Luke 16:1
Now he was also saying to the disciples, “There was a rich man who had a manager, and this manager was reported to him as squandering his possessions.
(a) The disciples. The Parable of the Shrewd Manager, also called the Unjust Steward, is one of Jesus’ most unusual stories because its central character is a dishonest agent. Like the unjust judge in the Parable of the Widow, he is an antitype. God is not an unjust judge, and we are not called to steal from our employers. Jesus told this story to his disciples, but the Pharisees were listening too: “Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, were listening to all these things” (Luke 16:14). So, one story, two audiences.
(b) Rich man. The rich man is a wealthy landholder with so many tenant farmers that he needs a manager to oversee his estate. The rich man trusts his manager to look after his interests, but the manager cheats him.
Some see a parallel between the rich master, who entrusts his property to others, and the Creator, who has entrusted us with the earth’s riches (Ps. 8:6–8, 115:16). What will we do with God’s gifts? Will we steward them faithfully or squander them on ourselves? According to some, God gives us money to test us and expose our true character. “Fail to give generously, and you may not be a genuine Christian. So give to get and prove your salvation.” It’s an old trope, but Jesus says no such thing here. We do not need to guess the meaning behind the Shrewd Manager, because Jesus plainly tells us. The best use of worldly wealth is to make eternal friends (Luke 16:9).
(c) Manager. A manager, or steward, is someone entrusted with another’s wealth. This manager oversees the tenants who work his master’s orchards and fields (Luke 16:6–7). He’s a rent collector and a crooked one at that.
(d) Squandering. Like the prodigal son who wasted his father’s money with wild living (Luke 15:13), the manager has embezzled his master’s wealth. Now, he’s been caught with his hand in the cookie jar, and a day of reckoning has come.
(e) His possessions. The master’s possessions include his land, seed, stored crops, livestock, farm equipment, tools, servants, slaves, money, unpaid invoices, the accounts books—everything he owns.
Luke 16:2
“And he called him and said to him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an accounting of your management, for you can no longer be manager.’
(a) This I hear. After hearing an accusation against his manager, the master summons him to give a “please explain.”
(b) Give an accounting, or “turn in your account books.” The manager is going to be audited, and his thieving ways will be exposed.
(c) No longer be manager. The key requirement of stewardship is trustworthiness (see 1 Cor. 4:2), and the manager has failed this test. Once the audit confirms his dishonesty, he will be out of a job. Since the audit is in progress, the shrewd manager has a brief window of opportunity and just enough time to make a plan.
Luke 16:3
“The manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do, since my master is taking the management away from me? I am not strong enough to dig; I am ashamed to beg.
What shall I do? The manager’s future looks bleak. Once the books are examined, he will be dismissed for cause. With his reputation in tatters, finding another job as a manager will be nearly impossible. His options are limited. He is too soft to be a laborer and too proud to beg. Poverty beckons.
Luke 16:4
‘I know what I shall do, so that when I am removed from the management, people will welcome me into their homes.’
People will welcome me. The manager devises a cunning scheme. He decides to reduce the debts owed to his master, hoping to win the favor of the debtors. “Then, when I come knocking, they may offer me a meal, a bed, or a job.” His motives are corrupt, and his methods are dishonest. But desperate times call for desperate measures. “If I take care of them now, they may take care of me later.”
Luke 16:5
“And he summoned each one of his master’s debtors, and he began saying to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’
(a) He summoned each one. The manager goes after every one of his master’s debtors. Only two debtors are mentioned in the story, but there could have been dozens.
(b) His master’s debtors are the tenant farmers and sharecroppers who work the master’s fields and orchards.
Those with an old covenant mindset, such as the disciples and Pharisees listening to this story, hear the word “debtor” and think “sinner” (see entry for Matt. 6:12). The law’s demands create a sense of obligation: do more, try harder, and live right every hour of the day. Since no one can meet that standard, living under the law means carrying a debt that can never be repaid.
Many bear a heavy burden that keeps them from coming to the Lord. “God won’t accept me unless I deal with my sins.” To those in debt, the gospel proclaims, “All your sins have been forgiven” (Ps. 103:3, Col. 2:13). Because of the Master’s mercy, there is no more debt.
Luke 16:6–7
“And he said, ‘A hundred measures of oil.’ And he said to him, ‘Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.’ Then he said to another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ And he said, ‘A hundred measures of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write eighty.’
(a) A hundred measures was a massive, crippling debt. Depending on which ancient metric you use, it could be anything from a few hundred to nearly a thousand gallons of olive oil, or the yield of an entire good-sized orchard.
(b) Your bill. The steward-as-agent held contracts whereby the tenant farmers (the debtors) were obliged to provide the landowner (the master) with agricultural produce at the end of each harvest.
