善用錢財

16 耶穌又對門徒說:「某財主有個管家,有人控告這管家浪費主人的財物。 財主便把管家召來,對他說,『聽說你浪費我的財物,到底是怎麼回事?把帳目交代清楚,你不能再當管家了。』

「管家私下盤算,『主人要辭退我了,怎麼辦呢?鋤地我沒有力氣,討飯我又感到羞恥。 我知道該怎麼辦了!就算被辭退了,也會有人照應我。』 於是,他把欠他主人債的一個一個召來,問第一個,『你欠了我主人多少?』

「他回答說,『一百桶油。』

「管家說,『這是你的帳,快坐下,改成五十吧!』

「管家又問另一個,『你欠多少?』

「他回答說,『一百石麥子。』

「管家說,『這是你的帳,改成八十石吧。』

「主人誇獎這個不義的管家精明。因為今世的兒女在處理世事方面比光明的兒女更精明。

「我告訴你們,要善用今世[a]的錢財,廣結朋友。這樣,當錢財不管用時,他們會接你們到永遠的居所。

見微知著

10 「一個人在小事上忠心,在大事上也會忠心;在小事上靠不住,在大事上更靠不住。 11 如果你們不能忠心地處理今世的財富,誰會把真正的財富交託給你們呢? 12 如果你們不能忠心地處理別人的產業,誰會把你們名下的產業交給你們呢? 13 一個僕人不能服侍兩位主人,因為他不是恨這位、愛那位,就是重這位、輕那位。你們不能又事奉上帝,又崇拜金錢。」

警戒貪財的法利賽人

14 法利賽人向來貪財,他們一面聽一面嗤笑耶穌。 15 耶穌對他們說:「你們在人面前自以為義,但上帝能看透你們的心。因為世人所看重的東西在上帝看來卻是可憎的。 16 約翰還沒有來以前,律法書和先知書是你們的準則。他出來後,上帝國的福音開始廣傳,人人都在努力進上帝的國。 17 不過,就是天地都消失,律法的一點一劃也不會失效。 18 任何人休妻另娶,就是犯通姦罪,娶被休的女子也是犯通姦罪。」

財主和乞丐

19 耶穌又說:「有個財主天天衣著華麗,生活奢侈。 20 又有一個名叫拉撒路的乞丐身上長滿了膿瘡,被人放在財主家門口。 21 他渴望吃到財主桌上掉下來的食物殘渣,卻只有狗來舔他的瘡。

22 「後來,乞丐死了,天使帶他到亞伯拉罕身邊。財主也死了,被人埋葬了。 23 他在陰間受折磨,抬頭遠遠地看見亞伯拉罕和他身邊的拉撒路, 24 就喊著說,『我的先祖亞伯拉罕啊!求你可憐我,派拉撒路用指尖蘸點水來潤潤我的舌頭吧!我在這火中實在痛苦不堪。』

25 「亞伯拉罕說,『孩子啊!你要想想,你生前享福,而拉撒路受苦;如今他在這裡得到安慰,而你受折磨。 26 況且,在你我中間隔著一道深淵,這邊的人不能到你那邊去,你那邊的人也不能到這裡來。』

27 「財主說,『我的先祖啊,那麼求你派拉撒路去我父親家裡, 28 因為我有五個弟兄。讓拉撒路去警告他們,以免他們也來到這痛苦的地方。』

29 「但是亞伯拉罕卻說,『他們可以聽從摩西和眾先知的話呀!』

30 「財主回答說,『我的先祖亞伯拉罕啊!他們不會聽的。但如果有一個死而復活的人去警告他們,他們肯定會悔改!』

31 「亞伯拉罕說,『如果他們不聽從摩西和眾先知的話,即使一個人從死裡復活,他們也不會信服。』」

Footnotes

  1. 16·9 今世」希臘文是「不義」。

The Story of the Crooked Manager

16 1-2 Jesus said to his disciples, “There was once a rich man who had a manager. He got reports that the manager had been taking advantage of his position by running up huge personal expenses. So he called him in and said, ‘What’s this I hear about you? You’re fired. And I want a complete audit of your books.’

3-4 “The manager said to himself, ‘What am I going to do? I’ve lost my job as manager. I’m not strong enough for a laboring job, and I’m too proud to beg. . . . Ah, I’ve got a plan. Here’s what I’ll do . . . then when I’m turned out into the street, people will take me into their houses.’

“Then he went at it. One after another, he called in the people who were in debt to his master. He said to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’

“He replied, ‘A hundred jugs of olive oil.’

“The manager said, ‘Here, take your bill, sit down here—quick now—write fifty.’

“To the next he said, ‘And you, what do you owe?’

“He answered, ‘A hundred sacks of wheat.’

“He said, ‘Take your bill, write in eighty.’

