“To the next he said, ‘And you, what do you owe?’

“He answered, ‘A hundred sacks of wheat.’

“He said, ‘Take your bill, write in eighty.’

8-9 “Now here’s a surprise: The master praised the crooked manager! And why? Because he knew how to look after himself. Streetwise people are smarter in this regard than law-abiding citizens. They are on constant alert, looking for angles, surviving by their wits. I want you to be smart in the same way—but for what is right—using every adversity to stimulate you to creative survival, to concentrate your attention on the bare essentials, so you’ll live, really live, and not complacently just get by on good behavior.”

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“Then he asked the second, ‘And how much do you owe?’

“‘A thousand bushels[a] 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(A) are more shrewd(B) in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light.(C) I tell you, use worldly wealth(D) to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.(E)

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Footnotes

  1. Luke 16:7 Or about 30 tons