1 And G1161 he said G3004 also G2532 unto G4314 his G846 disciples, G3101 There was G2258 a certain G5100 rich G4145 man, G444 which G3739 had G2192 a steward; G3623 and G2532 the same G3778 was accused G1225 unto him G846 that G5613 he had wasted G1287 his G846 goods. G5224
2 And G2532 he called G5455 him, G846 and said G2036 unto him, G846 How G5101 is it that I hear G191 this G5124 of G4012 thee? G4675 give G591 an account G3056 of thy G4675 stewardship; G3622 for G1063 thou mayest be G1410 no G3756 longer G2089 steward. G3621
3 Then G1161 the steward G3623 said G2036 within G1722 himself, G1438 What G5101 shall I do? G4160 for G3754 my G3450 lord G2962 taketh away G851 from G575 me G1700 the stewardship: G3622 I cannot G3756 G2480 dig; G4626 to beg G1871 I am ashamed. G153
4 I am resolved G1097 what G5101 to do, G4160 that, G2443 when G3752 I am put out G3179 of the stewardship, G3622 they may receive G1209 me G3165 into G1519 their G846 houses. G3624
5 So G2532 he called G4341 every G1538 one G1520 of his G1438 lord's G2962 debtors G5533 unto him, and said G3004 unto the first, G4413 How much G4214 owest thou G3784 unto my G3450 lord? G2962
6 And G1161 he said, G2036 An hundred G1540 measures G943 of oil. G1637 And G2532 he said G2036 unto him, G846 Take G1209 thy G4675 bill, G1121 and G2532 sit down G2523 quickly, G5030 and write G1125 fifty. G4004
7 Then G1899 said he G2036 to another, G2087 And G1161 how much G4214 owest G3784 thou? G4771 And G1161 he said, G2036 An hundred G1540 measures G2884 of wheat. G4621 And G2532 he said G3004 unto him, G846 Take G1209 thy G4675 bill, G1121 and G2532 write G1125 fourscore. G3589
8 And G2532 the lord G2962 commended G1867 the unjust G93 steward, G3623 because G3754 he had done G4160 wisely: G5430 for G3754 the children G5207 of this G5127 world G165 are G1526 in G1519 their G1438 generation G1074 wiser G5429 than G5228 the children G5207 of light. G5457
9 And I G2504 say G3004 unto you, G5213 Make G4160 to yourselves G1438 friends G5384 of G1537 the mammon G3126 of unrighteousness; G93 that, G2443 when G3752 ye fail, G1587 they may receive G1209 you G5209 into G1519 everlasting G166 habitations. G4633
10 He that is faithful G4103 in G1722 that which is least G1646 is G2076 faithful G4103 also G2532 in G1722 much: G4183 and G2532 he that is unjust G94 in G1722 the least G1646 is G2076 unjust G94 also G2532 in G1722 much. G4183
11 If G1487 therefore G3767 ye have G1096 not G3756 been G1096 faithful G4103 in G1722 the unrighteous G94 mammon, G3126 who G5101 will commit G4100 to your G5213 trust G4100 the true G228 riches?