(c) Write fifty. Writing down debts was a scandalous move on the part of the manager. Yet this is what we do when we proclaim the gospel of grace. We announce the Year of Jubilee and the cancellation of sin’s debt. We have the happy task of telling people that God dealt with all their sin once and for all at the cross. In Christ, you are free and clear.
(d) Quickly. The manager must act quickly because the books are being examined and time is running out. In the same way, we should waste no time in telling others the good news that their debts have been canceled. Why should anyone remain another day in the prison of sin when freedom awaits? Today is the day of salvation (2 Cor. 6:2).
(e) Write fifty… write eighty. What wonderful news for the debtors—their debts have been reduced! And who deserves credit for this happy outcome? It can only be their generous master. Unaware that the shrewd manager is acting without permission, the debtors are left praising the kindness of their big-hearted master.
On the night he rose from the dead, Jesus told his disciples to “Proclaim forgiveness of sins in all nations beginning in Jerusalem” (Luke 24:47). As stewards of God’s grace, we have the happy job of telling people their sin debts are canceled. Our message is, “God holds nothing against you” (Ps. 32:1–2, 2 Cor. 5:19). Just as the steward portrayed the master as good, we proclaim the good news of a good God who cares for us and does not want us to be burdened with debts we cannot pay.
Luke 16:8
“And his master praised the unrighteous manager because he had acted shrewdly; for the sons of this age are more shrewd in relation to their own kind than the sons of light.
(a) Praised. Contrary to all expectations, the master congratulates the dishonest manager for his shrewdness. The manager is a thief, but he’s a clever thief who has taken steps to ensure his survival. “Well played, shrewd manager. Well played.”
(b) Shrewdly. The Greek adverb phronimōs is related to the word that means “wise,” “prudent,” and “forward-looking.”
(c) The sons of this age. The shrewd scoundrels of this world have more sense in planning for the future than some believers.
(d) This age. The present era, as opposed to the eternal age that commences when Christ returns in glory; see entry for Matt. 12:32.
(e) Their own kind. Unregenerate humanity or unbelievers.
(f) The sons of light. Believers (John 12:36, Eph. 5:8, 1 Th. 5:5).
Luke 16:9
“And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by means of the wealth of unrighteousness, so that when it fails, they will receive you into the eternal dwellings.
(a) I say to you. Jesus explains the Parable of the Shrewd Manager to his disciples.
(b) Make friends. Use worldly wealth to make eternal friends who will welcome you into eternity with open arms.
This parable is not about earning salvation or buying tickets to heaven. Salvation and all the other blessings of God come to us by grace alone (Eph. 1:3, 2:8–9). Nor is it about testing your faithfulness or proving your salvation. In Christ, you are approved and eternally secure. The Shrewd Manager is about using the resources of this life to make friendships that last into the next. We make eternal friends by telling people the happy news that their sin debts have been paid down once and for all by the grace of a merciful God.
The Shrewd Manager is sometimes misused to pressure Christians into giving money to causes and ministries. However, the takeaway is not “give more” but “make friends.” The bottom line is not how much we give, but whether our giving results in praise to the Father (see Matt. 5:16, 2 Cor. 9:12). Like the apostle, we do whatever we can and give whatever we can to win as many as we can for the Lord (see 1 Cor. 9:19).
(c) The wealth of unrighteousness. Worldly wealth (e.g., money, time, influence).
Spending our time and resources to help others is the best use of our lives, and the greatest help we can offer is to reveal God the Helper. We make him known by living and proclaiming the good news. We love the loveless, feed the hungry, comfort the hurting, seek the lost, protect the vulnerable, welcome the outcast, embrace the lonely, and do all the things Jesus did. We do these things not to curry favor with the Lord but because there is no better use of our time on earth than making friends for eternity.
(d) When it fails. When worldly wealth fails and becomes worthless.
The deceitfulness of worldly wealth is that it offers a false sense of security. The rich fool believed his wealth would make him comfortable for years to come, but it could not prevent his sudden death (Luke 12:18–20). In view of our mortality, the shrewdest use of worldly wealth is to acquire heavenly treasure that never fails (Luke 12:33, 1 Tim. 6:18–19). Money cannot save you, but it can open doors for others to hear about the Savior.
(e) Receive you. Welcome you.
One day, we will all stand before the Master to give an account (Rom. 14:12). This day of reckoning is not something the believer should ever fear, for those in Christ are eternally secure. But if we don’t use our time here to make eternal friends, who will receive us with open arms besides Jesus?
The disciples who heard this parable understood Christ’s message. They spent their lives proclaiming the good news of God’s grace, traveling the world, and forming eternal friendships. Those they befriended went out and did the same. How do we know? Because you are here. You heard the gospel from someone who heard it from someone who heard it from the disciples. Between you and the Lord stands a long line of faithful friends. Now we get to pass on the good news we have received. We get to make friends who welcome us into eternity.
