16:1 Then he also said to his students, “There was a rich man whose manager had been accused of misusing his possessions.
16:2 So he summoned him and asked him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give me an accounting of your management, because you are no longer the manager.’
16:3 The manager thought, ‘What do I do since my master is removing me from management? I am not strong enough to dig and I’m too ashamed to beg.
16:4 I know what I can do so that when I am removed from management people will welcome me into their homes.’
16:5 So he summoned each of his master’s borrowers and asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’
16:6 He replied, ‘A hundred measures of oil.’ So he told him, ‘Take your bill, now sit down and write fifty.’
16:7 Then he asked another, ‘So how much do you owe?’ He replied, ‘One hundred measures of wheat.’ He told him, ‘Take your bill and write eighty.’
16:8 Then master praised the unrighteous manager because he acted shrewdly – because the people of this world are more shrewd with respect to each other compared to those subjects of the spiritual realm.1
16:9 So I tell you, make friends for yourselves with the wealth of this world so that when it runs out, you’ll be welcomed into the eternal realm.
16:10 One who is trustworthy with very small concerns can be trusted with much; and one who is deceitful with very small concerns will also be deceitful with much.
16:11 Therefore, if you haven’t been trustworthy in the use of worldly wealth, who will entrust the true riches to you?
16:12 And if you haven’t been trustworthy in the use of something belonging to another, who will give you something of your own?
16:13 No servant can serve two masters – because either he will detest the one and love the other, or else he will be devoted to one and detest the other. You can’t serve God and materialism.”
16:14 Then the pharisees – who were materialistic – were listening to all these things and were sneering at him.
16:15 So he told them, “You may justify yourselves in the presence of men, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly esteemed among people is detestable in the presence of God.
16:16 The Scripture and the Prophets came before John. From these, the Gospel of the sanctuary of God has been preached. And everyone has pressed towards this.
16:17 For it would be easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one stroke of the Scripture to fail.
16:18 Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery. And one who marries a woman who divorced her husband commits adultery.
16:19 Now there was a rich man and he always dressed in purple and fine linen. He joyously lived in splendor each day.
16:20 Then a poor man named Lazarus was laid at his gate covered with sores.
16:21 He yearned to be fed with crumbs that fell from the rich man’s table. Yes, even the dogs came up and licked his sores.
16:22 Then the poor man died and was carried by angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried.
16:23 In Hades, he lifted his eyes from his torment and saw Abraham from a distance, and Lazarus in his bosom.
16:24 So he cried out, ‘Master Abraham, have mercy on me and send Lazarus so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue. Because I am in agony within this fire.’
16:25 But Abraham replied, ‘Child, remember that during your lifetime you received your good things just as Lazarus received bad things. But now he is comfortable here and you are in agony.’
16:26 Besides all this, there is a great crevasse in place so those who want to come from here to where you are will not be able to, and so no one may cross over from there to us.’
16:27 Then he replied, ‘Then I beg you, master, that you send him to my father’s house –
16:28 because I have five brothers – and warn them so they won’t also end up in this place of agony.’
16:29 Yet Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets. Let them hear them.’
16:30 Then he said, ‘That won’t work, master Abraham. But if someone reaches them from the dead they could have a change of heart.’2
16:31 But he replied, ‘If they don’t listen to Moses and the Prophets, they won’t be persuaded – even if someone appears from the dead.’”
Footnotes:
1. Verse 16:8. The Greek phrase, υἱοὺς τοῦ φωτὸς – refers to “subjects” (υἱοὺς) that are from or part of (τοῦ) that place where there is spiritual light (φωτὸς). This final word φωτὸς, as defined in the lexicon, can mean, “a heavenly light such as surrounds angels” and “of truth and its knowledge, together with the spiritual purity associated with it.” This translation is confirmed by the next verse.
2. Verses 16:30 and 31. The Greek word νεκρός (nekros) refers to the death of the gross physical body. Someone who “reaches them from the dead” would therefore be a spirit who could reappear after his physical body dies.
