QUESTION

What does Luke chapter 16 verses 1 to 13 mean?

INTRODUCTION

Luke 16:1-13 [direct translation]

1 in addition he [the Lord Jesus] said to his disciples, There was a particular rich man, who had a manager; and to him he was accused of squandering his goods. 2 and calling for him he said to him, What is this I hear this about you? give an account of your management; because you might not be manager any more. 3 Then the manager said  to himself, What could I do as my employer is discharging me from being manager: I am unable to dig; I am ashamed to beg. 4 I know what I will do, so that they would welcome me into their homes, should I be discharged from being manager. 5 So calling each of his employer's debtors, he speaks to the first: How much do you owe my employer? 6 and he blurts out, A hundred baths* of oil. So he says to him, Get the invoice, and sitting down quickly write fifty. 7 Then he says to another, And you, how much are you owing? And he says, A hundred cors* of wheat. So he  is telling him to: Get our bill, and write eighty.

8 Even so the employer compliments the corrupt manager, because he acts shrewdly: since the sons of this world are more prudent in their own peer group than the sons of light. 9 So I am telling you: Make for yourselves friends with the wealth gained by corruption; so that when you happen to flounder, they might receive you into everlasting homes. 10 The one trustworthy in the smallest amount is also trustworthy in a large amount: and he who is corrupt in the smallest amount is also corrupt in a large amount. 11 So if you cannot  be trusted with corrupt wealth, who will trust you with the genuine wealth? 12 And if you cannot be trusted with someone else's property, who will give you your own? 13 No employee can be working for two employers, because he will despise one and be devoted to the other; or he will  be loyal one, and disrespect the other. You are not able to serve God and Wealth.  * [1 .bath = about 40 litres, 1 cor = about 375 litres.]

The word translated "wealth" is from an Aramaic word 'MAMONAS ' meaning wealth, riches and is here personified. Aramaic was the mother tongue of the Jews in Palestine.

ANSWER

In the audience listening to the Lord Jesus were very religious Pharisees and Scribes. When some tax collectors and 'sinners' joined the crowd they criticised him for having anything to do with them. They regarded such people as beyond the pail, beyond the reach of salvation,  not worth bothering with, to be kept at more than arms length

Luke 15:1 Then all the publicans and sinners drew near to him to hear him. 2 And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receives sinners, and eats with them.

So the Lord told the crowd the parables of 'the lost sheep' and 'the prodigal son'. [Luke 15]. Note how in this second parable the other brother was vexed at how excitedly the father had welcomed back his long absent brother. A more suitable title for this parable might be 'the unforgiving brother'.

The Lord Jesus then told them the parable in question. This parable was targeted at the self-righteous ones who were in the crowd. He was reasoning with them at their level of understanding. Like Solomon said: "answer a fool according to his folly lest he be wise in his own eyes." [Proverbs 26:5]. In this parable he targets another hypocritical trait they had. They coveted riches whilst claiming to be spiritually minded.

Luke 16:14 and the Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things: and they ridiculed him. 15 so he said to them, You are those who justify yourselves before men; but God knows your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in God's sight

They were obsessed with acquiring riches whilst at the same putting on a show of being very religious. Energy which should have been directed to God was directed to acquiring wealth. Almost as though wealth was god. That is why in this parable the Lord Jesus personifies wealth saying "You cannot serve God and Wealth."  They claimed they were devoted servants of God whilst really they were devoted to the god of wealth. Yet they alienatied those whom they regarded as worldly wise, the basest of folk, only fit for hell - whom they disparagingly called "tax collectors and sinners". They were quick to criticise their failings whilst ignoring their own.

So the Lord likens them to a manager who squanders his employer's property . He was probably misappropriating his manager's wealth to his own advantage. His employer threatens to sack him. He was worried about what he could do to secure his future. So he craftily currys the favour of those whose friendship he would need when he became unemployed.

The Lord's critics were far from whiter than white. They saw themselves as 'sons of light' . Yet it was they who had abused the privilege they enjoyed as servants of the Lord God. So when called to account on the day of judgement they would be cast out [James 5:1-5, Matthew 25:41-43]. They would finish up spending eternity with many of those they had alienated. So he advises them they would be wiser using their ill-gotten gains to make friends of them. Then when they finished up in hell along with them, they would be welcomed by them.

Luke 16:9 So I am telling you: Make for yourselves friends with the wealth gained by corruption; so that when you happen to flounder, they might receive you into everlasting homes. [direct translation]

The Lord Jesus is not recommending that the children of God should copy the corrupt manager's tactics. He was answering the self-righteous folk present according to their own hypocrisy. I see this as being one of those occasions when the Lord Jesus answered blatant hypocrites with irony so as to try and bring them to their senses ^{[see FOOTNOTE]}. They regarded the outcasts as the type of people who would stoop as low as the corrupt manager did. They could not see that fault in themselves. But since they were at risk of spending eternity with them they needed to curry their favour so that they would be welcomed by them into eternity.

Luke 16:8 ... since the sons of this world are more prudent in their own peer group than the sons of light.. [direct translation]

Verses 10 and 13 are self-explanatory but verses 11 and 12 are a little puzzling. The following explanations are offered for your consideration:

Luke 16:11 So if you cannot be trusted with corrupt wealth, who will trust you with the genuine wealth? [direct translation]

These self styled 'children of light' anticipated the coming of the Messiah to restore the kingdom to Israel and expected to have prominent roles in that kingdom. Since they were incapable of handling their dubiously acquired wealth wisely - so as to make friends of those with whom they would spend eternity , how could they expect to be entrusted with the spiritual wealth to be had in that anticipated kingdom.

Luke 16:12 And if you cannot be trusted with someone else's property, who will give you your own? [direct translation]

The self styled 'children of light' expected to inherit wealth and privilege in the Messiah's kingdom as theirs by Divine right. If they could not be trusted with property they have extorted from others how could they expect to be given wealth and privilege in the Messiah's kingdom?

A. Ashurst June 2005

HYPOCRISY ANSWERED BY IRONY
"answer a fool according to his folly lest he be wise in his own eyes." [Proverbs 26:5]

In Matthew 22 is another example of hypocrisy being answered by irony

Matthew 22:15 Then the Pharisees went, and took counsel how they might entangle him in his talk. 16 And they sent out to him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, Master, we know that you are true, and you teach the way of God in truth, neither do you care for any man: for you do not regard the person of men. 17 Tell us therefore, What do you think? Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar, or not? 18 But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, Why do you tempt me, you hypocrites? 19 Show me the tribute money. And they brought to him a coin. 20 And he said to them, Whose image and superscription is this? 21 They said to him, Caesar's. Then he said to them, Render therefore to Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and to God the things that are God's. 22 When they had heard these words, they marveled, and left him, and went their way. [Fred Miller’s Rev.KJV]

The selfrighteous Jewish hierarchy were very finicy about Roman coins not being used in the temple because is was regarded as idolatrous tainted money. So money changers exchanged Roman coins for specially minted temple coins. They and the priests profited by this. Jesus highlighted their hypocrisy by telling them to give Roman coinage to the Roman Caesar and Temple coins to the Temple treasury.

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