Introductory remarks:
The Pharisees had the perverted idea that God blesses His people who are living righteous lives with material possessions. The Pharisees had the idea that Whom the Lord loves He makes rich. The Lord gives these parables to set His disciples straight, for He knows there is nothing He could say would change the minds of the Pharisees. This chapter may be outlined as follows: the parable of the dishonest steward vv. 1-13; the law of the kingdom of God vv. 14-18; the rich man and Lazarus vv. 19-31.
The Parable of the Dishonest Steward
Verse 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."
LGT "And He said unto his disciples, There was a certain rich man, who had a steward, and he was accused to him as wasting his goods."
Most parables are parables of comparison; but this one is one of contrast, and Luke is the only Gospel writer that presents parables of contrast. Jesus gives this parable to contrast how the world views success and how God views success. According to the world everyone is innocent until proven guilty; according to God, all are guilty until created righteous through the blood of Christ. This steward is the CEO of a rich man's property; he is ruthless and a moneygrubber.
Verse 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."
LGT "And having called him, he said to him, What [is] this I hear concerning you? Render the account of your stewardship, for you can no longer be steward."
The rich man says that the steward needs to give back his signet ring, for he is discharging him of his duties. The rich man demands that the steward give an accounting of his deceitful dealings.
Verse 3, "Then the steward said within himself, What shall I do? For my lord taketh away from me stewardship: I cannot dig; to beg I am ashamed."
LGT "And he said within himself, What shall I do, because my lord is taking away the stewardship from me? To dig I am not able; to beg I am ashamed."
His soft life did not equip him for common labor, and he was too ashamed to begin to beg. McGee notes on this verse, "the man was too proud to beg but he was not too ashamed to steal."
Verse 4, "I am resolved what to do, that, when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me to their houses."
LGT "I am resolved what I will do, that when I have been removed from the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses."
There was no repentance in this man, only cunning as to what he must do in this situation; he has decided to put those under obligation, that were under obligation to his master.
Verses 5, 6, "So he called every one of his lord's debtors unto him, and said unto the first, How much owest thou unto my lord? And he said, An hundred measures of oil. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and sit down quickly, and write fifty."
LGT "And calling to [him] each one of the debtors of his lord he said to the first, How much do you owe to my lord? And he said, A hundred baths of oil. And he said to him, Take back your bond, and sitting down quickly write fifty."
These were not his debtors, but his masters; the debtors didn't know that he was going to be discharged. The first debtor told him that he owed one hundred measures of sweet olive oil, used for lamps and for food; the Greek word for "measure" is batous, and it was an Hebrew measure of between eight and nine gallons. He tells the first debtor to take back his bond [bill], and sit down quickly and write out a check to cover half the debt and he would square him with his master.
Barnes notes:
"He supposed that his master would soon remove him, and he was therefore in haste to have all things secure beforehand. It is worthy of remark, also, that all this was wrong. His master had called for the account; but, instead of rendering it, he engaged in other business, disobeyed his lord still, and, in contempt of his commands, sought his own interest. All sinners would be slow to give in their account to God if they could do it; and it is only because, when God calls them by death, they cannot but go, that they do not engage still in their own business and disobey him."
Verse 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."
LGT "Then to another he said, And thou, how much do you owe? And he said, A hundred cors of wheat. And he says to him, Take your bill and write eighty."
Another debtor with a different debt was dealt with accordingly; a cor was a Hebrew measure amounting to ten baths. This debtor was required to pay eighty cents on the dollar.
Verse 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."
LGT "And the lord praised the steward of unrighteousness because he had done shrewdly: for the sons of this age are more shrewd than the sons of light in reference to their own generation."
The lord of the unrighteous steward commends him even though he has been cheated. It was not the dishonesty that the lord commended, but his shrewdness. Our Lord made this last statement, for the sons of this age are shrewder than the sons of light in reference to their own generation. This seems to be the moral of this parable; that is, the men of this world are shrewder than the children of light, in dealing with their own kind. "The men of the world make their intercourse with one another more profitable than the sons of light do their intercourse with their own kind. The latter 'forget to use God's goods to form bonds of love to the contemporaries who share their character' (Godet); forget to 'make friends of the mammon,' etc." (Vincent)
I believe the moral of the parable is primarily that the Lord is saying the children of light should spend at least as much effort in spiritual things as the children of mammon do in their conniving; that is, that the children of light should interact with one another making friends, and certainly not in the same manner as those of the worldly generation.
Verse 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."
LGT "And I say to you, Make to yourselves friends by the mammon of unrighteousness, in order that when it fails, they may receive you into the eternal dwellings."
