How are stewardship and hearing Moses and the prophets presented?

Atlas of Saints · Chapter summary

The chapter pairs the unjust steward’s foresight with teaching on faithfulness and undivided service, then recounts the rich man’s unsuccessful requests.

Chapter breakdown

# Luke 16 Jesus tells his disciples of a rich man's steward accused of wasting his goods. The master demands an account and says that he can no longer be steward. The steward reasons that he cannot dig and is ashamed to beg. Hoping to be received into houses after his removal, he calls his master's debtors: one owes a hundred barrels of oil and is told to write fifty; another owes a hundred quarters of wheat and is told to write eighty. The lord commends the unjust steward because he has done wisely; the comparison says that the children of this world are wiser in their generation than the children of light. The text does not report whether the debtors later house him.

Jesus tells his hearers to make friends of the mammon of iniquity so that, when they fail, they may be received into everlasting dwellings. A separate annotation identifies mammon as riches, often ill gotten, ill bestowed or an occasion of evil, and describes the possible intercession of poor servants of God helped by alms. Jesus connects faithfulness or injustice in little with that in much, asks who will entrust true riches or one's own goods to someone unfaithful in worldly or another's goods, and says that no servant can serve two masters: one cannot serve God and mammon.

Covetous Pharisees deride him. He replies that they justify themselves before men while God knows their hearts, and that what is high among men is an abomination before God. He says that the law and prophets were until John; from then the kingdom of God is preached and every one uses violence towards it. It is easier for heaven and earth to pass than for one tittle of the law to fall. Putting away a wife and marrying another, or marrying a woman put away from her husband, is called adultery.

A rich man wears purple and fine linen and feasts sumptuously daily. Lazarus, a beggar full of sores, lies at his gate longing for crumbs from the table; nobody gives him any, and dogs lick his sores. Lazarus dies and angels carry him into Abraham's bosom; the rich man dies and is buried in hell. The annotation separately describes Abraham's bosom as the resting place of the saints' souls until Christ opened heaven by his death.

In torment, the rich man sees Abraham afar off and Lazarus in his bosom. He asks for Lazarus to dip his fingertip in water and cool his tongue because he is tormented in flame. Abraham recalls their contrasting earthly circumstances and present comfort and torment, and describes a fixed great chaos that prevents passage either way. The rich man then asks that Lazarus testify to his five brethren so they do not come to this place. Abraham says they have Moses and the prophets and should hear them. When the man argues that a visitor from the dead would bring penance, Abraham replies that those who do not hear Moses and the prophets will not believe even if someone rises from the dead.

The story inside

The steward reduces debts; Jesus teaches about mammon and law; Lazarus and the rich man die; Abraham answers the rich man.

Lessons worth keeping

1
The steward’s hoped-for future lodging is not a narrated outcome.
2
Annotations on mammon and Abraham’s bosom remain distinct from the comparisons.
3
Abraham directs the five brethren to Moses and the prophets.

Test your recall

Steward changes bills; God and mammon; enduring law; Lazarus comforted; rich man requests; Abraham answers.

Source edition and notes

Douay–Rheims, revised by Richard Challoner (1749–1752). Project Gutenberg no. 1581. Locators refer to lines in the admitted pg1581.txt edition. Source notes may include Challoner commentary.

Lines 119179–119206
16:1. And he said also to his disciples: There was a certain rich man who had a steward: and the same was accused unto him, that he had wasted his goods. 16:2. And he called him and said to him: How is it that I hear this of thee? Give an account of thy stewardship: for now thou canst be steward no longer. 16:3. And the steward said within himself: What shall I do, because my lord taketh away from me the stewardship? To dig I am not able; to beg I am ashamed. 16:4. I know what I will do, that when I shall be removed from the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses. 16:5. Therefore, calling together every one of his lord’s debtors, he said to the first: How much dost thou owe my lord? 16:6. But he said: An hundred barrels of oil. And he said to him: Take thy bill and sit down quickly and write fifty. 16:7. Then he said to another: And how much dost thou owe? Who said: An hundred quarters of wheat. He said to him: Take thy bill and write eighty. 16:8. And the lord commended the unjust steward, forasmuch as he had done wisely: for the children of this world are wiser in their generation than the children of light.
Lines 119208–119231
16:9. And I say to you: Make unto you friends of the mammon of iniquity: that when you shall fail, they may receive you into everlasting dwellings. Mammon of iniquity.... Mammon signifies riches. They are here called the mammon of iniquity, because oftentimes ill gotten, ill bestowed, or an occasion of evil; and at the best are but worldly, and false; and not the true riches of a Christian. They may receive.... By this we see, that the poor servants of God, whom we have relieved by our alms, may hereafter, by their intercession, bring our souls to heaven. 16:10. He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in that which is greater: and he that is unjust in that which is little is unjust also in that which is greater. 16:11. If then you have not been faithful in the unjust mammon, who will trust you with that which is the true? 16:12. And if you have not been faithful in that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own? 16:13. No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one and love the other: or he will hold to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.
Lines 119233–119248
16:14. Now the Pharisees, who were covetous, heard all these things: and they derided him. 16:15. And he said to them: you are they who justify yourselves before men, but God knoweth your hearts. For that which is high to men is an abomination before God. 16:16. The law and the prophets were until John. From that time the kingdom of God is preached: and every one useth violence towards it. 16:17. And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass than one tittle of the law to fall. 16:18. Every one that putteth away his wife and marrieth another committeth adultery: and he that marrieth her that is put away from her husband committeth adultery.
Lines 119250–119295
16:19. There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and feasted sumptuously every day. 16:20. And there was a certain beggar, named Lazarus, who lay at his gate, full of sores, 16:21. Desiring to be filled with the crumbs that fell from the rich man’s table. And no one did give him: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. 16:22. And it came to pass that the beggar died and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom. And the rich man also died: and he was buried in hell. Abraham’s bosom.... The place of rest, where the souls of the saints resided, till Christ had opened heaven by his death. 16:23. And lifting up his eyes when he was in torments, he saw Abraham afar off and Lazarus in his bosom: 16:24. And he cried and said: Father Abraham, have mercy on me and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water to cool my tongue: for I am tormented in this flame. 16:25. And Abraham said to him: Son, remember that thou didst receive good things in thy lifetime, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted and thou art tormented. 16:26. And besides all this, between us and you, there is fixed a great chaos: so that they who would pass from hence to you cannot, nor from thence come hither. 16:27. And he said: Then, father, I beseech thee that thou wouldst send him to my father’s house, for I have five brethren, 16:28. That he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torments. 16:29. And Abraham said to him: They have Moses and the prophets. Let them hear them. 16:30. But he said: No, father Abraham: but if one went to them from the dead, they will do penance. 16:31. And he said to him: If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they believe, if one rise again from the dead.