2BeLikeChrist Bible Commentary - Luke Chapter 16
Commentary - Luke Chapter 16
Luke 16:1-7
Luk 16:1 He also said to the disciples, “There was a rich man who had a manager, and charges were brought to him that this man was wasting his possessions.
Luk 16:2 And he called him and said to him, ‘What is this that I hear about you? Turn in the account of your management, for you can no longer be manager.’
Luk 16:3 And the manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do, since my master is taking the management away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg.
Luk 16:4 I have decided what to do, so that when I am removed from management, people may receive me into their houses.’
Luk 16:5 So, summoning his master's debtors one by one, he said to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’
Luk 16:6 He said, ‘A hundred measures of oil.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.’
Luk 16:7 Then 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.’
Perhaps no other parable of Jesus’ has caused as much head-scratching as the one found in Luke 16:1-8.
It can be difficult to understand the lesson Jesus was teaching.
It can even appear as if Jesus was supporting dishonest behavior.
But before we discuss all of that, let’s go over the parable and familiarize ourselves with the details.
The parable:
Notice first to whom the parable was spoken.
Jesus was talking to His disciples.
The parables in chapter 15 were directed towards the Pharisees and scribes (15:2-3).
The parable introduced a rich man who had a “manager.”
The manager was a person who was trusted to manage the money, property, and investments of the rich man.
In the Old Testament, Joseph held a role similar to this in Potiphar’s house (Genesis 39:4).
Unlike Joseph, this manager wasn’t very good at his job.
He was accused of wasting his master’s money.
Upon hearing about the mismanagement and seeing that his manager could give no reasonable explanation for the waste, the rich man told his manager to make the necessary preparations to relinquish control of the accounts.
He was going to be fired just as soon as he could return all of the things he had been managing.
Understandably, the loss of his job concerned the man.
What would he do?
He wasn’t cut out for physical labor.
He was too ashamed to beg for money on the street.
After considering his options, he came to a conclusion.
He decided to go to his master’s debtors and cut them some deals.
He went to the people who owed the rich man money and settled their debts for less than what they owed.
One man owed 100 measures of oil… the manager settled it for 50 measures.
Another man owed 100 measures of wheat… the manager settled it for 80 measures.
Why?
Because he would make friends by cutting people deals.
Writing off a portion of people’s debt would put him in the good graces of those people.
Then, when they heard he had lost his job, they would be inclined to help him in some way.
He was essentially buying friends with his master’s money.
Was that an honest thing to do?
Of course not.
But he had already been told he was going to be fired.
By the time the rich man heard his debtors had settled their debts at bargain rates, it would be too late.
And if he was an honorable man, he probably wouldn’t go back to the debtors and demand full payment because the manager was still “technically” working under his name when the deals were struck.
Luke 16:8
Luk 16:8 The master commended the dishonest manager for his shrewdness. For the sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light.
Shrewd – “having or based on a clear understanding and good judgment of a situation, resulting in an advantage” (Cambridge).
You might think the master would be furious at his manager for cutting unauthorized deals for personal gain, but Jesus illustrated the master appreciating his sly resourcefulness.
The manager knew he didn’t have much time to secure his future.
He showed great ingenuity in using the small amount of time he had left to ensure he would be okay after being fired.
The manager certainly wasn’t virtuous, but he was resourceful.
Keep this thought in mind as we work through our interpretation of the next few verses.
The man’s resourcefulness was being highlighted, not his virtue.
“For the sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light.”
We need to figure out who Jesus was referring to when He referred to the “sons of this world” and the “sons of light.”
Jesus contrasted the two groups.
“Sons of light” is used in one other place in the gospels, John 12:36.
Joh 12:36 While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light.” When Jesus had said these things, he departed and hid himself from them.
In John, the sons of light are those who believed the gospel.
Those who lived for spiritual riches.
Those who laid up their treasures in heaven.
I believe Jesus was referring to the same group of people in Luke 16.
The “sons of this world” appear to be those who lived for the riches of the world rather than the spiritual riches.
Their minds were fixed on material things.
Their time and their energy were spent accomplishing earthly pursuits.
So, what did Jesus mean when He said “…the sons of this world are shrewder with their dealings than the sons of light”?
It appears to be a bit of a rebuke against those who claimed to love spiritual things.
People who are in love with what this world offers (money, fame, influence, etc) are tenacious about seizing the opportunities.
Their eyes are pealed for any advantageous moment that might get them closer to their goals.
