161 Now 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 . 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 .' 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 . 4 'I know what I shall do , so that when I am removed from the management people will welcome me into their homes .' 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 .' 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 . 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 . 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? 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 e serve God and wealth ." 14 Now the Pharisees , who were lovers of money , were listening to all these things and were scoffing at Him. 15 And 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 .
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. 17 " But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one stroke of a letter of the Law to fail .
18 " Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery , and he who marries one who is divorced from a husband commits adultery .
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 , 21 and 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 . 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 e and Lazarus in his bosom . 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 .'
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Luke 16:1-24
Commentary on Luke 16:1-12
(Read Luke 16:1-12)
Whatever we have, the property of it is God's; we have only the use of it, according to the direction of our great Lord, and for his honour. This steward wasted his lord's goods. And we are all liable to the same charge; we have not made due improvement of what God has trusted us with. The steward cannot deny it; he must make up his accounts, and be gone. This may teach us that death will come, and deprive us of the opportunities we now have. The steward will make friends of his lord's debtors or tenants, by striking off a considerable part of their debt to his lord. The lord referred to in this parable commended not the fraud, but the policy of the steward. In that respect alone is it so noticed. Worldly men, in the choice of their object, are foolish; but in their activity, and perseverance, they are often wiser than believers. The unjust steward is not set before us as an example in cheating his master, or to justify any dishonesty, but to point out the careful ways of worldly men. It would be well if the children of light would learn wisdom from the men of the world, and would as earnestly pursue their better object. The true riches signify spiritual blessings; and if a man spends upon himself, or hoards up what God has trusted to him, as to outward things, what evidence can he have, that he is an heir of God through Christ? The riches of this world are deceitful and uncertain. Let us be convinced that those are truly rich, and very rich, who are rich in faith, and rich toward God, rich in Christ, in the promises; let us then lay up our treasure in heaven, and expect our portion from thence.
Commentary on Luke 16:13-18
(Read Luke 16:13-18)
To this parable our Lord added a solemn warning. Ye cannot serve God and the world, so divided are the two interests. When our Lord spoke thus, the covetous Pharisees treated his instructions with contempt. But he warned them, that what they contended for as the law, was a wresting of its meaning: this our Lord showed in a case respecting divorce. There are many covetous sticklers for the forms of godliness, who are the bitterest enemies to its power, and try to set others against the truth.
Commentary on Luke 16:19-31
(Read Luke 16:19-31)
Here the spiritual things are represented, in a description of the different state of good and bad, in this world and in the other. We are not told that the rich man got his estate by fraud, or oppression; but Christ shows, that a man may have a great deal of the wealth, pomp, and pleasure of this world, yet perish for ever under God's wrath and curse. The sin of this rich man was his providing for himself only. Here is a godly man, and one that will hereafter be happy for ever, in the depth of adversity and distress. It is often the lot of some of the dearest of God's saints and servants to be greatly afflicted in this world. We are not told that the rich man did him any harm, but we do not find that he had any care for him. Here is the different condition of this godly poor man, and this wicked rich man, at and after death. The rich man in hell lifted up his eyes, being in torment. It is not probable that there are discourses between glorified saints and damned sinners, but this dialogue shows the hopeless misery and fruitless desires, to which condemned spirits are brought. There is a day coming, when those who now hate and despise the people of God, would gladly receive kindness from them. But the damned in hell shall not have the least abatement of their torment. Sinners are now called upon to remember; but they do not, they will not, they find ways to avoid it. As wicked people have good things only in this life, and at death are for ever separated from all good, so godly people have evil things only in this life, and at death they are for ever put from them. In this world, blessed be God, there is no gulf between a state of nature and grace, we may pass from sin to God; but if we die in our sins, there is no coming out. The rich man had five brethren, and would have them stopped in their sinful course; their coming to that place of torment, would make his misery the worse, who had helped to show them the way thither. How many would now desire to recall or to undo what they have written or done! Those who would make the rich man's praying to Abraham justify praying to saints departed, go far to seek for proofs, when the mistake of a damned sinner is all they can find for an example. And surely there is no encouragement to follow the example, when all his prayers were made in vain. A messenger from the dead could say no more than what is said in the Scriptures. The same strength of corruption that breaks through the convictions of the written word, would triumph over a witness from the dead. Let us seek to the law and to the testimony, 2 Peter 1:19. Circumstances in every age show that no terrors, or arguments, can give true repentance without the special grace of God renewing the sinner's heart.