12 And G2532 if G1487 ye have G1096 not G3756 been G1096 faithful G4103 in G1722 that which is another man's, G245 who G5101 shall give G1325 you G5213 that which is your own? G5212
13 No G3762 servant G3610 can G1410 serve G1398 two G1417 masters: G2962 for G1063 either G2228 he will hate G3404 the one, G1520 and G2532 love G25 the other; G2087 or else G2228 he will hold G472 to the one, G1520 and G2532 despise G2706 the other. G2087 Ye cannot G3756 G1410 serve G1398 God G2316 and G2532 mammon. G3126
14 And G1161 the Pharisees G5330 also, G2532 who were G5225 covetous, G5366 heard G191 all G3956 these things: G5023 and G2532 they derided G1592 him. G846
15 And G2532 he said G2036 unto them, G846 Ye G5210 are G2075 they which justify G1344 yourselves G1438 before G1799 men; G444 but G1161 God G2316 knoweth G1097 your G5216 hearts: G2588 for G3754 that which is highly esteemed G5308 among G1722 men G444 is G2076 abomination G946 in the sight G1799 of God. G2316
16 The law G3551 and G2532 the prophets G4396 were until G2193 John: G2491 since G575 that time G5119 the kingdom G932 of God G2316 is preached, G2097 and G2532 every man G3956 presseth G971 into G1519 it. G846
17 And G1161 it is G2076 easier G2123 for heaven G3772 and G2532 earth G1093 to pass, G3928 than G2228 one G3391 tittle G2762 of the law G3551 to fail. G4098
18 Whosoever G3956 putteth away G630 his G846 wife, G1135 and G2532 marrieth G1060 another, G2087 committeth adultery: G3431 and G2532 whosoever G3956 marrieth G1060 her that is put away G630 from G575 her husband G435 committeth adultery. G3431
19 G1161 There was G2258 a certain G5100 rich G4145 man, G444 which G2532 was clothed G1737 in purple G4209 and G2532 fine linen, G1040 and fared G2165 sumptuously G2988 every G2596 day: G2250
20 And G1161 there was G2258 a certain G5100 beggar G4434 named G3686 Lazarus, G2976 which G3739 was laid G906 at G4314 his G846 gate, G4440 full of sores, G1669
21 And G2532 desiring G1937 to be fed G5526 with G575 the crumbs G5589 which G3588 fell G4098 from G575 the rich man's G4145 table: G5132 moreover G235 G2532 the dogs G2965 came G2064 and licked G621 his G846 sores. G1668
22 And G1161 it came to pass, G1096 that the beggar G4434 died, G599 and G2532 was carried G667 by G5259 the angels G32 into G1519 Abraham's G11 bosom: G2859 the rich man G4145 also G1161 G2532 died, G599 and G2532 was buried; G2290
23 And G2532 in G1722 hell G86 he lift up G1869 his G846 eyes, G3788 being G5225 in G1722 torments, G931 and seeth G3708 Abraham G11 afar G3113 off, G575 and G2532 Lazarus G2976 in G1722 his G846 bosom. G2859
24 And G2532 G846 he cried G5455 and said, G2036 Father G3962 Abraham, G11 have mercy G1653 on me, G3165 and G2532 send G3992 Lazarus, G2976 that G2443 he may dip G911 the tip G206 of his G846 finger G1147 in water, G5204 and G2532 cool G2711 my G3450 tongue; G1100 for G3754 I am tormented G3600 in G1722 this G5026 flame. G5395
25 But G1161 Abraham G11 said, G2036 Son, G5043 remember G3415 that G3754 thou G4771 in G1722 thy G4675 lifetime G2222 receivedst G618 thy G4675 good things, G18 and G2532 likewise G3668 Lazarus G2976 evil things: G2556 but G1161 now G3568 G3592 he is comforted, G3870 and G1161 thou G4771 art tormented. G3600
26 And G2532 beside G1909 all G3956 this, G5125 between G3342 us G2257 and G2532 you G5216 there is G4741 a great G3173 gulf G5490 fixed: G4741 so that G3704 they which would G2309 pass G1224 from hence G1782 to G4314 you G5209 cannot; G3361 G1410 neither G3366 can they pass G1276 to G4314 us, G2248 that would come from thence. G1564
27 Then G1161 he said, G2036 I pray G2065 thee G4571 therefore, G3767 father, G3962 that G2443 thou wouldest send G3992 him G846 to G1519 my G3450 father's G3962 house: G3624
28 For G1063 I have G2192 five G4002 brethren; G80 that G3704 he may testify G1263 unto them, G846 lest G3363 they G846 also G2532 come G2064 into G1519 this G5126 place G5117 of torment. G931
29 Abraham G11 saith G3004 unto him, G846 They have G2192 Moses G3475 and G2532 the prophets; G4396 let them hear G191 them. G846
30 And G1161 he said, G2036 Nay, G3780 father G3962 Abraham: G11 but G235 if G1437 one G5100 went G4198 unto G4314 them G846 from G575 the dead, G3498 they will repent. G3340
31 And G1161 he said G2036 unto him, G846 If G1487 they hear G191 not G3756 Moses G3475 and G2532 the prophets, G4396 neither G3761 will they be persuaded, G3982 though G1437 one G5100 rose G450 from G1537 the dead. G3498
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible » Commentary on Luke 16
Commentary on Luke 16 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
CHAPTER 16
Lu 16:1-31. Parables of the Unjust Steward and of the Rich Man and Lazarus, or, the Right Use of Money.
