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A Quality of Discipleship – Astuteness

 I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.  (Luke 16:9 | TNIV)

Introduction.  In our series on the Qualities of Discipleship, we are taking a look at those Biblical traits that should mark every genuine follower of Jesus Christ.  These qualities aren’t reserved for those of us who stand behind pulpits or teach Sunday School classes; they are the expected fruit of a life surrendered to the Lordship of Christ and indwelt by His Holy Spirit.  We have already considered how humility anchors the disciple’s life.  Today, I want to turn to a quality that received far less attention in sermons and Bible teachings, yet is repeatedly modeled and mandated in Scripture:  Astuteness.

Astuteness, shrewdness, practical wisdom; we’re talking about the capacity to read a situation accurately, anticipate future realities, and take decisive and effective action with the resources at hand.  It’s the opposite of naivety, passivity, and short-sightedness.  It’s the quality that allows a person to turn a crisis into opportunity and temporary resources into lasting security.

Jesus tells us story that forces us to take notice of this quality.  The parable of the unjust steward is one of the most difficult and yet one of the most practical parables in the Gospels.  At first reading, it shocks us.  The hero of the piece appears to be crook who falsifies the accounts to save his own skin.  Yet the master actually commends him, and Jesus uses the story to teach His disciples a profound lesson.  The key is this:  Jesus praises the steward’s astuteness, not his character or his dishonesty.

Today, I want to walk carefully through this parable so that we might understand with Jesus is commending and then apply it to our lives as disciples living between the cross and the crown.

The immediate context.

This parable follows immediately after the three great “lost” parables of Luke 15.  Jesus had been celebrating the joy of heaven over one sinner who repents.  He will address His disciples directly, though the Pharisees are close enough to hear and will soon sneer at His teaching about money (Luke 16:14).

But here, at the beginning of the chapter, the theme of Jesus’ teaching shifts from the joy of finding something lost to the serious responsibility of stewarding resources in light of the coming kingdom.

In the ancient Near East, a wealthy landowner often appointed an oikonomos – a steward or household manager, who would oversee his estate.  The steward had broad authority to act in his master’s name – things like buying, selling, renting land, investing, and collecting debts.  It was a position of enormous trust and significant personal benefit.  Many stewards back then lived comfortably on the estate and took a percentage of all transactions for themselves.

But in the parable, something is wrong.

The crisis, vs 1 and 2.

 Jesus told his disciples: “There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions. [2] So he called him in and asked him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your management, because you cannot be manager any longer.’”  (Luke 16:1, 2 | TNIV)

The Greek word translated “wasting” is “diaskorpizo,” and means to scatter of squander.  The steward had been mismanaging the estate through negligence, poor decisions, or even outright embezzlement.  Word reached the owner, and the master acted decisively:  “What is this I hear about you?  Give an account of your management, because you cannot be manager any longer.”

The steward is about to lose his job, his income, his home, and his reputation.  In that culture there was no unemployment insurance or social safety net.  His future looked grim.  He was facing what every human being ultimately faces:  A reckoning.  One day, each of will give an account of our stewardship to the true Owner of all things.  This parable begins with a crisis that mirrors spiritual reality.

So then, we will all give an account of ourselves to God.  (Romans 14:12 | TNIV)

 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.  (Hebrews 4:13 | TNIV)

The steward’s shrewd plan, verses 3 – 7.

Faced with personal and financial ruin, the steward doesn’t collapse in self-pity or denial.  He reasons strategically.

“The manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do now? My master is taking away my job. I’m not strong enough to dig, and I’m ashamed to beg…  (Luke 16:3 | TNIV)

He honestly assesses his options and limitations.  Manual labor – digging ditches or working in the fields – is physically beyond him, perhaps because of age or a life of managerial ease.  Begging would destroy whatever social standing he still possessed.  So he devises a third way.

He contacted all his master’s debtors one by one.

“So he called in each one of his master’s debtors. He asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ [6] ” ‘Nine hundred gallons of olive oil,’ he replied. “The manager told him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it four hundred and fifty.’ [7] “Then he asked the second, ‘And how much do you owe?’ ” ‘A thousand bushels of wheat,’ he replied. “He told him, ‘Take your bill and make it eight hundred.’”  (Luke 16:5 – 7 | TNIV)

These reductions of debt are substantial.  By cutting these debts by 20 to 50 percent, the steward is making a major financial concession on behalf of his master.

Scholars debate the exact mechanics.  Some believe the steward was forgiving the portion what would have been his commission or markup, so the master would still receive the full principle while the debtors believed the master has authorized the reduction.  Others see outright fraud.  Yet the steward was using the only leverage he had left – his remaining authority over the accounts – to create future obligations of gratitude and hospitality.

Notice three marks of his astuteness:

• He acted decisively and quickly.  There was no delay, no committee, no endless analysis.  He saw the window of opportunity while he still possessed authority and moved.
• He leveraged relationships.  He turned debtors into future allies who would feel obligated to provide him housing.
• He thought beyond the immediate crisis.  He looked past the loss of his job to the practical need for shelter and provision in the months and years ahead.

The master’s commendation, verse 8a.

 “The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly.  (Luke 18:8a | TNIV)

And here’s the surprising moment!  The master, who has every reason to be furious, actually praises the dishonest manager.  He knows the fellow is dishonest or unjust, but he commends his shrewdness – the Greek word is “phronimos,” which means “practical wisdom” or “prudence,” “sagacity,” and the ability to take decisive action in real-life situations.

