NIV 1984 Edition
16:1 Jesus told his disciples [the Pharisees were also listening as per 16:14]: “There was a rich man [the rich often had managers or stewards to oversee their financial affairs] whose manager was accused of wasting [squandering (as in Lk. 15:13)] his possessions.
16:2 So he called him in and asked him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an account [people often forget that sooner or later they will have to give an account; cf. 1 Pet. 4:5] of your management [stewardship], because you cannot be manager any longer.’
16:3 “The manager said to himself [he carefully considered his options concerning the future], ‘What shall I do now? My master is taking away my job. I’m not strong enough to dig [the manager considered his physical limitations], and I’m ashamed to beg [the manager considered his psychological limits]—
16:4 I know what I’ll do [the manager had a dramatic and sudden idea concerning how he could ingratiate himself to others] so that, when I lose my job here, people will welcome me into their houses.’
16:5 “So he called in each one of his master’s debtors [possibly tenant farmers, merchants who received goods on promissory notes, borrowers]. He asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’
16:6 “‘Eight hundred gallons of olive oil [used both for cooking and for lamps],’ he replied. “The manager told him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it four hundred.’
16:7 “Then he asked the second [the manager likely continued this process of debt reduction with other tenants], ‘And how much do you owe?’ “‘A thousand bushels of wheat,’ he replied. “He told him, ‘Take your bill and make it eight hundred.’
16:8 “The master [the “rich man” of 16:1] commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly [note that the praise was not for cheating]. For the people of this world [unbelievers] are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light [those who belong to God’s kingdom].
16:9 I tell you [this phrase connects Jesus’ words to the preceding parable], use worldly wealth [“mammona” is an Aramaic word for “riches,” money,” or “material possessions”] to [Jesus’ instructed the disciples to use money in ways that would benefit God’s kingdom (cf. Matt. 6:19-20)…] gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings [heaven].
16:10 “Whoever can be trusted with very little [material possessions] can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest [unfaithful or untrustworthy] with very little [worldly wealth] will also be dishonest with much.
16:11 So [note the application of the statement in the preceding verse…] if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth [temporary material wealth], who will trust you with true [real or permanent] riches?
16:12 And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property [material wealth], who will give you property of your own [cf. “true riches” in 16:12]?
16:13 [cf. Matt. 6:24] “No servant can serve [Gr. douleuein means to serve as a slave (Gr. doulos)] two masters [Gr. kurios]. Either he [a slave in the ancient world belonged to his owner absolutely and had no personal rights] will hate the one and love the other [attitude toward one master determined attitude toward the other], or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money [mammon: Aramaic, Syriac, and Punic word for the money-god or the devil (Robertson); denotes material possessions; refers to that which a person trusted].”
16:14 The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and were sneering at Jesus.
16:15 He said to them, “You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of men, but God knows your hearts. What is highly valued among men is detestable in God’s sight.
16:16 “The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John. Since that time, the good news of the kingdom of God is being preached, and everyone is forcing his way into it.
16:17 It is easier for heaven and earth to disappear than for the least stroke of a pen to drop out of the Law.
16:18 “Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery, and the man who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.
16:19 “There was a rich man [not named although Lazarus was named; interesting that God knew the forgotten man by name; the rich man is not condemned for being rich but instead by what he did and failed to do with what God had entrusted to him; possessed everything but a heart transformed by God] who was dressed in purple [a symbol of wealth and social standing; purple dye was costly to produce] and fine linen [expensive fabric, likely worn as an undergarment] and lived in luxury [his life was defined by self-indulgent extravagance] every day [not occasionally, thus emphasizing his extravagant living].
16:20 At his gate [another visible sign of his prosperity; the physical boundary between the comfort within and the suffering without] was laid [carried and placed there by others; indicates he was severely weak and disabled] a beggar [someone completely destitute] named Lazarus [the only parable in which a character is given a personal name; from the Hebrew name “Eleazar” meaning “God is my help”; this is not the same Lazarus of Bethany (John 11)], covered with [contrast with the rich man covered with purple and fine linen] sores [afflicted with open or ulcerated sores]
16:21 and longing to eat [expresses a strong desire or craving; see also Luke 15:16 re prodigal sons longing; ultimately an unfulfilled longing] what fell from [did not expect a full meal but only the crumbs that fell from the table] the rich man’s [the rich man was not ignorant of Lazarus but instead indifferent to his plight] table. Even the dogs [not household pets but scavengers roaming the streets] came [the only creatures that approached him in his pain] and licked his sores [only the dogs responded to Lazarus’ suffering].
