微读圣经

The Unjust Steward (Manager)

1Now Jesus was also saying to the disciples, “There was a certain rich man who had a manager [of his estate], and accusations [against this man] were brought to him, that this man was squandering his [master’s] possessions.

2So he called him and said to him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an accounting of your management [of my affairs], for you can no longer be [my] manager.’

3The manager [of the estate] said to himself, ‘What will I do, since my master is taking the management away from me? I am not strong enough to dig [for a living], and I am ashamed to beg.

4I know what I will do, so that when I am removed from the management, people [who are my master’s debtors] will welcome me into their homes.’

5So he summoned his master’s debtors one by one, and he said to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’

6He said, ‘A hundred Gr baths, a Hebrew unit of measure equaling about 7-8 gal.measures of [olive] oil.’ And he said to him, ‘Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write It is possible that the manager was releasing the debtors from unlawful interest he was charging them (cf v 2)fifty.’

7Then he said to another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ He said, ‘A hundred Gr kors, one kor equals 10-12 bushels.measures of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write eighty.’

8And his master commended the unjust manager [not for his misdeeds, but] because he had acted shrewdly [by preparing for his future unemployment]; for the sons of this age [the non-believers] are shrewder in relation to their own kind [that is, to the ways of the secular world] than are the sons of light [the believers].

9And I tell you [learn from this], make friends for yourselves [for eternity] by means of the Gr mamona, from Aram mammon, signifying riches, wealth, etc., personified as an object of worship.wealth of unrighteousness [that is, use material resources as a way to further the work of God], so that when it runs out, they will welcome you into the eternal dwellings.

10 “He who is faithful in a very little thing is also faithful in much; and he who is dishonest in a very little thing is also dishonest in much.

11Therefore if you have not been faithful in the use of earthly wealth, who will entrust the true riches to you?

12And if you have not been faithful in the use of that [earthly wealth] which belongs to another [whether God or man, and of which you are a trustee], who will give you that which is your own?

13No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will stand devotedly by the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and mammon [that is, your earthly possessions or anything else you trust in and rely on instead of God].”

14Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, were listening to all these things and were sneering and ridiculing Him.

15So He said to them, “You are the ones who declare yourselves just and upright in the sight of men, but God knows your hearts [your thoughts, your desires, your secrets]; for that which is highly esteemed among men is detestable in the sight of God.

16 “The Law and the [writings of the] Prophets were proclaimed until John; since then the gospel of the kingdom of God has been and continues to be preached, and everyone tries forcefully to go into it.

17Yet it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for a single stroke of a letter of the Law to fail and become void.

18 “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and he who marries one who is divorced from her husband commits adultery.

The Rich Man and Lazarus

19 “Now there was a certain rich man who was habitually dressed in expensive purple and fine linen, and celebrated and lived joyously in splendor every day.

20And a poor man named Lazarus, was laid at his gate, covered with sores.

21He [eagerly] longed to eat the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table. Besides, even the dogs were coming and licking his sores.

22Now it happened that the poor man died and his spirit was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s Or lap. The Greek word basically means a fold, and could refer either to the fold of a robe over the chest or to the fold of a lap, formed when the legs are placed together. In either case, being “in Abraham’s bosom” (v 23) is an image reflecting a blissful place of comfort and security.bosom (paradise); and the rich man also died and was buried.

23In Hades (the realm of the dead), being in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away and Lazarus in his bosom (paradise).

24And he cried out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in severe agony in this flame.’

25But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things [all the comforts and delights], and Lazarus likewise bad things [all the discomforts and distresses]; but now he is comforted here [in paradise], while you are in severe agony.

26And besides all this, between us and you [people] a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to come over from here to you will not be able, and none may cross over from there to us.’

27So the rich man said, ‘Then, father [Abraham], I beg you to send Lazarus to my father’s house—

28for I have five brothers—in order that he may solemnly warn them and witness to them, so that they too will not come to this place of torment.’

29But Abraham said, ‘They have [the Scriptures given by] Moses and the [writings of the] Prophets; let them listen to them.’

30He replied, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent [they will change their old way of thinking and seek God and His righteousness].’

31And he said to him, ‘If they do not listen to [the messages of] Moses and the Prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.’ ”