November 10, 2021
Please use the comment section on this page to share insights from today’s reading OR your own personal Bible reading.
Reading along with us in Luke? Here’s today’s reading:
Luke 16 (NIV)
The Parable of the Shrewd Manager
1 Jesus told his disciples: “There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions. 2 So he called him in and asked him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your management, because you cannot be manager any longer.’
3 “The manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do now? My master is taking away my job. I’m not strong enough to dig, and I’m ashamed to beg—4 I know what I’ll do so that, when I lose my job here, people will welcome me into their houses.’........Continue Reading
Jesus gives us a clear picture of how he views our use or misuse of the finances He blesses us with. We need to be responsible with what He entrusts us with but with an eternal perspective. Do we give back to God what is rightfully His anyway, do we use our money for good? Like the rich man didn’t do anything negative to Lazarus but he didn’t do anything positive FOR him as well.
We must be good stewards of what God blesses us with small or great.
A couple of things: 1. Jesus is teaching his disciples that money, especially an excess of money, should be used to further the Kingdom of God. 2. Despite what many say today, hell exists. The rich man certainly can see his predicament and wants Jesus to send a message to his family to warn them. Jesus’ reply at the end of the chapter is sad and sobering.
“You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of others, but God knows your hearts. What people value highly is detestable in God’s sight.
Luke 15 and 16: ““Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.”
Luke 16:10 NIV
https://luke.bible/luke-16-10
So if someone is dishonest about little things, he’s not to be trusted with larger things—something that we had to think about recently.
Luke 16 – Jesus wants us to remember that our money belongs to God , we need to be wise with our money and make good decisions with it, not to put money before God and make it our first love,
Money. Money. Money. It’s just a test to show where your heart is. Have too many friends that money is their god. And there’s no room left for God. Shame. Verse 10 nails it!! Trusted with little. Trusted with much. Verse 19. Dish man it would seem went to hell because of his fishes. But Jesus tells this to show that selfishness with your money is wrong. What we do with our money shows our heart. Vs 27 to end Even if someone resurrects from the dead, they still won’t believe???? Sounds familiar to the Pharisees and many others. Even today!!
Hahaha. Rich man it would seem went to hell because of his riches
Money certainly has its place, but it is secondary to the things of God. How we handle money says a lot about our character and what we can be trusted with. And honesty and integrity is about what it is in our hearts and not about the amount of responsibility that we have. If you are honest with a little, you will be honest with a lot and vice versa. God knew what was in the Pharisees heart and what was there wasn’t good. We have to decide what will be in our hearts and that has much to do with who or what our master is! And we really can’t have 2 masters. It just doesn’t work if we try to.
The Jews thought that wealth meant you were blessed of God. But in this account of Lazarus and the rich man, it is seen in this case that the opposite is true. Because this account includes an actual name, it is believed this is not a parable, but an actual situation that happen. No other parable Jesus shares has a personal name in it. It is Hades that is spoken of here, the temporary abode of the dead. And the primary point is that in this life we make our decisions about what is true and false and God gives enough to find the truth, we don’t need people coming from the grave to tell us. It seems that Jesus reference to someone coming back from the dead is a reference to His own resurrection and even in spite of that, people will still not believe. It is about our willingness to believe not about our ability to believe.
I think the story of the certain rich man and Lazarus gives us a picture of what “purgatory” looks like, that is, that you cannot work your way out of purgatory, nor can anyone pay to get you out of purgatory. (Catholics seem to avoid this story.) Those who died before Christ went to Abraham’s bosom or Hades, both holding places until the final judgment. There is Biblical support to say that Christ preached to those held captive when He descended before HIs resurrection – Ephesians 4:8-9, 1 Peter 3:19, 4:6, but there isn’t opportunity for anyone dying post-Christ to receive salvation.
Hey Amy, did you mean pre-Christ?
Yes, I mean…people cannot receive salvation AFTER DEATH post-Christ. People need to believe in Christ’s death, burial and resurrection while they are alive, because there won’t be an opportunity to be saved after death. Like in the story, there is a chasm between the rich man and Lazarus that cannot be crossed.
I thought so and I agree…