October 22 A READ LUKE 16–18
Parables of the Son of Man / Part Two
OVERVIEW
Christ continues his “School of Discipleship” with an assortment of parables designed to teach stewardship of money, time, and talents; the importance of forgiveness and faith; and the primacy of prayer in a disciple’s life. The curriculum is concentrated because time is short. Just beyond Jericho lies the city of Jerusalem, where the final dramatic events in the life of the Son of Man will soon be played out.
MY DAILY WALK
Select the proper response to complete this verse (1 Corinthians 4:2): “A person who is put in charge as a manager must be . . .” (a) gifted (b) dynamic (c) faithful (d) famous (e) educated (f) wealthy. The correct answer, of course, is (c) faithful; in other words, trustworthy and dependable.
But how do you know if you are faithful, the kind of steward God is looking for? Luke 16 will help you. There you’ll find the threefold test of a faithful man or woman, boy or girl. Take this “trustworthiness checkup” for yourself; then enlist the aid of your spouse, child, or friend in helping you work on any area that is weak.
Are you faithful in little things (v. 10)? little promises? small amounts of time, talent, and responsibility? Are you faithful with money (v. 11)? God’s Word has much to say on money matters. Are you faithful in the affairs of others (v. 12)? Are you as careful with their possessions and reputations as you are with your own?
A STEWARD IS MORE A GIVER THAN A GUARDIAN.
INSIGHT
The Big “Little Horn” of the Scriptures | Luke 16:17
The Hebrew letter yod looks like a little hook or horn. It is the smallest of Hebrew letters. Jesus was saying that even down to the smallest detail, God’s Word will maintain its authority “until heaven and earth disappear” (Luke 16:17; compare Matthew 5:18).
Parable of the Shrewd Manager
1Jesus told this story to his disciples: “There was a certain rich man who had a manager handling his affairs. One day a report came that the manager was wasting his employer’s money. 2So the employer called him in and said, ‘What’s this I hear about you? Get your report in order, because you are going to be fired.’
3“The manager thought to himself, ‘Now what? My boss has fired me. I don’t have the strength to dig ditches, and I’m too proud to beg. 4Ah, I know how to ensure that I’ll have plenty of friends who will give me a home when I am fired.’
5“So he invited each person who owed money to his employer to come and discuss the situation. He asked the first one, ‘How much do you owe him?’ 6The man replied, ‘I owe him 800 gallons of olive oil.’ So the manager told him, ‘Take the bill and quickly change it to 400 gallons.*’
7“‘And how much do you owe my employer?’ he asked the next man. ‘I owe him 1,000 bushels of wheat,’ was the reply. ‘Here,’ the manager said, ‘take the bill and change it to 800 bushels.*’
8“The rich man had to admire the dishonest rascal for being so shrewd. And it is true that the children of this world are more shrewd in dealing with the world around them than are the children of the light. 9Here’s the lesson: Use your worldly resources to benefit others and make friends. Then, when your earthly possessions are gone, they will welcome you to an eternal home.*
10“If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities. 11And if you are untrustworthy about worldly wealth, who will trust you with the true riches of heaven? 12And if you are not faithful with other people’s things, why should you be trusted with things of your own?
13“No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”
14The Pharisees, who dearly loved their money, heard all this and scoffed at him. 15Then he said to them, “You like to appear righteous in public, but God knows your hearts. What this world honors is detestable in the sight of God.
16“Until John the Baptist, the law of Moses and the messages of the prophets were your guides. But now the Good News of the Kingdom of God is preached, and everyone is eager to get in.* 17But that doesn’t mean that the law has lost its force. It is easier for heaven and earth to disappear than for the smallest point of God’s law to be overturned.
18“For example, a man who divorces his wife and marries someone else commits adultery. And anyone who marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery.”
Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus
19Jesus said, “There was a certain rich man who was splendidly clothed in purple and fine linen and who lived each day in luxury. 20At his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus who was covered with sores. 21As Lazarus lay there longing for scraps from the rich man’s table, the dogs would come and lick his open sores.
22“Finally, the poor man died and was carried by the angels to be with Abraham.* The rich man also died and was buried, 23and his soul went to the place of the dead.* There, in torment, he saw Abraham in the far distance with Lazarus at his side.
24“The rich man shouted, ‘Father Abraham, have some pity! Send Lazarus over here to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue. I am in anguish in these flames.’
25“But Abraham said to him, ‘Son, remember that during your lifetime you had everything you wanted, and Lazarus had nothing. So now he is here being comforted, and you are in anguish. 26And besides, there is a great chasm separating us. No one can cross over to you from here, and no one can cross over to us from there.’
27“Then the rich man said, ‘Please, Father Abraham, at least send him to my father’s home. 28For I have five brothers, and I want him to warn them so they don’t end up in this place of torment.’
29“But Abraham said, ‘Moses and the prophets have warned them. Your brothers can read what they wrote.’
30“The rich man replied, ‘No, Father Abraham! But if someone is sent to them from the dead, then they will repent of their sins and turn to God.’
31“But Abraham said, ‘If they won’t listen to Moses and the prophets, they won’t be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.’”