They are shrewd and resourceful in everything they do.
These people have an image of what they want their future to look like and they go after it.
But Jesus seemed to suggest the followers of God weren’t as shrewd and resourceful when it came to securing their futures and accomplishing their goals.
They could take a lesson from the tenacity of the people chasing physical things.
“… those who “are” worldly show much prudence in providing for themselves; seize occasions for making good bargains; are active and industrious; try to turn everything to the best account, and thus exert themselves to the utmost to advance their interests; while Christians often suffer opportunities of doing good to pass unimproved… Alas! this is too true; and we cannot but reflect here how different the world would be if all Christians were as anxious, and diligent, and prudent in religious matters as others are in worldly things. (Albert Barnes).
APPLICATION:
Jesus’ point was truer than most congregations and Christians want to admit.
It isn’t particularly hard to find a group of highly motivated business professionals.
It is somewhat hard to find a group of highly motivated Christians.
I can find you a lot of people who devote long days to business strategy meetings.
I would have a hard time finding you an equal number of equally devoted disciples.
The corporate world is innovative and inventive.
Many churches are stale and give little thought to new methods.
That doesn’t make sense if the stakes are as high as we preach they are.
Ask yourself, “How can I apply myself more tenaciously to the Lord’s work?”
Keep in mind, the answer will look different for every person.
Luke 16:9-12
Luk 16:9 And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth, so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal dwellings.
Luk 16:10 “One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much.
Luk 16:11 If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches?
Luk 16:12 And if you have not been faithful in that which is another's, who will give you that which is your own?
This isn’t the easiest verse to interpret, but it isn’t impossible.
It almost sounds as if Jesus was telling His listeners to mimic the wasteful manager and use dirty money to make friends.
A lot of the confusion is due to the term “unrighteous wealth.”
“Unrighteous wealth” sounds like wealth acquired through sinful means.
Or wealth used to buy sinful things.
But based on what we know about Jesus, that doesn’t sound like something He would recommend.
Jesus was trying to steer people away from unrighteousness, not get them involved in it.
So how are we to understand “unrighteous wealth”?
I believe we are meant to understand it in contrast to the “true riches” mentioned in verse 11.
“Unrighteous wealth” describes earthly money. The kind of wealth that is misused by many and offers no lasting satisfaction.
Perhaps it is called “unrighteous” because loving it is a root of all kinds of evil (1 Timothy 6:10).
Jesus was instructing His disciples to use their money, not for unrighteousness, not to secure their earthly future, but to invest in their eternal future.
To make friends who will receive them into “eternal dwellings.”
Shrewd investors put their money into stocks, options, bonds, mutual funds, and start-up companies because they believe those investments will give them a positive return some day.
A disciple should be using his/her money to invest in people, supporting other disciples and reaching the lost.
Why?
Because souls are a better investment than earthly possessions.
And when your earthly money fails you (i.e. when you die and can’t take it with you and it becomes worthless to you) those who died before you, whose souls were benefited by your eternally minded money management, will be there to welcome you into heaven.
Luke 16:10
Luk 16:10 “One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much.
Jesus’ teaching wasn’t just directed at the rich.
It was just as true for those who had very little.
Our character is shown in how we manage what we have, whether little or much.
A heart that faithfully manages a little money is a heart that would faithfully manage a large sum of money.
A heart that dishonestly manages a little money is a heart that would dishonestly manage a large sum of money.
APPLICATION:
There is a lot of application here.
Can we honestly say we are making investments for eternity?
Can we say we are investing in people’s souls?
APPLICATION:
Biblical money principles aren’t just for affluent Christians.
No matter what our income, God wants us to manage our money well.
That doesn’t just mean investing for retirement or paying down debt.
That means we need to be investing for eternity.
Luke 16:11-12
Luk 16:11 If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches?
Luk 16:12 And if you have not been faithful in that which is another's, who will give you that which is your own?
The true riches are the everlasting riches of heaven.
If a person is not faithful with the money and material things God gives them on earth, why would God reward them with greater things?
“And if you have not been faithful in that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own.”
The disciples were themselves managers.
Whose stuff were they managing?
God’s!
They had what they had because God allowed them to have it.
If they were unfaithful managers of God’s money, why would God reward them?
APPLICATION:
The same is true for us.
Our physical possessions are ours only so long as God permits us to have them.
While we have them, we are responsible for managing them in a way that honors our master.
