Luke 16 - Introduction

Butler's Comments

Chapter Sixteen

(Luke 16:1-31)

THE SON OF MAN ADVISING ABOUT MONEY

IDEAS TO INVESTIGATE:

1.

What is a stewardship (Luke 16:1-2)?

2.

Is it more acceptable to God to be prudent than to be honest (Luke 16:8)?

3.

How can Jesus tell Christians to buy friends with their money (Luke 16:9)?

4.

Did the coming of John the Baptist abrogate the law (Luke 16:16)?

5.

Why is it adultery to marry a divorced woman (Luke 16:18)?

6.

Where is Hades (Luke 16:23)?

7.

Why is the great chasm fixed so that none may cross (Luke 16:26)?

PROBLEMS THAT PLAGUE THE SAINTS

CELIBACY, MARRIAGE, DIVORCE, REMARRIAGE

I Corinthians, Chapter 7

INTRODUCTION

Paul was not married when he wrote I Corinthians. Some people have difficulty accepting advice on marriage from a bachelor.
It is possible that Paul had previously been married. If he was a member of the Sanhedrin it is doubtful that he could have been a member unmarried. Also, this chapter does seem to be written by someone who knew by experience what marriage was all about. He might have been a widower.

No one has ever glorified marriage more than the apostle Paul (cf. Ephesians 5:22-23); Paul's great tribute to Timothy's home background (2 Timothy 1:5) shows something of the esteem with which he looked upon home ties.

But whether he was married or not makes no difference. What he teaches is as the apostle of Christ and therefore to be believed and obeyed.

DISCUSSION

I.

THE PURITY OF MARRIAGE, Luke 7:1-9

A.

Reason for this admonition

1.

Apparently the Corinthians had written previously asking questions about marriage.

a.

Some groups were already saying that the more spiritual people were the ascetics who abstained from marriage and they taught that even those Christians who were married should take a brother-sister vow and live in a platonic relationship.

b.

Paul warned Timothy that such denials of the faith and demonic doctrines would appear in the church (1 Timothy 4:1-5).

2.

On the other hand, Jewish Christians in Corinth would say there was no room in the church for celibacy.

a.

The idea of not marrying was so foreign to the Jewish mentality that the O.T. does not even have a word for bachelor.

b.

A godly life for the Jew meant not only marriage, but children.

3.

The loose morals of the Corinthian culture surrounding the church there with the Greek and Roman religions advocating fornication.

B.

Celibacy and marriage are both pure in the Christian community, Luke 16:1-2

1.

Celibacy is good, but so is marriage. If a person does not have a special gift for celibacy, he is much better off to marry than to be tempted to immorality or to burn with unfulfilled passion (Luke 7:9).

2.

Marriage is honorable (Hebrews 13:4); celibacy is honorable (Matthew 19:10-12; 1 Corinthians 7:7-9).

3.

The unmarried state is not superior in any moral sense to the married, nor vice-versa.

4.

It is wrong to consider celibacy as morally superior to marriage; it may have its advantagesbut then, so does marriage.

C.

Marriage is primarily for the exercise of human sexual powers.

1.

It is in marriage men and women are granted this privilege.

2.

Marriage isn-'t all privilegeit has its responsibilities.

a.

Both husband and wife, in marriage, give up exclusive rights to their own bodies, agreeing to share them fully with their partner (Luke 7:4).

b.

The happiest marriages are those characterized by complete liberty, few inhibitions, and absence of any guilt complex.

c.

The cause of so much marital trouble today is selfishness not only, but certainly foremost, in the areas of sexuality.

3.

There is an exception to sexual and marital responsibilities. for a limited time one of the married partners may give full time to religious duties.

a.

These are definite instructions that there may come times when a personal time for seeking the Lord comes before the dearest on earthBUT ONLY FOR A LIMITED TIME.

b.

Church work cannot be used as an excuse for neglecting one's marital responsibilities; what is accomplished in serving the Lord if one's marriage partner is tempted and lost?

D.

Celibacy is a special gift (a charismatic gift).

1.

Paul will deal with this more specifically in Luke 7:17-40.

2.

When God made man, He saw that it was not good for man to dwell alone so He made a helper fit for him (Genesis 2:18).

3.

Jesus said, not all men can receive this. but only those to whom it is given. (Matthew 19:11).

II.

THE PERMANENCE OF MARRIAGE, Luke 7:10-16

A.

