Luke 16

Chap. XVI. Ver.1—12. The parable of the unjust steward.—This chapter is quite detached from the preceding, and we know nothing of the occasion of this parable being delivered. It gives us an insight, however, into the character of oriental stewards, by no means to their advantage. This man had been accused of neglect, and wasting of his master’s property; but it appears he was also unfaithful and dishonest. He therefore forms a combination with his master’s tradesmen to defraud him, and secure his own interest. The bills here alluded to were evidently not analogous to our bills of parcels, but rather bonds, or promissory notes, which this unfaithful steward having under his care, allowed his master’s debtors to exchange for others of only half the value, on condition (understood at least) that they should afford him an asylum when he became destitute.

This parable has been particularly objected to by infidel writers, as countenancing the villany of the unjust steward, because he is commended by our Lord; but this is a gross mistake. It is not our Lord, but the lord or master of the servant, who expresses his commendation; not, we may be sure, of the villany, but of the policy and prudence of the villain. In the next verse, indeed, Jesus improves the incident by setting before his disciples an example, in this respect only, worthy of their imitation, and exhorting them to make a similar provision for another and better world, by so improving their earthly riches as to lay up treasures in that world whither they are going. (See (Matthew 6:19-20).) It is perfectly true, as Dr.

Doddridge remarks, that “nothing can be more contrary to the genius of the Christian religion, than to imagine that our Lord would exhort men to lay out their ill-gotten gain in works of charity, when justice required that they should make restitution.” Yet there are many cases, in which ill-gotten wealth cannot be returned to the persons from whom it has been obtained, as in the case of trade, legacies, and hereditary possessions. The eloquent Sawrin, adverting to this parable in his Sermon on Almsgiving, says, “I recollect an epitaph said to be engraven on the tomb of Atolus of Rheims, ‘He exported his fortune before him into heaven by his charities: he is gone thither to enjoy it.’ Happy he who has a right to such an epitaph!”

In the close of this parable our Lord adds, “He that is faithful in that which is least, is faithful also in much,” &c. that is, where there is a principle of grace in the heart, it will lead persons to be uniformly diligent and faithful in the improvement of whatever talents they may be intrusted with; and those who neglect to improve their talents from the consideration of their being of minor importance, would be equally negligent of greater. What is added, “‘Who shall give you that which is his own?’ seems best explained by the parable of the talents, ((Matthew 25:14-30),) where we find the one talent which had been totally neglected and misimproved by its possessor, is presented as a reward to him who had deserved the five talents and had improved them—it was given to him as his own.

Our Lord then repeats several things delivered in his Sermon on the Mount, and on other occasions, respecting the impossibility of serving those opposite masters, God and Mammon; the one always forbidding what is required by the other. But these things have been already noticed. The Pharisees, who were covetous as well as hypocritical, hearing all these observations, derided the holy preacher who delivered them, and brought upon themselves severer admonitions. ‘Ye are they which justify yourselves before men, but God knoweth your hearts.’

Notes on the verses

Chap. XVI. Ver. 2. No longer steward.—He appears, however, to have had time given him to wind up his accounts, which was employed in the artifice here related.

Ver. 3. I cannot dig—That is, I cannot work as a labourer, in the cultivation of the soil; the term not being confined to the use of the spade. The expression was proverbial among the Greeks, and perhaps the Jews.

Ver. 6. A hundred measures of oil.—The Greek Batus answers to the Hebrew Baths, or ephahs, explained by our translators to contain 9 gallons 3 - eh each; but by Bishop Cumberland, little more than 7 and a half.

Ver. 7. A hundred measures of wheat.—This is dry measure, answering to the cor or chomer of the Jews, which in our margin is valued at 14 bushels and a pottle; or, according to more modern authorities, little more than eight bushels, Winchester measure.

Doddridge supposes the measures of oil and wheat to be of nearly equal value.

Ver. 8. Because he had done wisely.—Doddridge, “Prudently;” Campbell, “Commended the prudence of the unjust steward;” see his note. Abp. Newcome says, “He commended the prudence of the expedient; though he could not but condemn its dishonesty.”—— Wiser than the children of light, Campbell, “More prudent.” A trick of villany very similar to the above is related in Capt. Hadley’s Hindostance Dialogues, (p. 79.) One addressing the Captain says, “Your Sirkar’s deputy, whilst his master was gone to Calcutta, established a Court of Justice. Having searched for a good many debtors and creditors, he learned the amounts of their bonds.

He then made an agreement with them to get the bonds out of the bondsmen’s hands for half the debt, if they would give him one fourth. Thus every debtor for 100 rupees, having given 50 to the creditor, and 25 to this knave, got his bond for 75 rupees. Having seized and flogged 125 bondmen, he has in this manner determined their loans, and has done this business in your name.”

Ver. 9. Mammon of unrighteousness.—Mammon is a Syriac word for riches. See note on (Matthew 6:24). “The mammon of unrighteousness,” is a Hebraism for unrighteous mammon, or unjust riches, which some explain of ill-gotten wealth; (as this was;) and others of wealth itself, as being deceitful, or unjust to its possessors.

Compare ver. 11, where it is contrasted with the true riches.

— That when ye fail—That is, at death, when all are required to give up their stewardship.— Everlasting habitations.—Greek, “tents,” or “tabernacles;” a term used in contrast with the tabernacles on earth, which are described as temporary and perishing. Compare (Hebrews 11:9).

Ver. 13—18. No servant can serve, &c.—These verses contain independent maxims, extracted from our Lord’s sermon on the Mount, and other discourses, as below marked. This verse (13) agrees almost literally with (Matthew 6:24).

Ver. 16. Fg law and Loe 2 mage a egy (Matthew 11:12-13).

Ver. 17. It is easier, &c.—See (Matthew 5:18).

Ver. 18. Whosoever putteth away his scope Sao Sie xix. 9.

Ver. 19. A certain rich man.—The word Dives being the Latin for rich, has occasioned this to be called the parable of “Dives and Lazarus.”

Ver. 21. The crumbs.—See note on (Matthew 15:27).—Licked his sores.—This shows that they “had not been closed, neither bound up,” &c. See (Isaiah 1:6).

Ver. 23. In hell.—Greek, Hades—answering to the Heb. Sheol, which we have repeatedly explained in reference to both its departments of bliss and misery. (Matthew 16:18). But we must here confine its import to the world of misery. “He lifted up his eyes, being in torment,” Compare (Mark 9:45);

Ver. 29. Moses and the prophets.—See (Job 19:25), &c. (Psalms 16); xvii. lxxiii., &c. (Ecclesiastes 12:7). (Isaiah 26:19-21); li. 6, &c. Our Lord also directs us to look into the Old Testament for the doctrine of “eternal life.”

See (John 5:39).

Ver. 30. If they hear not Moses.—From this answer of Abraham we learn, that the Sacred Writings contain such proofs of a divine origin, that though all the dead were to rise, the proofs could not be more evident, nor the conviction greater; and that to escape eternal perdition, and obtain eternal glory, a man is to receive the testimonies of God, and to walk according to their dictates.