Luke 16

Jesus teaches about money and what it reveals about the heart. A manager facing dismissal acts shrewdly for his future, and Jesus tells His followers to use earthly wealth with eternity in view. He warns the money-loving Pharisees, then tells of a rich man and a beggar whose fortunes are reversed after death.

Luke 16:1

Jesus turns to His disciples with a story about a rich man and his manager. The manager has been accused of wasting his master’s goods. The story opens with a man who handles what belongs to someone else, which is the situation of every believer.

BSA: wasting (“squandering, scattering”): The charge is that he flung his master’s goods about carelessly, like seed scattered to the wind.

Greek: οἰκονόμος (oikonomos, G3623) — “household manager, steward.” The word means someone who runs a household for its owner. He owns nothing himself but is trusted with everything.

Luke 16:2

The master calls the manager in and demands a written account of his work. He is being dismissed. His time in charge is over, and he must answer for what he did with another man’s property.

See also: Romans 14:12.

Luke 16:3-4

The manager faces the loss of his job. He is too weak for manual labor and too proud to beg. So he plans ahead: he will win the favor of others so that they will take him in once he is out of work.

BSA: ashamed (“filled with shame, humbled”): Begging would cost him his dignity, and he will go to great lengths to avoid that.

Luke 16:5-7

He calls in his master’s debtors one by one and cuts what each owes, oil from a hundred measures to fifty and wheat from a hundred to eighty. These people now owe him a favor. Commentators differ on exactly what he cut, but his purpose is clear: to make friends before he loses his post.

Luke 16:8

The master praises the manager, not for his dishonesty but for his shrewd planning. Jesus adds that people of the world are often wiser about their own interests than God’s people are about theirs. The point is not to copy his cheating but his foresight.

BSA: shrewdly (“with cunning, wisely”): He saw his crisis clearly and acted decisively for the future.

Greek: φρονίμως (phronimōs, G5430) — “prudently, with practical wisdom.” It describes clear-sighted wisdom about what is coming. Jesus praises the planning ahead, not the crookedness.

See also: Matthew 10:16.

Luke 16:9

Jesus applies the story. Earthly wealth will not last, so use it now for people and for God’s purposes. Money spent in generosity and kindness stores up welcome beyond this life. Money is a tool and not a treasure to hold on to.

BSA: wealth (“mammon, riches”): Mammon is an old word for money treated as a power that tempts us to trust it. dwellings (“tabernacles, heavenly homes”): The word points to lasting shelter in God’s presence, in contrast to money, which fails.

See also: Matthew 6:19-20.

Luke 16:10

Character shows itself in small things. A person who is trustworthy in little matters can be trusted with more, and the dishonest one is dishonest at every level. Faithfulness is a habit before it is a position.

BSA: faithful (“being trustworthy”): It means being reliable and dependable in what has been entrusted to you.

See also: Luke 19:17.

Luke 16:11-12

Money is called worldly wealth because it is passing and small beside the true riches of God’s kingdom. If we cannot handle it faithfully, we are not ready for what is lasting. Everything we hold is on loan from God, who will give us our own in the end.

BSA: true (“genuine, authentic”): The real treasure is the lasting riches of God, not the passing kind that money gives.

Luke 16:13

Jesus draws a hard line. A slave cannot belong fully to two owners, because loyalty will finally go to one. God and money both ask for our whole trust, and we must choose which one rules.

BSA: serve (“be a slave to”): The word means complete ownership and obedience, not a part-time arrangement.

Greek: μαμωνᾷ (mamōna, G3126) — “money, wealth (personified).” Jesus speaks of money almost as a rival master with a will of its own, competing with God for our loyalty.

See also: Matthew 6:24.

Luke 16:14

The Pharisees overhear and mock Him. Luke tells us plainly why: they loved money. Jesus’ words hit them where they lived, so they laughed them off instead of facing them.

BSA: scoffing (“ridiculing”): They did not argue with Him but sneered, a way of dodging a message that stung.

See also: 1 Timothy 6:10.

Luke 16:15

Jesus says they look righteous in public, but God sees the heart. What people applaud, such as wealth, status and an image of piety, can be disgusting to God. Real righteousness is measured by Him, not by the crowd.

BSA: justify (“declare righteous, make excuses for”): They were busy proving themselves good in the eyes of others and making excuses for themselves. detestable (“an abomination, utterly disgusting”): It is a strong word. Pride and love of money, however admired, are repulsive to God.

Greek: βδέλυγμα (bdelygma, G946) — “an abomination, something loathsome.” This word is used in Scripture for what God finds revolting. Jesus applies it to the very things the Pharisees prized.

See also: 1 Samuel 16:7; Luke 18:9-14.

Luke 16:16

With John the Baptist a new moment arrived. The Law and the Prophets had pointed forward, and now the good news of God’s kingdom is being announced. People are pressing eagerly toward it. Christians read the second half of the verse in different ways, but the urgency is plain.

BSA: forcing (“pressing, striving”): It pictures an eager, strenuous push toward the kingdom, like a crowd surging through a door.

Greek: βιάζεται (biazetai, G971) — “presses forcefully, is pressed.” The word carries force and intensity. It can be read as eager people pressing in or as opposition pushing against the kingdom, and either way the kingdom is not passive.

