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Luke Chapter Sixteen

 
The Unjust Steward (Lk 16:1-16)
 
INTRODUCTION
 
1. In Luke 15, Jesus responded to the murmuring of the Pharisees and
 scribes by telling three parables...
 a. "The Lost Sheep" - Lk 15:1-7
 b. "The Lost Coin" - Lk 15:8-10
 c. "The Prodigal Son" - Lk 15:11-32
 -- These parables answered the charge that Jesus received sinners 
 and ate with them, beautifully illustrating "The Father's Yearning
 Love For The Lost" (Hendriksen)
 
2. At the beginning of Luke 16, we find that Jesus now turns to his
 disciples...
 a. He tells the parable of "The Unjust Steward" - Lk 16:1-8a
 b. He makes the application of the parable - Lk 16:8b-13
 c. And responds to the derision of the Pharisees who heard Him - Lk 
 16:14-15
 
3. The parable of "The Unjust Steward" is considered by many to be 
 difficult...
 a. It has caused much perplexity 
 b. It has made some wonder if Jesus was commending the unjust 
 steward for dishonesty
 ...but the main point of the parable should be clear enough when we
 consider it carefully
 
[And that is exactly what I hope to do as we begin noticing first...]
 
I. THE PARABLE ITSELF
 
 A. A WASTEFUL STEWARD - Lk 16:1-2
 1. A rich man hears that his steward was wasting his goods
 2. The steward is told to give an account of his stewardship and
 then be relieved
 
 B. A SHREWD STEWARD - Lk 16:3-8a
 1. The steward reasons within himself concerning his dilemma:
 a. "What can I do?"
 b. "I cannot dig; I am ashamed to beg"
 2. He determines to so act as to ensure that others will receive
 him into their homes
  a. He calls for his master's debtors
 b. He has them change their bills to reflect smaller debts
 1) This cheats his master even more
 2) But ingratiates him to his master's debtors by lowering
 their debts
  c. It may be the steward simply removed what interest had 
 incurred with the debts
 1) Though usury was forbidden by the Law (Ex 22:25; Deu 
 23:19), this prohibition was often circumvented
 2) It was common at that time for a rich man to have his 
 steward do it, and then deny knowledge of it if came to
 light (i.e., "plausible deniability")
 3) If it was only interest being removed, what the steward
  did not only pleased the debtors, but the master 
 couldn't publicly object
 -- cf. The Parables Of Jesus, Simon Kistemaker, p. 228-229
 3. The unjust steward is commended by his master for his 
 shrewdness
  a. Not that the master approved of the action per se
 b. But he could not deny that the steward was shrewd enough to
 know how to use what he had to his best advantage
 
[The purpose of the parable is not to commend the steward for his 
"dishonesty" (note: he is called the "unjust" steward, though that
appellation might refer to his conduct prior to being found out for his
wastefulness), but for his "shrewdness". He used what was at his 
disposal to plan for the future! That is the point Jesus is making, as
we go on to see...]
 
II. THE PARABLE APPLIED
 
 A. JESUS' COMMENT CONCERNING SHREWDNESS - Lk 16:8b
 1. "For the sons of this world are more shrewd in their 
 generation than the sons of light."
 2. The word "shrewd" means...
 a. Characterized by keen awareness, sharp intelligence, and
 often a sense of the practical
 b. Disposed to artful and cunning practices; tricky
 -- The first definition reveals that being shrewd does not 
 always mean evil
 3. Jesus' observation is that:
 a. People of the world are generally very resourceful with 
 things of this world
 b. Such is not always the case with the people of God
 
