Luke 16:1-18

Applebury's Comments

The Parable of the Unrighteous Steward
Scripture

Luke 16:1-18 And he said unto the disciples, There was a certain rich man, who had a steward; and the same was accused unto him that he was wasting his goods. 2 And he called him, and said unto him, What is this that I hear of thee? render the account of thy stewardship; for thou canst be no longer steward. 3 And the steward said within himself, What shall I do, seeing that my lord taketh away the stewardship from me? I have not strength to 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 heir houses. 5 And calling to him each one of his lord's debtors, he said to the first, How much owest thou unto my lord? 6 And he said, A hundred measures of oil. And he said unto him, Take thy bond, and sit down quickly and write fifty. 7 Then said he to another, And how much owest thou? And he said, A hundred measures of wheat. He saith unto him, Take thy bond, and write fourscore. 8 And his lord commended the unrighteous steward because he had done wisely: for the sons of this world are for their own generation wiser than the sons of the light. 9 And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends by means of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when it shall fail, they may receive you into the eternal tabernacles. 10 He that is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much: and he that is unrighteous in a very little is unrighteous 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'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 hold to one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

14 And the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all these things; and they scoffed at him. 15 And he said unto them, Ye are they that justify yourselves in the sight of men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God. 16 The law and the prophets were until John: from that time the gospel of the kingdom of God is preached, and every man entereth violently into it. 17 But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away, than for one tittle of the law to fall.

18 Every one that putteth away his wife, and marrieth another, committeth adultery: and he that marrieth one that is put away from a husband committeth adultery.

Comments

And he said unto the disciples.There is an apparent connection between this chapter and the preceding one in which Jesus completely discredited the Pharisees who had complained that He was receiving sinners. He proved that He was receiving only such sinners as were willing to repent of their sins and conduct themselves in a manner that glorified the Lord. The lessons of chapter sixteen are primarily to the disciples, although He had some things to say directly to the Pharisees.

The two parables of this chapter, while dealing incidentally with the subject of riches, stress the importance of doing something about entrance into the eternal happiness of those who use the opportunities of this life to prepare for life after death. For example, in the parable of the Unjust Steward, Jesus shows that the man was commended for making preparation for the time when he would no longer have an income. But the real lesson points to the necessity of preparing for the eternal home.
In the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus (assuming that it is a parable) Jesus contrasts the rich man and the beggar in this life, but elaborates on their states after death. It would seem, therefore, that riches, about which Jesus said some important things, was not the primary lesson to be learned from the story of the rich man and Lazarus. Eternal life, a subject that seemed to be taken lightly by the Pharisees, was not to be taken for granted by the disciples. Joy in heaven is stressed in the parables of grace, and the thought continues in the parables of chapter sixteen. What Jesus said about riches in this chapter is not, of course, to be minimized.

There was a certain rich man.The dishonest steward is the central character in this story; he was not commended for his dishonesty, but for his wisdom in preparing for the future. Dishonesty was the occasion for his losing his position. The fact that he was about to lose his income made it necessary for him to do something about his future. Everyone faces the necessity of doing something about life after death, for it is appointed unto man once to die, and after that cometh the judgment. The vital question is: Where will you spend eternity? The second parable of the chapter indicates that there are but two places in which to spend it.

the same was accused unto him.Someone had reported to his master that he was wasting his master's goods. There must have been truth to it, for the steward immediately took steps to provide for himself when he was no longer privileged to serve his master.

render the account of thy stewardship.The master demanded a statement of his accounts. He was to turn in a report of his stewardship since he was no longer to be steward.

Since the lesson deals with eternal life, it is well to think of it as having to do with one's relationship to God. It does not suggest that all men are dishonest in life's work; but all must render account of the things done in the body, whether they are good or bad (2 Corinthians 5:10).

