Luke 16:1–15
16 He also said to the disciples, “There was a rich man who had a manager, and charges were brought to him that this man was wasting his possessions. 2 And he called him and said to him, ‘What is this that I hear about you? Turn in the account of your management, for you can no longer be manager.’ 3 And the manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do, since my master is taking the management away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg. 4 I have decided what to do, so that when I am removed from management, people may receive me into their houses.’ 5 So, summoning his master’s debtors one by one, he said to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ 6 He said, ‘A hundred measures1 of oil.’ 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?’ He said, ‘A hundred measures2 of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write eighty.’ 8 The master commended the dishonest manager for his shrewdness. For the sons of this world3 are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light. 9 And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth,4 so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal dwellings.
10 “One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. 11 If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? 12 And if you have not been faithful in that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own? 13 No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”
14 The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all these things, and they ridiculed him. 15 And he said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God.”
1 About 875 gallons or 3,200 liters 2 Between 1,000 and 1,200 bushels or 37,000 to 45,000 liters 3 Greek age 4 Greek mammon, a Semitic word for money or possessions; also verse 11; rendered money in verse 13
Section Overview
God’s grace in Christ is free, but it also summons disciples to a new life, and in chapter 16 the role of money and possessions is addressed. Those who belong to Jesus do not put their trust in money but use their money generously to assist others in need. The chapter begins with the parable of the unjust manager, a difficult parable to interpret. A manager is charged with financial malfeasance and as a result is fired by his master. The manager does not want to do manual labor, nor to beg for financial assistance. Thus he takes the bills of those who owe money to his master and cuts the amount owed, from 50 to 20 percent; as a result he will be provided for by those he has helped financially. The master praises the manager for his cunning and cleverness since he has acted in a way that is to his maximum benefit. I suggest the parable ends after verse 7, with Jesus then commenting on the parable. Using wealth as a means to secure the future is characteristic of people of this world. Jesus counsels his followers to use their wealth so that they may inhabit “eternal dwellings,” not merely so they can achieve earthly advancement.
Jesus does not counsel people to act dishonestly, like the manager does, for he argues by way of contrast. Disciples should be like the manager in securing their future, but they should not imitate his dishonesty. People must be faithful in how they use their funds. If disciples do not use money rightly in this life, they will not be entrusted with true riches in the future. If we do not use the money God gives us in this life, we will not be entrusted with more in the future. The root issue here is what people worship; one serves either God or worldly wealth. There is no middle ground or middle way. The Pharisees mock Jesus’ words about money because of their love for money, but Jesus rebukes them for justifying themselves before people. God knows their hearts; he sees that, though they lift up themselves before people, their love for money is an abomination.
Section Outline
IV. Galilee to Jerusalem: Discipleship (9:51–19:27) . . .
B. The Journey Continues (13:22–17:10) . . .
4. Trusting God Rather Than Money (16:1–31)
a. Parable of the Unjust Manager (16:1–15)
Response
We show whom we serve by how we spend our money. We show whom we love and hate by how we spend our money. We serve money if we live to make money. We serve money if we live for material things. We serve money if we dream about the comforts of this world that money can bring. But we serve God if we use our money to please him. God knows the motives of our hearts and will judge us all on the last day. The issue is whether Jesus Christ is the Lord of our bank account and our stocks and bonds.
How we spend our money shows whether we are Christians. But does such a statement fit the parable of the prodigal son, which emphasizes that grace is free, that salvation is a gift, and that we can always come back to God? There is no contradiction, for how we spend our money shows whether we have come back to the Father. When the Prodigal Son was far from his father, he spent his money lavishly. He used his money to make sure he could have a great time and party. Thus how he spent his money showed that he was far from his father.
When we come back to our Father and repent of our sins, we desire to spend our money in a way that pleases him. Otherwise we are like a husband who says to his wife, “I really love you, but I never want to spend time with you. I don’t ever enjoy buying gifts for you. I don’t ever want to take you to dinner. But, oh how love you!” But those of us who know God spend our money in a way that pleases him because we love him as our Father! People may brag about how rich and successful a businessman is—and it is a good thing to succeed in business; there is a genuine accomplishment there. But such things are so easily turned into arrogance and boasting. God hates such boasting. May we seek God’s face so that we spend our money to please him in order that we will enter heavenly dwellings.