 B. JESUS' APPLICATION OF THE PARABLE - Lk 16:9
 1. This verse is difficult, but let's begin with explanations for
 some of the terms:
 a. "unrighteous mammon"
 1) The word "mammon" is the Aramaic word for "riches"
 2) It may be called "unrighteous" because it is often used
 for evil purposes, or because it is uncertain, 
 undependable - cf. 1 Ti 6:17
 b. "when you (it) fails"
 1) When your riches fail
 2) Or when you fail due to lack of riches
 c. "they may receive you"
 1) "they" refer to the "friends" made through the use of
 mammon
 2) Some interpret this to refer to God and Jesus, others
 think those you have helped
 d. "into everlasting habitations" - i.e., heaven itself
 1) Either that God and Jesus will receive you into heaven
 2) Or those souls you may have helped will welcome you into
 heaven
 2. With these definitions in mind, here are two explanations
 worthy of note:
 a. "The only friends who can receive us into heaven are the
 Father and the Son. These are, then, the friends we must
 secure. During life our means must be so used as to please
 God and to lay up eternal treasure. If we use it as a trust
 of the Lord we will secure such a friend. Instead of
 hoarding we must make heavenly friends." (B. W. Johnson)
 b. "Worldly possession are the Christian's stewardship. If he
 has been wasting them in self-indulgence, he must take
 warning from the parable and so employ them in deeds of
 usefulness and mercy that, when the stewardship is taken
  from him, he may have obtained for himself a refuge for the
 future. But how can those whom the Christian had befriended
 receive him into heaven? The key to the difficulty is found
 at Mt 25:35-40 where our Lord altogether identifies himself
 with his poor and unfortunate disciples, and returns on
 their behalf a heavenly recompense for any kindness which
 has been shown them on the earth. Only in this secondary
 and subordinate sense can those whom the Christian has
 benefited receive him into heaven. Nor does the passage
 teach that there is any MERIT in almsgiving, since the
 thing given is already the property of another (Lk 16:12).
  Almsgiving is only a phase of the fidelity required of a
 steward, and the reward of a steward is not of merit but of
 grace. See Lk 17:7-10; Mt 25:21." (J. W. McGarvey)
 3. The main point of the parable, in either case, is make proper
 use of material riches...
 a. Use them with a view to eternity!
 b. Be aware of the danger of riches!
 4. This is made clearer as we go on to consider...
 
 C. JESUS' ADMONITION TO FAITHFULNESS - Lk 16:10-12
  1. He starts by stating two maxims - cf. Lk 16:10
 a. "He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in
 much"
 b. "He who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much"
 2. He then applies it to the matter of "mammon" - Lk 16:11
 a. If we haven't been faithful in our handling of "mammon" 
 (material riches)...
 b. How can we expect to be entrusted with "true riches" 
 (spiritual riches)?
 -- Remember the parable of "The Talents"? - cf. Mt 25:14-30
 3. He then reminds us that what riches we have are not our own 
 - Lk 16:12
 a. If we aren't faithful with that which belongs to another...
 b. Then who will give us what is ours?
 -- At the present we are simply stewards; nothing we have is
 really ours, but God's!
 
 D. JESUS' WARNING CONCERNING TWO MASTERS - Lk 16:13
 1. Perhaps another reason why Jesus refers to material riches as
 "unrighteous" mammon is because it tends to draw people away
 from God!
 2. While mammon desires to be our master, so does God
 3. Since we cannot serve two masters, we can't serve both God and
 mammon
 -- This may imply we must control mammon (and not vice versa) 
 through proper use
 
[In warning about the danger of mammon and the need to use it properly,
a reaction comes not from the disciples, but the Pharisees who were 
listening in...]
 
III. THE PHARISEES' DERISION AND JESUS' RESPONSE
 
 A. THE PHARISEES DERIDE JESUS - Lk 16:14
 1. The reason is because they were lovers of money
 2. We should therefore expect all lovers of money to react in a
 similar way to what Jesus is teaching in this passage
 3. Indeed, even some worldly Christians don't take Jesus 
 seriously when it comes to material riches
 
 B. JESUS RESPONDS - Lk 16:15
 1. They seek to justify themselves before men, but God knew their
 heart
 a. They may have taken issue with Jesus, professing 
 theological grounds
 b. But the real reason: they were lovers of money!
 2. God and man do not always see things alike
 a. There are things that man esteems highly (like money)
 b. But such things may be an abomination to God (e.g., money 
 when improperly used)
 
CONCLUSION
 
1. The parable of "The Unjust Steward" is designed to stimulate our 
 thinking about the proper use of material riches...
 a. What is praised is not the dishonesty of the steward, but his 
 shrewdness
 b. Especially in his use of money to ingratiate himself to future 
 benefactors
 
2. Jesus teaches us to be shrewd in our use of material riches...
 a. Use them with a view to eternity, demonstrating that you can be
 faithful with true riches, and with what will one day be truly 
 your own!
 b. By using mammon properly, it becomes our servant rather than our
 master
 
3. In his first epistle to Timothy, Paul had similar things to say 
 about material riches...
 a. There is a dangerous side to material riches - 1 Ti 6:9-10
 b. But when properly used, they can help store up for ourselves a 
 good foundation for the time to come, and lay hold on eternal 
 life! - 1 Ti 6:17-19
  -- Not that riches can earn or merit salvation, but improper use can
 certainly keep us from it! (cf. 1 Ti 6:9-10)
 