The manager in the parable was supposed to be managing his master’s possessions for his master’s gain.
We ought to be managing God’s possessions for His glory.
Luke 16:13
Luk 16:13 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 money.”
This is very similar to Jesus’ statement in Matthew 6:24.
Mat 6:24 No one 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 money.
Jesus told the disciples that, although they ought to be shrewd with their money, they were not to serve it.
The acquisition of additional money was not to be their guiding force.
They served God and so did their money.
It is a good thing to have money and to manage it shrewdly for God’s glory.
It is a bad thing to have money and to manage it shrewdly to acquire more money while forgetting about God.
In the end, your money will fail you, God won’t.
In summary, the first 13 verses of the chapter are a lesson about the proper use of money and a warning against falling in love with it.
Luke 16:14-15
Luk 16:14 The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all these things, and they ridiculed him.
Luk 16:15 And 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.
It is often the things we are most guilty of that solicit the most defensive reactions from us.
This was true for the Pharisees.
They appeared to be pious servants of God, but Luke reveals they were actually servants of money.
Money was their master more than God was their master.
They sneered at Jesus.
Sometimes rich people mock poor people when they condemn them for having money.
They think the only reason the poor speak out against money is because they don’t have any and don’t have the means to get any.
But the Pharisees failed to recognize Jesus had willingly given up unimaginable riches in heaven to come to earth.
In one of Jesus’ most straightforward rebukes, He flat out told the Pharisees their actions were an abomination in the sight of God (yikes).
They spent their time justifying themselves (trying to appear righteous) in the eyes of men.
They wanted other people to look at them and admire them.
It was a pride problem.
As we’ve observed throughout the gospels, God wasn’t/isn’t a fan of proud men.
They should have been spending their time considering how they could be just in God’s eyes.
Instead they were worried about how they looked to men’s eyes.
That was a big problem because what sinful human beings admire isn’t the same as what God admires.
In fact, Jesus told them the things men admire are an abomination to God.
Their affections were all tangled up:
They loved money.
They loved men’s admiration.
They couldn’t serve those things and God at the same time.
Luke 16:16-17
Luk 16:16 “The Law and the Prophets were until John; since then the good news of the kingdom of God is preached, and everyone forces his way into it.
Luk 16:17 But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one dot of the Law to become void.
These two verses are tough.
This text has a parallel in Matthew 11:11-13.
Mat 11:11-13 Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force. For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John.
These might not seem obviously parallel at first but if you look at the Greek term translated “suffered violence” in Matthew 11, you’ll find it is the same Greek term translated “forces his way into” in Luke 16.
*See the notes on Matthew 11 for more info.
The Pharisees attempted to justify themselves using the Old Testament Law and writings of the prophets.
They prided themselves on their perfect law keeping.
But Jesus revealed to them they had perverted the law and weren’t keeping it at all.
Since the time of John the Baptist, the message of the Kingdom of God had been preached.
It was something new, but it didn’t void the Old Testament Law.
It fulfilled the Old Testament Law.
The Pharisees were trying to hold people back from entering the Kingdom of God.
They didn’t like the message and saw it as a threat to their way of life.
But as much as they tried to suppress it, people continued “forcing” their way into it (verse 16).
Like Black Friday shoppers forcing their way through the front door of a store, multitudes of people were jostling their way to hear John and Jesus preach about the Kingdom.
The Law’s direction was towards the Messiah.
It pointed people to the Savior.
It foretold His arrival and of His Kingdom.
The Pharisees were not going to be able to hinder God’s plan.
Attempting to stop the Messiah was attempting to void the promises of the Old Testament.
Jesus told the people heaven and earth would sooner vanish than God’s purpose for the Old Testament not be accomplished.
Nothing in the Old Law would go unfulfilled, including the arrival of the Kingdom.
People were pressing into it and the power of heaven was behind it.
Luke 16:18
Luk 16:18 “Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and he who marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery.
How does verse 18 fit into the surrounding context?
Was Jesus changing the subject?
Or was this point meant to further show the Pharisees’ corruption?
To be honest, I can see it both ways.
If this is just a stand-alone verse on the topic of marriage and divorce, it is easy enough to understand.
But if this verse was meant to follow in context, how does it fit?
How would this verse show another side of the Pharisees’ disregard for the Old Testament Law?
To understand, it is helpful to go back to Matthew 19.
