Luke 16

Introduction

I wrestled with trying to get through 15 and 16 this morning or just teaching Chapter 15 but decided to stick with the timeline we’re on and I’m going to try to post the lesson from 15 just because there’s just too much to try to fit in or skip

Here in 16 we’re about half way through the passages on Jesus’ Perea ministry:

Perea is the region east of the Jordan where John the Baptist lived and ministered

The route from Galilee to Jerusalem the Jewish people would take went through this region so they didn’t have to go through Samaria: John 4:9 “9 Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.”

Chapter 14 he was at dinner with pharisees and sinners (people the Pharisees viewed as “unclean or unworthy” , and in Luke 14:25 he’s started traveling again

Luke 15:1 “1 Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him.”

Gives 3 parables to them (the Lost Sheep, the Lost Coin, and the Prodigal Son)

Then Jesus turns to the disciples

The parable of the unjust steward

Luke 16:1–13 KJV

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.

steward: A steward was a trusted servant who was in charge of managing the household. He provided food for all the other servants and acted as an agent for his master, with full authority to transact business in the master’s name.

Luke 16:1–2 “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.”

this steward was like the prodigal in that as he wasted the masters money, he was wasting the resources he’d been given and put in charge of

so the rich man is firing him

Luke 16:3 “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.”

steward asks himself “what am I gonna do? I’m no good for manual labor and I’m too proud to beg!”

Luke 16:4–7 “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.”

he gets an idea. He’ll discount what the people owe his master, so maybe at least one of them will take care of him when he’s unemployed

Exodus 22:25 “25 If thou lend money to any of my people that is poor by thee, thou shalt not be to him as an usurer, neither shalt thou lay upon him usury.”

Law prohibited them from charging harmful and damaging interest on each other but there was a practice among the less honest businessmen to bake the interest into the price and just charge more

the steward discounts 100 measures of oil to 50 and 100 measures of wheat to 80 (50% for the oil and 20% for the wheat),

Luke 16:8 “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.”

In the parable the master tells the steward “well played”, of course he wasn’t congratulating him for stealing his money, but because the steward was clearly smarter than the businessman thought

his quickness to applaud the stewards craftiness shows his heart so we don’t need to feel too bad for the businessman’s loss

Jesus explains to the disciples the commendation: the wicked unbelievers are wiser in the ways of the world than believers are in the things of God

Luke 16:9–10 “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.”

mammon: used here for riches

The unjust steward used his master’s money to buy earthly friends; We as believers are to use our Master’s money to store up treasures eternity

We are to invest in the kingdom gospel that brings sinners to salvation, so that when we get to heaven (“an everlasting home”), we might be welcomed by some there because God used His money he let us use

None of it is ours, it’s all His and He lets us use some of it

Luke 16:11–13 “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.”

Jesus tells them what we also learn in Matthew 6:19–21 “19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: 20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: 21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”

If we can’t be trusted to be faithful with the money we’re given here how can we be trusted to be faithful with more money. can we even be trusted to be faithful with the gospel if we’re not sharing for the kingdom?

A hard truth I was reminded of this week: “if you want to see your true spiritual condition, don’t look at your church attendance, look at you checkbook”

I am thankful for the teaching and modeling I’ve been given along the way in tithing

not in a legalistic way, but in a way that’s taught me we can’t outgive God

Luke 6:38 “38 Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.”

Is primarily about grace and forgiveness in it’s immediate context, but can apply to our time, money, an any form of generosity. What we give freely for God to use can be given back to us in good measure by Him

He tells them you’ll serve God with your money or you’ll serve money as your God but you can’t do both. Yahweh IS ONE GOD, and a jealous one at that (Ex. 20:5)

The pharisees response

Luke 16:14–18 KJV

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

derided is scoffed; literally turned up their nose at

Jesus took dead aim at the Pharisees and hit the mark on their hearts so they turn up their nose in contempt. “How dare you!”

They thought their “goodness” was enough, but God knew their hearts, their covetous love of money and the approval of men was idolatrous and an abomination.

