Curious to know your thoughts on these verses (Luke 16)

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MatthewG

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Hello to you, I have enlarged the text from Luke 16 onward to the end of the chapter. This is the New international version of the Bible. It is fairly straightforward, and was curious to know what your thoughts are while going through theses scriptures and what stands out to you personally through-out its entirety.

You can submit answers in a easy way, by marking a verse you are commenting on and what comes to mind when reading it, any insights, or comments on which ever scripture please just make sure it is pointed out.

If you desire to participate that is great, please feel free to participate and contribute to the thread by anything with-in the Chapter 16 of Luke,




The Parable of the Shrewd Manager

16 Jesus told his disciples: “There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions. 2 So he called him in and asked him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your management, because you cannot be manager any longer.’

3 “The manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do now? My master is taking away my job. I’m not strong enough to dig, and I’m ashamed to beg— 4 I know what I’ll do so that, when I lose my job here, people will welcome me into their houses.’

5 “So he called in each one of his master’s debtors. He asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’

6 “‘Nine hundred gallons of olive oil,’ he replied.

“The manager told him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it four hundred and fifty.’

7 “Then he asked the second, ‘And how much do you owe?’

“‘A thousand bushels of wheat,’ he replied.

“He told him, ‘Take your bill and make it eight hundred.’

8 “The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light. 9 I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.

10 “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much,and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.11 So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? 12 And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own?

13 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”

14 The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and were sneering at Jesus. 15 He said to them, “You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of others, but God knows your hearts. What people value highly is detestable in God’s sight.

Additional Teachings
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 their way into it. 17 It is easier for heaven and earth to disappear than for the least stroke of a pen to drop out of the Law.

18 “Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery, and the man who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

The Rich Man and Lazarus
19 “There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. 20 At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores 21 and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.

22 “The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. 24 So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’

25 “But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. 26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’

27 “He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family, 28 for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’

29 “Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’

30 “‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’

31 “He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’”
 

Robert Gwin

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Hello to you, I have enlarged the text from Luke 16 onward to the end of the chapter. This is the New international version of the Bible. It is fairly straightforward, and was curious to know what your thoughts are while going through theses scriptures and what stands out to you personally through-out its entirety.

You can submit answers in a easy way, by marking a verse you are commenting on and what comes to mind when reading it, any insights, or comments on which ever scripture please just make sure it is pointed out.

If you desire to participate that is great, please feel free to participate and contribute to the thread by anything with-in the Chapter 16 of Luke,




The Parable of the Shrewd Manager

16 Jesus told his disciples: “There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions. 2 So he called him in and asked him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your management, because you cannot be manager any longer.’

3 “The manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do now? My master is taking away my job. I’m not strong enough to dig, and I’m ashamed to beg— 4 I know what I’ll do so that, when I lose my job here, people will welcome me into their houses.’

5 “So he called in each one of his master’s debtors. He asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’

6 “‘Nine hundred gallons of olive oil,’ he replied.

“The manager told him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it four hundred and fifty.’

7 “Then he asked the second, ‘And how much do you owe?’

“‘A thousand bushels of wheat,’ he replied.

“He told him, ‘Take your bill and make it eight hundred.’

8 “The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light. 9 I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.

10 “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much,and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.11 So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? 12 And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own?

13 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”

14 The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and were sneering at Jesus. 15 He said to them, “You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of others, but God knows your hearts. What people value highly is detestable in God’s sight.

Additional Teachings
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 their way into it. 17 It is easier for heaven and earth to disappear than for the least stroke of a pen to drop out of the Law.

18 “Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery, and the man who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

The Rich Man and Lazarus
19 “There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. 20 At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores 21 and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.

22 “The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. 24 So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’

25 “But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. 26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’

27 “He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family, 28 for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’

29 “Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’

30 “‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’

31 “He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’”

I have always though the "shruewd manager was a criminal, but was spoken of as being righteous by his master. Our take on it is we use our worldly or unrighteous riches to do God's service.

The parable of the rich man and Lazarus is very difficult for most to understand many, perhaps even yourself, believe it is literal.
 
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Episkopos

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The Parable of the Shrewd Manager

This parable reveals the difference between holiness and righteousness. The holy ones are held to a higher standard. If that standard cannot be kept then we are permitted to find a home among the righteous...to be accepted there for an eternal habitation.

Without that understanding of different destinies for the holy and the righteous the parable cannot make sense. Again, if we cannot be accepted for the Master's house then we can find room among the saved of the nations.
 

atpollard

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8 “The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light. 9 I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.