Are you shrewd with the use of the riches presently entrusted to your
stewardship? Are you using them to make friends (e.g., pleasing God)
who can receive you into everlasting habitations when your material 
riches are no more? Remember the words of Jesus:
 
 "Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous
 mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?"
  -- Lk 16:11

The Rich Man And Lazarus (Lk 16:19-31)
 
INTRODUCTION
 
1. We come now to a familiar story told by Jesus: "The Rich Man And
 Lazarus"
 a. Commonly referred to as parable, though I have my doubts
  1) It is the only one in which names of actual individuals are
 used
 2) One was certainly a real-life person, Abraham
 b. Some try to avoid its teaching concerning life after death by
 saying it is only a parable
 1) E.g., "Jehovah's Witnesses"
 2) Who do not believe in life after death for the wicked
 c. But even if this story is a parable, parables told by Jesus were
 true-to-life
 1) Not fantasy stories
 2) But illustrations based upon events that were actually 
 possible
 -- So not only is there the ultimate point to be gleaned, but there
 is much we can learn about life after death from this "parable"!
 
2. There are similarities with this story and "The Unjust Steward"...
 a. Both start out by saying "There was a certain rich man..."
 b. The previous parable stressed the proper use of wealth; this
 story illustrates one who did not "make friends...by unrighteous
 mammon"
 c. Both call us to repent before it is too late
 
[Let's begin our study by considering...]
 
I. THE PARABLE ITSELF
 
 A. THE RICH MAN AND LAZARUS IN LIFE...
 1. A certain rich man - Lk 16:19
 a. Clothed in purple and fine linen
 b. Fared sumptuously every day
 2. A certain beggar named Lazarus - Lk 16:20-21
 a. Full of sores
 b. Laid at the rich man's gate, hoping to be fed crumbs from
 the rich man's table
 c. Dogs came and licked his sores (adding to his misery, or
 providing what little comfort he enjoyed?)
 
 B. THE RICH MAN AND LAZARUS IN DEATH...
 1. They both die - Lk 16:22
 a. Lazarus is carried away by angels to Abraham's bosom (what
 bliss!)
 b. The rich man was buried (what an understatement by way of
 contrast!)
 2. The rich man in torment - Lk 16:23-26
 a. He is in "Hades", but sees Abraham afar off and Lazarus in
 his bosom
 1) The origin of the word "Hades" is uncertain...
 a) Either from IDEIN (seen) with a negative prefix A-,
 meaning "the unseen, invisible"
 b) Or from AIANES, meaning "gloomy, gruesome"
 2) In Classical Greek...
 a) Homer used the word as a proper name for the "god of
 the underworld"
 b) In other literature, it stood for "the underworld" as
 the abode of all the dead
 1/ Which was divided into two parts (similar to Luke
 16)
  2/ These two parts were:
 a/ The "Elysian fields", the abode of the good
 b/ "Tartarus", the place of punishment for the
 wicked
 3) In the NT, "Hades" is found only eleven times...
 a) Ten times it is translated "hell" or "hades" (Mt 11:
 23; 16:18; Lk 10:15; 16:23; Ac 2:27, 31; Rev 1:18; 
 6:8; 20:13,14), and once it is the "grave" (1 Co 
 15:55)
  b) Some believe that "Hades" is the realm of ALL the 
 dead (similar to the concept of the Greeks), and made
 up of two separate parts...
 1/ With Paradise (at least prior to the Ascension of
  Christ) for the righteous
 2/ And Tartarus for the wicked - cf. 2 Pe 2:4,9
 c) Others believe the term "Hades" refers only to the
 place of the WICKED
 1/ That it is not clear in Lk 16:22-23 whether Hades
 was just the abode of the rich man, or also that 
 of Lazarus and Abraham
 2/ And in Ac 2:26-27,31 we may have a case of 
 synonymous parallelism, with only the resurrected
 body of Christ in view ("soul" being used to refer
 to the body, and "Hades" is referring to the 
 grave, as "Sheol" in the Hebrew sometimes does)
 d) In any case, "Hades" is used at least on several 
 occasions in the New Testament...
 1/ As the place of the wicked - Lk 16:23
 2/ As a place where the wicked are in torment - Lk 
 16:23
  3/ As a temporary place, to be thrown into "the lake
 of fire" after the Judgment - Re 20:13-14
 b. The rich man pleads with Abraham for relief - Lk 16:24-26
 1) That he might send Lazarus to dip his finger in water 
 and cool his tongue
 2) But Abraham reminds him how conditions have now been
 reversed
 3) Besides, there is a gulf that prevents one from going to
 one place to the other
  3. The rich man pleads with Abraham for his five brothers - Lk
 16:27-31
 a. That Abraham might send Lazarus to warn them of this place
 b. Abraham says they have Moses and the prophets (i.e., the
 word of God)
  c. The rich man fears that will be inadequate to convince them
 to repent
 d. Abraham says that if they won't listen to Moses and the 
 prophets, neither would they be persuaded though one rise
 from the dead
 