About 875 gallons or 3,200 liters
Between 1,000 and 1,200 bushels or 37,000 to 45,000 liters
Greek age
Greek mammon, a Semitic word for money or possessions; also verse 11; rendered money in verse 13
16:1–4 We find here one of Jesus’ most intriguing parables. A rich man has a certain manager, and the manager is accused of squandering the man’s possessions. The master decides to fire the manager because of dereliction of duty, showing that in the world of the parable the manager is guilty of malfeasance in his work of managing the master’s accounts. Significantly, the manager does not make any excuses, thus implicitly acknowledging his guilt. The verb “wasting” (Gk. diaskorpizō) is the same verb used of the Prodigal Son (15:13). The manager must turn in the accounts to the master, after which his work will be finished. Garland argues that the rich man would also be understood to be evil, but there is no indication of such in the parable itself.
The manager is faced with a crisis because he is not strong enough to do manual labor and is too ashamed to go into the streets to beg for help. He shrewdly devises a plan to secure his future financially so that the customers to whom he shows mercy will later receive him in their homes and support him.
16:5–7 The manager, before turning in the final accounts of the business, calls the debtors and strikes deals with them, deals they are only too happy to make. The first debtor owes one hundred measures of oil, but the manager reduces the bill by half so that the debtor owes only fifty measures. The second debtor owes one hundred measures of wheat, but the manager reduces the bill by 20 percent so that he owes only eighty measures.
Some interpreters claim that the reduction of debts by the manager is righteous since what was originally owed was excessive—the master charged extreme interest. But this view does not work; we know the manager is unrighteous because he is fired from his position (vv. 1–2), and is identified as a “dishonest manager” (v. 8). Nor is there clear evidence that the original debts were excessive. The manager is not praised for turning to righteousness after serving wickedly for so long. He is still reckoned in verse 8 as dishonest and is actually praised for his shrewdness and cunning, not for the reformation of his character. Thus it is better to see his adjustment of the bills as a selfish ploy to secure his future. We see in verse 4 that his focus is on himself; the Greek contains four uses of “I” and “me” in the verse. Nor are there are grounds for criticizing the master for engaging in unsavory business practices. The parable is not about the master’s deviousness but about the manager’s. Nor should we read the parable as if the manager were counting on the master’s generosity in the future. In the parable he plans to rely not on the master in the future but on his clients.
16:8 The “master” who praises the manager is probably to be understood as Jesus, not the master in the parable, though the matter is debated. Thus the master in verse 8 would be the “Lord,” Jesus. We find a parallel with a similar parable in 18:6, where “Lord” (Gk. kyrios) without the article refers to Jesus. There is no evidence in the parable that the master knows what the manager has done, and thus Jesus steps into the story here and praises the manager for his cleverness (not his righteousness!) in arranging circumstances for his own future comfort. He does not approve of the manager’s morality, since he identifies him as “dishonest.” Still, he acknowledges that the manager is shrewd and wise in that he has acted in a way to preserve his future.
Jesus also remarks that people in this world are wiser with their own contemporaries than believers are. For the master of the manager to make a comment about the relationship of believers and unbelievers would be alien to the parable—another indication that Jesus speaks in verse 8. The “sons of this world,” that is, unbelievers, those who belong to the “present evil age” (Gal. 1:4; cf. Matt. 12:32; Luke 18:30), are more adept and shrewd in dealing with their generation than are the “sons of light,” that is, believers (cf. John 12:36). The point is that unbelievers have a wisdom about the things of this world and its cutthroat dealings that believers cannot match.
16:9 Whatever we make of Luke 16:8, virtually all agree that Jesus is now speaking in verse 9 as he applies the lesson of the parable. The unrighteous manager makes friends for himself with “unrighteous wealth,” and believers are also to make friends by the ways in which they use wealth. This is both a contrast and a comparison between the dishonest manager and believers. Certainly believers are not to act deceitfully or manipulate circumstances in their favor by their use of money. Jesus does not commend every dimension of the manager’s behavior. But, at the same time, believers can learn something from the manager. Believers must invest in the future by the ways in which they use their money. The manager envisions his future life on earth, but believers should consider their future in “eternal dwellings.”
The reference to “unrighteous wealth” could be interpreted to mean that all wealth is inherently evil. This word for “wealth” is sometimes rendered “mammon” (Gk. mamōna; KJV, RSV) and refers to property or wealth. We could read this to teach that money and property are inherently evil, but such a reading does not fit well with the entire canon, in which godly people such as Abraham and Solomon are rich. It is more likely that what is indicted is worldly affection for and usage of wealth and property (cf. 11:13). “Mammon” is always used negatively, indicating idolatry of one’s wealth or property. If wealth is the object of one’s affections, it becomes unrighteous because it displaces God’s rule in one’s life. One of the primary themes in Luke is the danger posed by wealth, since it easily becomes central in our lives: “Money is akin to a demonic power that can mesmerize us with its attractions and claim our service.” Contained here is another indication that the “dishonest manager” (16:8) is both commended and criticized: the manager is “unrighteous” (adikias, translated “dishonest” in v. 8) and wealth is likewise “unrighteous” (adikias). We see, then, that wealth is not inherently evil but can become an instrument for evil. Wealth and property must not possess one’s heart, because wealth eventually fails; it does not last forever.
