And he said also unto his disciples, There was a certain rich man, which had a steward; and the same was accused unto him that he had wasted his goods.

2And he called him, and said unto him, How is it that I hear this of thee? give an account of thy stewardship; for thou mayest be no longer steward.

3Then the steward said within himself, What shall I do? for my lord taketh away from me the stewardship: I cannot dig; to beg I am ashamed.

4I am resolved what to do, that, when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses.

5So he called every one of his lord's debtors unto him, and said unto the first, How much owest thou unto my lord?

6And he said, An hundred measures of oil. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and sit down quickly, and write fifty.

7Then said he to another, And how much owest thou? And he said, An hundred measures of wheat. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and write fourscore.

8And the lord commended the unjust steward, because he had done wisely: for the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light.

9And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations.

10He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.

11If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?

12And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man's, who shall give you that which is your own?

13No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

14And the Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things: and they derided him.

15And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.

16The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it.

17And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail.

18Whosoever putteth away his wife, and marrieth another, committeth adultery: and whosoever marrieth her that is put away from herhusband committeth adultery.

19There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day:

20And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores,

21And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.

22And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;

23And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.

24And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.

25But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.

26And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.

27Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house:

28For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.

29Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.

30And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent.

31And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.

1And hee said also vnto his disciples, There was a certaine rich man which had a Steward, and the same was accused vnto him that he had wasted his goods.

2And hee called him, and said vnto him, How is it that I heare this of thee? Giue an accompt of thy stewardship: for thou mayest bee no longer Steward.

3Then the Steward said within himselfe, What shall I doe, for my lord taketh away from mee the Stewardship? I cannot digge, to begge I am ashamed.

4I am resolued what to doe, that when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receiue me into their houses.

5So hee called euery one of his lords detters vnto him, and said vnto the first, How much owest thou vnto my lord?

6And hee said, An hundred measures of oyle. And hee saide vnto him, Take thy bill, and sit downe quickly, and write fiftie.

7Then said hee to another, And how much owest thou? And hee said, An hundred measures of wheat. And hee saide vnto him, Take thy bill and write fourescore.

8And the lord commended the vniust Steward, because he had done wisely: for the children of this world are in their generation wiser then the children of light.

9And I say vnto you, Make to your selues friends of the Mammon of vnrighteousnesse, that when ye faile, they may receiue you into euerlasting habitations.

10Hee that is faithfull in that which is least, is faithfull also in much: and he that is vniust in the least, is vniust also in much.

11If therefore yee haue not bene faithfull in the vnrighteous Mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?

12And if ye haue not bene faithful in that which is another mans, who shall giue you that which is your owne?

13 No seruant can serue two masters, for either he will hate the one, and loue the other: or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other: yee cannot serue God and Mammon.

14And the Pharisees also who were couetous, heard all these things: and they derided him.

15And he said vnto them, Ye are they which iustifie your selues before men, but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed amongst men, is abomination in the sight of God.

16The law and the Prophets were vntill Iohn: since that time the kingdome of God is preached, and euery man preasseth into it.

17And it is easier for heauen and earth to passe, then one title of the law to faile.

18Whosoeuer putteth away his wife, & marrieth another, committeth adultery: and whosoeuer marrieth her that is put away from her husband, committeth adultery.

19 There was a certaine rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linnen, and fared sumptuously euery day.

20And there was a certaine begger named Lazarus, which was layde at his gate full of sores,

21And desiring to bee fed with the crummes which fel from the rich mans table: moreouer the dogges came and licked his sores.

22And it came to passe that the begger died, and was caried by the Angels into Abrahams bosome: the rich man also died, and was buried.

23And in hell he lift vp his eyes being in torments, and seeth Abraham afarre off, and Lazarus in his bosome:

24And he cried, and said, Father Abraham, haue mercy on mee, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and coole my tongue, for I am tormented in this flame.

25But Abraham saide, Sonne, remember that thou in thy life-time receiuedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus euill things, but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.

26And besides all this, betweene vs and you there is a great gulfe fixed, so that they which would passe from hence to you, cannot, neither can they passe to vs, that would come from thence.

27Then he said, I pray thee therefore father, that thou wouldest send him to my fathers house:

28For I haue fiue brethren, that he may testifie vnto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.

29Abraham saith vnto him, They haue Moses and the Prophets, let them heare them.

30And hee said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went vnto them from the dead, they will repent.

31And hee said vnto him, If they heare not Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be perswaded, though one rose from the dead.