16:22 “The time came [Lazarus’ suffering did not last forever] when the beggar [the identity society gave him] died [no mention of a funeral or burial] and the angels [previously carried by unnamed individuals; after death carried by angels] carried him [he had previously been carried to and laid at the rich man’s gate] to Abraham’s side [literally means “the bosom of Abraham”; to be at someone’s side indicated intimacy; see John 13:23]. The rich man [his wealth could not delay or deter death] also [death is the great equalizer] died and was buried [his burial is specifically mentioned; likely an elaborate event; no angels welcomed him or carried him].
16:23 In hell [a place of conscious suffering for the unrighteous], where he was in torment [anguish, distress, severe suffering], he looked up [while alive he had never looked down to see Lazarus at his gate and now had to look up to see him in a place of honor] and saw [but could not join; ; visibility does not mean accessibility] Abraham [Pharisees regarded descent from Abraham as a source of spiritual security and privilege] far away [there was a separation between his destiny and that of Lazarus], with Lazarus [the man laid at his gate whom he had ignored] by his side [at a place of honor].
16:24 So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham [identified himself as a member of Israel and assumed that this relationship should benefit him; see Luke 3:8], have pity on me [“to show mercy” or “to have compassion”; he asked for the very thing he withheld from Lazarus; he expressed no sorrow for neglecting Lazarus] and send Lazarus [he did not directly address or apologize to Lazarus but instead saw him as someone who should serve him] to dip the tip of his finger in water [desired only a drop] and cool my tongue [the same tongue that had enjoyed feasts, rich foods, fine wines], because I am in agony [conveys severe pain, distress, or anguish] in this fire [a recurring biblical image of divine judgment].’
16:25 “But Abraham replied [he did not ignore the rich man as the rich man had ignored Lazarus], ‘Son [or child; acknowledged that the rich man was one of his descendants], remember [those in hell can only remember what cannot be changed] that in your lifetime [the opportunity to repent and live differently had passed; see Heb. 9:27; decisions made in life have eternal consequences] you received your good things [sadly, the rich man had lived as though this was all that mattered; see Luke 6:24; he had enjoyed abundance while remaining indifferent to the suffering around him], while Lazarus received bad things [terrible circumstances had come upon him during his earthly life], but now [these words announced the complete reversal] he is [suggests the comfort is being given to Lazarus] comforted here [Lazarus received the comfort he was denied in life] and you are in agony [describes severe pain, grief, or distress].
16:26 And besides all this [there was yet another reason his request could not be granted], between us [those in a place of comfort] and you [those in a place of torment] a great [stresses its enormous and uncrossable nature] chasm [means a deep opening, gulf, or impassable division] has been fixed [implies that God set the boundary in place; after death, the separation between the saved and the lost is fixed and irreversible], so that those who want to go from here to you cannot [although they may be willing, they are unable to do so], nor can anyone cross over from there to us [after death, the time for decision has ended and the consequence of that decision remains].’
16:27 “He answered [he understood that his condition could not be changed so made a different appeal], ‘Then I beg you [means to ask, request, or appeal earnestly; the rich man must now beg as Lazarus had once begged in his earthly life], father [continued to appeal to his physical connection with Abraham], send Lazarus [once again, he does not speak directly to Lazarus; neither does he apologize for neglecting him and treating him poorly] to my father’s house [now realizes the spiritual danger his family is in; he showed concern in hell but no longer had opportunity],
16:28 for I have five brothers [he was concerned because they were following the same path he had followed]. Let him [he wanted Lazarus to do for him what he had failed to do for his brothers in life; he assumed that someone returning from the dead would get his brothers’ attention] warn them [to confront them with the seriousness of their condition; his brothers still had time to respond to a warning and to repent], so that they will not also come [his brothers were on the same course as him] to this place [the rich man knew where he was and wanted to keep his brothers from it] of torment [severe suffering and anguish].’
16:29 “Abraham replied [Abraham refused the man’s request], ‘They have [they had access to God’s Word; they had time to repent] Moses [they had the law] and the Prophets [Moses and the Prophets functioned as a common designation for the Hebrew Scriptures; the problem was not the absence of revelation but the failure to respond to the revelation they had already received]; let them listen [in biblical usage means accepting, believing, and obeying what is heard] to them.’
16:30 “’No [a startling response; he contradicted Abraham] father Abraham [addressed Abraham respectfully while refusing to submit to his authority],’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them [believed a resurrected messenger would succeed where Scripture supposedly failed], they will repent [involves recognizing one’s sin, turning from it, and turning toward God in faith and obedience].’
16:31 “He said [this was Abraham’s final word] to him, ‘If they do not listen [means hearing receptively—believing, accepting, and obeying] to Moses and the Prophets [the Old Testament Scriptures], they will not be convinced [means to persuade, convince, or bring someone to trust; unbelief is not always caused by insufficient information] even if someone rises from the dead [for example: Jesus’ opponents witnessed remarkable miracles but attributed His works to evil, demanded additional signs, or plotted to kill Him].’”