Apparently in Corinth, new converts were leaving their partners and breaking up their marriages.

1.

The ideal situation is that both partners in a marriage be Christians.

2.

Young people can and should choose Christian partners before marriage. Love is not something one falls into it is something he wills, decides and does, and does constantly in spite of emotions or circumstances!

3.

But this ideal is impossible in a world of unbelief. Sometimes in a marriage of two unbelievers, one is converted after the fact. What to do? Remain married to the unbeliever if at all possible!

B.

When it comes right down to it, there is no essential difference between a Christian marriage in a church and a pagan marriage in the living room of a justice of the peace.

1.

God's will is that marriage should be permanent, no matter who is involved.

2.

Marriage as an institution predates all other institutions. It was sanctioned by God before the Law of Moses or the Christian dispensation.

3.

Marriage is not a sacrament of the church performed exclusively by the church. It is for the maintenance of human social structures.

4.

It is a human institution, decreed by God, to be practiced by the entire human race.

5.

When two people sincerely agree to live with each other, and obey the social and civil norms for marriage in their community, they are husband and wife regardless of their religion!

C.

While it is possible for a marriage bond to be broken by unfaithfulness (Matthew 19:9), it is certainly not what God desires.

1.

Nor does He desire that the conversion of one of the partners precipitate the break up of a happy home.

2.

Divorce is not God's will for any marriage.

3.

There may be cases where one partner, not at all seeking to do God's will, may dissolve the marriage while the other partner may not be able to stop the dissolution.

D.

What about remarriage?

1.

Paul has already admitted the reality that there is a possibility of the dissolution of marriages even where one party does not want it to be so.

2.

The question is: Does the N.T. absolutely and unequivocally forbid remarriage after divorce? (cf. Matthew 5:31-32; Matthew 19:1-12; Mark 10:2-12; Luke 16:18; 1 Corinthians 7:15; 1 Corinthians 7:39; Romans 7:3-4).

3.

We should also ask: Does the N.T. absolutely and unequivocally permit remarriage after divorce? The O.T. didn-'t (Deuteronomy 24:1-4)! Actually, there are no absolute or unequivocal directions in this matter. What each of us believe or practice, we do so by our inferences or deductions from certain principles.

4.

The following are my personal conclusions or deductions:

a.

God made marriage for the whole human race.

b.

Very few men or women have the gift to remain celibate.

c.

Divorce is a sin; Marriage is not a sin.

d.

No one can be made to be an adulterer or adulteress against their will simply by divorcing them. They may be stigmatized unjustly as an adulterer and whoever marries the stigmatized one may also suffer such stigma.

e.

When there is a divorce there is no longer a marriage, neither in God's eyes nor in man's eyesTHERE IS A SIN IN GOD'S EYES FOR WHICH SOMEONE MUST REPENT (preferably remarriage to the same partner).

But unless there is a reconciliation of those two persons, the marriage is over. They are no longer married to the other person.

f.

There are two circumstances which I believe God considers one partner of a marriage innocent in divorce (unfaithfulness; desertion) and the brother or sister is not bound. Therefore, my opinion is that they are free to remarryto be guided by their knowledge of the will of God for marriage and their own consciences.

5.

I believe God and Christ are interested in producing the highest good in every person's life and in society in general and that is the spirit behind any O.T. Law or N.T. Principle (e.g. the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath, principle).

a.

What practical or ultimate good is going to be served by forcing (by law, where there really is no such law) those once divorced to remain celibate the rest of their lives?

Of course, Christians should live by the highest lawLove and never need to divorce; but some Christians do fall! What about non-Christians? Should a minister of the gospel not also seek the highest good in every fallen person's life?

b.

Many divorces involve small children. What if a husband is left with small children to rear? What if a wife is? Who shall support them financially? Are they better served to be reared without a father or without a mother?

c.

Would enforced celibacy heal the results of divorce? Will the church be able to support both materially and psychologically all broken homes? Will the taxpayers and the State?

d.

Would enforced celibacy heal the problems of temptation and incontinence (1 Corinthians 7:2; 1 Corinthians 7:5; 1 Corinthians 7:9; 1 Corinthians 7:36)?

If we might paraphrase Jesus, Is it lawful to do good through the institution of marriage or to tempt to promiscuity through enforced celibacy? Marriage was made for man, not man for marriage. Enforced celibacy in prisons intensifies sexual crime.

e.

