Luke 16 challenges us to consider how we use our earthly resources and prepare for eternity. As we anticipate Christ’s coming during Advent, let us reflect on what it means to be faithful stewards of the time, possessions, and relationships God has entrusted to us. The parable of the rich man and Lazarus reminds us to care for others and focus on what has eternal value rather than fleeting wealth.
This Advent season, may we strive to serve God wholeheartedly, using what He has given us to glorify Him and bless others. Let us also take comfort in the assurance that Christ’s Kingdom offers lasting joy and reward for those who remain faithful.
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The Parable of the Dishonest Manager (16:1-9)[1]
He also said to the disciples, “There was a rich man who had a manager, and charges were brought to him that this man was wasting his possessions. 2 And he called him and said to him, ‘What is this that I hear about you? Turn in the account of your management, for you can no longer be manager.’ 3 And the manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do, since my master is taking the management away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg. 4 I have decided what to do, so that when I am removed from management, people may receive me into their houses.’ 5 So, summoning his master’s debtors one by one, he said to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ 6 He said, ‘A hundred measures of oil.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.’ 7 Then he said to another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ He said, ‘A hundred measures of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write eighty.’ 8 The master commended the dishonest manager for his shrewdness. For the sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light. 9 And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth, so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal dwellings.
Faithfulness in Stewardship (16:10-13)[2]
10 “One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. 11 If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? 12 And if you have not been faithful in that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own? 13 No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”
The Law, the Kingdom, and God’s Perspective (16:14-18)[3]
14 The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all these things, and they ridiculed him. 15 And he said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God.
16 “The Law and the Prophets were until John; since then the good news of the kingdom of God is preached, and everyone forces his way into it. 17 But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one dot of the Law to become void.
18 “Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and he who marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery.
The Rich Man and Lazarus (16:19-31)[4]
19 “There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. 20 And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, 21 who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried, 23 and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. 24 And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’ 25 But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. 26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.’ 27 And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father’s house— 28 for I have five brothers—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’ 29 But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ 30 And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ 31 He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’ “
[1] Jesus told His disciples about a rich man who accused his manager of wasting his possessions. Knowing he was about to lose his job, the manager acted shrewdly by reducing the debts of his master’s debtors, ensuring their favor after his dismissal. While the master commended the manager’s cleverness, Jesus clarified that believers should use their worldly wealth wisely to invest in eternal purposes, such as helping others and advancing God’s Kingdom.
[2] Jesus emphasized the importance of faithfulness in small matters, explaining that this reflects trustworthiness in greater responsibilities. Earthly possessions, described as “unrighteous wealth” (v. 11), are temporary and should be used for eternal purposes. He warned that one cannot serve both God and money, as devotion to one will always come at the expense of the other.
[3] The Pharisees, who loved money, ridiculed Jesus’ teaching. He rebuked their self-righteousness, explaining that while they sought approval from others, God knew their hearts. Jesus affirmed the enduring truth of God’s law, emphasizing its authority even as the Kingdom of God was being proclaimed. He also addressed the seriousness of obeying God’s commands, particularly regarding marriage and divorce.
[4] Jesus told a parable contrasting the lives and eternal destinies of a rich man and a poor beggar named Lazarus. The rich man lived in luxury, ignoring the suffering of Lazarus, who lay at his gate. When both died, Lazarus was carried to Abraham’s side, while the rich man found himself in torment in Hades.
The rich man pleaded for relief and for a warning to be sent to his family, but Abraham explained that the law and the prophets provided sufficient warning. Even if someone were to rise from the dead, those who reject God’s Word would not be persuaded.
Just Keith Harris 
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