CHAPTER 16

Luke 16:1-13 1 And he said also unto his disciples, There was a certain rich man, which had a steward; and the same was accused unto him that he had wasted his goods.
2 And he called him, and said unto him, How is it that I hear this of thee? give an account of thy stewardship; for thou mayest be no longer steward.
3 Then the steward said within himself, What shall I do? for my lord taketh away from me the stewardship: I cannot dig; to beg I am ashamed.
4 I am resolved what to do, that, when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses.
5 So he called every one of his lord's debtors unto him, and said unto the first, How much owest thou unto my lord?
6 And he said, An hundred measures of oil. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and sit down quickly, and write fifty.
7 Then said he to another, And how much owest thou? And he said, An hundred measures of wheat. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and write fourscore.
8 And the lord commended the unjust steward, because he had done wisely: for the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light.
9 And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations.
10 He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.
11 If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?
12 And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man's, who shall 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 the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

This is usually called "The Parable of the Unjust Steward," because that's what Jesus called the main subject of the parable (see Vs 8).

The steward was over the household and business of the "rich man" (vs1).
But he "wasted" the earnings of the rich man.

When the boss found out about it, he wanted an "account" of all the steward had been doing.
If the account exhibited wrongdoing, the steward may not keep his job!

The steward was obviously afraid of losing his position.
Perhaps he was too old to "dig" (manual labor).
And, certainly he would be "ashamed" to "beg" from others.

AH! He saw an answer to the problem (vs 4).
He would call all those who were indebted to the rich man (his boss) and REDUCE their bill!
He still had the authority. And, what decisions he made had to be honored by the boss; even if he fired him!

Notice the PURPOSE of reducing the bills (vs 4). The recipients would gladly "receive" the steward if he were fired. They would help him because they would be grateful.

The rich man, the boss, saw what the steward had done.
We are not told if the rich man were angry and fired the steward.
But we are told that the rich man "commended" him (vs 8) for his wisdom!!
((Be careful to note that the word "lord" refers to the "rich man" -- NOT to Jesus!
If it referred to Jesus, then it would have been capitalized.))

Now we come to vs 9, and one of the purposes of the parable.
Jesus had said in the last part of vs 8, that often secular people exhibit more wisdom in handling funds and property that spiritual people.

Now, in vs 9, Jesus makes a statement that is often misinterpreted and misused.
We must remember that the Bible does NOT say that "money is the root of all evil."
What the Bible DOES say is that the "LOVE of money is the root of all evil." (SEE 1Timothy 6:9-10)

There is nothing wrong with having money.
We are not supposed to worship money, or to place its gain above concern for people.
((See Proverbs 21:6 and Proverbs 28:20)

One thing Jesus is saying, is that we who know Him,
should not be so "heavenly minded" that we fail to be of earthly USE!

We should be FAITHFUL in the utilization of money (See vss 10-11)!
USE what you have to: care for the poor, minister to the needy, promote education in the Christian community, and support mission work. In other words GIVE!!

THEN, when God calls you (through death) to ACCOUNT, the heavenly angels will deliver you "into everlasting habitations!" (Vs 9)

If you are not faithful now, how will God count you as faithful in the final judgment day? (Vss 10-12)

And remember, you "cannot serve God AND mammon!"
It is impossible to SERVE mammon and truly serve God. It is impossible to truly serve God and worship riches. It's either One or the other!

Illustration:
A new missionary in a foreign country went out each day, but couldn't get people to LISEN.
People would believe Jesus rose from the dead and that He is God.
Finally, the missionary called some Christian friends around him to pray.
Then, he got the message!
It was as if God was saying through the prayers: Don't go out and argue WHETHER Jesus is God; just go preaching and teaching as He is God to YOU!"

14 And the Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things: and they derided him.
15 And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.

At this point, the Pharisees were upset.
Jesus takes this opportunity to teach several truths.
The first truth is about men's covetousness.

They were convicted by God's Holy Spirit of their own covetousness!
So, they "derided" Jesus!

They tried to make His statements negligible in the ears of those listening by demeaning Him.

Now, let me just say that this is what happens today when TRUTH is preached or taught.
God's Holy Spirit moves on the hearts of those hearing, and causes them to be CONVICTED; first of sin, then of righteousness, and then of judgment to come ((See John 16:8-11.))

God KNOWS what's in the "hearts" of men!
The PURPOSE of God's conviction is to bring us to repentance.

What are the things "highly esteemed among men?"
Prestige, power, riches, fame, (when SOUGHT after) are all an "abomination in the sight of God."

We are here to be SERVANTS to our LORD.
We are here to be FAITHFUL in stewardship to HIM.

Now, the second truth that Jesus teaches about is JEALOUSNESS.

16 The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it.
17 And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail.

The Pharisees were studiers of the "law" (Old Testament).
They would have easily understood Jesus' reference to John the Baptist.
John was the one whom God anointed to "prepare the way" before Christ (See Isaiah 40:3.).

Since John the Baptist came, Jesus is telling them, "the kingdom of God is preached."
John came preaching "repent!" And they chopped off his head!
Jesus came preaching "repent!" And they were trying to negate His teaching & preaching!

BUT, the people gladly heard John. And, they gladly heard Jesus.
AND, the people were pressing eagerly into the kingdom through repentance!

