New International Reader s Version - NIrV - 1996
Luke 16
1
Jesus told his disciples another story. He said, "There was a rich man who had a manager. Some said that the manager was wasting what the rich man owned.
Reference
Good
1 Peter 4:10
Parallel theme
Luke 12:42
James 4:3
Titus 1:7
Luke 15:13
Luke 15:30
Proverbs 18:9
Luke 19:20
Luke 8:3
Luke 16:19
2
So the rich man told him to come in. He asked him, 'What is this I hear about you? Tell me exactly how you have handled what I own. You can't be my manager any longer.'
Reference
3
"The manager said to himself, 'What will I do now? My master is taking away my job. I'm not strong enough to dig. And I'm too ashamed to beg.
4
I know what I'm going to do. I'll do something so that when I lose my job here, people will welcome me into their houses.'
5
"So he called in each person who owed his master something. He asked the first one, 'How much do you owe my master?'
6
" 'I owe 800 gallons of olive oil,' he replied. "The manager told him, 'Take your bill. Sit down quickly and change it to 400 gallons.'
Reference
7
"Then he asked the second one, 'And how much do you owe?' " 'I owe 1,000 bushels of wheat,' he replied. "The manager told him, 'Take your bill and change it to 800 bushels.'
8
"The manager had not been honest. But the master praised him for being clever. The people of this world are clever in dealing with those who are like themselves. They are more clever than God's people.
Reference
Light
1 Thessalonians 5:5
Ephesians 5:8
John 12:36
Parallel theme
Luke 16:4
References Lord
Genesis 3:1
Righteousness
Luke 16:10
9
"I tell you, use the riches of this world to help others. In that way, you will make friends for yourselves. Then when your riches are gone, you will be welcomed into your eternal home in heaven.
Reference
Parallel theme
Matthew 19:21
Matthew 6:24
Proverbs 19:17
Luke 12:33
Luke 16:13
Luke 11:41
Acts 10:31
Righteousness
Luke 16:11
Daniel 4:27
Luke 14:14
10
"Suppose you can be trusted with very little. Then you can be trusted with a lot. But suppose you are not honest with very little. Then you will not be honest with a lot.
Reference
11
"Suppose you have not been worthy of trust in handling worldly wealth. Then who will trust you with true riches?
Reference
Faith
James 2:5
Parallel theme
Ephesians 3:8
Luke 12:33
Luke 18:22
Revelation 3:18
Righteousness
Luke 16:9
12
Suppose you have not been worthy of trust in handling someone else's property. Then who will give you property of your own?
13
"No servant can serve two masters at the same time. He will hate one of them and love the other. Or he will be faithful to one and dislike the other. You can't serve God and Money at the same time."
Reference
15
Jesus said to them, "You try to make yourselves look good in the eyes of other people. But God knows your hearts. What is worth a great deal among people is hated by God.
Reference
Parallel theme
1 Samuel 16:7
Proverbs 21:2
Jeremiah 17:10
Proverbs 16:5
Luke 11:39
References God
1 Corinthians 4:5
Acts 15:8
1 Peter 3:4
1 Chronicles 29:17
Righteousness
Luke 10:29
16
"The teachings of the Law and the Prophets were preached until John came. Since then, the good news of God's kingdom is being preached. And everyone is trying very hard to enter it.
Reference
Kingdom
Matthew 3:2
Matthew 4:17
Matthew 10:7
Luke 10:11
Luke 10:9
Prophecy
Luke 16:31
Acts 3:18
Luke 16:29
References John
Matthew 21:32
Word
John 1:45
17
It is easier for heaven and earth to disappear than for the smallest part of a letter to drop out of the Law.
Reference
18
"Anyone who divorces his wife and gets married to another woman commits adultery. Also, the man who gets married to a divorced woman commits adultery.
Reference
19
"Once there was a rich man. He was dressed in purple cloth and fine linen. He lived an easy life every day.
Reference
20
A man named Lazarus was placed at his gate. Lazarus was a beggar. His body was covered with sores.