16:2 So he summoned him and asked him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give me an accounting of your management, because you are no longer the manager.’
16:3 The manager thought, ‘What do I do since my master is removing me from management? I am not strong enough to dig and I’m too ashamed to beg.
16:4 I know what I can do so that when I am removed from management people will welcome me into their homes.’
16:5 So he summoned each of his master’s borrowers and asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’
16:6 He replied, ‘A hundred measures of oil.’ So he told him, ‘Take your bill, now sit down and write fifty.’
16:7 Then he asked another, ‘So how much do you owe?’ He replied, ‘One hundred measures of wheat.’ He told him, ‘Take your bill and write eighty.’
16:8 Then master praised the unrighteous manager because he acted shrewdly – because the people of this world are more shrewd with respect to each other compared to those subjects of the spiritual realm.1
16:9 So I tell you, make friends for yourselves with the wealth of this world so that when it runs out, you’ll be welcomed into the eternal realm.
16:10 One who is trustworthy with very small concerns can be trusted with much; and one who is deceitful with very small concerns will also be deceitful with much.
16:11 Therefore, if you haven’t been trustworthy in the use of worldly wealth, who will entrust the true riches to you?
16:12 And if you haven’t been trustworthy in the use of something belonging to another, who will give you something of your own?
16:13 No servant can serve two masters – because either he will detest the one and love the other, or else he will be devoted to one and detest the other. You can’t serve God and materialism.”
16:14 Then the pharisees – who were materialistic – were listening to all these things and were sneering at him.
16:15 So he told them, “You may justify yourselves in the presence of men, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly esteemed among people is detestable in the presence of God.
16:16 The Scripture and the Prophets came before John. From these, the Gospel of the sanctuary of God has been preached. And everyone has pressed towards this.
16:17 For it would be easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one stroke of the Scripture to fail.
16:18 Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery. And one who marries a woman who divorced her husband commits adultery.
16:19 Now there was a rich man and he always dressed in purple and fine linen. He joyously lived in splendor each day.
16:20 Then a poor man named Lazarus was laid at his gate covered with sores.
16:21 He yearned to be fed with crumbs that fell from the rich man’s table. Yes, even the dogs came up and licked his sores.
16:22 Then the poor man died and was carried by angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried.
16:23 In Hades, he lifted his eyes from his torment and saw Abraham from a distance, and Lazarus in his bosom.
16:24 So he cried out, ‘Master Abraham, have mercy on me and send Lazarus so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue. Because I am in agony within this fire.’
16:25 But Abraham replied, ‘Child, remember that during your lifetime you received your good things just as Lazarus received bad things. But now he is comfortable here and you are in agony.’
16:26 Besides all this, there is a great crevasse in place so those who want to come from here to where you are will not be able to, and so no one may cross over from there to us.’
16:27 Then he replied, ‘Then I beg you, master, that you send him to my father’s house –
16:28 because I have five brothers – and warn them so they won’t also end up in this place of agony.’
16:29 Yet Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets. Let them hear them.’
16:30 Then he said, ‘That won’t work, master Abraham. But if someone reaches them from the dead they could have a change of heart.’2
16:31 But he replied, ‘If they don’t listen to Moses and the Prophets, they won’t be persuaded – even if someone appears from the dead.’”
Footnotes:
1. Verse 16:8. The Greek phrase, υἱοὺς τοῦ φωτὸς – refers to “subjects” (υἱοὺς) that are from or part of (τοῦ) that place where there is spiritual light (φωτὸς). This final word φωτὸς, as defined in the lexicon, can mean, “a heavenly light such as surrounds angels” and “of truth and its knowledge, together with the spiritual purity associated with it.” This translation is confirmed by the next verse.
2. Verses 16:30 and 31. The Greek word νεκρός (nekros) refers to the death of the gross physical body. Someone who “reaches them from the dead” would therefore be a spirit who could reappear after his physical body dies.
