HOLY SHREWDNESS
Autor: Derrel Homer Santee, | Publicado: 2017-08-11T00:00:00-03:00


Whoever
can be trusted with very littlecan also be trusted with much,and
whoever is dishonest with very littlewill also be dishonest with
much.

Luke
16:10 (read 16.1-13) - NIV




To
understand this parable it is necessary to know the financial system
of that time. Managers had no fixed salaries, but were compensated by
commissions based on a percentage of the amount of the fees that were
charged. The more the financial movement, the more the profit! A
portion of the outstanding balance of each account belonged to the
masters and the other part to the managers. The manager of the
parable was accused of "impropriety" and ran the risk of
being dismissed. His strategy to not starve was to make friends with
the debtors. He called in the debtors and forgave them of the amount
equivalent to his commission on the outstanding balance. The master
was pleased to receive his part of the owed fees and appreciated the
cunning of the manager who was able to make the debtors pay up. The
master did not disapprove of the manager, because he himself suffered
no loss. The manager gained new friends and the appreciation of the
master. He made peace with both sides.




There
was no dishonesty in the story. Jesus praised the good sense of the
manager. In this parable everyone profited. The master received what
was his. Debtors were forgiven half of the amount of their debts. The
manager won friends who could be supportive of him in case of need.




Holy
shrewdness is nothing more than a good dose of common sense. The
manager was clever enough to give up his commissions in exchange of
his long term well-being. It was better to gain friends than to try
to collect his commission. He used what was rightfully his to win the
goodwill of debtors.




Putting
money as the main goal is to be dishonest with the riches of this
world. Material wealth is not ours and must be administered for the
common good. Greed is dishonesty. The true riches are the people we
can benefit by using the resources at hand.




Holy
shrewdness is to relinquish immediate benefits and invest in the
common welfare. By being supportive to others, we are also investing
in ourselves. When we are slaves to money we become enemies of
humanity. Intelligence is a liability when it is used to seek
personal advantages at the expense of others. Corrupt politicians and
economic exploiters are enemies of the people as well as scammers and
thieves. To serve money for present gains is to sacrifice the future.




Religion
plays this game when it appeals to the "advantages" of
being a believer. Targeting only personal salvation and work to
accumulate spiritual "merit" is another form of greed. To
be faithful in small things is to give up rights and act for the good
of others. Serving others is serving God. Herein is "holy
shrewdness."




LUKE
16:1-13 – NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION (NIV)




Jesus
told his disciples: “There was a rich man whose manager was accused
of wasting his possessions.&nbsp;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.’




“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—&nbsp;I know what I’ll do so that, when I lose my
job here, people will welcome me into their houses.’




“So
he called in each one of his master’s debtors. He asked the first,
‘How much do you owe my master?’




“‘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.’




“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.’




“The
master commended the dishonest manager because 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.&nbsp;I tell
you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when
it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.




“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.&nbsp;So if you have not been trustworthy
in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches?&nbsp;And
if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who
will give you property of your own?




“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.&nbsp;You
cannot serve both God and money.”