The Pharisees were JEALOUS!
People no longer listened to them!
They were following Jesus and being baptized to show their acceptance of Him as LORD!

There was ANOTHER thing the Pharisees should have readily seen.
That was God's Word NEVER FAILS!!
Therefore, they should have seen that both John the Baptist and Jesus came ACCORDING to the Scriptures!

((A "tittle" is the smallest jot in the alphabet of Hebrew.)) It would be EASIER for "heaven and earth to" fade away than for God's Word to ever FAIL!!

The third truth that Jesus teaches here is about DIVORCE!

18 Whosoever putteth away his wife, and marrieth another, committeth adultery: and whosoever marrieth her that is put away from her husband committeth adultery.

Jesus said basically the same thing in Matthew 5:31-31.
Where did the law of divorce come from? It came from God Himself through Moses. Why did God give a law of divorce? Jesus answered that Himself. He said, "For the hardness of your heart!!" (See Matthew 10:5-9)

First, it was because men were throwing their wives out of the house because of stupid things. For instance, if she didn't cook the biscuits right, she could be thrown out. But they weren't DIVORCING her, they were just casting her out to be at the mercy of society. No one else could marry her, and hardly anyone would care for her - because she was actually still married. So God commanded a "law of divorcement." (See Deuteronomy 24:1-4)

The wife was considered equal in office and position to the husband. Though sometimes treated as chattel mortgage by the sinfulness of men, she was to be called "blessed" by her husband and her sons (See Proverbs 31:28) She could command her family(See Exodus 20:12), and sometimes took the leadership of the family. Her voice was to be heard in the conduction of all activities of the home (See Genesis 21:12)

So you might say, that God's given instructions for divorce was a strike for "women's rights." (That certainly does not mean that God condones the present-day "women's liberation" movement!)

With the sole exception of sex outside the marriage, divorce was unthinkable! And Jesus wanted it understood that, if a man divorced a woman for any reason other than "fornication," then he brought the same judgment upon himself as upon her -- adultery -- when he remarried.

Now, let me hurriedly belabor this point for a moment. Anyone who has forced divorce for reasons other than adultery can be forgiven. ALL sins can be forgiven. There are two things that adults in this situation should do. First, they should admit to their previous marital partner that their reasons for divorce were wrong. Second, they should go to God and ask forgiveness. One who follows these steps can live without the stigma of divorce because the root has been forgiven ( See 1John 1:9).

The next truth Jesus teaches is about SELFISHNESS without COMPASSION!

19 There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day:
20 And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores,
21 And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.
22 And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;
23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
24 And 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 tormented in this flame.
25 But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.
26 And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.
27 Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house:
28 For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.
29 Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.
30 And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent.
31 And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.

Illustration:
A little boy was caught in mischief. He kept going in and out, in and out, slamming the door each time.
Mom stopped him. In exasperation she said, "Joe, how are you going to get into heaven if you keep doing mischief?" He said, "That's simple. I'll just keep slamming the door. Pretty soon, someone will say 'either come IN or go OUT!' That's when I'll go IN!"

That's cute, but it just ain't that easy!

Note the setting of the parable.
The "rich man" KNEW about the "poor man."
He was in contact with this poor man almost every day.
But he never offered any HELP!

Note the END of both men -- DEATH!
Death comes to ALL, unless Jesus returns prior to our demise.
Rich or poor, famous or unknown, powerful or nothing, ALL die! ((See Romans 6:23))
ALL of us will ultimately be like the "steward" in the first part of this chapter.
We will face God to "account" for our lives.

Note the DIFFERENCE of places to which each man went.
The "poor man" was placed in "Abraham's bosom," a place of REST.
May I also point out, Jesus did NOT call that place "heaven."

The "rich man" was placed in "hell." (The correct term is Hades.)
May I also point out, Jesus did NOT call that place "the lake of fire and brimstone" where people are "tormented day and night for ever and ever." (Revelation 20:10)

NEITHER man was put in his FINAL place.
Both went to an INTERMEDIATE state.

Yes, there is an intermediate state for all people who die!
One is a place of REST for those who surrender to Christ.
The other is a place of "torment," and only a PRELUDE to the awful torment to come!

The FINAL place of a person's residence for eternity is not decided until AFTER the "Great White Throne Judgment." ((See Revelation 20:11-15))

Note also that the "poor man" has a NAME -- Lazarus.
But the "rich man" is UNnamed!
Those who live for Christ in this world are REMEMBERED!
The world remembers them because of their lifestyle reflecting goodness.
God remembers them and gives them a place of "rest."

The rich man, having found his "torment," is now convicted of selfishness, and has compassion toward his brothers! (Vss 27-28 above)

Listen to what Jesus says in the next verses (vss 28-31).
ALL we have for genuine repentance and salvation is God's WORD!!

The rich man believed that if someone returned from the DEAD, the brothers would LISTEN!
The truth is JESUS returned from the dead!!
And SOME people are STILL not listening and repenting!!!

WHY?
Because they'd rather believe SELF than God!!

The wages of sin IS death!
SOMEBODY has to pay the price!

We have two choices.
We can be like the "rich man" and choose to pay the price ourselves.
Or, we can ask Jesus to pay the price FOR us!

Which is YOUR choice?

PLEASE CONTINUE WITH US IN BIBLE STUDY TOMORROW.