This verse is another way the Lord is telling them to lay up treasures in heaven, that is, use 'mammon" for good. It is not money that is evil, only the love of it. The mammon of unrighteousness is money. The Rabbis had a saying "The rich help the poor in this world, and the poor help the rich in the world to come."
Verse 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."
LGT "The one who [is] faithful in [the] least, is also faithful in much, and the one who is in [the] least unjust, is also unjust in much."
This verse brings home to us the fact that a man who is faithful in a small task will also be trusted with bigger things. "This is a maxim which will almost universally hold true. A man that shows fidelity [loyalty] in small matters will also in large; and he that will cheat and defraud in little things will also in those involving more trust and responsibility. Fidelity is required in small matters as well as in those of more importance" (Barnes).
Verse 11, "If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?"
LGT "If therefore in the unrighteous mammon you have not been faithful, who will entrust to you the true things?"
A man who is unable to handle riches [mammon] could never be trusted with spiritual things. It is quite pathetic to see a man who has wasted what God has entrusted to him, and then stand up Sunday after Sunday and attempt to teach the Word of God. "If you are not faithful in the small matters pertaining to this world, if you do not use aright your property and influence, you cannot expect that God will commit to you the true riches of His grace. Men who are dishonest and worldly, and who do not employ the deceitful mammon, as they ought, cannot expect to grow in grace. God does not confer grace upon them, and their being unfaithful in earthly matters is evidence that they would be also in much greater affairs, and would likewise misinterpret the true riches. The true riches are the graces of the gospel; the influence of the Spirit; eternal life, and religion. The riches of this world are false, deceitful, not to be trusted (v. 9); the treasures if heaven are true, faithful, never-failing, (Matt. 6:19,20)" (Barnes).
Verse 12, "And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man's, who shall give you that which is your own?"
LGT "And if in that which [is] another's you have not been faithful, who will give to you your own?"
Eternal rewards are dependant on stewardship here on earth; how we spend what is given to us here and now will determine what will be given to us in eternity. What we have on earth is really the possession of another; how we spend what is another's will depend on what will be ours in eternity. Everything we have belongs to God, for we are not our own, we have been purchased with the blood of Christ. God can take away all we have including our health; so what have we to glory in save Jesus Christ and Him crucified. In order to enjoy heaven and appreciate the riches of His grace we must commit all our ways to Him.
Verse 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."
LGT "No servant is able to serve two lords, for either the one he will hate, and the other he will love, or one he will hold to, and the other he will despise. Ye are unable to serve God and mammon."
Christ clearly taught them this principle that could benefit them throughout all eternity. There are so many people, especially pastors, who like the Pharisees thought they were pleasing God because they were making a lot of money, mostly off donations from fearful parishioners. Because we are cunning in business and learn how to cheat the other guy, certainly does not mean that He is blessing us; He most definitely is not, for we cannot serve God and mammon.
The Law and the Kingdom of God
(Matt. 11:12-13)
Verse 14, "And the Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things: and they derided him."
LGT "And also all the Pharisees, being lovers of money, heard these things, and they turned up their noses at Him."
The literal meaning of "covetous" is lovers of money. And the word "derided" is literally, they turned up their noses at Him. "These money-loving Pharisees were quick to see that the words of Jesus about the wise use of money applied to them. They had stood without comment; the three parables aimed directly at them (the lost sheep, the lost coin, the lost son). But now they do not remain quiet while they hear the fourth parable spoken to the disciples. No word were apparently spoken, but their eyes, noses, faces were eloquent with fine disdain."
"This teaching was clearly understood by the Pharisees. It brought forth their sneers because they loved money, which they pursued and counted as a sign of God's pleasure in them. They declared publicly that their righteousness rendered them acceptable to God. As proof of this, they averred [declared] that God had shown His pleasure in them by making them wealthy. But Christ denied that they were acceptable to God, affirming that they were only justified in the eyes of people. What people esteem, God despises; and the righteousness that these Pharisees despised was esteemed by God" (Pentecost).
Verse 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."
LGT "And He said to them, Ye are the ones who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts: because the things highly thought of among men is an abomination before God."
These Pharisees were masters at putting up a religious front before men, but God, being able to see the heart; they were an abomination to Him. That which is not of faith is sin, and any attempt to appease God with phony ritualism is considered idolatry in the sight of God. It is almost impossible to reach a man of wealth because he is self-sufficient, like these Pharisees, and they do not think they need God. They believe that God is blessing them with wealth, and so actually, money becomes their God, and that is why He deems it idolatry.
