Luke Chapter 16
1 He also said to his disciples, "There was a certain rich man who had a manager. An accusation was made to him that this man was wasting his possessions.
2 He called him, and said to him, 'What is this that I hear about you? Give an accounting of your management, for you can no longer be manager.'
3 "The manager said within himself, 'What will I do, seeing that my lord is taking away the management position from me? I don't have strength to dig. I am ashamed to beg.
4 I know what I will do, so that when I am removed from management, they may receive me into their houses.'
5 Calling each one of his lord's debtors to him, he said to the first, 'How much do you owe to my lord?'
6 He said, 'A hundred batos of oil.' He said to him, 'Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.'
7 Then he said to another, 'How much do you owe?' He said, 'A hundred cors of wheat.' He said to him, 'Take your bill, and write eighty.'
8 "His lord commended the dishonest manager because he had done wisely, for the children of this world are, in their own generation, wiser than the children of the light.
9 I tell you, make for yourselves friends by means of unrighteous mammon, so that when you fail, they may receive you into the eternal tents.
10 He who is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much. He who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much.
11 If therefore you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?
12 If you have not been faithful in that which is another's, who will give you that which is your own?
13 No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to one, and despise the other. You aren't able to serve God and Mammon."
14 The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, also heard all these things, and they scoffed at him.
15 He said to them, "You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of men, but God knows your hearts. For that which is exalted amongst men is an abomination in the sight of God.
16 The law and the prophets were until John. From that time the Good News of God's Kingdom is preached, and everyone is forcing his way into it.
17 But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away, than for one tiny stroke of a pen in the law to fall.
18 Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery. He who marries one who is divorced from a husband commits adultery.
19 "Now there was a certain rich man, and he was clothed in purple and fine linen, living in luxury every day.
20 A certain beggar, named Lazarus, was taken to his gate, full of sores,
21 and desiring to be fed with the crumbs that fell from the rich man's table. Yes, even the dogs came and licked his sores.
22 The beggar died, and he was carried away by the angels to Abraham's bosom. The rich man also died, and was buried.
23 In Hades, he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far off, and Lazarus at his bosom.
24 He cried and said, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue! For I am in anguish in this flame.'
25 "But Abraham said, 'Son, remember that you, in your lifetime, received your good things, and Lazarus, in the same way, bad things. But here he is now comforted, and you are in anguish.
26 Besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, that those who want to pass from here to you are not able, and that no one may cross over from there to us.'
27 "He said, 'I ask you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father's house;
28 for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, so they won't also come into this place of torment.'
29 "But Abraham said to him, 'They have Moses and the prophets. Let them listen to them.'
30 "He said, 'No, father Abraham, but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.'
31 "He said to him, 'If they don't listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded if one rises from the dead.' "
Footnotes
- Verse 6 (hundred batos)
- 100 batos is about 395 litres or 104 U. S. gallons.
- Verse 7 (hundred cors)
- 100 cors is about 2,110 litres or 600 bushels.
- Verse 13 (Mammon)
- "Mammon" refers to riches or a false god of wealth.
- Verse 23 (Hades)
- or, Hell
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Luke Chapter 16 Guide
The Master had a lesson to teach His disciples on the subject of earthly wealth, and He made use of this unjust steward for purposes of illustration only. The element in the action of the steward which our Lord commended was of foresight and singleness of aim. It was in this connection that He uttered the memorable words, "Ye cannot serve God and Mammon." The whole force, of course, is on the word "serve." When God is served, Mammon is used beneficently. When Mammon is served, the claims of God are ignored.
In this same connection our Lord gave the account of the life and death of two men, throwing clear light on the life beyond. That is seen as connected with, and growing out of, the life here. It is of great importance that it follows closely the teaching concerning Mammon. One of the most radiant of its lessons is that if a man have wealth it is a positive sin for him to use it for his own luxury and ease and remain unmindful of the want and needs that lie at his very gate. Money possessing a man is the direst curse, for it hardens his heart and paralyzes his noblest powers. The money of a God-possessed man is a blessing, for it becomes the means of expressing his sympathy with his fellows.
From "An Exposition of the Whole Bible" by G. Campbell Morgan.
