1 He also said to His disciples: “There was a certain rich man who had a steward, and an accusation was brought to him that this man was1wasting his goods.
2So he called him and said to him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an aaccount of your stewardship, for you can no longer be steward.’
3“Then the steward said within himself, ‘What shall I do? For my master is taking the stewardship away from me. I cannot dig; I am ashamed to beg.
4I have 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 master’s debtors to him, and said to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’
6And he said, ‘A hundred measures of oil.’ So he said to him, ‘Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.’
7Then he said to another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ So he said, ‘A hundred1measures of wheat.’ And he said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write eighty.’
8So 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 unrighteous1mammon, that when you fail, they may receive you into an everlasting home.
10aHe 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.
11Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?
12And if you have not been faithful in what is another man’s, who will give you what is your aown?
13a“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.”
The Law, the Prophets, and the Kingdom
14 Now the Pharisees, awho were lovers of money, also heard all these things, and they1 derided Him.
15 And He said to them, “You are those who ajustify yourselves bbefore men, but cGod knows your hearts. For dwhat is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God.
16a“The law and the prophets were until John. Since that time the kingdom of God has been preached, and everyone is pressing into it.
17aAnd it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one1tittle of the law to fail.
18a“Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced from her husband commits adultery.
The Rich Man and Lazarus
19“There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and1fared sumptuously every day.
20But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate,
21desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.
22So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to aAbraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried.
23And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
24“Then 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 acool my tongue; for I bam tormented in this flame.’
25But Abraham said, ‘Son, aremember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented.
26And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.’
27 “Then he said, ‘I beg you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father’s house,
28for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place of torment.’
29Abraham said to him, a‘They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.’
30And he said, ‘No, father Abraham; but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’
31But he said to him, a‘If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, bneither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.’ ”
Our bodies belong to God, entrusted to us as a stewardship responsibility to glorify Him. In this parable, unrighteous mammon (verses 9, 11) is also called what is least (verse 10) and what is another man's (verse 12), each synonymous. These are secondary to the true riches, what is your own, and what is much. Jesus points to a direct connection between the two levels of responsibility: He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much. Care of our body falls within unrighteous mammon. The steward, accused of wasting the owner's goods, cunningly forgives debtors' debts to gain future friends. The master reluctantly commends his shrewdness, not his wastefulness, for which he fires him.
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.
The manager of an estate, accused of wasting the owner's goods, cunningly reasons through the situation using his worldly wisdom. However, he continues to deal deceitfully with the rich man's estate. By clever thinking, he devises a plan to defraud his master still more and prepare the way for future employment. He turns the owner's debtors into his friends by forgiving up to half their debts. Reluctantly, the master commends the unjust steward for dealing shrewdly in the worldly ways of cleverness, level-headedness, and forethought. The master does not commend him for wasting his estate, for which he fires him.
Our bodies belong to God, entrusted to us as a stewardship responsibility to glorify Him. In this parable, unrighteous mammon (verses 9, 11) is also called what is least (verse 10) and what is another man's (verse 12), each synonymous. These are secondary to the true riches, what is your own, and what is much. Jesus points to a direct connection between the two levels of responsibility: He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much. Care of our body falls within unrighteous mammon. The steward, accused of wasting the owner's goods, cunningly forgives debtors' debts to gain future friends. The master reluctantly commends his shrewdness, not his wastefulness, for which he fires him.