1. steward—manager of his estate.
accused—informed upon.
had wasted—rather, "was wasting."
3. cannot dig … to beg, ashamed—therefore, when dismissed, shall be in utter want.
4. may receive me, &c.—Observe his one object—when cast out of one home to secure another. This is the key to the parable, on which there have been many differing views.
5-7. fifty … fourscore—deducting a half from the debt of the one, and a fifth from that of the other.
8. the lord—evidently the steward's lord, so called in Lu 16:3, 5.
commended, &c.—not for his "injustice," but "because he had done wisely," or prudently; with commendable foresight and skilful adaptation of means to end.
children of this world—so Lu 20:34; compare Ps 17:14 ("their portion in this life"); Php 3:19 ("mind earthly things"); Ps 4:6, 7.
their generation—or "for their generation"—that is, for the purposes of the "world" they are "of." The greater wisdom (or shrewdness) of the one, in adaptation of means to ends, and in energetic, determined prosecution of them, is none of it for God and eternity—a region they were never in, an atmosphere they never breathed, an undiscovered world, an unborn existence to them—but all for the purposes of their own grovelling and fleeting generation.
children of light—(so Joh 12:36; Eph 5:8; 1Th 5:5). Yet this is only "as night-birds see better in the dark than those of the day owls than eagles" [Cajetan and Trench]. But we may learn lessons from them, as our Lord now shows, and "be wise as serpents."
9. Make … friends of—Turn to your advantage; that is, as the steward did, "by showing mercy to the poor" (Da 4:27; compare Lu 12:33; 14:13, 14).
mammon of unrighteousness—treacherous, precarious. (See on Mt 6:24).
ye fail—in respect of life.
they may receive you—not generally, "ye may be received" (as Lu 6:38, "shall men give"), but "those ye have relieved may rise up as witnesses for you" at the great day. Then, like the steward, when turned out of one home shall ye secure another; but better than he, a heavenly for an earthly, an everlasting for a temporary habitation. Money is not here made the key to heaven, more than "the deeds done in the body" in general, according to which, as a test of character—but not by the merit of which—men are to be judged (2Co 5:10, and see Mt 25:34-40).
10. He, &c.—a maxim of great pregnancy and value; rising from the prudence which the steward had to the fidelity which he had not, the "harmlessness of the dove, to which the serpent" with all his "wisdom" is a total stranger. Fidelity depends not on the amount entrusted, but on the sense of responsibility. He that feels this in little will feel it in much, and conversely.
11, 12. unrighteous mammon—To the whole of this He applies the disparaging term "what is least," in contrast with "the true riches."
12. another man's … your own—an important turn to the subject. Here all we have is on trust as stewards, who have an account to render. Hereafter, what the faithful have will be their own property, being no longer on probation, but in secure, undisturbed, rightful, everlasting possession and enjoyment of all that is graciously bestowed on us. Thus money is neither to be idolized nor despised: we must sit loose to it and use it for God's glory.
13. can serve—be entirely at the command of; and this is true even where the services are not opposed.
hate … love—showing that the two here intended are in uncompromising hostility to each other: an awfully searching principle!
