Shrewdness for us is to remain focused on the goal ahead and into finishing the race. The inappropriate desire for temporal wealth and its improper use can be likened to a haze that blurs our vision of God. Being shrewd in our spiritual pursuit should lead us to use our material possessions to serve the needs of the poor.

         As St. Ambrose of Milan said: “𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐨𝐫, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐰𝐢𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐧 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫.” This simply means that we need to draw on our shrewdness to stock up on good works because these are the kind of spiritual investments that will earn for us a higher yield when the time for accounting comes. (𝘌𝘥 𝘔𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘺 - 𝘕𝘰𝘷. 7, 2025)