chapter 16 of 24 (31 verses.)

Luke 16 English

1 And Yahshua also said to his disciples, "There was a certain rich man, who had a steward; and the steward was accused of wasting the rich man's goods.
The rich man is YHWH, the steward represents anyone YHWH has entrusted, but in this immediate context, the Jews.

2 And the rich man called the steward, and said to him, "How is it that I hear this of you? Give an account of your stewardship; for you may be no longer steward."

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

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

5 So the steward called to himself every one of his lord's debtors, and said to the first, "How much do you owe to my lord?"

6 And the debtor said, "One hundred measures of oil." And the steward said to the debtor, "Take your bill, and sit down quickly, and write fifty."
Oil is money.

7 Then the steward said to another debtor, "And how much do you owe?" And this debtor said, "100 measures of wheat." And the steward said to that debtor, "Take your bill, and write 80."
Wheat is real money.

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

9 And I say to you, 'Make yourselves friends with the mammon of unrighteousness; so, when you fail/cease/die, your friends may receive you into everlasting habitations.
This may mean that if we are entitled to payments from the world denominated in their debased or immoral money, such as royalties, we should allow those royalties to flow away from/around ourselves and instead into charity or evangelism.

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

11 If therefore you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will commit to your trust the true riches?
First you correctly spend worldly wealth on helpful things like charity, scripture-based-education, Biblical music, and evangelism. Then you get the power to do supernatural stuff like miracles. If you just spend worldly wealth on your own pleasures and comforts, or those of your family and loved ones and 'friends', you don't ever get to the big riches.

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

13 No 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. You cannot serve Elohim and mammon (wealth).

14 And the Pharisees, who were covetous, heard all these things: and they derided Yahshua.
Amazing; the greatest wisdom ever is handed to them on a silver platter, and because they want other people's stuff, they religionists wanna kill the Messiah. People are like that; tell them the honest truth and they'll hate you for it.

15 And Yahshua said to the covetous, "You are they who justify yourselves before men; but Elohim knows your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of Elohim.

16 The law and the prophets led up to Yohannon (John): since that time the kingdom of Elohim is heralded, and every man presses into it.
The Law and the prophets were leading into the Kingdom message; they are part of a whole; it does NOT mean that when Yahshuah came the Law and the prophets were phased out, as many teach. See the next verse!

17 And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the Law to fail.
See, the Law didn't fail, nor was it terminated, or ended.

18 Whoever puts away his wife, and marries another, commits adultery: and whoever marries her who is put away from her husband commits adultery.
NO EXCEPTION!

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

20 And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, who was laid at the rich man's gate, full of sores,

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

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

23 And in Hades the rich man lifted up his eyes, being in torments, and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus upon Abraham's bosom.
Remember, this is a parable... it doesn't mean that the rich man was in conscious eternal torment; it does mean that for a time the rich man was in conscious torment. After that initial period the rich man would be completely burned up.

24 And the rich man 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."
The best justification for the dubious idea of conscious eternal torment is presented here in this parable... all other references to the lake of fire are clearly in the context of momentary and final burning up, extinguishing, a second death. Yet this figurative parable does not pose the idea of eternal conscious torment.

25 But Abraham said, "Son, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now Lazarus is comforted, and you are tormented.

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

27 Then the rich man said, "I pray you therefore, father, that you would send Lazarus to my father's house:

28 For I have five brothers; that Lazarus may testify to them, lest they also come into this place of torment."

29 Abraham said to the rich man, "They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them."

30 And the rich man said, "No, father Abraham: but if one went to my brothers from the dead, they will repent."

31 And Abraham said to the rich man, "If they hear not Moses and the prophets, they will not be persuaded, though one rose from the dead."

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