Luke 16:1-12
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“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. And He called him, and said unto him, How is it that I hear this of you? Give an account of your stewardship…If therefore you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? And if you have not been faithful in that which is another man’s, who shall give you that which is your own?”
Often called the Parable of the Unjust Steward, what is this really talking about?
Open your Bible and we will examine this parable verse by verse:
Lk 16:1—Type of a Christian who is wasting his talents.
Lk 16:2—As he is called to judgement…
Lk 16:3—…he realizes time is short, so he has to work double-time to qualify for salvation.
Lk 16:4—He determines to make some friends.
Lk 16:5-7—This means that we should always strive to do whatever we can without necessarily telling people why. Also, no one should ever spiritually give up without at least attempting last-minute growth.
Lk 16:8—No explanation needed
Lk 16:9—The word translated “of” means “with” or “by means of.” The word translated “mammon of unrighteousness” means “money, riches (see Matt. 6:19, 24) possessions.” The word translated “fail” means “die,”—death is certainly an “everlasting habitation.”
There are several additional keys to understanding this parable:
(1) Read James 4:4. But, Christians can make “friends” in the world (not “of the world”) by using the world’s monetary systems, to be received when necessary into people’s dwellings (houses) because there may be an emergency.
(2) God’s people should diligently tithe and give generous offerings now, so that the unconverted can one day join us in the eternal kingdom of God later.
(3) Christians may one day be received into the chosen country of the place of safety for “favors” that the Church may have done for that country. Finally, the emphasis is on the “you” of Lk 16:9 and not “they” (the world). God merely mentions the world as a standard of comparison for our conduct.
No suggested reading.