Luke 16
16:1 a a certain rich man who had a manager: Wealthy landowners commonly put managers over their estates.16:2 b Get your report in order: This financial statement was probably for the benefit of the manager’s successor.
16:3 c I’m too proud to beg: The Jewish wisdom writer Sirach said, “It is better to die than to beg” (Sirach 40:28), a reflection of Jewish attitudes.
Summary for Luke 16:5-7: 16:5-7 d The manager called in his master’s debtors and reduced their debts, thus making friends who would help him during his unemployment.
16:6 e 800 gallons ... 400 gallons: The size of the bath—a standard liquid measure—is not known with certainty.
16:7 f 1,000 bushels ... 800 bushels: The size of the cor—a standard dry measure—is not known with certainty.
Summary for Luke 16:8-9: 16:8-9 g Jesus seems to commend the manager’s dishonesty, but Jesus’ point is that believers need to use resources shrewdly in preparation for eternity. 16:8 h The ways of the world are the opposite of God’s ways. The children of this world use all their resources to get ahead in this world. God’s people do just the opposite (16:9 i).
• The children of the light are the people of God (see John 12:36 j; 1 Thes 5:5 k).
16:9 l worldly resources: This is a better translation than the traditional “mammon of unrighteousness” (KJV). Believers are to use their resources wisely for spiritual benefit.
• they will welcome you to an eternal home: They are probably the friends. Just as the manager’s friends would give him security, the friends we win to the Kingdom will warmly welcome us for eternity.
16:13 m No one can serve two masters: Complete love and devotion can be given only to one master.
16:14 n The Pharisees ... heard all this and scoffed: Wealth was commonly believed to be a reward from God, so the Pharisees derided Jesus’ warning against riches.
16:16 o John the Baptist was a transitional figure—the last in the line of Old Testament prophets and the herald of the age of salvation (see 1:5-25 p, 57-80 q; 3:1-20 r; 7:18-35 s).
• everyone is eager to get in: The verb normally means “to suffer violence” and may have the negative sense of violent force into or against the Kingdom (see Matt 11:12 t). More likely, it carries here a positive sense of urgency to enter the Kingdom.
16:17 u that doesn’t mean that the law has lost its force: Although the new covenant fulfilled the Old Testament law and prophets, the law has not passed away (however, cp. Acts 15:23-29 v).
• Heaven and earth will be destroyed and replaced by a new heaven and earth at the end of the age (Rev 21:1 w), but God’s word endures forever (Ps 119:89 x, 160 y; Isa 40:8 z; 55:10-11 aa).
16:18 ab This example fit the context by showing that Jesus’ authoritative words interpreted and fulfilled the Old Testament law.
• a man who divorces his wife and marries someone else commits adultery: The Old Testament allowed for divorce but did not sanction it (Deut 24:1-4 ac), and the rabbis of Jesus’ day debated what constituted legitimate grounds. The school of Shammai allowed a man to divorce his wife only because of unfaithfulness, while the school of Hillel allowed divorce for almost any reason. Against such a casual attitude, Jesus said that breaking the marriage vow by divorce and marrying someone else was equivalent to adultery. Elsewhere (Matt 5:32 ad; 19:9 ae), Jesus provided a clear exception for cases of unfaithfulness.
Summary for Luke 16:19-31: 16:19-31 af This parable reiterates the theme of the danger of riches introduced in 16:13-15 ag and returns to the idea that the coming of God’s Kingdom will mean the reversal of fortunes. The rich, proud, and powerful will be humbled and brought low, while the poor, humble, and oppressed will be exalted. 16:19 ah Purple was the color of royalty; Phoenician purple was an expensive dye made from mollusks.
16:21 ai the dogs would come and lick his open sores: This is an image of misery and poverty. In Jewish culture, dogs were detestable, unclean scavengers.
16:22 aj carried by the angels to sit beside Abraham (literally into Abraham’s bosom): The Greek suggests a banquet at which guests reclined around a low table (see John 13:23 ak). Lazarus was taken to the messianic banquet in the Kingdom of God (see Luke 14:1-24 al).
16:23 am The place of the dead (Greek Hades) can refer to the grave (death) generally, or to the place where the wicked go after death, as here.
16:24 an I am in anguish in these flames: See Matt 25:41 ao; Rev 20:10 ap, 14-15 aq.
• Send Lazarus: Ironically, the man was still treating Lazarus as a lowly servant.
16:26 ar No one can cross over to you from here: A person’s state after death is permanent.
16:31 as they won’t be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead: Wicked people refuse to repent even when faced with overwhelming evidence of the truth.
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