The Gospel of Luke
Chapter 16
This chapter has passages that are hard to understand. First, we have a parable about a crook who seems to be honored. Then a group of seemingly unrelated sayings are stuck in the middle of the chapter, and it concludes with a parable that disturbs our sense of afterlife. To add to our unease, almost all of these things are said to the disciples, and not to opponents or strangers. What do these things have in common that caused Jesus to link them together?
Misuse of God’s Law—Luke 16:1-18
The parable about the dishonest steward is disturbing on multiple levels. It probably will help us to understand the story if we learn something about the practices of lending money and goods to others during this time. The Law prohibited taking interest (usury) from a fellow Jew in a loan (Exodus 22:25; Leviticus 25:36-37, for example). However, for someone who wanted to profit from lending, the Law would only be an irritant, not a barrier. It was very frequent that someone would borrow money with a promise to repay in an equivalent commodity. For instance, a person might borrow a hundred silver shekels with a promise to repay that worth in wheat at the due date. It would be a simple matter to demand a hundred measures of wheat for the loan—even though a measure of wheat would normally be worth two shekels! In this way, the interest charged would be disguised. In wealthy houses, this might be the policy of the owner and it might also be the practice of a manager who used his master’s money to enrich himself. In this story it is impossible to determine which situation is in view. Nevertheless, dishonesty is clearly at work.
Jesus began the parable by describing a manager (steward) who was discovered to be “wasting” the property of the master. Likely he was converting it to his own use. Exposed, the master demanded an accounting before his firing. The panicky manager cast around for an alternative, rejecting manual labor or begging, then had an “Aha!” moment. He hit upon a strategy that would win him favor with the creditors. He called each one in separately (secrecy was required in this) and had him alter his loan terms. It may be that this effectively ended the charging of interest or it may be that he continued to misuse his master’s property—this time for his own benefit. At any rate, the master commended the resourcefulness of the crook, and Jesus pointed out that worldly people are very astute about the matters of the world. He then urged His disciples to use worldly wealth in such a way that it has eternal consequences for them.
Without a pause, Jesus then launched into a discussion about integrity in financial matters. He very rightly pointed out that a dishonest person is dishonest in any amount and in every amount while an honest person is honest at all times. It’s not a matter of how much is at stake; it’s a matter of personal character. Commenting on this verse, Leon Morris wrote, “What a man does with the small things of life he does also in the big things. His faithfulness or his dishonesty appears throughout. Life is a unity.” A person who cannot demonstrate consistent faithfulness in smaller tasks should not be surprised that no opportunity for great accomplishment ever comes to him. Then Jesus repeated a familiar saying regarding an attempt to serve two masters. It is impossible to be loyal to the Lord while pursuing wealth and luxury.
Luke reveals that some
Pharisees were close enough to hear Jesus’ words. They were, if not outright
greedy, at least highly attentive to their finances. In their understanding, if
a man was rich it was because he was obviously blessed by God. Consequently,
they sneered at Jesus in His disdain
for the pursuit of wealth. Jesus turned His attention to them and told the truth. No matter how they tried to justify themselves in the eyes of men, God knew perfectly what was in their hearts. Others might see them as pious and devoted servants of God; the Lord knew that they were grasping in their hearts. Consequently, all the things they hoped for, wealth, luxury, the respect and admiration of other people, all was vile to God. That wasn’t what He wanted for them at all.
Suddenly, Jesus seemed to veer off in a completely unrelated direction as He spoke about forceful people shouldering their way into the kingdom of God, and then He made an unprovoked statement about divorce. The thread that attaches these ideas to the previous section has to do with misusing the Law. The proclamation of the Law led many people energetically to press their way toward God’s kingdom while the Pharisees set it all aside as useless. Yet the Law stands, and will stand forever. Meanwhile, the topic of marriage and divorce was a religious “hot potato” and opinions of influential people hinged on obscure passages and strained interpretations of the Scriptures. Jesus cut through it all with a flat statement about divorce bringing about adultery.
Again, the apparent disconnect between these sections disappears when we consider that the Pharisees were fixated on the Law and its observance, even to the development of traditions that would keep them from approaching sin. Meanwhile, they misused the Law to disguise ungodly lending practices and to justify adultery. Their faithlessness in even the smallest matters of the Law should not lead them to suppose that God would reward them greatly!
The purpose of the Law—Luke 16:19-31
Once again, Jesus offered no hint that He was changing a subject as He began to tell the story of the rich man and Lazarus. And again it is worth remembering two key facts about parables in the Scriptures. First, they are set in reality—there are no talking animals or self-sailing boats—so the details reflect what is true. Second, the point of the parable is almost always the final thing said. That becomes very important in this case.
In the story, Jesus spoke of a rich man who enjoyed a life of luxury. He was not an evil man, oppressing the poor; he seems to be an unconcerned man. Meanwhile, a beggar named Lazarus was laid at the rich man’s gate. Lazarus (in Hebrew the name would be Eleazar) was represented as lame and suffering from skin sores. He was in perpetual need and would have gladly eaten the scraps thrown from the rich man’s table. At death, the beggar was found to be a righteous “son of the covenant” and was taken to the heavenly banquet with Abraham. The rich man died and was buried (a cold comment!). From his position in Hades (not “hell,” but the place where all the spirits of the dead go—the “unseen”) the rich man experienced torment and begged for Abraham to send Lazarus to his aid.
Abraham refused; a great divide existed to prevent traffic between the realms. And this seemed like justice since the rich man had experienced good things in life while Lazarus had nothing. The rich man then pleaded for Lazarus to return and warn his brothers, but again Abraham refused. The Scriptures (the Law and the Prophets) were available for their warning. When the rich man protested, Abraham rightly noted that if the brothers paid no attention to the Scriptures, they would not listen even if someone should rise from the dead. This is the last thing said by Jesus, and it is the point of the parable.
The purpose of the Scriptures was not to provide loopholes for the astute students so that they could finagle crushing interest terms or divorce their wives while maintaining the fiction of being God’s servants. The Law was to lead the people of the covenant to an understanding of God and His plan for redemption (Galatians 3:24). Those who are faithful in small obediences to God will come to faith in Christ through the study of the Scriptures.