I am resolved what to do.The steward said to himself, I do not have the strength to do hard physical labor and I am ashamed to beg. What shall I do? Suddenly the idea struck him! I know, he said, I-'ll arrange it so they will take me in when I lose the stewardship. They were the ones who owed his master. This is the central idea of the parable: providing for the future.

And calling to him each of his lord's debtors.The example of what he said to two of them is sufficient to indicate his action with reference to the rest. To the one who owed a hundred measures of oil, he said, Take your bill and write fifty. To another who owed a hundred measures of wheat, he said, Make it eighty. The debtors apparently entered into the dishonest deal without protest. We need not be concerned about the two words for measure; one of them refers to liquid and the other to dry measure. It would be difficult to determine exactlyeven if there were a point in doing sohow much they represent in our measures. Neither do we know why he discounted one 50% and the other 20%. It has nothing to do with the lesson of the parable. What the steward did was enough to gain his point, making friends who would later take him into their homes.

and his lord commended the unrighteous steward.The master of the steward who added dishonesty to his wastefulness commended the servant because he had acted intelligently in providing for the future. It was certainly not for dishonesty that he was commended, and he had already been discharged for wastefulness.

for the sons of the world are for their own generation wiser.These words are added as Jesus-' own comment on the situation. People of this agethis life as compared to the spiritual life that extends into heavenare wiser toward those of their generation than the sons of light. How often the sons of light act unwisely! They let the things of this material world keep them from preparing for the heavenly experience. In the parable of The Sower, Jesus spoke of those who allow the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches to choke out the implanted Word of God. The sons of light should know how to please the Heavenly Father; they should know the importance of doing His will; they should be aware of the necessity of preparing for the life after death.

Make to yourselves friends by means of the mammon of unrighteousness.Mammon refers to material riches. It is called mammon of unrighteousness because it is so often used in unrighteous ways. There is no suggestion in this expression that material wealth is in itself unrighteous. Neither is there, for that matter, any virtue in poverty in itself. It is the use to which wealth is put that determines its value.

Those women who accompanied Jesus and the apostles were, no doubt, people of some financial standing. Joseph, the man who buried the body of Our Lord, was rich. Abraham, for his day, was certainly a rich man, but he was a man of faith and looked for the city that hath foundations whose builder and maker is God.
With whom, then, are you to make friends by the proper use of wealth? Jesus indicates that it is with those who can receive you into the eternal tabernacles, heaven itself. Who are they who will receive you? The Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

How can one use wealth to gain such an end? There are several ways in which money can be used to the glory of the Lord: (1) don-'t worship riches; (2) use wealth to promote the welfare of the needy (Matthew 25:40); (3) use it to promote the kingdom of God on earth (Philippians 4:1-6).

Of course, the Bible indicates that there is more to the matter of entering the heavenly tabernacles than the right attitude toward wealth. It is this plus complying with the terms of salvation under the New Covenant as set forth in the nine cases of conversion in the book of Acts. It is this plus a life that actually produces the fruit of repentance. See Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 4:7-32; Colossians 3:1-17; 2 Peter 1:5-11. These are but a few of the many statements of Scripture on the necessity of living the Christian life. The person who does have the Scriptural view of money will, in all probability, take the other issues into consideration also.

He that is faithful in a littleThe principle that is involved in this statement holds good whether one has little or much. If you have not been faithful in handling the wealth of this life, who will commit true riches to your trust? Jesus restated the principle in another form, If you have not been faithful in that which belongs to another, who will give you what belongs to you? This was the problem of the unrighteous steward; he was not faithful in managing his masters possession and could not expect him to give him a home after he was discharged. Is Jesus suggesting that the things of the world really do not belong to us? It seems so. Then the possession of heaven really does belong to the saints, for they are heirs of God and joint-heirs of Jesus Christ.

Ye cannot serve God and mammon.This removes any doubt about what was commended in the steward's conduct. It was not dishonesty, but the wisdom of the dishonest servant who had the foresight to prepare for the day when riches would fail. The really wise person will see that this calls for preparation for life after death.