(f) Eternal dwellings. Their eternal homes within God’s tabernacle or “tent” of eternity (Ps. 61:4, Is. 33:20, John 14:2).
Having concluded the parable and provided his explanation, Jesus offers some bonus teaching materials in the following four verses.
Luke 16:10
“He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much.
(a) He who is faithful with worldly wealth is the one who invests in true wealth.
(b) A very little thing. Worldly wealth (see next verse). See also the entry for Luke 19:17.
(c) Much. Eternal wealth (i.e., people; see next verse).
Luke 16:11–12
“Therefore if you have not been faithful in the use of unrighteous wealth, who will entrust the true riches to you? And if you have not been faithful in the use of that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own?
(a) Not been faithful. If we don’t use money wisely, we will miss opportunities to reap true riches that last.
The purpose of wealth is not to acquire stuff that rusts and fades but to grow God’s family and make lasting friendships. There is nothing wrong with owning a nice house and car. But if all you have to show for your life is moth-eaten, rusty toys, you will not have spent wisely. Your shiny phone will end up in a landfill, and your precious car will be crushed into a brick. But friendships forged in the love of God endure forever. See also the entry for Mark 10:29.
(b) Unrighteous wealth. Since wealth is morally neutral, Jesus adds the qualifier “unrighteous.” He is contrasting worldly wealth, which passes away, with true riches that last.
(c) Who will entrust you? Jesus uses an earthly principle to illuminate a spiritual truth. “Be faithful with what you have been given (worldly wealth), and you will get something far more valuable (true riches).”
(d) True riches are people. Jesus did not go to the cross for mansions or cars; he died for people. In God’s eyes, people are the most valuable treasures of all. Because Jesus ransomed them with his blood, their value is beyond measure.
The parable of the Shrewd Manager comes after the parables of the Lost Sheep, the Lost Coin, and the Lost Son. Each story highlights just how much people matter to God and the great lengths he will go to seek, rescue, and welcome them. The “true riches” entrusted to us are not spiritual blessings but people we snatch from the fire (Jude 1:23).
See entry for Eternal Rewards.
(e) That which is your own. Be faithful with worldly wealth, and you will gain spiritual friends and raise your own spiritual family. Paul referred to believers as his spiritual children (1 Cor. 4:15, 2 Tim. 1:2, Tit. 1:4). They were his because he had nurtured them in the grace of God.
Our heavenly Father wants more children. When you have been apprehended by his love, you will want children (spiritual offspring) too. You will become all things to all people to win as many as possible (1 Cor. 9:19). And when the Lord returns in glory, your crown and joy will be those you raised in the Lord (1 Th. 2:19–20).
Luke 16:13
“No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.”
(a) Two masters. Just as a slave cannot belong to two masters, we cannot serve both God and worldly wealth. One gives, the other takes. One creates, the other consumes. One purifies, the other corrupts. One edifies, the other destroys. One liberates, the other enslaves.
(b) Hate… love. These two masters—God and worldly wealth—are so incompatible that love for one inevitably creates hostility toward the other. Worship wealth and you will have no room in your heart for the love of God (see 1 John 2:15).
These remarks may have been intended for Pharisees who were listening (see verse 14). The Pharisees saw themselves as God’s men, yet they loved money. They placed more value on the things of this world than on the things of God. Jesus was telling them to choose one master or the other.
(c) Wealth. The original noun mammonas is an Aramaic word meaning “money,” “gold,” or wealth in general. It can also mean having a lot of something, such as talent, credibility, goodwill, capital, real estate, investments, influence, connections, subscribers, followers, or even free time. Wealth itself is neutral, neither good nor bad. But the lust for wealth is the root of all kinds of evil (1 Tim. 6:10). For this reason, some scholars and theologians have personified mammon, linking it to a spiritual power, a demon, or even an ancient Syriac god. Yet Jesus never does this.
Money is not something to fear or hate. Money is a tool. God entrusts us with money and resources so that we may reveal his goodness to others and secure lasting treasure for ourselves. Worldly wealth will ultimately fail, but true riches—eternal friends and spiritual offspring—endure forever.
Luke 16:14
Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, were listening to all these things and were scoffing at him.
(a) Pharisees; see entry for Matt. 3:7.
(b) Lovers of money. Corrupt religious used their position to enrich themselves by robbing Israel (John 10:8). They turned the temple courtyard into a “den of robbers” (Matt. 21:13).
Luke 16:15
And He said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of men, but God knows your hearts; for that which is highly esteemed among men is detestable in the sight of God.