Reference
People
21
Even dogs came and licked his sores. All he wanted was to eat what fell from the rich man's table.
Reference
Parallel theme
Matthew 15:27
22
"The time came when the beggar died. The angels carried him to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried.
Reference
23
In hell, the rich man was suffering terribly. He looked up and saw Abraham far away. Lazarus was by his side.
Reference
24
So the rich man called out, 'Father Abraham! Have pity on me! Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water. Then he can cool my tongue with it. I am in terrible pain in this fire.'
Reference
Grace
James 2:13
Parallel theme
Revelation 22:1
John 4:10
Matthew 25:41
John 4:14
Revelation 20:15
James 3:6
Zechariah 14:12
References Abraham
Luke 3:8
Luke 16:30
25
"But Abraham replied, 'Son, remember what happened in your lifetime. You received your good things. Lazarus received bad things. Now he is comforted here, and you are in terrible pain.
Reference
26
Besides, a wide space has been placed between us and you. So those who want to go from here to you can't go. And no one can cross over from there to us.'
Reference
27
"The rich man answered, 'Then I beg you, father. Send Lazarus to my family.
28
I have five brothers. Let Lazarus warn them. Then they will not come to this place of terrible suffering.'
Reference
Witness
Acts 20:23
29
"Abraham replied, 'They have the teachings of Moses and the Prophets. Let your brothers listen to them.'
Reference
30
" 'No, father Abraham,' he said. 'But if someone from the dead goes to them, they will turn away from their sins.'
Reference
Chapter Summary
Luke 16 focuses on stewardship, wealth, faithfulness, generosity, accountability, and the danger of allowing money to become a person's master, using two major teachings: the parable of the shrewd manager and the story of the rich man and Lazarus.
Jesus first tells His disciples about a wealthy man's manager who is accused of wasting his master's possessions and is informed that he will lose his position. Realizing that his future is uncertain, the manager acts quickly by reducing the debts of several people who owe his master money, apparently hoping that these people will later welcome him into their homes.
Although Jesus does not approve the manager's dishonesty, He points out his shrewdness and ability to think ahead, teaching that His followers should also recognize that their present circumstances are temporary and should use their resources wisely in light of the future.
Jesus then develops the lesson by explaining that faithfulness in small matters demonstrates faithfulness in larger matters, and that people cannot truly serve both God and money because wealth can become a competing master that demands loyalty, security, and devotion.
The Pharisees respond by mocking Jesus because they are lovers of money, and Jesus exposes the difference between appearing righteous before people and actually having a heart that is right before God.
He explains that God sees what is hidden within a person's heart, reminding His listeners that the things society admires—wealth, status, influence, and outward religious respectability—may not be the things God values most.
Jesus then briefly discusses the Law, the Prophets, John, God's kingdom, and marriage, reinforcing that the arrival of God's kingdom does not mean that God's moral purposes have become irrelevant.
The chapter's second major teaching is the story of the rich man and Lazarus, which presents an enormous contrast between two men living almost side by side.
The rich man wears expensive clothing and enjoys luxurious meals every day, while Lazarus lies outside his gate covered with sores and longs merely to eat what falls from the rich man's table.
The striking feature of the story is that Lazarus is not separated from the rich man by distance; he is separated by indifference.
The rich man has abundant resources and Lazarus has almost nothing, yet the rich man apparently does nothing to relieve his suffering.
After both men die, their circumstances are dramatically reversed: Lazarus is comforted beside Abraham, while the rich man experiences torment and discovers that the great divide between them can no longer be crossed.
The story therefore warns that wealth itself is not identified as the sin, but selfishness, indifference, and failure to use one's resources to care for others are treated with extreme seriousness.
The rich man then asks Abraham to send Lazarus to warn his five brothers, but Abraham explains that they already have Moses and the Prophets, meaning that God's revealed Word already provides sufficient warning about how they should live.
When the rich man argues that someone rising from the dead would convince them, Abraham responds that people who refuse to listen to God's existing revelation will not necessarily be convinced even by such a dramatic miracle.
This ending reinforces one of the chapter's strongest themes: the problem is often not a lack of evidence but an unwillingness to respond to the truth that has already been given.