8-9 “Now here’s a surprise: The master praised the crooked manager! And why? Because he knew how to look after himself. Streetwise people are smarter in this regard than law-abiding citizens. They are on constant alert, looking for angles, surviving by their wits. I want you to be smart in the same way—but for what is right—using every adversity to stimulate you to creative survival, to concentrate your attention on the bare essentials, so you’ll live, really live, and not complacently just get by on good behavior.”

God Sees Behind Appearances

10-13 Jesus went on to make these comments:

If you’re honest in small things,
    you’ll be honest in big things;
If you’re a crook in small things,
    you’ll be a crook in big things.
If you’re not honest in small jobs,
    who will put you in charge of the store?
No worker can serve two bosses:
    He’ll either hate the first and love the second
Or adore the first and despise the second.
    You can’t serve both God and the Bank.

14-18 When the Pharisees, a money-obsessed bunch, heard him say these things, they rolled their eyes, dismissing him as hopelessly out of touch. So Jesus spoke to them: “You are masters at making yourselves look good in front of others, but God knows what’s behind the appearance.

What society sees and calls monumental,
    God sees through and calls monstrous.
God’s Law and the Prophets climaxed in John;
Now it’s all kingdom of God—the glad news
    and compelling invitation to every man and woman.
The sky will disintegrate and the earth dissolve
    before a single letter of God’s Law wears out.
Using the legalities of divorce
    as a cover for lust is adultery;
Using the legalities of marriage
    as a cover for lust is adultery.

The Rich Man and Lazarus

19-21 “There once was a rich man, expensively dressed in the latest fashions, wasting his days in conspicuous consumption. A poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, had been dumped on his doorstep. All he lived for was to get a meal from scraps off the rich man’s table. His best friends were the dogs who came and licked his sores.

22-24 “Then he died, this poor man, and was taken up by the angels to the lap of Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried. In hell and in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham in the distance and Lazarus in his lap. He called out, ‘Father Abraham, mercy! Have mercy! Send Lazarus to dip his finger in water to cool my tongue. I’m in agony in this fire.’

25-26 “But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that in your lifetime you got the good things and Lazarus the bad things. It’s not like that here. Here he’s consoled and you’re tormented. Besides, in all these matters there is a huge chasm set between us so that no one can go from us to you even if he wanted to, nor can anyone cross over from you to us.’

27-28 “The rich man said, ‘Then let me ask you, Father: Send him to the house of my father where I have five brothers, so he can tell them the score and warn them so they won’t end up here in this place of torment.’

29 “Abraham answered, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets to tell them the score. Let them listen to them.’

30 “‘I know, Father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but they’re not listening. If someone came back to them from the dead, they would change their ways.’

31 “Abraham replied, ‘If they won’t listen to Moses and the Prophets, they’re not going to be convinced by someone who rises from the dead.’”

The Parable of the Shrewd Manager

16 Jesus told his disciples: “There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions.(A) So he called him in and asked him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your management, because you cannot be manager any longer.’

“The manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do now? My master is taking away my job. I’m not strong enough to dig, and I’m ashamed to beg— I know what I’ll do so that, when I lose my job here, people will welcome me into their houses.’

“So he called in each one of his master’s debtors. He asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’

“‘Nine hundred gallons[a] of olive oil,’ he replied.

“The manager told him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it four hundred and fifty.’

“Then he asked the second, ‘And how much do you owe?’

“‘A thousand bushels[b] of wheat,’ he replied.

“He told him, ‘Take your bill and make it eight hundred.’

“The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the people of this world(B) are more shrewd(C) in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light.(D) I tell you, use worldly wealth(E) to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.(F)

10 “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much,(G) and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. 11 So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth,(H) who will trust you with true riches? 12 And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own?

13 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”(I)

14 The Pharisees, who loved money,(J) heard all this and were sneering at Jesus.(K) 15 He said to them, “You are the ones who justify yourselves(L) in the eyes of others, but God knows your hearts.(M) What people value highly is detestable in God’s sight.

Additional Teachings

16 “The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John.(N) Since that time, the good news of the kingdom of God is being preached,(O) and everyone is forcing their way into it. 17 It is easier for heaven and earth to disappear than for the least stroke of a pen to drop out of the Law.(P)

18 “Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery, and the man who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.(Q)

The Rich Man and Lazarus

19 “There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day.(R) 20 At his gate was laid a beggar(S) named Lazarus, covered with sores 21 and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table.(T) Even the dogs came and licked his sores.

22 “The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. 24 So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham,(U) have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’(V)

25 “But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things,(W) but now he is comforted here and you are in agony.(X) 26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’

27 “He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family, 28 for I have five brothers. Let him warn them,(Y) so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’

29 “Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses(Z) and the Prophets;(AA) let them listen to them.’

30 “‘No, father Abraham,’(AB) he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’

31 “He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’”

Footnotes

  1. Luke 16:6 Or about 3,000 liters
  2. Luke 16:7 Or about 30 tons