 

1 Then he also said to his disciples, "A rich man had a steward who was reported to him for squandering his property. 2 He summoned him and said, 'What is this I hear about you? Prepare a full account of your stewardship, because you can no longer be my steward.' 3 The steward said to himself, 'What shall I do, now that my master is taking the position of steward away from me? I am not strong enough to dig and I am ashamed to beg. 4 I know what I shall do so that, when I am removed from the stewardship, they may welcome me into their homes.' 5 He called in his master's debtors one by one. To the first he said, 'How much do you owe my master?' 6 He replied, 'One hundred measures of olive oil.' He said to him, 'Here is your promissory note. Sit down and quickly write one for fifty.' 7 Then to another he said, 'And you, how much do you owe?' He replied, 'One hundred kors of wheat.' He said to him, 'Here is your promissory note; write one for eighty.' 8 And the master commended that dishonest steward for acting prudently. "For the children of this world are more prudent in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light. 9 I tell you, make friends for yourselves with dishonest wealth,so that when it fails, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings. 10 The person who is trustworthy in very small matters is also trustworthy in great ones; and the person who is dishonest in very small matters is also dishonest in great ones. 11 If, therefore, you are not trustworthy with dishonest wealth, who will trust you with true wealth? 12 If you are not trustworthy with what belongs to another, who will give you what is yours? 13 No servant can serve two masters. He will either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon." 14 The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all these things and sneered at him. 15 And he said to them, "You justify yourselves in the sight of others, but God knows your hearts; for what is of human esteem is an abomination in the sight of God. 16 "The law and the prophets lasted until John; but from then on the kingdom of God is proclaimed, and everyone who enters does so with violence. 17 It is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for the smallest part of a letter of the law to become invalid. 18 "Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and the one who marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery. 19 "There was a rich man who dressed in purple garments and fine linen and dined sumptuously each day. 20 And lying at his door was a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, 21 who would gladly have eaten his fill of the scraps that fell from the rich man's table. Dogs even used to come and lick his sores. 22 When the poor man died, he was carried away by angels to the bosom of Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried, 23 and from the netherworld, where he was in torment, he raised his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. 24 And he cried out, 'Father Abraham, have pity on me. Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am suffering torment in these flames.' 25 Abraham replied, 'My child, remember that you received what was good during your lifetime while Lazarus likewise received what was bad; but now he is comforted here, whereas you are tormented. 26 Moreover, between us and you a great chasm is established to prevent anyone from crossing who might wish to go from our side to yours or from your side to ours.' 27 He said, 'Then I beg you, father, send him to my father's house, 28 for I have five brothers, so that he may warn them, lest they too come to this place of torment.' 29 But Abraham replied, 'They have Moses and the prophets. Let them listen to them.' 30 He said, 'Oh no, father Abraham, but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.' 31 Then Abraham said, 'If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded if someone should rise from the dead.'"

V 1-8. The parable dealing with wealth in this chapter is primarily to the disciples, and the actual account is to the Pharisees because of their response to the first. A rich man called in and fired his financial manager for irresponsibility. To secure his own future, the manager reduced the debt of some clients. He could do this until his discharge was effective, and they were obligated to him. The owner found out and commended the manager, not for his dishonesty, but his shrewd planning for future.
v 9-13. Jesus taught three lessons in this.  a. v 8,9 Believers should use money to reach others for the kingdom. (Churches should use wise business practices of the world, but not dishonesty.)   b. v 10-12 If one can be trusted with money he can be trusted with greater things.  c. v 13 One cannot serve God and money, 1 Tim 6:10. 
14-18. The Pharisees, who equated their wealth with righteousness, considered Jesus a poor man trying to teach finances to other poor men. John preached the kingdom of God and the Pharisees were trying to force their way into it. They were justifying themselves, but God is the ultimate judge. They were not obeying all the law, and Jesus used divorce as an example. They viewed divorce loosely, but Jesus gave only one exception for this, unfaithfulness in marriage, Matt. 5:32; 19:1-12 . (Views on this may be a one time affair; repeated offenses; pregnancy discovered in the betrothal stage; a situation in which the couple discover they are related. Jesus did not take part in the divisions, but emphasized God’s plan was for marriage between a man and woman to be permanent. Jesus called marriage among divorces adultery. In our class we will not become involved with any of those views, but stress marriage as a permanent bond requiring faithfulness from this point on, regardless of the past.)
v 19-21. Some call the story of the rich man and Lazarus a parable, but it is an actual account probably, because the poor crippled man is named. The fate of each man was to teach the Pharisees not to equate wealth with righteousness. Neither can poverty be equated with righteousness, only faith and dependence on God.
v 22,23. “Abraham’s bosom” was the place for the souls of the righteous who had died. It is the same as “paradise”  where Jesus went at death, Lk. 23:43. Jesus took it to heaven when He arose, Eph 4:8 “Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.” Since then believers at death are absent from the body and present with the Lord, 2 Cor. 5:8. That it is in heaven is also seen by 2 Cor. 12:4 and Rev. 2:7.
Hell or Hades is the place of torment across the gulf, v 26, where the souls of the wicked dead still go. They will remain there until the Great White Throne, after which they and all of Hades is cast into the Lake of Fire, which is the second death, Rev.  20:14; 21:8.
v 24-31. There could be conversation between the two compartments because the rich man first asked Abraham to send Lazarus with a drop of water. Then he asked that  Lazarus could be sent to testify to five brothers so they wouldn’t come there. Abraham said if they didn’t believe the Scripture they would still not believe. The Pharisees did not believe after the other Lazarus rose from the dead, they just sought to kill him and Jesus both. Many people still don’t believe after Jesus died and arose.