See also: Matthew 11:12-13.

Luke 16:17

Jesus is not throwing out the Law. God’s word is more lasting than the sky and the ground. Not even the smallest mark in it will fail. The new age fulfils the old and does not cancel it.

BSA: stroke (“one tittle, a small part”): It points to the tiniest detail of the writing, to show that God’s word is reliable down to the smallest part.

Greek: κεραία (keraia, G2762) — “little horn, a tiny stroke of a letter.” It refers to the small projecting mark that distinguishes one Hebrew letter from another, a picture of how complete God’s word is.

See also: Matthew 5:18.

Luke 16:18

As an example of the Law’s lasting standard, Jesus speaks of marriage. Divorcing a wife to marry another is adultery, and so is marrying a woman divorced from her husband. God takes the marriage promise far more seriously than human convenience does. Christians differ on how to apply this to hard situations, but the weight of the vow is clear.

See also: Matthew 19:9; Mark 10:11-12.

Luke 16:19

Now Jesus tells of a rich man who dressed in costly purple robes and fine linen and feasted lavishly every day. Nothing is said of cruelty, only of comfort and self-indulgence, with no thought for anyone else.

BSA: purple (“valuable, luxurious”): Purple dye was very costly, so his clothing announced his great wealth.

Luke 16:20-21

At his gate lay a beggar named Lazarus, covered in sores and hungry. He wanted only the scraps from the table, while the street dogs licked his wounds. The one with plenty sat just feet from the one with nothing. Lazarus is the only person named in any of Jesus’ parables.

BSA: dogs (“worthless animals, outcasts”): Street dogs were unclean scavengers, which adds to the picture of Lazarus’s humiliation.

See also: Proverbs 14:31.

Luke 16:22

Both men die, and the outcomes differ. Lazarus is carried by angels to Abraham’s side, a picture of honor and rest at the feast of God’s people. The rich man is simply buried. Death ends the comforts of the one and the miseries of the other.

BSA: side (“bosom, a place of intimacy and rest”): Lying close to Abraham is a picture of belonging and welcome, like a guest of honor at his table.

Greek: κόλπον (kolpon, G2859) — “bosom, the fold of a garment, the chest.” It describes a guest reclining next to the host at a meal. Lazarus, once left outside the gate, is now beside the father of God’s people.

Luke 16:23

The rich man wakes in torment in Hades, the realm of the dead. He looks up and sees Abraham far away, with Lazarus close beside him. The man who once never saw Lazarus at his gate now sees him clearly.

BSA: Hades (“the place of the dead, the grave”): It is the realm where the dead wait, and in this story it includes both comfort and torment.

Greek: ᾅδῃ (Hadē, G86) — “Hades, the unseen realm of the dead.” It is the Greek name for the place of the dead, and here Jesus shows two very different conditions in it.

Luke 16:24

The rich man calls Abraham father and begs for mercy. He asks only for a drop of water on his tongue. He still thinks of Lazarus as someone to send on errands. His suffering is real and severe.

BSA: agony (“tormented, suffering greatly”): The word carries a sense of acute anguish, not mild discomfort.

Luke 16:25

Abraham answers gently, calling him child, but he is firm. In life the rich man received his good things and Lazarus received hardship. Now the situation is reversed. Comfort in this life is no sign of God’s favor, and earthly ease is a poor thing to live for.

BSA: comforted (“consoled, encouraged”): Lazarus is not only relieved of his pain but warmly cared for.

See also: Luke 6:24-25.

Luke 16:26

Abraham explains that a great chasm is fixed between the two places. No one can cross, whether wanting to help or wanting to leave. The man’s condition is settled. After death there are no second chances to cross over, so the time to respond to God is now.

BSA: chasm (“gulf, wide separation”): It describes a wide, unbridgeable gap that no effort can cross.

Greek: χάσμα (chasma, G5490) — “chasm, yawning gap.” The English word chasm comes from this Greek word. The gap is described as fixed or firmly set in place, so it is permanent.

Luke 16:27-28

The rich man now thinks of his five brothers. He wants Lazarus sent to warn them, so they will not come to this place. His concern for others is real but comes too late. His own failure to love his neighbor in life is what he now wants others to avoid.

BSA: warn (“testify solemnly, give an account”): He wants a serious, convincing witness, not a casual word.

Luke 16:29

Abraham replies that they already have Moses and the prophets, meaning the Scriptures. God has already spoken clearly, including about caring for the poor. What they need is to listen to what they have.

See also: Luke 24:27.

Luke 16:30

The rich man insists that the Scriptures are not enough. He thinks a visit from the dead would shock his brothers into repenting. Many of us think that way, that a dramatic sign would settle our doubts and change our lives.

BSA: repent (“change their mind, turn from sin”): Repentance is a real change of mind and direction, not just fear.

Luke 16:31

Abraham answers that if they will not hear God’s word, even a person rising from the dead will not persuade them. Faith comes by hearing God’s word with an open heart, and a miracle cannot replace that. Luke’s readers know that Jesus Himself would soon rise from the dead, and many still would not believe.

BSA: persuaded (“convinced”): Being convinced is more than seeing a wonder. It means yielding the heart to the truth.

See also: John 5:46; Romans 10:17.