“His master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly…” (Lk. 16:8).
In our Gospel reading today, Jesus commends the dishonest manager for his quick and decisive action. Never mind that the manager is corrupt in the first place, and that what he does compounds his corruption by defrauding the owner. That he’s dishonest is an important detail: the manager is definitely not a shining moral exemplar. Jesus is not saying that we should follow him in his dishonest practice. He’s saying that when it comes to action the manager is showing us the way.
The manager’s dishonesty actually underscores the main point: the virtue that we’re meant to follow is the manager’s capacity for action. No one should imagine that the manager, in spite of his dishonesty, had any other redeeming qualities: his dog loved him; he was a good father; he “called them like he saw them” (as if that were a virtue). No, the only reason we are meant to follow his example is that he was quick on the mark, and able to move ahead decisively.
Jesus says, in our translation, that the dishonest manager “acted shrewdly” (Lk. 16:8). Other words we could use here are “prudently” or “deliberately.” The word that the Gospel of Luke uses here has a long history in the ancient world, meaning the ability to discover a way forward, to find a practical solution to a problem. It’s the opposite of wishful thinking; it appeals to common sense and to the reality of a situation that everyone shares.
It’s not speculative. The dishonest manager didn’t sit down and imagine a better world in which he would be amply compensated and wouldn’t need to steal from his employer! He didn’t wish for a world in which his corrupt actions would be understood and forgiven as the minor missteps that, he might have argued, they really were. No, none of this: the dishonest manager finds a practical, real world solution to his problem, using tried and true common sense methods that had worked in the past.
Shrewdness here is a kind of insight that is needed in order to navigate in the world. Shrewdness is not dishonesty, or a kind of ruthless sharp dealing, but simply the prudent and skillful ability to move forward and to take action. Jesus is not commending the corruption of the manager, or the solution that he found to his problem (involving even greater dishonesty); but he is drawing our attention to the manager’s clear-eyed assessment of the situation, and his quick and decisive response. As Jesus says in our reading, “the children of this age are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light” (Lk. 16:8). When it comes to action, we can learn from folk like the manager how to operate.
What’s involved in charting a course for action? We begin by deliberating; by asking the question “What should we do?” We take in information that we think will help us and we weigh the sources. Are the alleged facts rooted in reality? But simply taking in information is not enough, because knowledge alone cannot make clear the path. The sheer weight of information alone cannot help us move forward. We still need to make a judgment, to give weight to one set of considerations rather than some other. Judging calls for discernment, the ability to look deeper and to see what’s really up.
Finally, we need to make a decision to act, which may be the hardest part of the process. Action turns us into actors, participants in the real world. It’s much easier to do nothing, especially if we haven’t deliberated or made a judgment call, in situations where that’s difficult to do. When we move to action, we take responsibility for the world, and our own place in it. Action involves risk for the one who acts.
For Christians, however, taking our place in God’s plan for the world by becoming actors is absolutely essential. We deliberate, we judge, we take action, always in obedience to the call of God. For Christians, faithful action is the benchmark standard for discipleship: faithfulness in what is little and faithfulness in much, as Jesus says in our Gospel today (Lk. 16:10). Faithful action calls upon insight and common sense, a shared and true understanding of the situation and a knowledge of what God requires from us. How can we get from where we are to where God is calling us to be? Answering this question is the work of discernment.
Today, we are blessed by faithful folk who are willing to move into action, by reaffirming their baptismal vows and taking up their responsibilities as Christians in this community. Though they are the actors, and we have our own role to play, we should never forget that God is the chief actor here. By raising Jesus Christ from the dead, God has made new life possible.
We all need God’s grace in order to follow through on the move into action. The good news is that grace is available here for our confirmands, in the laying on of hands and the prayer of the community. God’s Spirit is moving among us today, stirring us up and giving us the grace we need for faithful action. We’re looking for a way forward, and God is supplying it, here at St. James’ Church this morning.
