The prophet Jeremiah and the shrewd manager in Jesus’ parable show us that our actions have real consequences. But even when we are at our worst we are still not beyond God’s mercy. We need honesty as well as optimism; we are a people always trying to look more respectable than we really are. Jesus urges us to be honest about ourselves and to trust in God’s grace toward us sinners. When viewed in light of the Gospel’s demands, we are all disreputable rogues—but rather than lead us down the path of despair, it just allows God’s love to shine even brighter!