Dwight SHREWD

If you are a fan of the TV show “The Office” then it is clear that you most certainly love Dwight Schrute. Do you remember the episode where for but a brief moment he gets to rule the office as the new boss while Michael is at corporate? Dwight Schrute in all his shrewdness develops a reward system for the employees by creating

the Schrute Buck!

The Schrute Buck was his shrewd way of keeping his “subordinates” in line and making them love him for it… surely an act of creative genius. That is until the office begins to out Shrewd Schrute. Creed simply printed out a couple hundred thousand Schrute Bucks and tried to cash them in for several thousand dollars! Dwight Schrute’s Shrewdness quickly came to an end.

Believe it or not this episode has a striking resemblance to one of Jesus’ parables in the Bible. Luke 16:1-9 tells of Jesus speaking to his disciples about a manager that realizes he is about to lose his job. Apparently the manager was accused of wasting his masters’ possessions and was told to give an account for his management. Being too proud to “dig” and too “ashamed to beg” he came up with shrewd plan. He went to his masters debtors, asked them what they owed him and then lowered their debt to his master to gain favor in their sight! Cunning I know.

Why would Jesus tell his disciples this story? Is Jesus actually condoning this kind of shrewd behavior as a way of living? Well….YES, sort of.

In v. 8 the master does exactly the opposite of what one might think. Rather than becoming angrier with the manager he actually commends the dishonest manager for his shrewdness. But why? What does the master see that is commendable or praise worthy?

The answer…his shrewdness. While condoning the lack of integrity and the dishonesty he commends his shrewdness. To be shrewd is to be to have sharp keen awareness of practical matters around you. The manager was commended not for his dishonesty but for his resourcefulness and intuitive grasp with practical situations. Jesus is using a worldly situation to reveal the power God gives us to use our minds. Our minds are gifts from God and are to be used for his kingdom.

Jesus said in v. 8b that “the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light.” So imagine if followers of Jesus used their God given minds for his Glory and not their own gains! Imagine if we balanced our prayers of “God show up and move” with that of being shrewd in practical situations.

Donald Miller in his book “Blue Like Jazz” shows a perfect example of being shrewd for God. In one of the nation’s most secular universities he sets up a “confession booth” on the campus mall. Thinking that the booth is for students to confess their sins, they are shockingly pleased to find out that the Christians in the booth are the ones confessing and apologizing to them for any Christians who may have poorly represented Jesus.

So what do you say…go be shrewd for God. Like Dwight you may not start out with the greatest idea, but the more you practice the better you will become. Ask God to increase your Shrewdness.