Chapter Text
The Parable of the Unjust Steward
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.
2And 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.
3Then 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.
4I am resolved what to do, that, when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses.
5So he called every one of his lord's debtors unto him, and said unto the first, How much owest thou unto my lord?
6And he said, An hundred measures of oil. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and sit down quickly, and write fifty.
7Then 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.
8And 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.
9And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations.
10He 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.
11If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?
12And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man's, who shall give you that which is your own?
13No 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.
The Law and the Kingdom
14And the Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things: and they derided him.
15And 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.
16The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it.
17And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail.
18Whosoever putteth away his wife, and marrieth another, committeth adultery: and whosoever marrieth her that is put away from her husband committeth adultery.
The Rich Man and Lazarus
19There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day:
20And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores,
21And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.
22And 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;
23And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
24And 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.
25But 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.
26And 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.
27Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house:
28For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.
29Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.
30And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent.
31And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.
Summary
Jesus tells the parable of the unjust steward, who, about to be dismissed, shrewdly reduces the debts owed to his master in order to secure his future. Jesus commends the steward's prudence, not his dishonesty, and teaches about faithfulness in the use of worldly wealth.
The Pharisees, who love money, ridicule Jesus. He tells the story of the rich man and Lazarus. The rich man lives in luxury while Lazarus, a beggar at his gate, suffers. After death, their fortunes are reversed: Lazarus rests in Abraham's bosom while the rich man is tormented. The rich man's plea for Lazarus to warn his brothers is denied.
Meaning
The parable of the unjust steward teaches that believers should be at least as shrewd in using worldly resources for eternal purposes as worldly people are in securing their temporal interests. The principle is that faithfulness in small things, including money, reveals the character that God will trust with true spiritual riches.
The story of the rich man and Lazarus reveals that earthly circumstances do not determine eternal destiny, but one's response to God's Word does. The rich man's failure was not his wealth but his callous indifference to the suffering at his own gate. Abraham's refusal to send Lazarus back from the dead warns that those who reject Scripture will not be persuaded even by a miracle.
Background
The unjust steward managed his master's estate and had authority to adjust accounts. His action of reducing debts may have involved removing his own commission, which would have been a more ethical interpretation of his shrewdness.
Lazarus is the only named character in any of Jesus' parables, which has led some scholars to view this as a historical account rather than a parable. The name means God helps. Abraham's bosom was a Jewish expression for the place of blessedness after death.
Chapter Outline
- vv. 1-9Parable of the Unjust Steward
- vv. 10-13Faithfulness and the Two Masters
- vv. 14-15Rebuke of the Covetous Pharisees
- vv. 16-18The Law, the Kingdom, and Marriage
- vv. 19-21The Rich Man and Lazarus Introduced
- vv. 22-26Death and the Great Gulf Fixed
- vv. 27-31Moses, the Prophets, and Unbelief
Key Verses
“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.”— 16:10
A foundational principle of Christian stewardship and integrity, teaching that small faithfulness reveals true character and qualifies one for greater trust.
“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.”— 16:13
One of Jesus' most quoted sayings on divided loyalty, exposing the impossibility of serving both God and wealth as ultimate masters.
“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.”— 16:15
A piercing rebuke of religious self-justification, contrasting human applause with divine evaluation of the heart.
“If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.”— 16:31
A sobering verdict on unbelief, foreshadowing that even Christ's resurrection would not convince those who reject Scripture's witness.
People & Places
People
- Jesus — The teacher addressing both disciples and Pharisees with parables on stewardship and eternal destiny.
- The Unjust Steward — A dishonest manager in Jesus' parable who shrewdly secures his future by reducing his master's debtors' bills.
- The Pharisees — Religious leaders described as covetous, who deride Jesus' teaching on money.
- John the Baptist — Referenced as marking the transition from the era of the Law and Prophets to the proclamation of the kingdom.
- The Rich Man — An unnamed wealthy man in the second parable who lives in luxury and ends in torment after death.
- Lazarus — A diseased beggar who dies and is carried by angels to Abraham's bosom.
- Abraham — The patriarch who, from paradise, converses with the rich man and refuses his pleas across the great gulf.
- Moses — Cited alongside the prophets as the sufficient witness of Scripture that the rich man's brothers must heed.
Places
- Abraham's bosom — A place of comfort for the righteous dead, where Lazarus is carried by angels.
- Hell — The place of conscious torment where the rich man lifts up his eyes after death, separated by a great gulf from paradise.
Prophecy & Fulfillment
Verse 16 marks a pivotal redemptive-historical claim: 'The law and the prophets were until John,' identifying John the Baptist as the hinge between the old covenant era and the inbreaking kingdom of God. Verse 17 affirms the abiding authority of the law down to the smallest 'tittle.' Most strikingly, verse 31 carries a veiled prophecy of Christ's own resurrection — Jesus foretells that those who reject Moses and the prophets will likewise reject one risen from the dead, anticipating the unbelief that would follow His own rising and the namesake Lazarus of John 11.
Devotional
Luke 16 confronts us with the question of what truly masters our hearts. Jesus does not condemn possessions but exposes how easily they possess us, urging shrewd, generous use of wealth for eternal ends rather than fleeting comfort.
The parable of Lazarus and the rich man shocks us awake: indifference to suffering at our gate is not neutral — it is a verdict on our souls. Today, ask whether your private use of money, time, and attention matches your public profession.
Faithfulness in small, hidden things is the proving ground for everything God may yet entrust to you.
Literary Style
Narrative gospel teaching dominated by two parables framing didactic sayings. Features vivid dialogue, sharp antitheses (rich/poor, faithful/unjust, God/mammon), and an apocalyptic vision of the afterlife employing reversal, irony, and proverbial wisdom in classic Lukan form.