This is the same word Jesus used for the five wise virgins who made sure they had enough oil for the bridegroom’s arrival (Matthew 25), and for the faithful, wise manager who gives the household its portion of food at the proper time (Luke 12).  The master recognizes that, however crooked the method, the steward had demonstrated foresight, strategic thinking, and effective execution.  He read the situation correctly and positioned himself for survival.

And Jesus drew the explicit lesson:

For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light.  (Luke 16:8b | TNIV)

The heart of the lesson.

That single sentence is the key that unlocks the parable.  “The people of this world” or “the sons of this age” refers to unbelievers whose worldview is limited to this present life.  They often display extraordinary astuteness when it comes to temporal matters:  Career advancement, investment strategies, retirement planning, networking, marketing, vacation planning, and so on.  They sacrifice, scheme, study trends, and execute plans with precision to secure comfort and security in this world.

By contrast, the “the people of the light” – those who have moved into the kingdom of God’s beloved Son – who possess the indwelling Holy Spirit, the written Word of God, and the fellowship of the church – can be oddly passive, naïve, lazy, or very shortsighted when it comes to eternal realities.  We may be meticulous about income tax payments but casual about kingdom giving.  We may network aggressively for business contacts or to impress people, be rarely think strategically about how to build relationships for the sake of evangelism.

Remember, Jesus isn’t endorsing the steward’s sin.  He is using the negative to highlight the positive.  If a crooked manager can be this clever about securing earthly housing, how much  more should God’s people be wise, strategic, and decisive about securing eternal dwellings and advancing the interests of their true Manager.

The direct application.

Just in case you’re obtuse, Jesus makes the application unmistakable:

I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.  (Luke 16:9 | TNIV)

“Worldly wealth,” or “mammon of unrighteousness,” is money and material resources in a fallen world – wealth that can so easily become an idol, that is tainted by things like injustice in its acquisition and use, and that will ultimately fail us.

Jesus’ command regarding your resources is active and purposeful:  Use them; use your resources.  Not through bribery or manipulation, but through generous, sacrificial, kingdom-directed giving.  When we use our resources to support Gospel enterprises, church growth, meet the needs of fellow believers, helping others, we are “gaining friends.”  In the age to come, those whose lives were touched – souls brought to Christ through our efforts and giving – well in some real sense welcome us into eternity.

This isn’t salvation by works.  It’s the fruit of grace-produced faith that invests temporal resources in eternal outcomes.  It’s the practical outworking of our Lord’s command to “lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven” (Matthew 6:19 – 21).

Now, the steward used his master’s resources (dishonestly) to secure earthly houses.  Disciples are to use God’s resources (righteously and generously) to secure eternal welcome and reward.

Jesus immediately reinforced the principle with three rapid-fire statements that are part of the parable:

“Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. [11] So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? [13] “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 16:10, 11, 13 | TNIV)

 How to become astute followers of Jesus.

First, take honest inventory.  The steward asked the hard question, “What am I going to do?”  We must regularly examine our stewardship of time, talent, treasure, relationships, and influence.  Where are we wasting?  Where are we being passive or lazy when we should be strategic?  Annual reviews of our giving, our schedule, and our relational priorities are not unscriptural; they are wise.

Second, think with eternity in view.  The steward looked past the crisis to his future housing needs.  We must live with the end in mind.  What will matter to us when we move into eternity?  What will matter to us in 10,000 years?  Souls.  The advance of the Gospel.  When we budget, when we plan our calendars, when we choose how to use our homes and our professional skills, the eternal perspective must govern.

Third, act decisively and creatively.  The steward acted quickly.  Procrastination is the enemy of astuteness.  When the Spirit prompts generosity, when an open door for witness appears, when conviction about time management arises – act.  Be creative.  The early church used private homes for worship and teaching, trade networks for missionary travel, and Roman infrastructure for the spread of the Word.  We have social media, professional networks, business platforms, and community influence.  Are we using those things shrewdly for the kingdom?

Fourth, leverage your relationships for the Gospel.  The steward turned financial debtors into future hosts.  We are called to turn neighbors, colleagues, and acquaintances into friends who hear the Gospel and, by God’s grace, become brothers and sisters in the faith.  Hospitality, church activities, mentoring relationships, and community service are all avenues for astute relational investment.

Last, serve the right master.  Ultimate astuteness flows from single-hearted devotion.  When God is our Master, our use of money, time, and influence becomes wise by definition.  When we seek first the kingdom, all others things in our life will find their proper place.  We can’t serve both God and money; trying to do so produces neither faithfulness nor shrewdness, only anxiety and compromise.

Conclusion.  The parable of the unjust steward is a divine wake-up call.  Jesus looks at His disciples across time and says:  “The people of this age are often far more astute, energetic, and strategic about their temporal future than my people are about their eternal future.”

May it never be said of any of you.  Let’s be astute disciples – men and women who see the shortness of time, the lostness of the world, the riches of Christ, and the eternal stakes, and who therefore steward every resource with holy wisdom and decisive action.

The steward secured temporary housing by questionable means.  Our Savior has secured eternal dwelling for us by His own precious blood.  In grateful response, let’s use the “unrighteous wealth” and every other resource He has entrusted to us to make friends for eternity and to advance the interests of His glorious kingdom.