Historically, Luke 16 belongs to the 1st century AD, during Jesus' ministry around AD 28–30. Wealthy landowners commonly employed estate managers, agricultural commodities such as olive oil and wheat were central to the economy, purple clothing and fine linen represented high social status, and poverty was a significant reality in the Roman-era Mediterranean world.
The chapter's teaching about Lazarus also reflects the strong Jewish emphasis on caring for the poor and vulnerable, while its references to Moses and the Prophets point to the authoritative Scriptures known by Jesus' Jewish audience.
Luke 16 ultimately teaches that wealth is temporary, stewardship is a spiritual responsibility, faithfulness is revealed in everyday decisions, and people must use their resources with eternal priorities in mind rather than allowing money, comfort, or social status to replace devotion to God and compassion toward others.
Jesus first tells His disciples about a wealthy man's manager who is accused of wasting his master's possessions and is informed that he will lose his position. Realizing that his future is uncertain, the manager acts quickly by reducing the debts of several people who owe his master money, apparently hoping that these people will later welcome him into their homes.
Although Jesus does not approve the manager's dishonesty, He points out his shrewdness and ability to think ahead, teaching that His followers should also recognize that their present circumstances are temporary and should use their resources wisely in light of the future.
Jesus then develops the lesson by explaining that faithfulness in small matters demonstrates faithfulness in larger matters, and that people cannot truly serve both God and money because wealth can become a competing master that demands loyalty, security, and devotion.
The Pharisees respond by mocking Jesus because they are lovers of money, and Jesus exposes the difference between appearing righteous before people and actually having a heart that is right before God.
He explains that God sees what is hidden within a person's heart, reminding His listeners that the things society admires—wealth, status, influence, and outward religious respectability—may not be the things God values most.
Jesus then briefly discusses the Law, the Prophets, John, God's kingdom, and marriage, reinforcing that the arrival of God's kingdom does not mean that God's moral purposes have become irrelevant.
The chapter's second major teaching is the story of the rich man and Lazarus, which presents an enormous contrast between two men living almost side by side.
The rich man wears expensive clothing and enjoys luxurious meals every day, while Lazarus lies outside his gate covered with sores and longs merely to eat what falls from the rich man's table.
The striking feature of the story is that Lazarus is not separated from the rich man by distance; he is separated by indifference.
The rich man has abundant resources and Lazarus has almost nothing, yet the rich man apparently does nothing to relieve his suffering.
After both men die, their circumstances are dramatically reversed: Lazarus is comforted beside Abraham, while the rich man experiences torment and discovers that the great divide between them can no longer be crossed.
The story therefore warns that wealth itself is not identified as the sin, but selfishness, indifference, and failure to use one's resources to care for others are treated with extreme seriousness.
The rich man then asks Abraham to send Lazarus to warn his five brothers, but Abraham explains that they already have Moses and the Prophets, meaning that God's revealed Word already provides sufficient warning about how they should live.
When the rich man argues that someone rising from the dead would convince them, Abraham responds that people who refuse to listen to God's existing revelation will not necessarily be convinced even by such a dramatic miracle.
This ending reinforces one of the chapter's strongest themes: the problem is often not a lack of evidence but an unwillingness to respond to the truth that has already been given.
Historically, Luke 16 belongs to the 1st century AD, during Jesus' ministry around AD 28–30. Wealthy landowners commonly employed estate managers, agricultural commodities such as olive oil and wheat were central to the economy, purple clothing and fine linen represented high social status, and poverty was a significant reality in the Roman-era Mediterranean world.
The chapter's teaching about Lazarus also reflects the strong Jewish emphasis on caring for the poor and vulnerable, while its references to Moses and the Prophets point to the authoritative Scriptures known by Jesus' Jewish audience.
Luke 16 ultimately teaches that wealth is temporary, stewardship is a spiritual responsibility, faithfulness is revealed in everyday decisions, and people must use their resources with eternal priorities in mind rather than allowing money, comfort, or social status to replace devotion to God and compassion toward others.