Have you ever been surprised by Jesus praising someone you wouldn’t want to emulate? Or unsettled by a story that seems to flip the whole moral world upside down? Luke 16 forces us into both places: it asks what we do with the resources and relationships God has given us, and it refuses to let us look away from the cost of hard-heartedness. These stories land where our deepest longings meet our dangerous loves—security, significance, and comfort.
In Luke 16:1–31 Jesus tells two connected stories. First is the parable of the dishonest steward (16:1–13): a steward about to be fired reduces debts owed to his master so debtors will welcome him later; the master oddly commends the steward’s shrewdness. Jesus uses that to teach about being faithful with wealth and not serving God and money. Then Jesus rebukes the Pharisees (16:14–18) and tells the story of the rich man and Lazarus (16:19–31): a rich, comforted man ignores a poor beggar at his gate, and after death their fortunes reverse. Note: both of these accounts are unique to Luke—no parallel in Matthew, Mark, or John.
What do these pieces reveal about Jesus and the kingdom? First, Jesus exposes where our true loyalties lie. He isn’t praising dishonesty; he’s calling out the hard clarity of worldly wisdom and saying, “If the lost can make shrewd plans for their temporal future, how much more should God’s people steward eternal things with care?” Second, the Lazarus scene is a stark pastoral warning: comfort that ignores the poor can harden into judgment. Yet the voice of the story isn’t only condemnation—it’s a summons to repentance and to heed God’s messengers (Moses and the Prophets), a plea rooted in God’s desire to rescue rather than merely punish.
Practically today, live this out by asking two honest questions over your coffee: whom do my resources serve, and who in my neighborhood is my Lazarus? Take one concrete step—transfer time, money, or presence this week: call a neighbor who is lonely, give sacrificially to a local mercy ministry, or rearrange your budget so generosity is a line item. Be shrewd for the kingdom, tender toward the poor, and trust that grace reorients our loves before it’s too late.
In Luke 16:1–31 Jesus tells two connected stories. First is the parable of the dishonest steward (16:1–13): a steward about to be fired reduces debts owed to his master so debtors will welcome him later; the master oddly commends the steward’s shrewdness. Jesus uses that to teach about being faithful with wealth and not serving God and money. Then Jesus rebukes the Pharisees (16:14–18) and tells the story of the rich man and Lazarus (16:19–31): a rich, comforted man ignores a poor beggar at his gate, and after death their fortunes reverse. Note: both of these accounts are unique to Luke—no parallel in Matthew, Mark, or John.
What do these pieces reveal about Jesus and the kingdom? First, Jesus exposes where our true loyalties lie. He isn’t praising dishonesty; he’s calling out the hard clarity of worldly wisdom and saying, “If the lost can make shrewd plans for their temporal future, how much more should God’s people steward eternal things with care?” Second, the Lazarus scene is a stark pastoral warning: comfort that ignores the poor can harden into judgment. Yet the voice of the story isn’t only condemnation—it’s a summons to repentance and to heed God’s messengers (Moses and the Prophets), a plea rooted in God’s desire to rescue rather than merely punish.
Practically today, live this out by asking two honest questions over your coffee: whom do my resources serve, and who in my neighborhood is my Lazarus? Take one concrete step—transfer time, money, or presence this week: call a neighbor who is lonely, give sacrificially to a local mercy ministry, or rearrange your budget so generosity is a line item. Be shrewd for the kingdom, tender toward the poor, and trust that grace reorients our loves before it’s too late.
Luke: 16:1-31
Jesus first tells the parable of the shrewd (dishonest) manager to teach prudence in worldly affairs, urging that faithfulness to God must trump love of money and rebuking the Pharisees for their greed. He then tells the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, illustrating a reversal after death where the rich man suffers and Lazarus is comforted, warning that ignoring the poor and refusing to heed Scripture and the prophets brings judgment.
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