In no sense of the word do I condone divorce, I do not even condone loveless marriages whether they remain legally and outwardly married until they die. Both are certainly less than God's ideal.

f.

But, neither do I think a minister of the gospel (since he is authorized by the civil authorities to do so) is partaking of the sin of divorce by performing marriage vows for couples who are both unbelievers or one a believer and another an unbeliever or those who have been previously divorced.

God does not approve of divorce; I do not approve of divorce. God does approve of marriageI approve of marriage. I had nothing to do with their divorce; but I can have something to do with their marriage.

And last, but not least, in every marriage I perform I may, in a positive way, be able to instruct and exemplify the Christian gospeland in a negative sense I may not give anyone an opportunity to criticize the church for lack of compassion and understanding.
I am also standing for law and order in the lives of unbelievers who will not be controlled by the law of love.

III.

THE POWER OF MARRIAGE, Luke 7:12-16

A.

Paul's instruction to the Corinthian Christian married to an unbeliever is that the believer should sanctify the marriage by trying to win the unbeliever.

1.

The unbeliever is in a set apart circumstance (at least that much set apart from the world) by being married to a believer.

2.

The marriage relationship is a powerful tool in the hands of God for salvation.

a.

When a man is converted, as head of the house he should lead his family to find the Lord (the Philippian jailer and Cornelius).

b.

When a woman is converted, she has to be content with a slower process. Peter says that wives should submit themselves to their husbands; the husbands will more readily be won to Christ this way than through their wives-' nagging, preaching or arguing, 1 Peter 3:1-2.

B.

Children who have one or two Christian parents are at a great advantage over those reared in non-Christian homes. They also are set apart that much from complete worldliness.

1.

Paul does not mean that any unbeliever or child is automatically saved by being married to a Christian or being born of Christian parents.

2.

But they will undoubtedly hear the gospel or see it being lived out more clearly and often there than anywhere else.

C.

When the unbelieving partner in a marriage has a heart so hardened by sin he/she puts asunder (Gr. choridzo, the same word used in Matthew 19:6; Mark 10:9, and means more than separation.) or divorces the believing partner, then the believing partner is not bound.

1.

I believe the way to remarriage is opened up, not only to the believer, but to the unbeliever.

2.

Dependent, of course, upon circumstances, needs, conscience, penitence and civil law.

3.

The unbeliever who has caused divorce has sinned. He/she must become a believer and be immersed in repentance in order to be forgiven.

But, for the benefit of society, if the unbeliever cannot be controlled from promiscuous sexual intercourse by self-control, he/she should be married according to the laws of the society in order to maintain some level of human responsibility and keep human society from degenerating into an animalistic level.

4.

The civil law is for the non-Christian (1 Timothy 1:8-11; Romans 13:1-7).

IV.

THE PRIVILEGE OF CELIBACY, Luke 7:17-40

A.

Paul by guidance of the Holy Spirit, says that under certain circumstances it would be better to remain single.

1.

That is quite startling in these days when apparently the unmarried condition is to be avoided at any cost.

2.

Marriage and a family is the normal state of affairs for Christians and non-Christians alike.

But some people have been given the ability (charisma) to remain unmarried.

3.

Some people tend to feel that there is something wrong with the Christian who is a spinster or a bachelorPaul is not in agreement.

B.

Paul's advise, seek not.

1.

Consider how dangerous it would be to marry, just for the sake of appearances, someone whose idea of loyalty to Christ is not your own.

2.

God did not create us for marriage AT ANY PRICE!

3.

Paul gives 3 advantages of celibacy:

a.

Relief from anxiety about the things of the world which must be concentrated on by a bread winner.

b.

Freed from distractions in order to serve the Lord more fully and intensely.

c.

Freed from troubles due to distressing times.

Now of course these may be achieved whether married or unmarriedbut with less difficulty and more time for the Lord when unmarried, if the circumstances are such as to disrupt peaceful family life (like persecution, economic distress, etc.).

God forbade Jeremiah to marry (Jeremiah 16:1-4) because of terrible times.

C.

If it is marriage out of the will of God, then it is better to remain single.

1.

To step into any relationship outside the will of God is not only to involve oneself in tragedy, but perhaps to bring sorrow into the lives of a generation yet to be born.

2.

Entry into a marriage out of the will of God which brings children into the world may cause their whole lives to know unhappiness, misery and unbelief.

