The Strand Study Bible

LUKE 15:29

LUKE 16:17

1670

29 And he answering said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, 1 neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends: 30 But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf. 31 And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine. 32 It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found . Luke 16 Parable #27 - The unjust servant [A lesson for the saved – Learn to use present opportunities to prepare for the future - Jms 4:13-17] Date - AD 31 1 And he said also unto his disciples, There was a certain 2 RICH MAN , which had a steward; and the same was accused unto him that 3 he had wasted his goods. 2 And HE called him, and said unto him, How is it that I hear this of thee? give an account of thy stewardship; for thou mayest be no longer steward. 3 Then the steward said within himself, What shall I do? for my LORD taketh away from me the stewardship: I cannot dig; to beg I am ashamed. 4 I am resolved what to do, that, when I am put out of the stewardship, 4 they may receive me into their houses. 5 So he called every one of his LORD’S debtors unto him, and said unto the first, How much owest thou unto my LORD ? 6 And he said, An hundred measures of oil. And he said unto him, Take thy bill,

and sit down quickly, and write fifty . 7 Then said he to another, And howmuch owest thou? And he said, An hundred measures of wheat. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and write fourscore. 8 And the LORD 5 commended the unjust steward, because he had done wisely: for the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the 6 children of light. 9 And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friendsof themammonof unrighteousness; that, 7 when ye fail, 8 they may receive you into everlasting habitations. 10 He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much. 11 If therefore ye have not been faithful in the 9 unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the 10 true riches? 12 And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man’s, who shall give you that which is your own? 13 11 No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon . 14 And the Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things: and they derided him. 15 And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; 12 but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.

1. Note – The elder son here pictured the Pharisees, who may have been morally straight, but were self- righteous ( neither transgressed I ) and more willing to dwell on their brother’s sin than their own (Lk 18:10- 12 and Mt 7:21-23). 2. or, "God the Father" 3. or, “ he had stole from his master” 4. or, “the people he cut deals with” (vs 5-7) 5. that is, “grudgingly commended ” 6. or, “believers” - Jn 12:36 & Eph 5:8 & I Thess 5:5 7. that is, “when the mammon fails” 8. that is, “the friends you bought will befriend you when you become jobless” 9. or, “filthy lucre;

riches; money” 10. or, “spiritual riches; eternal perspective”

11. Mt 6:19-24 12. I Ki 8:39 & Psa 7:9 13. Psa 102:26-27 & Isa 40:8

16 The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it. 17 13 And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail. 16:1 Of the 41 parables given to us by our Lord, 9 of them were directed straight at his " disciples :" Mt 13:44 & 13:45-46 & 13:47-53 & 18:12-14 & 18:21-35 and Lk 11:5-13 & 16:1-13 & 17:7-10 & 18:1-8. 16:8 Because the dishonest accountant (steward) saved his master’s debtors some money ( because he had done wisely ), he knew he would have some friends when he became jobless. Therefore, the dishonest steward’s boss grudgingly admitted that he had been very shrewd with money that was not his. Sadly, the world is wiser than Christians at investing in their future ( for the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light ). There is always wisdom in preparing for the future (Prov 6:6-11 & 31:21). Whenever Christians invest their time ( Lk 19:11,17 ), talents ( Mt 25:30 ), and tithes (Mt 6:19-21) in eternal opportunities, they lay up treasures for themselves in Heaven. While it is true that we cannot take that which is temporal with us when we die, we can send it on ahead (vs 9). The application of the parable is threefold. As stewards: (1) we are to use wisely God’s resources that He has entrusted to us (our time, talents, and tithes); (2) we are to be wiser than the world at investing in our future ( Dan 12:3 b and I Cor 15: 38- 42 ); and (3) God will check our bookkeeping ( II Cor 5:10-11 , Mt 5:19 a and I Cor 3:14 ). THE ADAGE IS TRUE: Investing in the future makes friends at the resurrection Parable #27 is aimed at believers who are interested in the future . The character flaw – assuming the future is a gamble . It is not; it is certain. 16:9 Jesus told his disciples to invest ( Make to yourselves ) their monies ( the mammon of unrighteousness ) in the eternal, to “send it on ahead” by investing in people spiritually… now! 16:16 According to Jesus, it would be John the Baptist who would bring the OT system to an end ( The law and the prophets were until John ), which regulated and guided the nation of Israel.