Luke 16
16
The Story of the Clever Manager
1Jesus told his disciples another story. He said, “There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting what the rich man owned. 2The rich man called him in and said, ‘What’s this I hear about you? Turn in your accounts, because you can’t be my manager anymore.’
3“The manager said to himself, ‘What am I going to do now? My master is taking away my job. I’m not strong enough to dig, and I’m too ashamed to beg. 4I know—I’ll do something so that when I lose my job here, people will welcome me into their houses.’
5“So he called in each person who owed his master something. He asked the first one, ‘How much do you owe my master?’
6“ ‘I owe 900 gallons of olive oil,’ he replied.
“The manager told him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and change it to 450 gallons.’
7“Then he asked the second one, ‘And how much do you owe?’
“ ‘I owe 1,000 bushels of wheat,’ he replied.
“The manager told him, ‘Take your bill and change it to 800 bushels.’
8“Even though the manager had not been honest, the master praised him for being clever. The people of this world are more clever in dealing with their own kind than God’s people are. 9I tell you, use the riches of this world to make friends for yourselves. Then when your riches are gone, you will be welcomed into an eternal home.
10“If you can be trusted with very little, then you can also be trusted with a lot. But if you aren’t honest with very little, then you also won’t be honest with a lot. 11If you aren’t trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with genuine riches? 12If you aren’t trustworthy in handling someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own?
13“No one can serve two masters at the same time. Either you will hate the first and love the second, or you will be faithful to the first and dislike the second. You can’t serve God and money at the same time.”
14But when the Pharisees, who loved money, heard all that Jesus said, they sneered at him. 15Jesus told them, “You try to make yourselves look good in the eyes of other people, but God knows your hearts. There are things that people value highly that God can’t stand.
More Teachings
16“The Law and the Prophets were preached until John the Baptist came. Since then, the good news of God’s kingdom is being preached, and everyone is trying hard to enter the kingdom. 17It’s easier for heaven and earth to disappear than for the smallest part of a letter to drop out of the Law.
18“Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery, and a man who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.
The Rich Man and Lazarus
19“Once there was a rich man who dressed in purple clothes and fine linen. He lived an easy life every day. 20A beggar named Lazarus used to sit at his gate. His body was covered with sores, 21and the dogs would come and lick them. Lazarus would have been happy just to eat what fell from the rich man’s table.
22“When the time came for the beggar to die, the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. 23In the land of the dead, the rich man was suffering terribly. He looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. 24So the rich man called out, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me! Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I’m in terrible pain in this fire.’
25“But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received good things, while Lazarus received bad things. Now he is comforted here while you are in terrible pain. 26Besides, a wide space has been placed between us and you, so that even if we want to, we can’t go from here to you, and no one can cross over from you to us.’
27“The rich man answered, ‘Then I beg you, father Abraham, send Lazarus to my family. 28I have five brothers. Let Lazarus warn them so that they won’t come to this place of terrible suffering.’
29“Abraham replied, ‘They have the teachings of Moses and the Prophets. Let your brothers listen to them.’
30“ ‘They won’t, father Abraham,’ he said. ‘But if someone from the dead goes to them, then they will turn away from their sins.’
31“Abraham said to him, ‘If they won’t listen to Moses and the Prophets, they won’t be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’ ”
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Luke 16
16
1He also said to the disciples, “There was a rich man who had a steward, and charges were brought to him that this man was wasting his goods. 2And he called him and said to him, ‘What is this that I hear about you? Turn in the account of your stewardship, for you can no longer be steward.’ 3And the steward said to himself, ‘What shall I do, since my master is taking the stewardship away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg. 4I have decided what to do, so that people may receive me into their houses when I am put out of the stewardship.’ 5So, summoning his master's debtors one by one, he said to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ 6He said, ‘A hundred measures of oil.’ And he said to him, ‘Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.’ 7Then he said to another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ He said, ‘A hundred measures of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write eighty.’ 8#1 Thess 5.5; Eph 5.8; Lk 20.34; Jn 12.36. The master commended the dishonest steward for his shrewdness; for the sons of this world#16.8 Greek age are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light. 9#Lk 12.33; 18.22. And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous mammon,#16.9 Mammon is a Semitic word for money or riches so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal habitations.
10 #
Mt 25.21; Lk 19.17. “He who is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much; and he who is dishonest in a very little is dishonest also in much. 11If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon,#16.11 Mammon is a Semitic word for money or riches who will entrust to you the true riches? 12And if you have not been faithful in that which is another's, who will give you that which is your own? 13#Mt 6.24. No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.”#16.13 Mammon is a Semitic word for money or riches
14The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all this, and they scoffed at him. 15#1 Sam 16.7; Prov 21.2; Acts 1.24; Lk 10.29. But he said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts; for what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God.
16 #
Mt 11.12-13. “The law and the prophets were until John; since then the good news of the kingdom of God is preached, and every one enters it violently. 17#Mt 5.17-18; Lk 21.33. But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away, than for one dot of the law to become void.
18 #
Mt 5.31-32; 19.9; Mk 10.11-12; 1 Cor 7.10-11. “Every one who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and he who marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery.
19“There was a rich man, who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. 20#Jn 11.1-44; 12.1,9. And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, full of sores, 21who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man's table; moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. 22#Jn 13.23. The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham's bosom. The rich man also died and was buried; 23and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes, and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus in his bosom. 24And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy upon me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am in anguish in this flame.’ 25#Lk 6.24. But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner evil things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. 26And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.’ 27And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father's house, 28for I have five brothers, so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’ 29#Jn 5.45-47; Acts 15.21; Lk 4.17. But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.’ 30#Lk 3.8; 19.9. And he said, ‘No, father Abraham; but if some one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ 31He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced if some one should rise from the dead.’ ”
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