Verse 16, "The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it."
LGT "The Law and the Prophets [were] until John: from that time the kingdom of God is announced, and everyone forces into it."
The law and the prophets were the traditions held by the Pharisees. Then Jesus came preaching the kingdom of God, and the Pharisees were rejecting this gospel, setting up barriers against this gospel, but the publicans and sinners were forcing their way past the teachings of these traditionalists. John the Baptist was preaching the coming of the Messiah, and offering them the chance to repent.
Verse 17, "And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail."
LGT "But it is easier [for] heaven and earth to pass away, than one tittle of the law to fail."
It was not the law and the prophets that were obscene, it was the Pharisees additions to these laws that were to be rejected. The law and the prophets were fulfilled in Christ, but they were not done away with as something that was not perfect and just; it was simply a matter that they no longer applied to them, that is, after Christ died and paid the price for all sins, the law was no longer needed as a schoolmaster to direct them to Christ. Now, in this age of grace we have the completed Word of God as our guide and stay.
Verse 18, "Whosoever putteth away his wife, and marrieth another, committeth adultery: and whosoever marrieth her that is put away from her husband commiteth adultery."
LGT "Everyone who puts away his wife and marries another commits adultery, and the one who marries her [that is] put away from a husband commits adultery."
It is difficult to say why this verse is added here; it seems a bit obscure to this passage. One of the laws was that of the solemnity of marriage, and it has not disappeared; a woman was treated as an object, rather than a partner, and this will change, as Paul later in his Epistles will introduce the doctrine of marriage.
William Barclay notes:
"As an illustration of law that would never pass away Jesus took the law of chastity. This very definite statement of Jesus must be read against the contemporary background of Jewish life. Jews glorified fidelity and chastity. The Rabbis said, 'All things can God overlook except unchastity.' 'Unchastity causes the glory of God to depart.' A Jew must surrender his life rather than commit idolatry, murder or adultery. But the tragedy was that at this time the marriage bond was on the way to being destroyed. In the eyes of Jewish law a woman was a thing. She could divorce her husband only if he became a leper or an apostate, or if he sexually assaulted a virgin. Otherwise a woman had no rights whatever and no redress, other than that the marriage dowry must be repaid if she was divorced. The law said, 'A woman may be divorced with or without her will: a man only with his will.' The Mosaic Law (Deuteronomy 24:1) said, 'Suppose a man enters into marriage with a woman but she does not please him because he finds something objectionable about her, and so he writes her a certificate of divorce.' The bill of divorce had to be signed before two witnesses and ran, 'Let this be from me thy writ of divorce and letter of dismissal and deed of liberation, that thou mayest marry whatsoever man thou wilt.' Divorce was as simple and easy as that.
The matter turned on the interpretation of the phrase some indecency in the Mosaic regulation. There were two schools of thought. The school of Shammai said that meant adultery and adultery alone. The school of Hillel said it could mean 'if she spoiled a dish of food; if she spun in the street; if she talked to a strange man; if she was guilty of speaking disrespectfully of her husband's relations in his hearing; if she was a brawling woman', which was defined as a woman whose voice could be heard in the next house. Rabbi Akiba went so far as to say that a man could divorce his wife if he found a woman who was fairer than she. Human nature being what it is, it was the school of Hillel which prevailed, so that in the time of Jesus things were so bad that women were refusing to marry at all and family life was in danger."
The Rich Man and Lazarus
Luke alone records this true story of the rich man and Lazarus by Christ. It is to be distinguished from a parable in that names are mentioned, and this is not an earthly story with a heavenly meaning (Please read my exposition/commentary on this story dated December 1, 2003 for details I intentionally leave out for brevity here. See addendum at the end of this exposition).
Verse 19, "There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day."
LGT "Now a certain man was rich, and he clothed himself in purple and fine linen, making a feast of joy every day in splendor."
This rich man clothed himself in purple, the finest robes money could buy; he was distinguished for his riches; he feasted royally every day. I go into detail on this man in my paper I referred to above.
Verse 20, "And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores."
LGT "And a certain poor man named Lazarus was thrown down at his porch, afflicted with ulcers."
"The name Lazarus is from Eleazaros, 'God a help,' and was a common one. Lazar in English means one afflicted with a pestilential disease" (Robertson). Lazarus was literally flung at this rich man's porch and remained there; in other words, he was treated as so much refuse. This poor man was afflicted with ulcerated sores.
Verse 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."
LGT "And desiring to be satisfied from the crumbs from the table of the rich man: yea, even the dogs licked his sores."
