I’m not sure how much insight I will have for today. There is a lot about this section of scripture that confounds me, I’ll admit. Let’s just jump in and get after it.
1Now He was also saying to the disciples, “There was a rich man who had a manager, and this manager was reported to him as squandering his possessions.
Luke 16:1 (NASB95)
To set the stage, from my perspective, God is the “rich man,” and we are the steward. We’ve been given a life to care for, our own, and entrusted with all of creation. Most of us do not do with our lives what God would want for at least some portion of that life. It is very rare that a child is born, goes through school, graduates, and walks God’s path all his or her life. If that’s you, I envy you.
2“And he called him and said to him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an accounting of your management, for you can no longer be manager.’
Luke 16:2 (NASB95)
Welcome to dying and stepping before Jesus on judgment day to stand for what you have done and said, or not done and not said.
3“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; I am ashamed to beg.
Luke 16:3 (NASB95)
Who among us can extend our lives when the time comes?
4‘I know what I shall do, so that when I am removed from the management people will welcome me into their homes.’
Luke 16:4 (NASB95)
We are about to get into the stuff I either partially or not at all understand. I’ll be candid with you about that where it exists. I welcome anyone’s insight. I’m not certain, but I think this is where we are to follow God’s Word in life as best we can.
5“And he summoned each one of his master’s debtors, and he began saying to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’
6“And he said, ‘A hundred measures of oil.’ And he said to him, ‘Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.’
7“Then he said to another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ And he said, ‘A hundred measures of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write eighty.’
Luke 16:5–7 (NASB95)
This seems like being a bad steward to me. The steward (which is us) changes what the people legitimately owe their lord (God.) As I type this, it is helping me work through it. I think the steward isn’t just us as individuals but us as Christians knowing God’s Word. That means we know what God says is good and evil or sinful. When the steward in the parable changes the bill, he is telling the other people for those things he knows of; he lessens what they owe. He forgives them their debt or at least a portion of it.
When I say the Lord’s Prayer in church, I say the King James Version with debt and debtor. I think it more accurately reflects our position of us and other people. In light of that, this parable is taking on a new meaning I never considered.
8“And his master praised the unrighteous manager because he had acted shrewdly; for the sons of this age are more shrewd in relation to their own kind than the sons of light.
Luke 16:8 (NASB95)
The “children of this world” are non-Christians. They absolutely understand how things work regarding dealing with other people of the world. For those of us who are prodigals meaning not having grown up in the church, we know a little bit. However, Christians who have felt their hearts strangely warmed tend not to deal with worldly people as well as non-Christians.
9“And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by means of the wealth of unrighteousness, so that when it fails, they will receive you into the eternal dwellings.
Luke 16:9 (NASB95)
I didn’t understand the “everlasting habitations” as relates to non-Christians. People who do not follow Christ don’t get eternal life. However, there will always be people who don’t follow Christ, so there will always be these kinds of people. That’s the only thing I can think of on that part. It still confuses me.
10“He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much.
11“Therefore if you have not been faithful in the use of unrighteous wealth, who will entrust the true riches to you?
12“And if you have not been faithful in the use of that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own?
Luke 16:10–12 (NASB95)
Whether you understand this passage fully or not, you should consider it with all seriousness. This passage concerns matters of great import. I think it also operates on a couple of levels. Verse eleven relates to money on earth and those treasures in Heaven that moth and rust do not destroy. It concerns our own souls and repentance on a personal level, but it also concerns how we treat those things we consider sinful we see in others. How we deal with others’ behavior, we are aware of, may be more important to eternity than what we do with our own repentance, given the contents of verse twelve.
13“No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.”
Luke 16:13 (NASB95)
I have always taken this to mean, and I still do, that we cannot pursue earthly riches as our primary goal and God’s path. Both cannot be first in our lives. You can only have one number-one priority. I do not believe that just because you have wealth, that doesn’t mean you serve Mammon. Being wealthy isn’t the sin. Putting money over God is.
14Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, were listening to all these things and were scoffing at Him.
Luke 16:14 (NASB95)
The first part of this is convicting. The second part is reassuring. Hi, my name is Mark, and I like stuff. But, I do not scoff at Jesus. I believe Him, have faith in Him, and proclaim Him my Lord and Savior. I think that matters concerning the first part, which is convicting.
15And He said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of men, but God knows your hearts; for that which is highly esteemed among men is detestable in the sight of God.