Mat 19:3-9 And Pharisees came up to him and tested him by asking, “Is it lawful to divorce one's wife for any cause?” He answered, “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.” They said to him, “Why then did Moses command one to give a certificate of divorce and to send her away?” He said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery.”
In Matthew 19, some Pharisees asked Jesus if it was ok to divorce your wife for any reason.
Based on Jesus’ statement in Matthew 19:8, it appears some of the Pharisees affirmed it was ok to divorce your wife for any reason.
But Jesus told them that was not God’s design from the beginning.
That wasn’t what God desired. He desired the married to remain married.
In Matthew 19:4, Jesus told them they would have known the answer to their question if they had actually read the scriptures.
The Pharisees claimed to love and follow the scriptures, but Jesus told them they didn’t even know the scriptures.
Understanding Matthew 19, helps us understand how Luke 16:18 might fit into the previous verses.
The Pharisees showed a clear disregard for the things God cared about:
They loved money more than God (verse 14).
They loved men’s admiration more than God (verse 15).
They were trying to thwart God’s purposes by undermining the Messiah and the Kingdom of Heaven (verses 16-17).
And many of them ignored God’s real design for marriage (verse 18).
So, the reason marriage and divorce were mentioned here was because Jesus was compounding His accusations against those who “ridiculed Him” (verse 14).
They suggested Jesus was an opponent of God and the Old Testament, but Jesus showed them they were the real enemies of God. They were the ones attempting to undermine God.
Principles about marriage and divorce are mentioned in at least three of the gospels and are later discussed in the epistles.
There is no question that marriage is sacred to God and the act of getting married is just as much a spiritual union as it is a physical union.
The modern suggestion that we should keep religion out of marriage and sex is an impossible one.
The principle taught in this text is not difficult to understand, but its real-world application can be hard.
God designed marriages to stay together.
Mat 19:6 “…What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”
We aren’t to jump in and out of marriages as if the marriage bond is insignificant.
Jesus taught that those who divorce a spouse and marry someone else commit adultery?
Why? Why are they guilty of adultery if they divorced the old spouse?
I believe, it’s because the text implies the original husband and wife are still bound to one another.
They may have been legally divorced by a human court, but they are still bound by the union God formed.
They are not free to exit the marriage relationship.
When a man divorces his wife and marries someone else, he is violating his unbroken bond with his first wife.
As mentioned previously, marriage is a physical and legal union, but of greater gravity is the spiritual union formed by God.
Important Point:
This verse is an excellent example of why the Bible must be studied comprehensively.
Sometimes reading one verse will give you part of the information, but not the entire picture.
In Matthew 19:9, Jesus gives one exception to this divorce rule.
Mat 19:9 And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery.”
There are other verses in chapters like 1 Corinthians 7 that also need to be brought into this discussion.
I would refer you to the notes on those specific passages.
We need to walk away from this text with an understanding of Jesus’ seriousness when it comes to marriage.
It isn’t something to be entered into lightly.
It isn’t something to be exited lightly.
Marriage is meant to last a lifetime.
Luke 16:19-21
Luk 16:19 “There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day.
Luk 16:20 And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores,
Luk 16:21 who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man's table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores.
Chapter 16 concludes with a relatively well-known text, the story of the rich man and Lazarus.
This parable featured 2 main characters:
A rich man who lived in luxury.
Clothed in purple.
He feasted every day.
A poor man, Lazarus, who lived on the streets.
Laid at the rich man’s gate.
Covered in sores.
He was so pitiful the dogs came and licked his sores (quite an image).
We are not told whether this was a fictional story or a historical account.
We were not told whether the parable of the unfaithful servant at the beginning of the chapter was fictional or historical.
I suspect both stories were fictional parables meant to illustrate a point.
However, there are some who believe these stories were based on real people.
Let’s read the whole story before working through its meaning.
Luke 16:22-23
Luk 16:22 The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried,
Luk 16:23 and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side.
Both Lazarus and the rich man died, but their destinations were very different.
Lazarus must have been a God-fearing man because his soul was carried by the angels to “Abraham’s side.”
Abraham was the father of the Jewish nation.
We read about him for the first time in Genesis 11.
He was a faithful man who God loved.
The Jews held Abraham in highest honor and the idea of being with him after death would be a welcome thought to any Jew.
The rich man died, was buried, and found himself in Hades.
The KJV translates this “torments.”
It was a place of suffering.
The place for lost souls.