10 “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much,and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.11 So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? 12 And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own?
WANTED: Heaven is looking for a few good con-men!

:confused:
 
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Tommy Cool

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In this parable the steward is accused... But nowhere in the account is he convicted, and actually, quite the opposite is true…. since he received a commendation from his master.

This parable is an Orientalism
An orientalism is the depiction of aspects in the Eastern world (Oriental) as opposed to the Western world (Occident). Since the Bible is an Eastern book there are many orientalism’s used that sometimes don’t make as much sense to us in the occidental world…..


“The alleged unjust steward”

This man was an oriental steward employed in an oriental household. And knowing the oriental custom with regards to the steward gives us a greater understanding of this.

It is customary that the head of the household engages one of his poorest relatives as his steward. In addition to the fact, he is a relative… he also has a double assurance of his reliability because he knows he was salted and swaddled when he was born... Salted to be truthful and loyal, and swaddled to be free from crookedness. Almost every oriental was salted and swaddled….. just as Jesus Christ was at birth.

See below on the orientalism Covenant of Salt & Swaddling cloths (strips)

The day after the steward is hired ….everything pertaining to the affairs of the household is turned over to him. He is given the keys to all the properties, the records, and the bookkeeping system. Every detail is turned to his hands ….in reality, he becomes the head of the family with all the authority pertaining thereunto. He has the signet ring, he can buy and sell property, he can sign deeds, he can lend money, he can forgive debts, he can reduce debts, he can do anything the head of the household can do.

A steward in the east is not salaried…. he lives in the home of his Lord as a member of the family he has no fixed hours, but is on call as necessity demands…..he's not a hireling, and not a paid servant.


Although this is a parable…. Jesus tells this in light of their oriental tradition.

It would be natural at times of a servant becoming angry and making complaints against the steward to the Lord of the household... Hence the accusation….. And the master asking the steward to give account of himself…. That does not mean the steward was guilty. But to CYA the steward reasoned within himself…. just to cover his options….. In the event if there was any shadow of impropriety.

He reduced the one debt by 50% and the other one by 20% and was perfectly within his rights to do this as the steward of the household…. This was not cheating or robbing his master, he had the authority to make any transactions he wished.
When the Lord saw what he had done and acted within his right he commended the accused steward because he had done wisely.



the covenant of salt.”


In short: the salt covenant is an oriental custom still in practice today. It means that when you partook in the covenant, be it from salted food, drink, or exchanged a pinch of salt at the marriage ceremony, your words were your bond, you would never …..even at the cost of death, betray that person you had a covenant with.
There is no reference I could give you… in western culture that would equal that of the covenant of salt. It is/was so honored that you could leave a known thief with all your worldly possessions and money, and not worry about a thing if you had a covenant of salt with that person.
The honorable thing to do if you broke the covenant of salt was to commit suicide, and if you did not, someone else would be obliged to do it for you.
Many references of salted words and salt covenant are found throughout the old and New Testament…. Judas, as did the rest of the Apostles had a salt covenant with Jesus.


“Swaddling strips”

The practice was for a child, particularly a child of royal lineage, to be salted and swaddled….shortly after birth.

The child would be washed with water into which a pinch of salt had been added, symbolizing a covenant of salt …. signifying that the words spoken by the child would be words of truth, always seasoned with salt. The child would then be wrapped in swaddling bands or swaddling clothes, strips of fine linen to represent that the child would grow up to walk straight and tall.

The timing of the arrival of the shepherds to see Jesus had to be precise…. since the swaddling clothes were left on the child for only a few minutes…… Gods timing is incredible!
 

atpollard

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In this parable the steward is accused... But nowhere in the account is he convicted, and actually, quite the opposite is true…. since he received a commendation from his master.

This parable is an Orientalism
An orientalism is the depiction of aspects in the Eastern world (Oriental) as opposed to the Western world (Occident). Since the Bible is an Eastern book there are many orientalism’s used that sometimes don’t make as much sense to us in the occidental world…..


“The alleged unjust steward”

This man was an oriental steward employed in an oriental household. And knowing the oriental custom with regards to the steward gives us a greater understanding of this.

It is customary that the head of the household engages one of his poorest relatives as his steward. In addition to the fact, he is a relative… he also has a double assurance of his reliability because he knows he was salted and swaddled when he was born... Salted to be truthful and loyal, and swaddled to be free from crookedness. Almost every oriental was salted and swaddled….. just as Jesus Christ was at birth.

