Luke 16:1–18 — The Materialistic and the Spiritual « Leader information shown in this fashion »
A. The Parable of the Unfaithful Steward, Luke 16:1–8 (NKJV): 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 was wasting his goods. 2 So he called him and said to him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an account 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. 4 I 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?’ 6 And he said, ‘A hundred measures of oil.’ So he said to him, ‘Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.’ 7 Then he said to another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ So he said, ‘A hundred measures of wheat.’ And he said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write eighty.’ 8 So the master commended the unjust steward because he had dealt shrewdly. For the sons of this world are more shrewd in their generation than the sons of light.
1. as we read these verses, what concerns did you have? … what questions came to your mind?
a. « why does Jesus use a dishonest person as a role model? »
b. « how can his further dishonesty be commended? »
2. there are three explanations which may help us understand;
a. « the steward is commended not for his dishonesty, but for taking resolute action in a crisis. T. W. Manson points out the difference between “I applaud the dishonest steward because he acted cleverly” and “I applaud the clever steward for acting dishonestly. (Luke, Leon Morris, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries, in loc). Jesus brings a crisis to every person who hears Him that demands resolute action. But this doesn’t fit in all that well with the context »
b. « that the steward had been negligent in his duty is obvious by his actions; but what he gives up was his commission on the transactions, so that he may secure a better relation with the debtors in the future. But there seems little support that a steward would get such large commissions. »
c. « again, the steward had been negligent, but the amounts he rebated were in the form of usurious interest, either known to the master or not. Interest on a loan to Jews was forbidden; Ex 22:25, Lv 25:35-37, to the poor; De 23:19, to any. To circumvent this it was common to disguise loans as a discounted commodities future, the discount supposedly for risk of quality, but in reality interest. (Expositor’s Bible Commentary, vol 8, Walter Liefeld; also, L. Morris, op cit) So the steward was really making things right and benefiting himself at the same time. Though this practice existed there is nothing in the story to say that this was in Jesus’ mind. »
3. how is situation of the steward like every sinners? « — sin chains us in a prison of our own making for which we have no solution »
4. how does the steward’s actions differ from the son who was lost and then found? « — rather than seek mercy, he (probably) did further wrong to make his future less unfavourable »
5. in any case, the steward recognized that the there was no future benefit to himself in leaving the debtors with the full amount of the bill, but that there might be by reducing those bills.
a. Who are the children of light? « — these are Jesus’ disciples »
b. What is the lesson that they often fail to learn that the steward knew? « — use the time and opportunity you have now for your future benefit (grasping at what is passing) »
B. Comments by Jesus on the Parable, Luke 16:9–13 (NKJV): 9 And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by unrighteous mammon, that when you fail, they may receive you into an everlasting home {or, habitations}. 10 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. 11 Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? 12 And if you have not been faithful in what is another man’s, who will give you what 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 be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.”
1. In verse 9, “Unrighteous mammon” is worldly wealth as against spiritual riches
a. « purposes as wisely as unbelievers do for material purposes »
b. with what objective? « — that we are accounted as good stewards of our possessions when we enter eternity; fail is to die, and “they” is the One or the many who will greet us »
2. the rest of these verses deal with faithfulness in a steward; the Christian is considered to be a steward of all the abilities and the possessions that God has entrusted to him, 1 Peter 4:9-11
a. what is the prime requisite of a steward? « — faithfulness »
b. how does this requisite manifest itself?
(A) « it is part and parcel of one’s whole being »
(B) « in integrity, consistency, constancy of life »
c. can this requisite be successfully faked? « — no, because faking will show up in the smallest ways »
d. verses 11–12 state truths in a Hebraistic fashion, in negative terms; express these truths in positive terms:
(A) « you need to be faithful in this worlds possessions if you are to be entrusted with spiritual riches »
(B) « you need to be faithful with other’s (ie., God’s) riches if you are to be entrusted with riches of your own »
e. what is the prime focus of a steward? « — to serve his master »
f. as we Christians seek to do this, what is a fundamental principle of which we need to be aware? « — you can only serve one master »
g. so what is one decision the believer must make? « — see Joshua 24:15 »
C. Comments to the Pharisees on this, Luke 16:14–18 (NKJV): 14 Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, also heard all these things, and they derided Him. 15 And He said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God. 16 The law and the prophets were until John. Since that time the kingdom of God has been preached, and everyone is pressing into it. 17 And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one tittle of the law to fail. 18 Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced from her husband commits adultery.”
1. in verse 14, Luke tells us one characteristic of the Pharisees
a. what is it? — money lovers
b. what did Jesus say about them in
(A) Matt 23:15, Mark 12:40, Luke 20:47 (all the same): « — they devour widows’ house … ie., get rich at their cost »
(B) Mark 7:9-13 « — made rules that permitted someone to avoid caring for his parents »
c. so, if the third explanation of the use of the illustration of the unrighteous steward is correct, it was the Pharisees, along with their friends the scribes, who devised the way of getting around the law so interest could be charged on loans.
2. How did the Pharisees seek to justify themselves before men? … what in these acts was an abomination to God?
a. Matthew 6:2 (not necessarily speaking of Pharisees): « — drawing attention to their good works »
b. Matthew 23:4, 13 « — making onerous rules for others, that hindered rather than helped them in knowing God; God is not willing that any should perish but all come to repent »
c. Matthew 23:5 « — only doing good works when they would get praise »
d. Matthew 23:14 « — make long prayers »
e. Matthew 23:15-16 « — make disciples, enslaved to their errors »
f. Matthew 23:23 « — scrupulous legality in the unimportant »
g. Matthew 23:25, 27 « — concentrated on visible externals »
3. Jesus sums up the Old Testament here in just two sections; the “Law” was well defined as being the books of Moses, but the rest of the Old Testament was more fluid; sometimes “Prophets” refers to all the other books. As an example, David’s writings in the Psalms are often quoted as prophecy. The books of Ruth and Lamentations, even years after the close of the New Testament, were various placed in the prophets or writings.
4. how do you understand verse 16? « — that with the coming of John as Messiah’s forerunner, the salvation promised in the Old Testament came to its fulfilment »
5. What statements does Jesus make that show that although He disparages the words and works of the Pharisees, He upholds the Scriptures; that verse 16 doesn’t mean their destruction?
a. verse 17 « — all God’s word and will will come to pass »
b. verse 18 « — divorce in the law was to be exceptional, allowed because of men’s hardness (Mark 10:5) but the Pharisees made the rules very permissive: Hillel, a spoiled dinner; Akiba, finding someone prettier »