You are those who justify yourselves. The Pharisees, although good and God-fearing, were also self-righteous hypocrites.
It would have been understandable for any Pharisee to have a high opinion of themselves because they were more devout and law-abiding than others. If our righteousness was based on the comparative performance of others, the Pharisees would have been the most righteous people around. But Jesus was not impressed (Matt. 5:20). Because he loved the Pharisees and didn’t want to see them lost, he spoke harshly to them about their self-righteousness (see entry for Luke 18:9).
Luke 16:16
“The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John; since that time the gospel of the kingdom of God has been preached, and everyone is forcing his way into it.
(a) The Law refers to the Law of Moses, the commandments, ordinances, punishments, and ceremonial observances given to the nation of Israel through Moses (Jos. 8:31). This law is sometimes referred to as the law of commandments (Eph. 2:15) or the law of the Jews (Acts 25:8). See entry for The Law.
(b) The gospel revealed in the Bible goes by several names. There is the gospel of Jesus Christ (Mark 1:1) or the gospel of Christ (Rom. 15:19, 1 Cor. 9:12, 2 Cor. 2:12, 9:13, 10:14, Gal. 1:7, Php. 1:27, 1 Th. 3:2). There is the gospel of God (Mark 1:14, Rom 1:1, 15:16, 2 Cor. 11:7, 1 Th. 2:2, 8, 9, 1 Pet. 4:17), gospel of the blessed God (1 Tim. 1:11), and the gospel of his Son (Rom 1:9). There is the gospel of the kingdom (Matt. 4:23, 9:35, 24:14, Luke 16:16), and the gospel of the glory of Christ (2 Cor. 4:4). These are different labels for the one and only gospel of the grace of God (Acts 20:24). See entry for The Gospel.
(c) The kingdom of God is synonymous with the kingdom of heaven; see entry for Matt. 3:2.
Luke 16:17
“But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one stroke of a letter of the Law to fail.
(a) Heaven and earth. Some believe the “heaven and earth” phrase refers to the temple, the earthly habitat of the heavenly God. If so, Jesus is prophesying its destruction, an event which came to pass in AD70 long after he had fulfilled the law. Alternatively, Jesus is employing a figure of speech as in, “heaven and earth are more likely to pass away than my words fail to come true.” See entry for Matt. 5:18.
(b) The Law; see previous verse.
Luke 16:18
“Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and he who marries one who is divorced from a husband commits adultery.
See entry for Mark 10:11.
Luke 16:19
“Now there was a rich man, and he habitually dressed in purple and fine linen, joyously living in splendor every day.
(a) A rich man. The Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus is one of the most misunderstood of all Jesus’ parables. A casual reading can lead to all sorts of strange conclusions, such as the idea that rich people go to hell while poor people go to heaven, or that generous people are saved while stingy people are condemned. To interpret this parable correctly, we need to keep in mind that Jesus is speaking to the Pharisees, who were lovers of money (Luke 16:14). The rich man in the story is them. He represents the privileged Jews who were rich in the things of God yet failed to share their riches with others.
The parable is remarkable for its stunning reversal. The rich man, a descendant of Abraham, dies and finds himself excluded from the blessings of Abraham. Through this story, Jesus delivers a sobering warning: those who try to justify themselves before God will find themselves shut out of his kingdom. That message remains just as relevant today.
(b) Purple and fine linen characterize the type of garments worn by the high priests (Ex. 28:4–5). The ordinary priests wore white tunics, but the high priests were distinguished by their purple and scarlet ephods or aprons (Ex. 28:6, 8).
An interesting question is whether the rich man in the story was modeled on Caiaphas, the high priest. Caiaphas was likely a Sadducee, and the Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection. Jesus said they were wrong about this. “You are greatly mistaken” (Mark 12:18, 27). It’s not hard to see how a parable about the afterlife might have been partly for their benefit. See also the entry for Luke 16:28.
(c) Joyously living in splendor. The rich man enjoyed a good life, yet he did not observe the Sabbath day of rest. He made his household staff work every day to entertain and feed him. Like the religious leaders, he only obeyed some of the laws.
Luke 16:20
“And a poor man named Lazarus was laid at his gate, covered with sores,
(a) A poor man. Lying outside the rich man’s gate is a poor man. If the rich man is a winner, Lazarus is a loser. While the rich man feasts, Lazarus starves. This poor man represents the outcasts, the Gentiles, and all who had not shared in the blessings of the Jews.
(b) Lazarus. The name Lazarus is the Greek version of Eleazar, which means “God has helped.” Since this is the only parable where characters are named, his name holds special significance. In the story, Lazarus says nothing and does nothing. He doesn’t beg or even walk to the gate where he is laid. He hungers, dies, and then wakes up in the place of honor. It’s as if Jesus has stripped from the narrative anything that might distract us from the sole significant detail—his name.