See below on the orientalism Covenant of Salt & Swaddling cloths (strips)

The day after the steward is hired ….everything pertaining to the affairs of the household is turned over to him. He is given the keys to all the properties, the records, and the bookkeeping system. Every detail is turned to his hands ….in reality, he becomes the head of the family with all the authority pertaining thereunto. He has the signet ring, he can buy and sell property, he can sign deeds, he can lend money, he can forgive debts, he can reduce debts, he can do anything the head of the household can do.

A steward in the east is not salaried…. he lives in the home of his Lord as a member of the family he has no fixed hours, but is on call as necessity demands…..he's not a hireling, and not a paid servant.


Although this is a parable…. Jesus tells this in light of their oriental tradition.

It would be natural at times of a servant becoming angry and making complaints against the steward to the Lord of the household... Hence the accusation….. And the master asking the steward to give account of himself…. That does not mean the steward was guilty. But to CYA the steward reasoned within himself…. just to cover his options….. In the event if there was any shadow of impropriety.

He reduced the one debt by 50% and the other one by 20% and was perfectly within his rights to do this as the steward of the household…. This was not cheating or robbing his master, he had the authority to make any transactions he wished.
When the Lord saw what he had done and acted within his right he commended the accused steward because he had done wisely.



the covenant of salt.”


In short: the salt covenant is an oriental custom still in practice today. It means that when you partook in the covenant, be it from salted food, drink, or exchanged a pinch of salt at the marriage ceremony, your words were your bond, you would never …..even at the cost of death, betray that person you had a covenant with.
There is no reference I could give you… in western culture that would equal that of the covenant of salt. It is/was so honored that you could leave a known thief with all your worldly possessions and money, and not worry about a thing if you had a covenant of salt with that person.
The honorable thing to do if you broke the covenant of salt was to commit suicide, and if you did not, someone else would be obliged to do it for you.
Many references of salted words and salt covenant are found throughout the old and New Testament…. Judas, as did the rest of the Apostles had a salt covenant with Jesus.


“Swaddling strips”

The practice was for a child, particularly a child of royal lineage, to be salted and swaddled….shortly after birth.

The child would be washed with water into which a pinch of salt had been added, symbolizing a covenant of salt …. signifying that the words spoken by the child would be words of truth, always seasoned with salt. The child would then be wrapped in swaddling bands or swaddling clothes, strips of fine linen to represent that the child would grow up to walk straight and tall.

The timing of the arrival of the shepherds to see Jesus had to be precise…. since the swaddling clothes were left on the child for only a few minutes…… Gods timing is incredible!
Informative and worth a closer look.
 

Taken

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Luke 16: 1 —-> 18

Inanutshell...

1) a servant is one who serves a master
2) a servant AND master have defined roles and agreed requirements to fulfill
3) a servant who fails to fulfill his requirement per his agreement SHOULD uprightly remedy his failure
4) a master SHOULD accept a remedy uprightly effected by the servant.

It’s a foreshadowing parallel expectation of a human man Accepting a one on one relationship with God.
God Master...man servant.
IF the mans fails, AND uprightly remedies his failure...
THEN God will, uprightly accept the upright remedy....and the relationship continues.

IF the man fails, AND does Not uprightly remedy his failure...
THEN there is NO requirement or expectation the MASTER shall continue the relationship AS was AGREED ...BECAUSE the AGREEMENT was broken, dissolved, voided.

Glory to God,
Taken

.
 
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Taken

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Luke 16: 19 —->

1) Master (God)... Servant (Man)....established.
Man...Abraham
Man...Lazarus

2) Master (God)...Man “unnamed rich man”....no God/Man relationship established.

3) matters not IF a God/Man relationship IS “established”...
ALL mens Body’s Die.

4) Does Matter IF a God/Man relationship IS “established”...
IF God/Man relationship “IS” established;
THEN After bodily DEATH...
Relationship between God and Mans departed living soul......Continues.

5) IF God/Man relationship “is NOT” established;
THEN After bodily DEATH
Relationship between God and Mans departed living soul...IS “SEVERED”.

** A relationship BETWEEN God and A man, IS established WHEN the man is BODILY ALIVE.

** Once a mans BODY IS physically DEAD,
A relationship BETWEEN A mans (body), a mans (soul), a mans (spirit)...
AND GOD.....IS NOT POSSIBLE...



Glory to God,
Taken