As a servant cannot serve two masters, Jesus said that you cannot serve God and mammon. Why try the impossible? Apparently Judas tried it, but he failed.

And the Pharisees.Jesus had been instructing His disciples, but the Pharisees who were lovers of money heard what He said and began to scoff at His views on wealth. Literally, they turned up their noses at the idea He presented. Their disgust must have shown in some manner on their faces.

were lovers of money.Evidently they were loving money and trying to make it appear that they also loved God at the same time. But this was impossible, for Jesus said, You cannot serve God and mammon. They were so sure that the favor of God rested on them that the words of Jesus seemed ridiculous to them.

that which is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God.The Pharisees were exalting material riches; but this was an abomination in the sight of God who knew their hearts.

The law and the prophets.Why did Jesus mention the law and the prophets? Evidently because the Pharisees prided themselves on keeping them, but Jesus had showed how they were failing to do so. They were pretending to obey the Law of God, but, in reality, were serving material wealth.

There are several problems of interpretation in this verse. Take for example the first clause as it reads in Greek: The law and the prophets until John. There is no verb in this clause because it is implied in the verb of the main clause. We must understand it to read, The law and the prophets were preached until John; after that the gospel of the kingdom is preached. This avoids the error that assumes that the jurisdiction of the law and prophets extended only to the time of John. The facts are that it extended to Pentecost, the beginning of the jurisdiction of the New Covenant. What Jesus said, then, is that the gospel of the rule of God in the hearts of men which John preached and which He also preached held exactly the same view toward exalting material riches as the Law of Moses which forbade having any other god before the God of Israel.

What is meant by saying Every man entereth violently into it? This is to say that every man was attempting by force to enter the kingdom in his own way. In reality, it is impossible to force one's way into the kingdom. No man comes to the Father but by me, said Jesus. Were the Pharisees, by setting up their own standards, trying to take over the kingdom by force? The context seems to suggest that they were. Others were also trying it. After the feeding of the five thousand, the people came to take Jesus by force and make Him their king. He prevented it by withdrawing into the mountain to pray (John 6:15). Even Peter and James and John had their own ideas of what Jesus-' kingdom should be, but they couldn-'t persuade Him to adopt them.

A similar statement is given in Matthew 11:12, From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and men of violence take it by force, that is, they were trying to do so.

But it is easier for heaven.What God had said in His law about riches stands. Jesus lived and taught under the jurisdiction of the Law, but this principle is not changed under the New Covenant. See James 5:1-6.

Every one that putteth away his wife.Apparently, this is another one of those things which men were advocating that was an abomination before God. Jesus said that every one who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and he that marries the divorced woman commits adultery. Divorce did not end the marriage contract. The Pharisees had been scoffing at Jesusand there are many who scoff at His teaching on divorce todaybut He did not hesitate to let them know exactly what the Law of God said on the matter.

What is said on the subject of divorce in Matthew 19:3-12if we are to assume that there is any difference between that account and this one in Lukedoes not affect the teaching of the New Covenant on the issue of marriage. According to Romans 7:2 and 1 Corinthians 7:7. A wife is bound for so long time as her husband liveth. Only death severs the marriage bond. Jesus made it plain that from the beginning divorce and remarriage was not a part of the plan of God. Divorce was permitted by Moses because of the hardness of their hearts, but it was not so from the beginning. There is a serious question on which there is no uniform opinion as to whether or not remarriage was permitted by the regulation of Moses. See STUDIES IN FIRST CORINTHIANS, chapter seven, for further discussion of the problem.

Divorce is having a serious effect on the home in our time. Civil authorities are beginning to see the evil effect of it and are suggesting ways of coping with it. But the church has the answer in the Bible. It is the duty of Christian people to teach and practice what is written in the Word. It is the only way to restore the home to the original standard of God. The future of the nation and of the church demands a return to the divine regulation for the home where children may be brought up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord (Ephesians 6:1-4). Divorce is not the only problem, but it is a major one.