Luke

By Joyce Webb 2020

Chapter 16      Verses 1-18

Verse 1 Jesus told another story. A rich man learned that his steward (the man who was the manager of his household) was not being honest.

He called the man in to talk to him.

The steward saw that his master was angry, and that he needed to do something— or he would lose his job.

He said to himself, “ I am not strong enough to dig ditches. I am too proud to beg for money. What will I do?

Then he got an idea.

He thought—I need friends. If I lose my job, I will need friends to help me.

There were people who owed his master money. He called them in one by one.

One man owed 800 gallons of olive oil. The steward told him that he could pay for 400 gallons and that would be all he owed and his bill would be paid.

Another man owed for 1000 bushels of wheat. The steward told him to pay for 800 bushels of wheat and that would be all his owed and his bill would be paid.

When the rich master saw what the steward had done, he thought he was very smart and clever.

Jesus said to the people—”People who are not believers in God are sometimes wiser than the people who believe in God.”

Jesus said, Use the things you have to help others and to make friends. Being generous will give you rewards in heaven.

Jesus said, If you are not faithful in little things, you will not be faithful in big things.

If you cheat and are not honest in little things, you will not be honest in big things.

If you can not be trusted to do the right honest thing— with things of this world, —then you can not be trusted to do what is right with the things of God.

If you are not honest with other people’s money, why should you be given money of your own?

No person can be faithful to two different masters at the same time.

Either you will love one, and not the other.

Either you will obey one, and not the other.

You can not be faithful to two at the same time.

You can not love money (and what it can buy) and love God at the same time.

(This does not mean you should not have money if you are a believer in God. There is nothing wrong with money.

Jesus is warning people that too much love of money—will make you do things that are against what God wants.

Too much love of money—and you will not obey God’s rule to be honest and faithful and loyal.

Too much love of money and you will be tempted to do wrong things to get more money.)

(Business men have cheated their company and boss out of money instead of being loyal and honest in their work.

They loved money more than they honored their boss and their job.

The love of money made them willing to do something that was not honest in order to get more money.

They gave up their “honesty” for money.

Who would trust them in the future? They made a bad choice.

People in government, –or judges,– and others —take money to ignore laws, to change laws, to get a better job, to get influence with someone higher up.

So, Jesus is warning us—–there are some things more important than money. Being honest is more important.

When you are not honest—someone, sometime—will find out—and you will be shamed— and people will always remember that you cheated—you “sold out” your honesty for money.)

The Jewish leaders, the Pharisees, heard this. They loved their money. They did not like what Jesus said, and they showed on their faces that they did not agree.

Then Jesus said–You like to look good for all the people. But God knows your heart. He sees your evil ways.

Verse 16 Then Jesus said, You have had the laws of the Old Testament prophets until John the Baptist came to preach.

But now the Kingdom of God has come in a new way—with Jesus—many people are believing in Jesus now. This does not mean that the Old Testament laws have no meaning now—those teachings and ideas are still here.

Verse 18 Then Jesus said something else–about marriage.

He said that whoever divorced his wife and then goes to marry another woman—does adultery. Whoever marries the woman who has been divorced also does adultery.

Verse 18 has been talked about much over the years.

In the Old Testament–people got divorced. It was not what God wanted to happen.

Moses said it was because of their “hard hearts” that he allowed them to divorce.

Divorce is not what God wanted to happen.

But through the years, —thousands of years, people have gotten divorced.

It makes for a lot of problems in families and with children. It is a sad and upsetting thing. It can cause sorrow and anger for years.

It is not a good thing. People should try their best to make their marriage work. Get help and council. Pray.

Yet—people still get divorced.

God does forgive our wrong doings. Yet divorce brings long term problems.