Faithful With a Little, Trusted With More — July 19 [Description]Overview of Luke 16:1-18:This passage contains three interconnected sections where Jesus teaches about money, stewardship, and faithfulness, all tied to eternal values and loyalty to God:1. The Parable of the Shrewd Manager (vv. 1—9):Jesus tells a story about a dishonest manager who, upon being fired, cleverly reduces the debts of his master’s clients to gain future favor. Jesus isn’t praising dishonesty, but rather commends the manager’s foresight and urgency. The point: Use worldly wealth wisely now to store up eternal reward—not for self-gain, but for Kingdom impact.2. Faithfulness and True Riches (vv. 10—13):Jesus says that how we handle small things (like money) shows whether we can be trusted with greater, eternal responsibilities. He makes a clear claim:“You cannot serve both God and money.”It’s a call to choose your master and align your values accordingly.3. Confronting the Pharisees (vv. 14—18):The Pharisees, who love money, mock Jesus. He responds by exposing their hypocrisy. They justify themselves before others, but God sees the heart. Jesus also briefly addresses the permanence of God’s law and brings in the topic of marriage and divorce, reinforcing that God’s standards don’t shift with culture.This section challenges readers to prioritize eternal purpose over temporary gain, and to be trustworthy stewards in a world obsessed with wealth and status.

Bible discovery

Luke 16:1-18365D 200.1

1 He also said to His disciples: “There was a certain rich man who had a steward, and an accusation was brought to him that this man was ^{[a]squandering} wasting his goods.365D 200.2

2 So he called him and said to him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your stewardship, for you can no longer be steward.’365D 200.3

3 “Then the steward said within himself, ‘What shall I do? For my master is taking the stewardship away from me. I cannot dig; I am ashamed to beg.365D 200.4

4 I have resolved what to do, that when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses.’365D 200.5

5 “So he called every one of his master’s debtors to him, and said to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’365D 200.6

6 And he said, ‘A hundred ^{[b]Gr. batos, same as Heb. bath; 8 or 9 gallons each} measures of oil.’ So he said to him, ‘Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.’365D 200.7

7 Then he said to another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ So he said, ‘A hundred ^{[c]Gr. koros, same as Heb. kor; 10 or 12 bushels each} measures of wheat.’ And he said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write eighty.’365D 200.8

8 So the master commended the unjust steward because he had dealt shrewdly. For the sons of this world are more shrewd in their generation than the sons of light.365D 200.9

9 “And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by unrighteous ^{[d]Lit., in Aram., wealth} mammon, that when ^{[e]NU it fails} you fail, they may receive you into an everlasting home.365D 200.10

10 He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much.365D 200.11

11 Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?365D 200.12

12 And if you have not been faithful in what is another man’s, who will give you what is your own?365D 200.13

13 “No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.”365D 200.14

14 Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, also heard all these things, and they ^{[f]Lit. turned up their nose at} derided Him.365D 200.15

15 And He said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God.365D 200.16

16 “The law and the prophets were until John. Since that time the kingdom of God has been preached, and everyone is pressing into it.365D 200.17

17 And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one ^{[g]The smallest stroke in a Heb. letter} tittle of the law to fail.365D 200.18

18 “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced from her husband commits adultery.365D 200.19