Luke 16:15 (NASB95)
If we seek the approval of the world over following God’s Word, we are working toward that which is “…highly esteemed among men…” which is “…detestable in the sight of God.” That one is easy.
16“The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John; since that time the gospel of the kingdom of God has been preached, and everyone is forcing his way into it.
Luke 16:16 (NASB95)
Jesus is not announcing the end of the Jewish Law. Jesus is telling them the Messiah is here and is fulfilling prophecy to usher in the Kingdom of God. This should be a joyful announcement, and it was for some, not for the Pharisees, Lawyers, and Scribes.
17“But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one stroke of a letter of the Law to fail.
Luke 16:17 (NASB95)
That’s the point of this scripture. Jesus is leaving no doubt the rules haven’t changed, only been fulfilled. God still thinks what He said is good, is good, and evil is evil. His Word never changes.
18“Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and he who marries one who is divorced from a husband commits adultery.
Luke 16:18 (NASB95)
This doesn’t apply to me. If it applies to you, and you get upset about it, perhaps you and God need to have a conversation. I’m not suggesting anyone who is married to a divorced person should get a divorce, is evil or bad. Jesus said what He said. Jesus doesn’t change. I’m saying this is something you should study and discuss with God through the Holy Spirit until you understand your situation. If you already do, great. Let’s move on.
These next scripture passages should absolutely motivate us to do more for our fellow human beings now while we can.
19“Now there was a rich man, and he habitually dressed in purple and fine linen, joyously living in splendor every day.
20“And a poor man named Lazarus was laid at his gate, covered with sores,
21and longing to be fed with the crumbs which were falling from the rich man’s table; besides, even the dogs were coming and licking his sores.
Luke 16:19–21 (NASB95)
This is not calling anyone out specifically. This is saying there are rich people in the world and poor people in the world. This sets the stage for a few points Jesus is about to make.
22“Now the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s bosom; and the rich man also died and was buried.
23“In Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far away and Lazarus in his bosom.
Luke 16:22–23 (NASB95)
These two examples were one way on earth and now are reversed in eternity. This is where Jesus’ lesson begins. It is a strong statement on several levels.
24“And he cried out and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue, for I am in agony in this flame.’
25“But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that during your life you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus bad things; but now he is being comforted here, and you are in agony.
Luke 16:24–25 (NASB95)
First off, there is a Heaven and a Hell. One is eternal joy, and the other is eternal punishment. Eternity has these two places, and everyone who dies gets sent to one or the other. This is the truth of our existence and how life and death work. These are Red Letters. Jesus cannot lie.
26‘And besides all this, between us and you there is a great chasm fixed, so that those who wish to come over from here to you will not be able, and that none may cross over from there to us.’
Luke 16:26 (NASB95)
Second, even if they wanted to, which I imagine many do, those in Heaven cannot go to those in Hell and help them. God built the system by which everything operates. God is just. God keeps His rules. However, one of those rules is that Jesus gets the judgment, and He has a heart of mercy. It is Christ’s call who gets in and who doesn’t. Our goal in life, at least one of them anyway, should be to figure out how to get Jesus to be merciful to us when we step before Him for our own judgment. The good news is that God gave us written instructions on how to do that. The bad news is we must read and understand those instructions, then do them.
This is where the hardest lesson begins, in my opinion.
27“And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, that you send him to my father’s house—
28for I have five brothers—in order that he may warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’
Luke 16:27–28 (NASB95)
The rich man wants his family and friends to learn from his experiences and not make the same mistakes he made. This is true for anyone who tries to give us good advice. We should all soften our hearts toward people who try to help us.
29“But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’
Luke 16:29 (NASB95)
This is Jesus flat-out telling people to read the Bible. The instruction manual for life tells us what to do, how to act, and what to say in all situations. This is not cryptic. This is not hidden. This is not some puzzle. It is simply reading and listening to the words, believing them, and acting on them. Unfortunately, Jesus already knows that simple instruction does not have a happy ending.
30“But he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent!’
31“But he said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.’ ”
Luke 16:30–31 (NASB95)
Jesus came, lived, died, and rose from the dead. We have this example of the rich man's desire for his family. The question is, will we learn from the rich man’s mistakes and follow God’s Way, or will we fall prey to the world and “…not be persuaded…?” God bless and Godspeed.
30“But he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent!’
31“But he said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.’ ”Luke 16:30–31 (NASB95)
Mark, that's a powerful bit of scripture and lesson for us. "He that hath ears to hear, let him hear."