Luke Chapter 16 Commentary
Chapter Outline
- The parable of the unjust steward. -- (1-12)
- Christ reproves the hypocrisy of the covetous Pharisees. -- (13-18)
- The rich man and Lazarus. -- (19-31)
Verses 1-12
Whatever we have, the property of it is God's; we have only the use of it, according to the direction of our great Lord, and for his honour. This steward wasted his lord's goods. And we are all liable to the same charge; we have not made due improvement of what God has trusted us with. The steward cannot deny it; he must make up his accounts, and be gone. This may teach us that death will come, and deprive us of the opportunities we now have. The steward will make friends of his lord's debtors or tenants, by striking off a considerable part of their debt to his lord. The lord referred to in this parable commended not the fraud, but the policy of the steward. In that respect alone is it so noticed. Worldly men, in the choice of their object, are foolish; but in their activity, and perseverance, they are often wiser than believers. The unjust steward is not set before us as an example in cheating his master, or to justify any dishonesty, but to point out the careful ways of worldly men. It would be well if the children of light would learn wisdom from the men of the world, and would as earnestly pursue their better object. The true riches signify spiritual blessings; and if a man spends upon himself, or hoards up what God has trusted to him, as to outward things, what evidence can he have, that he is an heir of God through Christ? The riches of this world are deceitful and uncertain. Let us be convinced that those are truly rich, and very rich, who are rich in faith, and rich toward God, rich in Christ, in the promises; let us then lay up our treasure in heaven, and expect our portion from thence.
Verses 13-18
To this parable our Lord added a solemn warning. Ye cannot serve God and the world, so divided are the two interests. When our Lord spoke thus, the covetous Pharisees treated his instructions with contempt. But he warned them, that what they contended for as the law, was a wresting of its meaning: this our Lord showed in a case respecting divorce. There are many covetous sticklers for the forms of godliness, who are the bitterest enemies to its power, and try to set others against the truth.
Verses 19-31
Here the spiritual things are represented, in a description of the different state of good and bad, in this world and in the other. We are not told that the rich man got his estate by fraud, or oppression; but Christ shows, that a man may have a great deal of the wealth, pomp, and pleasure of this world, yet perish for ever under God's wrath and curse. The sin of this rich man was his providing for himself only. Here is a godly man, and one that will hereafter be happy for ever, in the depth of adversity and distress. It is often the lot of some of the dearest of God's saints and servants to be greatly afflicted in this world. We are not told that the rich man did him any harm, but we do not find that he had any care for him. Here is the different condition of this godly poor man, and this wicked rich man, at and after death. The rich man in hell lifted up his eyes, being in torment. It is not probable that there are discourses between glorified saints and damned sinners, but this dialogue shows the hopeless misery and fruitless desires, to which condemned spirits are brought. There is a day coming, when those who now hate and despise the people of God, would gladly receive kindness from them. But the damned in hell shall not have the least abatement of their torment. Sinners are now called upon to remember; but they do not, they will not, they find ways to avoid it. As wicked people have good things only in this life, and at death are for ever separated from all good, so godly people have evil things only in this life, and at death they are for ever put from them. In this world, blessed be God, there is no gulf between a state of nature and grace, we may pass from sin to God; but if we die in our sins, there is no coming out. The rich man had five brethren, and would have them stopped in their sinful course; their coming to that place of torment, would make his misery the worse, who had helped to show them the way thither. How many would now desire to recall or to undo what they have written or done! Those who would make the rich man's praying to Abraham justify praying to saints departed, go far to seek for proofs, when the mistake of a damned sinner is all they can find for an example. And surely there is no encouragement to follow the example, when all his prayers were made in vain. A messenger from the dead could say no more than what is said in the Scriptures. The same strength of corruption that breaks through the convictions of the written word, would triumph over a witness from the dead. Let us seek to the law and to the testimony, Isa 8:19, 20, for that is the sure word of prophecy, upon which we may rest, 2Pe 1:19. Circumstances in every age show that no terrors, or arguments, can give true repentance without the special grace of God renewing the sinner's heart.
From the "Concise Commentary on the Bible" by Matthew Henry.