[While the condition of the dead is described here in very literal, 
earthy terms, the story of "The Rich Man And Lazarus" does reveal 
truths about life after death. What those truths are we shall see as
we continue with...]
 
II. THE PARABLE APPLIED
 
 A. THE MAIN POINT...
 1. The importance of heeding the Word of God! - Lk 16:29
 a. Only by heeding the Word of God can one escape the torment
 of Hades
 b. The rich man had not done so; for his brothers, it would be
 their only hope
 2. If God's Word doesn't move you to repentance, a miracle won't
 either! - Lk 16:31
 a. Some people say they would believe if they only saw a
 miracle
 b. But many people saw Jesus' miracles, and did not believe;
 even His resurrection from the dead did not convince some!
 -- This may explain why the apostles depended upon the
 Scriptures more than miracles to convince people Jesus was
 the Messiah - cf. Ac 17:1-3
 
 B. OTHER LESSONS TO BE DRAWN...
 1. A few points adapted from those listed by J. C. Ryle:
 a. A man's worldly condition is no test of his state in the
 sight of God
 1) One may be rich, but not rich toward God - Lk 12:21
 2) One may be poor, but rich in faith! - Ja 2:5
 b. Death is the common end to which all classes of mankind 
 must come ("the same event happens to them all" - cf. Ecc
 2:14)
 c. The souls of believers are specially cared for by God in 
 the hour of death ("...carried by angels to Abraham's 
 bosom" - Lk 16:22)
 d. The reality of hell
 1) This story depicts the intermediate state of the wicked, 
  between death and the resurrection
 2) We learn that the wicked...
 a) Do not cease to exist ("he lifted up his eyes and
 saw") - Lk 16:23
 b) Are aware of where they are, and what is going on
  around them ("I am tormented in this flame") - Lk 16:
 24b
 c) Recognize others ("Father Abraham...send Lazarus...")
 - Lk 16:24a
 d) Remember those who have yet to follow them in death
 ("for I have five brothers") - Lk 16:28a
 e. Unconverted men find out the value of a soul, after death,
 when it is too late
 1) Jesus tried to teach the value of the soul before it was
 too late - Mt 16:26
 2) When we will learn? Now, or when it is too late?
 f. The greatest miracles would have no effect on men's hearts,
 if they will not believe God's word
 1) This relates to the main point of the story
 2) Which emphasizes the importance of heeding the Word of
 God, and not depending upon some sort of miracle!
 2. A lesson NOT to be drawn from this parable is that it is
 sinful to be rich...
 a. The rich man was not the only person in this story who had
 been rich in his life
 1) Abraham had been very rich! - cf. Gen 13:2
 2) But he was also very hospitable - cf. Gen 18:1-8
 b. The difference is that Abraham...
  1) Was a man of faith (which comes by heeding the word of
 God - Ro 10:17)
 2) Was a man who "made friends...by unrighteous mammon"
 
CONCLUSION
 
1. Why did Jesus tell this story?
 a. Was it directed to His disciples in particular?
 b. Or was it told with the Pharisees in mind?
 
2. While the disciples would learn from it, I suspect the Pharisees
 were the intended audience...
 a. They were "lovers of money" - Lk 16:14
 b. They had just derided Jesus for His parable and the application 
 of "The Unjust Steward"
 -- The story of "The Rich Man And Lazarus" illustrates the folly of
 trusting in one's wealth
 
3. May this story also serve to remind us of...
 a. The reality of punishment prepared for the wicked
 b. The importance of preparing our soul for eternity
 c. The place the Word of God has in that preparation!
 
As James wrote in his epistle...
 
 "Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness,
 and receive with meekness the implanted word,
 which is able to save your souls.
 "But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, 
 deceiving yourselves.
 - Ja 1:21-22
 
Are you heeding the Word of God which is able to save your soul?

－－《Executable Outlines》