14-18. covetous … derided him—sneered at Him; their master sin being too plainly struck at for them to relish. But it was easier to run down than to refute such teaching.
15. justify yourselves—make a show of righteousness.
highly esteemed among men—generally carried away by plausible appearances. (See 1Sa 16:7; and Lu 14:11).
16. The law, &c.—(See Mt 11:13).
and every man presseth, &c.—Publicans and sinners, all indiscriminately, are eagerly pressing into it; and ye, interested adherents of the mere forms of an economy which is passing away, "discerning not the signs of this time," will allow the tide to go past you and be found a stranded monument of blindness and obstinacy.
17. it is easier, &c.—(See on Mt 5:17, 18)
18. putteth away his wife, &c.—(See on Mt 19:3-9). Far from intending to weaken the force of the law, in these allusions to a new economy, our Lord, in this unexpected way, sends home its high requirements with a pungency which the Pharisees would not fail to feel.
19. purple and fine linen, &c.—(Compare Es 8:15; Re 18:12); wanting nothing which taste and appetite craved and money could procure.
20, 21. laid—having to be carried and put down.
full of sores—open, running, "not closed, nor bound up, nor mollified with ointment" (Isa 1:6).
21. desiring to be fed with—but was not [Grotius, Bengel, Meyer, Trench, &c.]. The words may mean indeed "was fain to feed on," or "gladly fed on," as in Lu 15:16 [Alford, Webster and Wilkinson, &c.]. But the context rather favors the former.
licked, &c.—a touching act of brute pity, in the absence of human relief. It is a case of heartless indifference, amidst luxuries of every kind, to one of God's poorest and most afflicted ones, presented daily before the eye.
22. died—His burial was too unimportant to mention; while "the rich man died and was buried"—his carcass carried in pomp to its earthly resting-place.
in to Abraham's bosom—as if seen reclining next to Him at the heavenly feast (Mt 8:11).
23. in hell—not the final place of the lost (for which another word is used), but as we say "the unseen world." But as the object here is certainly to depict the whole torment of the one and the perfect bliss of the other, it comes in this case to much the same.
seeth Abraham—not God, to whom therefore he cannot cry [Bengel].
24. Father Abraham—a well-founded, but unavailing, claim of natural descent (Lu 3:8; Joh 8:37).
mercy on me—who never showed any (Jas 2:3).
send Lazarus—the pining victim of his merciless neglect.
that he may—take me hence? No; that he dares not to ask.
dip … tongue—that is the least conceivable and the most momentary abatement of his torment; that is all. But even this he is told is (1) unreasonable.
25, 26. Son—stinging acknowledgment of the claimed relationship.
thou … Lazarus, &c.—As it is a great law of God's kingdom, that the nature of our present desires shall rule that of our future bliss, so by that law, he whose "good things," craved and enjoyed, were all bounded by time, could look for none after his connection with time had come to an end (Lu 6:24). But by this law, he whose "evil things," all crowded into the present life, drove him to seek, and find, consolation in a life beyond the grave, is by death released from all evil and ushered into unmixed and uninterrupted good (Lu 6:21). (2) It is impossible.
26. besides all this—independently of this consideration.
a great gulf fixed—By an irrevocable decree there has been placed a vast impassable abyss between the two states, and the occupants of each.
27-31. Then he said—now abandoning all hope for himself.
send him to my father's house, &c.—no waking up of good in the heart of the lost, but bitter reproach against God and the old economy, as not warning him sufficiently [Trench]. The answer of Abraham is, They are sufficiently warned.
30. Nay—giving the lie to Abraham.
but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent—a principle of awful magnitude and importance. The greatest miracle will have no effect on those who are determined not to believe. A real Lazarus soon "rose from the dead," but the sight of him by crowds of people, inclined thereby to Christ, only crowned the unbelief and hastened the murderous plots of the Pharisees against the Lord of glory; nor has His own resurrection, far more overpowering, yet won over that "crooked and perverse nation."