Only the very strong, who by the grace of God having emotions and drives under control, with the special gift, are able to do this. All others should marry. And the married life is the normin no way inferior spiritually to celibacy.

SOME OBSERVATIONS OR CONCLUSIONS: (especially for Christians)

1.

If you have the gift of celibacy, do not seek to be married but rather use your gift as a single person for God's glory.

2.

If you do not have the gift of celibacy, plan to marry. If you don-'t marry, you will most likely get into trouble. It is better to marry than to burn.

3.

If you are getting married, be sure your husband or wife is a Christian.

4.

If you are already married to an unbeliever, go to any extreme to preserve the marriage. You might well win your husband or wife to the Lord in conducting yourself in the Spirit of Christ in marriage.

5.

If you want a happy marriage, do not neglect to afford your partner all the physical satisfaction desired, along with the love and spiritual aspects of marriage. The wife owns her husband's body, and the husband owns his wife's body.

6.

If divorce comes in the marriages of believers or unbelievers, Christians must be involved in finding and guiding the fallen to the highest possible good for the person and for society. This will most likely involve remarriage.

7.

Most certainly, the church must emphasize in the minds of its membership (at the youngest level possible) God's will for marriage. The church must also emphasize agape love (love of choice, love of will-power, love of decisionnot emotion only; a love for the unlovable; a love that is commanded by God) as the only security for marriage.

Applebury's Comments

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Outline

A.

Luke told about Jesus-' lesson on the need of preparation for life after death: The parable of the unrighteous steward (Luke 16:1-18).

1.

The facts of the parable (Luke 16:1-8).

a)

The unrighteous steward had been wasting his master's goods and was called on to give account, since he was to be discharged.

b)

The steward, facing the situation, decided on a course of action.

(1)

He was not strong enough to work, and was ashamed to beg.

(2)

He hit on a plan that would cause people to take him into their homes when he lost his position.

(a)

He said to one of his master's debtors who owed a hundred measure of oil, Change it to fifty.

(b)

To another who owed a hundred measures of wheat, he said, Write eighty.

c)

The master commended him for his intelligence in providing for his future.

2.

The need of preparation for life after death (Luke 16:9-18).

a)

Application of the principle: Make friends for yourselves by means of the mannom of unrighteousness that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal tabernacles.

b)

The need of faithfulness in the discharge of responsibility (Luke 16:10-13).

(1)

The principle: Faithfulness in little leads to faithfulness in much; dishonesty in little leads to dishonesty in much.

(2)

The question of unrighteous mammon contrasted with true riches:

(a)

If you have been unfaithful in the use of unrighteous mammon, who will trust you with true riches?

(b)

If you have not been faithful in what belongs to another, who will give you what belongs to you?

(3)

The application.

(a)

No servant can serve two masters; he will hate one and love the other, or hold to one and despise the other.

(b)

You cannot serve God and mammon!

c)

The lesson applied to the Pharisees (Luke 16:14-18).

(1)

They were lovers of money and scoffed at Jesus-' views on the subject (Luke 16:14-15).

(a)

Jesus said, You justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts.

(b)

He also said, What is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God.

(2)

They were out of harmony with the law (Luke 16:16-18).

(a)

The law and the prophets were preached until John; since then, the gospel of the kingdom is preached.

(b)

Everyone is trying to enter the kingdom by force.

(c)

But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for the law to fail in the least point.

(d)

As an example of the unshakable nature of the law, Jesus added, Every one who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and the one who marries her when she is divorced from her husband commits adultery.

B.

Luke told about Jesus-' lesson on the failure to prepare for life after death: The rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31).

1.

The contrast between the two in their lifetime (Luke 16:19-21).

a)

The rich man was clothed in splendor and enjoyed himself every day.

b)

Lazarus, a poor beggar, desired to eat what fell from the rich man's table; dogs licked his many sores.

2.

The contrast between the two in death (Luke 16:22).

a)

When the poor man died, angels carried him to Abraham's bosom.

b)

The rich man died and was buried.

3.

The contrast between the two after death (Luke 16:23-26).

a)

The rich man in torment in Hades looked up and saw Lazarus in Abraham's bosom.

b)

He called out, Father Abraham, have mercy on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water to cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.

c)

But Abraham said, Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things and Lazarus evil things; now he is comforted and you are in anguish.

d)

Then Abraham added, Besides all this, between us and you, a great chasm is fixed that prevents crossing from one side to the other.

