Luke Chapter 16

At a Glance

  • Luke 16 unfolds as a compact, provocative teaching unit that sits at the intersection of earthly stewardship and eternal priorities.
  • Luke-Acts is Luke’s polished, orderly Gospel written for a Gentile audience, emphasizing Jesus as the fulfillment of God’s promises and bringing the good news to the marginalized.
  • - United loyalty: You cannot serve God and wealth; true discipleship requires placing God first, especially in how we handle resources.
  • - Faithfulness in small things: Reliability in little “unrighteous mammon” reveals readiness for greater spiritual trust.
  • - Wisdom of the world vs.

Luke 16 unfolds as a compact, provocative teaching unit that sits at the intersection of earthly stewardship and eternal priorities. It begins with a parable-like narrative about a dishonest steward who, facing removal from his position, improvises a plan to secure future hospitality by reducing the debts of his master’s debtors. Astonishingly, the master commends the unjust steward for his shrewdness, prompting Jesus to pivot toward a sharper critique: worldly wisdom contrasted with heavenly reality. The “children of this world” are wiser in their generation than the “children of light” when it comes to managing resources for imminent loss; therefore, believers should imitate a different kind of shrewdness—one that uses wealth in a way that treasures eternal life. Jesus then teaches about faithful stewardship with money, duty, and loyalties, emphasizing that no one can serve two masters: God and Mammon. The Pharisees, covetous and self-justifying, overhear these teachings and are exposed for their reliance on wealth while pretending righteousness. The chapter culminates in a piercing paradox: genuine faithfulness in small, unrighteous resources (money, possessions) is the proving ground for trust in true riches and heavenly rewards. Practical illustrations—such as generosity to friends who can welcome you into eternal dwellings—underscore that the Kingdom measures faithfulness, integrity, and priority rather than outward piety alone. Luke uses this chapter to recalibrate how disciples think about money, fame, and loyalty, urging a wisdom that aligns present actions with future, eternal consequences.

Luke-Acts is Luke’s polished, orderly Gospel written for a Gentile audience, emphasizing Jesus as the fulfillment of God’s promises and bringing the good news to the marginalized. Luke 16 sits within Jesus’ journey toward Jerusalem, a section marked by parables, teachings on wealth and discipleship, and growing confrontation with religious leaders. The genre blends narrative storytelling with unmistakable instructional material: a parable about a manager, followed by a series of maxims and exhortations. The “unjust steward” episode is often treated as a parabolic vignette rather than a literal case study; it illustrates a broader theme: the prudent handling of resources in light of divine sovereignty. Luke’s narrative flow places this material between parables about money and integrity (16:1-13) and warnings about loyalty to God over wealth (16:14-31). The chapter’s sayings reflect Jewish wisdom traditions and early Christian concerns about the temptations of wealth, status, and legalistic religiosity, reframing them within Jesus’ agenda of compassionate, faithful stewardship.

- United loyalty: You cannot serve God and wealth; true discipleship requires placing God first, especially in how we handle resources.

- Faithfulness in small things: Reliability in little “unrighteous mammon” reveals readiness for greater spiritual trust.

- Wisdom of the world vs. wisdom of the Kingdom: The “worldly” cleverness of the steward contrasts with the divine wisdom Jesus calls his followers to pursue.

- Generosity as social gospel: Making friends for eternity through prudent use of wealth reconciles immediate needs with eternal dwellings.

- Critique of self-justifying religiosity: The Pharisees’ covetousness is laid bare, challenging outward piety divorced from genuine fidelity.

In a modern setting, Luke 16 invites readers to examine how money, reputation, and relationships shape life choices. It challenges the common impulse to “maximize” personal gain through clever schemes and instead invites disciplined generosity that creates long-term spiritual outcomes. Practical takeaways:

- Reconsider budgeting as spiritual discipline: Allocate one’s resources toward causes that bear eternal fruit, not merely comfort or status.

- Practice faithful stewardship in small matters: Be consistent in generosity, honesty, and integrity with everyday finances, since small choices reveal heart posture toward God.

- Cultivate discernment about wealth idols: Recognize how consumer culture can redirect trust away from God; redirect that trust toward God’s purposes and people in need.

- Build relational capital through acts of mercy: Use relational generosity to welcome others, including the marginalized, into fellowship and the possibility of transformation.

- Examine personal loyalties: Regularly audit whether money or possessions unduly govern decisions, and re-align with a Kingdom-first allegiance.

- Luke 12:15-34 (treasure in heaven; seek God’s kingdom first)

- Luke 14:12-14 (humble generosity and hosting the vulnerable)

- Luke 16:1-13 (parabolic teaching on stewardship)

- Matthew 6:19-24 (laying up treasures in heaven; serving God not Mammon)

- 1 Timothy 6:6-10 (the love of money as root of evil; pursue righteousness)

- Jesus (teacher of radical discipleship and master of parabolic critique)

- Paul (on stewardship, generosity, and kingdom finances)

- Wealth-focused figures in Scripture for contrast (Pharisee leaders; Old Testament figures like Job or Joseph as models of faithful management)

Key Themes

United loyalty: You cannot serve God and wealth; true discipleship requires placing God first, especially in how we handle resources.Faithfulness in small things: Reliability in little “unrighteous mammon” reveals readiness for greater spiritual trust.Wisdom of the world vs. wisdom of the Kingdom: The “worldly” cleverness of the steward contrasts with the divine wisdom Jesus calls his followers to pursue.Generosity as social gospel: Making friends for eternity through prudent use of wealth reconciles immediate needs with eternal dwellings.

Chapter Text

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.

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.

3

Then the steward said within himself, What shall I do? for my lord taketh away from me the stewardship: I cannot dig; to beg I am ashamed.

4

I am 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 lord’s debtors unto him, and said unto the first, How much owest thou unto my lord?

6

And he said, An hundred measures of oil. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and sit down quickly, and write fifty.

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.

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.

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.

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.

11

If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?

12

And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man’s, who shall 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 else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

14

And the Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things: and they derided him.

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.

16

The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it.

17

And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail.

18

Whosoever putteth away his wife, and marrieth another, committeth adultery: and whosoever marrieth her that is put away from her husband committeth adultery.

19

There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day:

20

And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores,

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.

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;

23

And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.

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.

25

But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.

26

And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.

27

Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father’s house:

28

For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.

29

Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.

30

And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent.

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.

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