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Luke 16:9
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7 Then he said to another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ So he said, ‘A hundred1 measures of wheat.’ And he said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write eighty.’  
8 So the master commended the unjust steward because he had dealt shrewdly. For the sons of this world are more shrewd in their generation than athe sons of light.  
9 “And I say to you, amake friends for yourselves by unrighteous1 mammon, that when you fail, they may receive you into an everlasting home.  
10 aHe who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much.  
11 Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?
12 And if you have not been faithful in what is another man’s, who will give you what is your aown?  
13 a“No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.”  
Commentaries:
Forerunner Commentary
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What Does Luke 16:9 Mean?



Luke 16:9

Jesus Himself interprets the parable for us. We ought to use spiritual wisdom just as shrewdly as the steward used his secular wisdom. He tells us we should "be wise as serpents and harmless as doves" (Matthew 10:16). "Unrighteousness mammon" signifies wealth or money gained by unrighteousness, that is, by sinful ways. Money becomes a power for evil in the hands of sinful people. James warns us not to make friends of those who are worldly and unconverted (James 4:4). We can make friends by means of money that the unconverted covet, thereby helping God to witness to them and eventually convert them.

Martin G. Collins
Parable of the Unjust Steward

Related Topics: Mammon, Unrighteousness | Money | Secular Wisdom | Shrewdness | Spiritual Wisdom | Unrighteous Mammon | Wealth, Pursuing | Wisdom, Godly | Wisdom, Worldly | Wise as Serpents, Harmless as Doves



Luke 16:1-13

Our bodies belong to God, but He has bestowed their care on us as a stewardship responsibility to glorify God in our body as well as our spirit. In the parable, Jesus mentions "unrighteous mammon" (verses 9, 11), which He also terms "what is least" (verse 10) and "what is another man's" (verse 12). Each term is synonymous with the other two.

Jesus does not say to ignore these. He simply points out that they are secondary to the "true riches" (verse 11), "what is your own" (verse 12), and "[what] is much" (verse 10). Similarly, each of these is synonymous with the other two. He points to a direct connection between the two levels of responsibility by saying, "He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much" (verse 10). Care of our body falls within the parameters of unrighteous mammon, what is least and what is another man's.

John W. Ritenbaugh
Eating: How Good It Is! (Part One)

Related Topics: Glorifying God | Glorifying God by Our Example | Glorifying God in Our Bodies | Mammon, Unrighteousness | Parable of the Unjust Steward | Responsibility | Responsibility, Sense of | Stewardship | Stewardship of our Bodies | Unrighteous Mammon


 
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