Lazarus represents those who depend on God. He is the one who says, “I am lost without God’s help.” He does not try to make himself righteous and holy but throws himself entirely on God’s mercy and grace.
(c) Laid. Lazarus is the poster child for dependency. Each day, his friends carry him to the rich man’s gate in the hope that he might receive some food. Like the paralytic who was carried by his friends to Jesus (Mark 2:2–4), Lazarus is incapable of doing anything for himself—and so are we. We are saved by grace alone.
(d) Gate. A gate implies a wall. The rich man and his family are inside the wall, enjoying the good life, while Lazarus, the outcast, is starving outside. The gate and the wall represent the barriers the religious Jews erected to shield themselves from sinners, outcasts, and Gentiles (Deut. 7:1–4, John 4:9).
God blessed Abraham, the father of the Jews, so that through his seed all nations would be blessed (Gen. 22:18). Israel was meant to be a priestly nation that shared the treasures of God with the world. But the privileged Jews chose to isolate themselves and hoard the blessings of God. Their isolation was reflected in their laws, feasts, and the segregated courtyards of the temple.
(e) Covered with sores. To our modern minds, this may seem like a story about a rich man and a poor one. But to law-keepers like the Pharisees, it’s a story about a blessed man and a cursed one. The money-loving Pharisees would have identified with the rich man, seeing his wealth as a sign of God’s favor. But Lazarus-with-the-sores was obviously a sinner (see John 9:2), and sinners belong outside the gate. In the following verses, Jesus is going to upend their worldview. The “blessed” man will find himself cursed, while the “sinner” will inherit the blessings of Abraham.
Luke 16:21
and longing to be fed with the crumbs which were falling from the rich man’s table; besides, even the dogs were coming and licking his sores.
(a) Longing. Lazarus is starving, which means the rich man has broken another command. “If there is a poor man with you, one of your brothers, you shall not harden your heart, nor close your hand from your poor brother, but you shall freely open your hand to him” (Deut. 15:7–8). Under the Law of Moses, the haves were supposed to help the have-nots. Jesus also instructed people to share food with those who had none (Luke 3:11).
(b) Fed with the crumbs. Allegorically, the rich man’s table represents the blessings enjoyed by the Jews, namely the Old Testament scriptures and the promises of God (Rom. 3:2). While the Jews feasted on the good things of God, the Gentiles longed for the crumbs that fell from the table (Mark 7:28).
(c) Even the dogs. Lazarus had a lonely life with only the local dogs to keep him company.
Luke 16:22
“Now the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s bosom; and the rich man also died and was buried.
(a) Carried away by the angels. The helpless man who was laid down by the gate is taken up by angels. His journey symbolizes the one taken by every believer. Sin knocked us down, but God has raised us and seated us in Christ at his right hand (Eph. 2:6).
(b) By the angels. The Jews of New Testament times believed that the souls of the righteous were borne to heaven by angels. (In the final chapter of the pseudepigraphical Testament of Abraham, the soul of Abraham is escorted to heaven by the archangel Michael and a multitude of angels.)
(c) Abraham’s bosom. Just as the beloved disciple reclined on Jesus’ breast at the Last Supper (John 13:23), Lazarus is relaxing with Abraham. The Jews believed that those who broke the commandments were tormented in hell, while the righteous dead were welcomed with open arms by Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (e.g., 4 Maccabees 13:17).
The Bible says nothing about Abraham’s bosom. To a Jewish mind, it was a metaphor for paradise. To a Christian, it represents the familial intimacy and inheritance of Abraham that is shared by all believers (Rom. 4:16, 9:8). Either way, the salient question is how Lazarus, the sickly sinner, could end up with Abraham. He got there the same way we all do—by trusting in the grace of God.
(d) The rich man also died as all men do.
The Rich Man and Lazarus is the fifth and final parable in a series about lost things: a lost sheep (Luke 15:4–7), a lost coin (Luke 15:8–10), a lost son (Luke 15:11–32), a lost job (Luke 16:1–13), and a lost life (Luke 16:19–31). The theme of lostness illuminates Christ’s mission to gather the lost sheep of Israel. But this lost story differs from the others in that it lacks a happy ending. The rich man goes down and stays down.
(e) Was buried. The rich man’s body was washed, wrapped, and laid in a tomb. But what of Lazarus? No burial is mentioned. Like a born-again believer, he simply transitions through death from this life to the next (1 Cor. 15:51–52).
Luke 16:23
“In Hades, he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far away and Lazarus in his bosom.
(a) Hades is the Greek word for Sheol, the abode of the dead. Hades can be translated as “the depths” or “the grave.” Why does Jesus place the rich man in Hades? Because the Jews believed that Hades was the place where the dead went to await judgment.