Another puzzling feature of the verse is the plural subject in the clause “they may receive you into the eternal dwellings.” The plural “they” matches verse 4, in which the manager’s adjustment of what debtors owe ensures that “people may receive me into their houses.” Perhaps, then, we should not press the word “they,” understanding it as rhetorical in verse 9. Others suggest that the reference is to angels, who receive believers into their reward, or perhaps the reference is to the poor, or is a roundabout way of referring to God himself. Whatever we make of the plural reference, we see that those who use their money for the sake of the kingdom will enjoy “eternal dwellings” (cf. Rev. 7:15; 21:3). Jesus counsels people to invest their money for eternity instead of focusing on comfort in this life. Does he thus teach here that people earn salvation by how they spend their money? We have just seen in chapter 15 that those who have sinned grievously but repent are forgiven of their sins. On the other hand, disciples of Jesus live in a different way. They show they are disciples by what they value and how they invest; those who place their affection on worldly wealth reveal that God is not truly their treasure or pleasure, while those who give for the sake of the kingdom and the sake of the needy demonstrate that they are looking to the kingdom that will come in its fullness in the future.
16:10–11 The lessons of the parable continue to be applied. Those who are reliable and faithful in small matters—and the small matter here is how money is handled—will also be faithful and reliable in large matters. These large matters refer to life in the eternal dwellings, to the future world that is coming (cf. Luke 19:17). Conversely, those who are dishonest in small things will be dishonest in larger things as well. We think here of the unjust manager, who did not handle money or property honestly. Those who have not handled “unrighteous wealth” (cf. 16:9) faithfully will not be entrusted with wealth in the future world. To pick up the language of 16:9, they will not be received in eternal dwellings. How we handle wealth in this age indicates whether we will participate in the age to come (cf. 12:42).
16:12–13 Verse 12 brings us back to the parable, as the life of the dishonest manager is applied by way of contrast. He was not faithful with what did not belong to him, since he used his master’s resources dishonestly. The possessions, property, and wealth that belong to disciples in this age is not their own. Disciples are like managers to whom God grants gifts, and such gifts are to be used responsibly and for God’s sake. If disciples are faithful managers, God will give them greater responsibility in the age to come. But if resources are used selfishly in this age, disciples will not be granted further responsibilities in the future. The fundamental issue is addressed in verse 13: something will master our lives, and we cannot give ourselves to two different lords, as if both masters could be served (cf. 14:26). The choices are stark and uncompromising: one master will be hated and the other loved. Some may say that they love both masters, but their actions will show which master is truly lord. The application to the issue at hand is now drawn: either God or wealth will rule one’s life. Our loyalty between the two cannot be divided. If money is our god, we will do everything we can to serve it. How disciples handle money, therefore, is fundamental and crucial. If God is their King, they will use money to enter “eternal dwellings” (16:9), but if money is lord, disciples will serve money rather than God.
16:14 The Pharisees reenter the narrative here, and we are told how the parable and its application relate to them. The Pharisees have made their choice, and thus wealth and property are their treasure and lord since they love money (cf. 20:46–47). What one loves is one’s god, and they show that they violate the tenth commandment in that they covet money (cf. Ex. 20:17; Col. 3:5). At the same time they transgress the first commandment, as money is their god (Ex. 20:3). They serve mammon rather than God and thus are guilty of idolatry. The Pharisees, on hearing Jesus’ words on money, mock him. Their ridicule is a means of self-defense, as they fend off pangs of conscience and refuse to be indicted by mocking Jesus’ words instead. Conviction of sin is avoided by refusing to listen to the voice of conscience, and they turn to sarcasm instead.
16:15 Jesus exposes the sin of the Pharisees. Their mocking and ridicule stem from a desire for self-justification. Their rejection of Jesus’ teaching flows from a longing for vindication so that they can salve their consciences by telling themselves that they are pleasing to God (cf. Matt. 23:28). We see this same attempt at self-justification in the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector (Luke 18:9–14). But their attempt to cover and paper over their sin is futile, since God knows the truth; he knows the true state of their hearts and what they truly serve and love (cf. 1 Kings 8:49; 1 Chron. 28:9; Prov. 24:12). Why does Jesus speak here of that which is exalted among human beings as being an abomination before God? Such words are incredibly strong. Jesus is assertive since the Pharisees claim to be devoted to God. Their sin is particularly egregious since they claim that God is their lord when in fact their religious practices are detestable to him, since they actually serve another god and lord. Material comfort and prosperity are their god instead of the God of Israel.