APPLICATION:
Lazarus probably didn’t receive any kind of special funeral, but he was honored by the angels as soon as he passed through death.
The rich man probably received a splendid funeral but had no honor past the grave.
It is better to seek the honor given by God than the honor of men.
Paradise and Hades:
It is from this story that people get the concept of Paradise and Hades (perhaps you’ve heard this discussed in a Bible class).
Many believe Jesus’ words in this text should be taken at face-value as an accurate description of the state of human souls after death but before the Judgement Day (the end of time as we know it).
The souls of the redeemed (saved) wait for Judgment Day in a place of comfort (sometimes called Paradise, or Abraham’s bosom, or Abraham’s side).
The souls of lost sinners await Judgement Day in a place of torment and suffering (sometimes called Hades or torments).
Others argue Jesus wasn’t trying to accurately describe the condition of pre-Judgment souls, but only using this story to illustrate a point.
To properly evaluate both positions a lot of texts need to be discussed, so I will save a thorough evaluation of that debate for another study, but I wanted to introduce the debate for those who may be interested in digging deeper.
The end of verse 23 tells us the rich man was able to see Abraham and Lazarus from his place of suffering.
Luke 16:24-26
Luk 16:24 And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on 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.’
Luk 16:25 But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish.
Luk 16:26 And 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.’
The rich man called out to Abraham and asked him to have Lazarus fetch him the tiniest amount of water to cool his tongue in order to relieve him from the “flame.”
This is one of several texts that describes the place of eternal punishment as a place of fire.
Mat 25:41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
It’s sad that the rich man wanted Lazarus to ease his suffering after he had never gone out of his way to ease Lazarus’ suffering.
Who knows how long Lazarus sat suffering at the rich man’s gate?
The rich man had passed him by day-after-day.
Even in torment the rich man was still selfish.
Abraham turned down the rich man’s request.
The roles had been reversed.
Reminds me of Jesus’ words in Matthew 19:30.
Mat 19:30 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.
Abraham told the rich man his request was not possible.
Those in Hades could not interact with those at Abraham’s side.
There was a great chasm between them.
Chasm - a deep fissure in the earth, rock, or another surface (Oxford).
Luke 16:27-31
Luk 16:27 And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father's house—
Luk 16:28 for I have five brothers—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’
Luk 16:29 But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’
Luk 16:30 And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’
Luk 16:31 He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’”
After realizing his personal relief could not be accomplished, the rich man asked Abraham to send Lazarus back to his father’s house where his 5 brothers lived.
He wanted Lazarus to warn his brothers not to live lives that would lead them to Hades.
But again, Abraham turned down the request.
God had given all of the Jews sufficient warning of the dangers of disobeying Him.
Moses and the prophets were God’s messengers and their testimony was sufficient.
The rich man insisted his brothers would believe if they encountered someone who had risen from the dead.
Abraham told him he was mistaken.
“If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.”
This was proved during Jesus’ ministry.
Several people were brought back to life by Jesus:
The widow of Nain’s son.
Lazarus.
Jairus’ daughter.
All three of those miracles were done publicly.
Yet, there were still plenty of people who didn’t believe Jesus’ message.
Now that we’ve covered the entire narrative about the rich man and Lazarus, let’s discuss the meaning of the story.
Why did Jesus choose to tell this story?
Remember what was happening at the beginning of the chapter.
The Pharisees were mocking Jesus after hearing Him teach on the topic of money.
Jesus told His audience the day would come when “unrighteous wealth” would fail them.
The Pharisees scoffed at that idea.
That day hadn’t come for any of them (they hadn’t died yet).
But that day had come for the rich man.
And more than anything, that rich man wanted to warn people who were headed down the same path he had gone down.
He wished he had paid more attention to the Law and the prophets (verses 16-17).
The Law and prophets that foretold of the Messiah.
The Law and prophets whose words were guiding people to the Kingdom of God.
It was too late for him, but he wanted his brothers to heed those words more closely than he had done.
During his lifetime, he didn’t care about those things.
He just wanted to live his life enjoying his money, because he loved money.
When we look back at the first part of the chapter we begin to see a lot of parallels between the rich man and the Pharisees.
This story was another rebuke to the Pharisees, it was a warning about where they were headed if they continued to disregard the poor and disregard the guidance of God given through Moses and the prophets.
It was a warning from the grave.
It was a warning from a man who lived the life of a 1st Century Pharisee and was eternally regretting it.