Strangely, the Hades in this parable is unlike the Hades of the Old Testament. Hades is supposed to be a place of silence (Ps. 31:17, 115:17), yet the rich man is arguing with Abraham. Hades is a place of darkness (Job 10:21–22, Ps. 88:12), yet the rich man can see the patriarch far away. Hades is a place of forgetfulness where no plans are made (Ecc. 9:10), yet the rich man is scheming. The Old Testament Hades was a holding pen, but this Hades is a place of agony and torment.
This is not the Hades of the Old Testament but the fiery Hades of the rabbis and sages. Jesus is drawing on religious imagery that would have been familiar to first-century Jews. In the Jewish Apocalypse of Ezra, to take one of many examples, a fiery pit is located opposite the paradise of delights, and in it, dead sinners are tormented by the sight of the righteous dwelling in peace (4 Ezra 7:36, 85). In the apocryphal book of Enoch, rich sinners are warned that they will burn in Hades/Sheol. “In blazing flames burning worse than fire shall ye burn” (Enoch 100:9, 103:6–8). In the non-canonical Apocalypse of Zephaniah, the prophet Zephaniah describes Hades as being bounded by a sea of flame with waves of burning sulfur and bitumen. Zephaniah is brought across the sea in a boat to a place where he is greeted by Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. When choosing a place to send the rich man, Jesus chose a Jew’s worst nightmare.
It would be a mistake to build a theology of hell from images that contradict the rest of Scripture, yet that is what some have done. They have mixed rabbinical tales with Greco-Roman myths and fabricated a Christian nightmare no different from the Jewish one. Although Jesus speaks of divine judgment and fire elsewhere (see the entry for Luke 12:49), that is not the purpose of this story. The parable is allegorical. All we need to know is that the rich man, who represents the privileged Jewish leaders, ends up in the wrong place. This twist in the tale would have shocked the listening Pharisees.
(b) He lifted up his eyes. How the tables have turned. The rich man who looked down on Lazarus now looks up and sees him in the place of honor. One can imagine the Pharisees staring at one another in astonishment. How could this be? This is not the first time Jesus has warned them of a coming reversal. “You are going to rage and weep when you see people coming from the east and west and reclining at the table with Abraham in the kingdom of God, while you yourselves are thrown out” (see Matt. 8:11–12). In other words, “Tax collectors, sinners, and the Gentiles outside your gate are going to take your place at the table because you rejected the Savior God sent.”
(c) In torment and agony; see next verse.
(d) Abraham. After Lazarus, Abraham is the only other character who is named in a parable. The difference is that Lazarus was fictional or symbolic, while Abraham was a historical figure and the Jews’ patriarch. The name “Abraham” means “father of many” (Gen. 17:5). Abraham is not merely the Jews’ father, but the father of all who believe (Rom. 4:16).
Luke 16:24
“And he cried out and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue, for I am in agony in this flame.’
(a) Father Abraham. The rich man plays the race card. “Abraham, I’m part of your family.” Like the Pharisees who boasted that Abraham was their father (John 8:39), the rich man believes his pedigree will save him. But he is not a true heir of Abraham because he does not share Abraham’s faith. As Paul explains, “For they are not all Israel who are descended from Israel” (Rom. 9:6). Jesus told the Pharisees, “If you are Abraham’s children, do the deeds of Abraham. But you are of your father the devil, and like him, you lie and murder” (see John 8:39, 44).
(b) Have mercy on me. The rich man cries to Abraham for mercy, but Abraham can’t save him. How much better it would have been if, during his life, he had cried out to the Lord.
(c) Send Lazarus. The rich man makes two requests, and both them involve sending Lazarus away from the place of honor. Remarkably, he never says, “Get me out of here” or “Let me join you.” Bizarrely, he doesn’t want to leave the bad place as much as he wants Lazarus to be sent from the good place. The sight of Lazarus with Abraham makes him weep and gnash his teeth. Like the religious Jews who became jealous of the favor shown to the Gentiles (Rom. 11:11), he resents the honor given to the outcast.
(d) Cool off my tongue. The rich man’s thirst is a hint that he has not drunk from the water of life (Rev. 22:17). Those who believe in Jesus will never thirst (John 4:14, 6:35).
(e) Agony. The original verb odunaō means “sorrow” or “grieving.” It is the emotional pain of loss rather than the physical pain of burning. It is the same word Mary used when she and Joseph found twelve-year-old Jesus in the temple. “Your father and I searched for you with sorrow” (Luke 2:48). It also describes how the Ephesian elders were grieved when they said goodbye to Paul (Acts 20:38). The rich man is not in agony because he is burning; he is mourning his wasted life. Like the rich fool who ate, drank, and was merry, he died having given no thought to what comes next (Luke 12:19–21).