Luke 16:16–17 “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.”

John the Baptist was the last OT prophet

John the Baptist’s ministry marked when all of history changed

Before that, it’s types and shadows of the law, and promised in the writings of the prophets (cf. 1 Pet. 1:10–12).

But John the Baptist introduced the King Himself (see note on Matt. 11:11).

The Pharisees, who thought of themselves as experts in the law and the prophets, miss the very One to whom the law and the prophets pointed. But during this sinners are coming in droves to the kingdom of God

Matthew 5:17–18 “17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. 18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.”

the eternal truths contained in the law’s types and symbols, and the promises recorded by the prophets all remain in force

the law teaches us Gods heart and His desire for how we are to live

it also shows us we can’t keep it even in part let alone in whole and is a schoolmaster driving us to the cross and the only one who can, Jesus

Luke 16:18 “18 Whosoever putteth away his wife, and marrieth another, committeth adultery: and whosoever marrieth her that is put away from her husband committeth adultery.”

Luke gave an abbreviated record of Jesus’ teaching on divorce, emphasizing only the main issue.

Matthew introduces adultery as legal grounds and Paul adds abandonment. Physical abuse would be another.

There is no such thing as “no fault divorce”. In the eyes of God, someone is at fault for trying to break what He joined; Christians are to not be the one at fault and strive to do so

The parable of the rich man and Lazarus

Luke 16:19–31 KJV

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.

Luke 16:19–22 “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;”

The rich man in the parable isn’t just rich, purple linen is the cloth of royalty, power, and prestige. He lived high on the hog every day

Lazarus was too poor and sick to be poor and sick; Table scraps, sores, and dogs licking them makes him seen by the Pharisees as not only unclean but despised by God

and the two of them die and Abraham’s Bosom is a Jewish picture of heaven. Abraham is given a place of honor and the the rich man a place of humiliation

Luke 16:23–24 “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.”

The picture Jesus paints of Hell is of unbearable torments and unquenchable flame

The rich man begs Father Abraham to send Lazarus and dip the tip of his finger in water and let a drop cool the tip of his tongue because of the burning torture of every inch of the rest of his body

Luke 16:25–26 “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.”

Not only pain, but the rich man’s tortured by the memories of lost opportunities, “what ifs” that haunt, and the realization that it’s this forever

Luke 16:27–28 “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.”

So he prays Lazarus is sent to at least tell his brothers the truth the rich man never told them so they don’t have to suffer this

Luke 16:29–31 “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.”

Abraham tells him they have God’s word, let them believe them

The rich man knows his brothers and clearly knows they won’t believe the Bible but if they saw the dead tell them, they would believe and repent

Abraham tells them “if they won’t believe the bible, miracles won’t change their mind either

This don’t mean we don’t tell them; we are commanded to go; every one of us that are saved are commanded to Mark 16:15 “15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.”

But we are judged on our faithfulness to the call not the outcome. The outcome is God’s: Ephesians 2:8–9 “8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.”

Conclusion

Stewardship and Eternal Perspective

Jesus calls us to use what we’re given here on earth (money, possessions, influence) with eternity in view

How we handle "unrighteous wealth" in this life reveals our true spiritual condition and prepares us for the next (vv. 9-13).

The Sufficiency and Authority of Scripture

Abraham's declaration that "they have Moses and the Prophets" emphasizes that God's written Word is sufficient for conviction and faith;

those who reject its clear testimony won't be persuaded even by miraculous signs like resurrection from the dead (vv. 29-31),

Afterall, we have the resurrection of Jesus that so many reject today

The Urgency of Salvation in This Life

The Rich Man and Lazarus reveals that our eternal destiny is fixed at death with an uncrossable division between heaven and hell (v. 26); there is no second chance, no postmortem opportunity for repentance

That’s why the coming to faith in Christ now matters more than anything

while we still have "Moses and the Prophets"—and now the full revelation of Christ—calling us to repentance and belief.