Luke16

Jesus teaches his disciples through two parables and several direct instructions. The parable of the unjust steward illustrates the shrewdness of worldly individuals in securing their future, prompting Jesus to advise using "mammon of unrighteousness" for eternal gain. He emphasizes that one cannot serve both God and mammon, and that faithfulness in small matters reflects faithfulness in greater ones. The chapter concludes with the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus, starkly contrasting their fates in the afterlife and affirming the sufficiency of Moses and the prophets for spiritual guidance.

The Parable of the Unjust Steward

1
Speaking to the talmidim, Yeshua said: “There was a wealthy man who employed a general manager. Charges were brought to him that his manager was squandering his resources. ​
2
So he summoned him and asked him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Turn in your accounts, for you can no longer be manager.’ ​
3
“‘What am I to do?’ said the manager to himself. ‘My boss is firing me, I’m not strong enough to dig ditches, and I’m ashamed to go begging.
4
Aha! I know what I’ll do — something that will make people welcome me into their homes after I’ve lost my job here!’ ​
5
“So, after making appointments with each of his employer’s debtors, he said to the first, ‘How much do you owe my boss?’
6
‘Eight hundred gallons of olive oil,’ he replied. ‘Take your note back,’ he told him. ‘Now, quickly! Sit down and write one for four hundred!’ ​
7
To the next he said, ‘And you, how much do you owe?’ ‘A thousand bushels of wheat,’ he replied. ‘Take your note back and write one for eight hundred.’

Wisdom in the Use of Wealth

8
“And the employer of this dishonest manager applauded him for acting so shrewdly! For the worldly have more sekhel than those who have received the light — in dealing with their own kind of people! ​
9
“Now what I say to you is this: use worldly wealth to make friends for yourselves, so that when it gives out, you may be welcomed into the eternal home. ​
10
Someone who is trustworthy in a small matter is also trustworthy in large ones, and someone who is dishonest in a small matter is also dishonest in large ones. ​
11
So if you haven’t been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who is going to trust you with the real thing? ​
12
And if you haven’t been trustworthy with what belongs to someone else, who will give you what ought to belong to you?
13
No servant can be slave to two masters, for he will either hate the first and love the second, or scorn the second and be loyal to the first. You can’t be a slave to both God and money.” ​

Jesus Rebukes the Pharisees

14
The P’rushim heard all this, and since they were money-lovers, they ridiculed him. ​
15
He said to them, “You people make yourselves look righteous to others, but God knows your hearts; what people regard highly is an abomination before God! ​
16
Up to the time of Yochanan there were the Torah and the Prophets. Since then the Good News of the Kingdom of God has been proclaimed, and everyone is pushing to get in. ​
17
But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one stroke of a letter in the Torah to become void. ​
18
Every man who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery, and a man who marries a woman divorced by her husband commits adultery. ​

The Rich Man and Lazarus

19
“Once there was a rich man who used to dress in the most expensive clothing and spent his days in magnificent luxury. ​
20
At his gate had been laid a beggar named El‘azar who was covered with sores.
21
He would have been glad to eat the scraps that fell from the rich man’s table; but instead, even the dogs would come and lick his sores.
22
In time the beggar died and was carried away by the angels to Avraham’s side; the rich man also died and was buried. ​
23
“In Sh’ol, where he was in torment, the rich man looked up and saw Avraham far away with El‘azar at his side. ​
24
He called out, ‘Father Avraham, take pity on me, and send El‘azar just to dip the tip of his finger in water to cool my tongue, because I’m in agony in this fire!’
25
However, Avraham said, ‘Son, remember that when you were alive, you got the good things while he got the bad; but now he gets his consolation here, while you are the one in agony. ​
26
Yet that isn’t all: between you and us a deep rift has been established, so that those who would like to pass from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’ ​
27
“He answered, ‘Then, father, I beg you to send him to my father’s house,
28
where I have five brothers, to warn them; so that they may be spared having to come to this place of torment too.’
29
But Avraham said, ‘They have Moshe and the Prophets; they should listen to them.’ ​
30
However, he said, ‘No, father Avraham, they need more. If someone from the dead goes to them, they’ll repent!’
31
But he replied, ‘If they won’t listen to Moshe and the Prophets, they won’t be convinced even if someone rises from the dead!’” ​

Study Notes for Luke 16

Verse 1

The steward (oikonomos) was a manager of his master’s estate. The parable is addressed to the disciples, contrasting the shrewdness of worldly people with the lack of foresight among the 'children of light.'