This poor man laying there in his misery had the wild street dogs as his only company. The dogs would come and lick his ulcerated sores. All this poor man had to satisfy his desire for food was the crumbs that fell from the rich man's table. He lived on the rich man's garbage.
Verse 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."
LGT "And it came to pass, the poor man died and he was carried away by the angels into the bosom of Abraham: and the rich man also died and was buried."
The outstanding feature in this verse is how the two were treated after they died; Lazarus, being a believer, was carried by the angels into paradise in the presence of Abraham; the rich man, was buried, and went into hell, or Hades, to await final judgment, which is distinguished from the final Lake of Fire where he will spend eternity. "To be in Abraham's bosom is to the Jew to be in Paradise. In John 1:18 the Logos [Christ] is in the bosom of the Father" (Robertson).
Verse 23, "And in hell he lifted up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom."
LGT "And in Hades, having lifted up his eyes, being in torments, he sees Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom."
It is believed by some theologians, of which I agree, that hell was a region of departed souls, with a great gulf fixed between Paradise and Hades. The fact of consciousness is brought out in this verse, that is, that the five senses were fully in tact; I believe Hades was a lower part, a prison, as it were, with Paradise above.
Verse 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."
LGT "And he crying out said, Father Abraham, have compassion on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; because I am suffering in this flame."
The rich man, being in anguish, cries out for mercy he never showed Lazarus on earth. He cries to his father Abraham; being a Jew, he was a descendant to Abraham physically, but spiritually he was not related to Abraham at all. He wanted Lazarus simply to dip the tip of his finger in water to give him some relief.
Verse 25, "But Abraham said, son, remember that thou in thy lifetime received thy good things and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented."
LGT "But Abraham said, Child, remember that you did fully receive your good things in your lifetime, and Lazarus likewise evil things: but now here he is comforted, and you are in anguish."
Abraham answers the rich man's cries with calm and cool logic; Abraham didn't scold him, but answered him with child, recollect how you treated Lazarus in that you did not give him relief from his miseries. It is appointed unto man once to die, and then judgment (Heb. 9:27). It was too late for Abraham to help, even if he could.
Verse 26, "And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from thence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence."
LGT "And before all these things, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that the ones who desire to pass from here to you may not be able, nor to pass from there to us."
There was a great gorge fixed between paradise and hell so that it was completely impossible for them to pass back and forth. It must be remembered that this is not a parable to interpret at ones caprice, but a true story told by Christ Himself. If you desire not to believe the literalness of the story, so be it. Abraham had the mind of Christ, and viewed this entire tragic scene from His divine viewpoint. Abraham did not remorse over the rich man, but answered him with the logic of eternity.
Verses 27, 28, "Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house, for I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment."
LGT "And he said, I beseech you then, father, that you would send him to the house of my father, for I have five brothers, so that he may earnestly testify to them, in order that they also may not come to this place of torment."
The rich man is using his worldly cunning to attempt to get Abraham to feel sorry for his brethren; he seems to be compassionate, however, it is just another ploy to say that he didn't get the proper warning (see addendum).
Verses 29, 30 "Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. And he said, nay, father Abraham; but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent."
LGT "But Abraham says, They have Moses and the prophets: let them hear them. But he said, No, father Abraham, but if one from [the] dead should go to them, they will repent."
Here we have this rich man not giving up on his connection with Abraham being his Jewish father. Abraham has too much grace to let this man outsmart him. Abraham has rightly said if they don't believe the books of Moses and the Prophets they will never believe Lazarus. We never read of this rich man feeling sorry for anyone but himself; certainly there is no repentance, that is, his changing his mind. The fact that he said his brothers would repent shows that he knew that is what it takes, repentance, and a change of mind. No man ever went to hell in ignorance; everyone knows they must repent; hell is full of men and women who refuse to change their mind about Christ. (See the addendum at the end of this chapter for a detailed commentary on these two verses)
Verse 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."
LGT "And he said to him, If Moses and the prophets they hear not, not even if one should rise from the dead, will they be persuaded."
One has risen from the dead, Jesus Christ the Righteous One, but the world refuses to believe on His name. Some expositors believe this last verse is the words of Jesus; either way, even if Abraham spoke them, they are still God's word. "The unrighteous are eternally separated from God. They are in torment. They remember the opportunities they had which they rejected. They are conscious of their lostness. Their state is unalterable and eternal. This incident teaches that wealth is not a sign of divine acceptance and is no basis for entrance into the kingdom. Some today, like the Pharisees, are trusting money to gain them acceptance into God's presence. Such persons are trusting that which can only condemn, not save" (Pentecost).
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