A young boy used to describe foods like spinach by saying, "I hate it." His wise mother responded, "Don't say you hate it. Just say, ‘I'm not very fond of it.' " She also taught her son that when he really liked some food to say, "I'm really fond of this." The boy said, he was "really fond" of cookies, candy, and cake. His mother told him, "Too many cookies, too much candy, and cake can be bad for you. You can be very fond of the wrong things."

Something like that is going on underneath the story of the shrewd manager. The topic is not food, but money. This parable is a puzzle. It is a mystery in many respects. How could a shrewd manager who cheats his master be held up as an example?

One of the first clues to unraveling the mystery of the dishonest money manager is found in verse 14, "T…