(f) In this flame. Jesus illustrates his story with the hellish imagery of the rabbis and sages (see previous verse).
Luke 16:25
“But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that during your life you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus bad things; but now he is being comforted here, and you are in agony.
(a) Child. Abraham recognizes the rich man as one of his own tribe, a Jew. But Abraham does not know his name, and neither does Jesus (Matt. 7:23).
In the end, there will be two kinds of people: there will be those like Lazarus who rejoice because their names are recorded in heaven (Luke 10:20) and there will be those to whom Jesus will say, “Depart from me, I never knew you” (Matt. 7:23).
(b) Remember. Remembering is often the first step towards repentance. Christians who wander from their first love are urged to remember the height from which they have fallen (Rev. 2:5). Unbelievers who have heard the gospel need to remember what they have received (Rev. 3:3). Jesus is not saying you can repent your way out of hell; he’s addressing the Pharisees around him. “Remember the good things I have told you about the kingdom. Repent and believe.”
(c) You received your good things. The good things enjoyed by the rich man symbolize the blessings enjoyed by the Jews, namely the patriarchs, the prophets, and the promises of God. These good things foreshadowed the Good Thing to come, which was Jesus Christ and the new covenant forged in his blood (Heb. 10:1). When we preach “the good news of good things” (Rom. 10:15), we are telling people about Jesus.
Abraham is repeating the words Jesus had said to the Jews in the Sermon on the Plain: “Woe to you who are rich, for you are receiving your comfort in full. Woe to you who are well-fed now, for you shall be hungry” (Luke 6:24–25). Compared to the Gentiles, the Jews had been well fed with the good things of God. But their refusal to eat the Bread of Life when he came to them would leave them hungry in the end.
(d) Bad things. In contrast to the rich man, Lazarus had a miserable life of suffering and starvation. In the same way, the Gentiles lacked the blessings that God had given to the Jews. To be a pagan in ancient times was to live in a dark and brutal world of fear and superstition.
(e) Comforted here. Those who were locked out of the Jews’ religion—the sinners, outcasts, and Gentiles—will find comfort in the kingdom of God (2 Cor. 1:4–5).
(f) Agony; see previous verse.
Luke 16:26
‘And besides all this, between us and you there is a great chasm fixed, so that those who wish to come over from here to you will not be able, and that none may cross over from there to us.’
(a) A great chasm. The chasm that keeps us from God is stubborn unbelief.
The chasm is not sin, for God’s grace has spanned that gap, making it possible for the worst sinner to be reconciled with the Lord (2 Cor. 5:19–20). On that day when we stand before the Lord, it will not be our sins that determine our future, nor will it be the sum total of our contributions to the poor or the net balance of our good deeds. The only thing that will count is our response to the Savior. Did we believe in the love of God revealed to us through his Son? Did we receive the Son he sent?
(b) None may cross over from there to us. In this world, the sheep and the goats are mixed, but when the Lord returns, he will separate one from the other (Matt. 25:31–33). We die, then we are judged (Heb. 9:27), and the Scriptures give no hint that there will be any chance to repent after that happens.
Luke 16:27–28
“And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, that you send him to my father’s house— for I have five brothers—in order that he may warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’
(a) Father; see entry for Luke 16:24.
(b) Send him to my father’s house. The rich man is still giving orders. “If you won’t send Lazarus to me, send him to my brothers.” His brothers are unbelievers, but a sign from beyond the grave will convince them to repent, or so he thinks. The rich man reminds us of the religious leaders who asked Jesus to show them a sign from heaven (see entry for Matt. 12:38).
(c) Five brothers. The specific number of brothers suggests that Jesus may be alluding to the man who was plotting to put him to death. Like the rich man in the parable, Caiaphas, the high priest, wore purple robes and lived in splendor. His “father’s house” refers to the house of Annas, his father-in-law, while the five brothers are Annas’s five sons. Caiaphas and his five brothers-in-law each served as high priests at one time or another, and together they plotted to destroy Jesus.
Perhaps no other family ever did more to thwart the purposes of God than the house of Annas. Obsessed with protecting their position, these scheming men dominated the Sanhedrin and played the Romans like fiddles. They conspired to kill Jesus, staged a midnight trial, and pressured Pilate into doing their bidding. After Jesus ascended to heaven, they persecuted his followers (Acts 4:1–6, 5:17–18, 40, 7:57–58).