Verse 2

Give an account: The steward is required to settle the books before his dismissal, providing the narrow window of opportunity for his manipulative actions.

Verse 4

The steward seeks future security by creating an obligation among his master’s debtors. He uses his temporary power to ensure that others will provide for him when he is unemployed.

Verse 6

The steward reduces the debt by 50%. This reduction likely represents the elimination of interest or the steward’s own commission, making him appear generous while using his master’s assets.

Verse 8

The lord commended the steward's shrewdness (prudence), not his dishonesty. The point of the parable is that worldly people apply more energy and foresight to securing their temporal future than believers often do for their eternal future.

Verse 9

Mammon of unrighteousness: 'Mammon' is Aramaic for wealth, here described as 'unrighteous' because it is inherently earthly and prone to corruption. Jesus urges disciples to use worldly wealth wisely (e.g., through generosity) to secure lasting spiritual relationships and rewards.

Verse 10

This maxim shifts the focus from shrewdness to integrity. Faithfulness in small, temporal matters (like money) is the necessary preparation for handling great, eternal responsibilities.

Verse 11

True riches: Refers to spiritual blessings, ministry responsibilities, and eternal life entrusted by God, which stand in contrast to temporary earthly possessions.

Verse 13

This concludes the teaching on stewardship, emphasizing the absolute incompatibility of divided allegiance. Wealth (Mammon, personified) demands the same total devotion that God requires.

Verse 14

The Pharisees, known for their covetousness (love of money), derided Jesus because his teaching directly challenged their belief that wealth was a sign of divine favor and righteousness.

Verse 15

They justify themselves before men by outward displays of piety and prosperity. Jesus warns that human esteem is irrelevant; God alone judges the heart and often condemns what the world values highly.

Verse 16

John the Baptist marks the pivotal turning point (kairos) between the Old Covenant era and the forceful arrival of the Kingdom of God, which demands an energetic response and new emphasis.

Verse 17

One tittle of the law: A 'tittle' (keraia) is the smallest stroke in Hebrew writing. Jesus affirms the absolute, enduring authority of the moral Law, even as the method of salvation shifts with the Kingdom’s arrival.

Verse 18

Jesus uses the example of divorce to demonstrate that the moral standards of the Law remain binding, contrasting sharply with the lax interpretations common among certain Pharisaic schools.

Verse 19

This is a narrative, not a typical parable, describing the contrasting fates of two men. The rich man's clothing (purple and fine linen) signifies extreme, costly luxury.

Verse 22

Abraham's bosom: A Jewish idiom for paradise or the place of comfort for the righteous dead, signifying a place of honor and rest.

Verse 23

Hell (Hades): Refers to the intermediate state of the unrighteous dead. This passage implies conscious suffering and recognition immediately following death.

Verse 25

The rich man is not condemned simply because he was wealthy, but because he lived opulently without compassion, failing to use his 'good things' to alleviate the suffering at his gate (cf. vv. 19-21).

Verse 26

Great gulf fixed: Illustrates the permanence of the separation between the righteous and the unrighteous dead in the intermediate state, ruling out any possibility of movement or reversal.

Verse 29

Moses and the prophets: Refers to the Old Testament scriptures. Abraham insists that the existing written revelation is sufficient for repentance and salvation; no further supernatural sign is necessary.

Verse 31

This climactic statement foreshadows the unbelief surrounding Jesus' eventual resurrection. If people refuse the clear teaching of Scripture, they will not be persuaded even by the most dramatic supernatural event.

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