4.

The rich man's plea for his brothers (Luke 16:27-31).

a)

He asked to have someone go to his five brothers to warn them not to come to that place of torment.

b)

Abraham said, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.

c)

The rich man protested, No, father Abraham; but if one go to them from the dead, they will repent.

d)

Abraham said, If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, they will not be persuaded if one arise from the dead.

Summary

The two parables of this chapter complete a series of five which begins with the three parables of grace given in chapter fifteen. The series has a common topic since the parables of grace have to do with saving the lost sinner while the parables of this chapter are about the necessity of preparing for life after death.
The parable of The Unrighteous Steward teaches the lesson of wisdom in preparing for the future. The unrighteous steward was commended by his master, not because of his dishonesty, but because he had the wisdom to prepare for the future. Jesus indicated that it is necessary to make friends by means of the mammon of unrighteousness that when it fails these friends, the heavenly Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, may receive you into the eternal home.
Jesus said, You cannot worship God and mammon. Wisdom indicts the necessity of worshipping God in this life in order to have that eternal home in heaven.
The Pharisees who were lovers of money were listening and began to scoff at Jesus-' views of wealth. He said, The thing that is exalted by men is an abomination in the sight of God. The Pharisees were proud of their claim to be keeping the Law of Moses. Jesus reminded them that no part of it was to fall and indicated that their views on the subject of divorce contradicted what God had said on the matter.
The story of the Rich Man and Lazarus enforces the same lesson by showing what happens after death. The state of the two was not determined by riches or poverty, but by the use to which the rich man put his wealth and the manner in which Lazarus conducted himself in poverty and sickness. In Hades, the abode of the dead, the rich man lifted up his eyes and saw Lazarus in Abraham's bosomthe place of highest honor for a Jew. But the rich man was in torment, and begged that Lazarus might be sent to relieve his suffering. Abraham reminded him that in his lifetime he had enjoyed good things, but Lazarus had evil things. Besides, the chasm that separated them made it impossible to grant his request.
Then the rich man remembered his brothers and begged that someone be sent to warn them not to come to the place where he was. But Abraham said, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them, for if they do not neither will they hear one from the dead.
The time to prepare for life after death is now!

Questions

1.

What is there to suggest the connection between the subject of this chapter and that of the preceding one?

2.

What is the subject of this series of parables?

3.

Why did Jesus use the story of the dishonest steward to illustrate the necessity of preparing for life after death?

4.

For what did his master commend him?

5.

What do the Scriptures teach about every one giving account of his life?

6.

What did the steward do when he learned that he was to lose his position?

7.

Why did he have the debtors change the records?

8.

In what way are the sons of the world wiser than the sons of light?

9.

What does mammon mean? Why called unrighteous?

10.

Can men of wealth also be men of faith?

11.

How can one use wealth so as to have God's approval?

12.

What did Jesus say about faithfulness in much or in little?

13.

Why did He say that no man can serve two masters?

14.

How did Jesus-' statements about money apply to the Pharisees?

15.

What were men doing that was an abomination in the sight of God?

16.

Why did Jesus mention the Law and the prophets in this connection?

17.

What does the law and prophets were until John mean?

18.

In what way was the kingdom suffering violence?

19.

What does this mean? How can one enter the kingdom?

20.

How did Jesus show that the Law could not be set aside?

21.

What did this have to do with the Pharisees views on divorce?

22.

What does the New Covenant say about the duration of marriage?

23.

What can the church do to uphold the dignity and sanctity of the home?

24.

What may be said about treating the story of the Rich Man and Lazarus as a parable?

25.

What similarity between the rich man and the Pharisees?

26.

How did Jesus describe the condition of the beggar?

27.

What happened to him when he died?

28.

What service do angels render those who inherit salvation?

29.

What change in the beggar's body will there be in the resurrection?

30.

What does Hades mean?

31.

What was the state of the rich man in Hades?

32.

What does this story teach about recognition after death?

33.

What does it teach about consciousness after death?

34.

What is said about the impossibility of changing one's state after death?

35.

How and where may a change of state be made?

36.

What was the rich man's concern for his brothers?

37.

Why was his request refused? Of what significance is this to the Christian?

38.

What leads to repentance?

39.

When will Hades be abolished?

40.

What is to follow after that happens?