(d) Warn them. The rich man imagines a warning will be enough to save his brothers, but Jesus had been warning the religious leaders for years. From the start of his ministry to the night before his death, he told them they were in danger of missing the kingdom of God (e.g., Matt. 5:20) and that the tax collectors and prostitutes were entering ahead of them (Matt. 21:31). He exposed their hypocrisy (Matt. 15:7, Luke 12:1), called them whitewashed tombs and sons of hell (Matt. 23:15, 27), and told pointed parables about stubborn guests refusing a feast (Luke 14:15–24) and resentful brothers who would not join their father’s celebration (Luke 15:28).
No other group in history has been warned more repeatedly or more vigorously than the religious leaders of Israel. Before their eyes, Jesus healed the sick and raised the dead. When they refused to believe the good news, Jesus marveled. “How will you escape the sentence of hell?” (Matt. 23:33).
(e) This place of torment. Like some preachers, the rich man thinks he can save his brothers by scaring the hell out of them. But sermons of wrath and hellfire rarely inspire people to trust in God’s goodness. Instead, God draws us to himself by revealing his lovingkindness (Rom. 2:4). He is not willing for anyone to perish, but desires all to be saved.
Luke 16:29
“But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’
(a) Moses and the Prophets were two great signposts pointing to the Messiah (Luke 24:27). “If you believed Moses,” said Jesus, “you would believe me, for he wrote about me” (John 5:46).
(b) Let them hear them. “Let them hear what the Scriptures say and change their unbelieving minds.”
Luke 16:30
“But he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent!’
(a) No. Just as the Pharisees didn’t listen to Jesus, the rich man doesn’t listen to Abraham. Instead, he doubles down on his earlier plea to send a resurrected witness.
(b) Father Abraham. For a third time, the rich man refers to Abraham as “father.” See entry for Luke 16:24.
(c) Repent. The rich man didn’t repent, but his brothers might. It’s too late for him, but not for them. And it’s not too late for the Pharisees listening to the story. For three years, Jesus has been pounding the same nail: “The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in the good news” (Mark 1:15).
Luke 16:31
“But he said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.’”
(a) If they do not listen. “If they refuse to believe Moses and the Prophets, nothing will convince them.”
(b) Moses and the Prophets; see entry for Luke 16:29.
(c) They will not be persuaded. “If they believed the Scriptures, they wouldn’t need someone to come to them from the dead. But if they refuse to believe the Scriptures, no one—dead or alive—will be able to convince them otherwise.”
It’s tempting to think that a messenger who has been raised from the dead would be a more powerful witness than the Bible, but when the chief priests and the Pharisees saw Jesus’ friend Lazarus brought back to life, they still did not repent. Instead, they plotted to kill both Jesus and Lazarus (John 11:47–53, 12:10).
(d) Persuaded. In this context, to be persuaded means to believe (Acts 28:24).
Faith is being persuaded that God is who he says he is, has done what he said he’s done, and will do what he has promised to do. Abraham “was fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised” (Rom 4:21). Faith is being persuaded or convinced that God loves you (Acts 28:24).
See entry for Faith.
(e) If someone rises from the dead. Jesus is speaking of himself. “I will rise from the dead yet you will still refuse to believe.” His prophecy came true. After Jesus rose from the dead, the religious leaders remained stubbornly unrepentant, and they persecuted those who had seen the Risen Lord (e.g., Acts 5:40).
The tragic tale of the rich man is a warning to all who try to justify themselves before God. It is for those who play church, practice religion, or give to the poor under the misguided belief that their works can make them righteous. Such actions may impress people, but they do not impress God. Jesus told the Pharisees, “You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of men, but God knows your hearts; for that which is highly esteemed among men is detestable in the sight of God” (Luke 16:15). Trying to make yourself righteous is like digging a chasm between you and God.
The lesson of Lazarus is that all of us, whether we’re rich and religious, ragged and rundown, need God’s help. It is only by grace that we inherit the blessings of Abraham and take our place at the feast of God’s eternal kingdom.
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Howdy Paul,
I would like to report a typo on this page please sir.
Luke 16:17, Comment “a”, last sentence.
(Copied and pasted here…)
Jesus is employing a figure of speech as in, “heaven and earth are more likely to pass away that my words fail to come true.” See entry for Matt. 5:18.
I think the word “that” is supposed to be “than”.
Your work is appreciated by many. May God continue to bless you with every tool necessary to complete the work! Hallelujah!
Thanks for the encouragement and the typo, Kevin.
I do have a question. Why have you omitted verses 1-8 of Luke 16. I know that those verses are somewhat frustrating, but I respect your teaching very much and would like to hear your thoughts on that parable. Thank you.
Hi Jerry. The Grace Commentary is a work-in-progress with about 20-30 verses being added every week. I am presently completing a series on all the parables of Jesus. That will be available in book form at the end of 2025 and here on the Grace Commentary shortly after. If you cannot wait, first drafts for many of the parables are available now on Patreon. Thanks for your comment.