For many the term “shrewd Christian” is an oxymoron as these two terms just seem to be so opposite in their minds. But in the parable of the unjust steward Jesus calls on his disciples to become as shrewd in doing good as others are in doing evil. According to Webster’s dictionary shrewd means “keen-witted, clever, or sharp in practical matters.” We have often used the word in its secondary sense of cunning and in a context where one has used their intellect to take advantage of a person or a situation in an unethical way. Jesus calls us to be as shrewd in ethical ways as others are in unethical ways.

The manager in Jesus’ story is a shrewd fellow in the worst sense of the word. He has misused his master’s resources. We don’t know the exact nature of the crime but he has obviously been co…