Luke Chapter 16
Showing all 31 verses for Luke Chapter 16.
The People's Bible is written by people, for the people. Each verse below shows:
"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. "
"Jesus also said to his disciples: There was a rich man who had a manager, and this manager was reported to him for wasting his property."
I speak as Jesus - I'm about to tell a story that isn't really about admiring dishonesty, it's about urgency. When your situation is genuinely at a crisis point, don't drift; think clearly and act.
"And 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. "
"The rich man called him in and said, "What's this I'm hearing about you? Give me a report of your management, because you're about to lose your job.""
I speak as Jesus - Everyone eventually faces a moment of reckoning for how they've used what's been entrusted to them. Better to think honestly about that now, while there's still time to act, than to be caught unprepared.
"Then 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. "
"The manager thought to himself, "What am I going to do? My master is taking my job away. I'm not strong enough to dig ditches, and I'm too proud to beg.""
I speak as Jesus - When you're honest with yourself about your real situation and your limits, you can actually start solving the problem instead of just panicking about it. Facing facts clearly is the first step to acting wisely.
"I am resolved what to do, that, when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses. "
""I know what I'll do, so that when I lose this job, people will welcome me into their homes.""
I speak as Jesus - Use whatever time and resources you still have now to invest in relationships that will matter later, rather than letting a crisis paralyse you into wasting your remaining opportunity.
"So he called every one of his lord’s debtors unto him, and said unto the first, How much owest thou unto my lord? "
"So he called in each of his master's debtors one by one, and asked the first, "How much do you owe my master?""
I speak as Jesus - When you see a limited window to make things right or set yourself up well, don't waste it on hesitation - move deliberately and use the time you have.
"And he said, An hundred measures of oil. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and sit down quickly, and write fifty. "
"The debtor said, "A hundred measures of olive oil." The manager told him, "Take your bill, sit down quickly, and write fifty.""
I speak as Jesus - Notice how he uses what's in his hands right now, even in a compromised position, to create real, lasting goodwill. Whatever resources pass through your hands, however imperfectly you've managed them, can still be used to build something good going forward.
"Then 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. "
"Then he asked another, "And how much do you owe?" The man replied, "A hundred measures of wheat." The manager said, "Take your bill and write eighty.""
I speak as Jesus - Consistency matters - one wise decision is good, but building a pattern of using your resources well is what really secures a good future.
"And 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. "
"The master actually praised the dishonest manager for acting so shrewdly, because people of the world are often more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than people who follow the light are."
I speak as Jesus - I want you to bring the same sharp, decisive thinking to your spiritual life and priorities that clever people bring to making money or getting ahead. Don't be lazy or naive about the things that actually matter most.
"And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations. "
"Jesus says: I tell you, use worldly wealth to make friends for yourselves, so that when it's gone, you'll be welcomed into an eternal home."
I speak as Jesus - Don't just accumulate money for its own sake - use it to genuinely help people, because those relationships and that generosity are what actually last, long after the money itself is gone.
"He 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. "
"Jesus says: Whoever can be trusted with small things can be trusted with big things, and whoever is dishonest in small things will be dishonest in big things too."
I speak as Jesus - Don't dismiss small acts of honesty or dishonesty as unimportant - they're building, or eroding, the character you'll bring to every bigger decision in your life. Take the small things seriously.
"If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? "
"Jesus says: So if you haven't been trustworthy with worldly wealth, who's going to trust you with the real riches?"
I speak as Jesus - How you treat money right now is quietly shaping whether you're ready for the deeper, more meaningful responsibilities and trust that could be ahead of you. Don't underestimate what handling money well is actually preparing you for.
"And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man’s, who shall give you that which is your own? "
"Jesus says: And if you haven't been faithful with what belongs to someone else, who will give you something of your own?"
I speak as Jesus - Try holding what you have loosely, as something entrusted to you rather than something you own outright and control completely - it changes how carefully and generously you use it.
"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. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. "
"Jesus says: No servant can serve two masters, because he'll either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You can't serve both God and money."
I speak as Jesus - Ask yourself honestly which one is actually driving your decisions day to day - security and status through money, or love and trust in something bigger than money. You can use money, but don't let it use you.
"And the Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things: and they derided him. "
"The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and sneered at Jesus."
I speak as Jesus - When the truth cuts close to something you don't want to give up, the easiest response is to mock it rather than examine yourself. I'd rather you got defensive and honest than comfortable and dismissive.
"And 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. "
"Jesus said to them: You're the kind of people who make yourselves look good to others, but God knows what's really in your hearts - what people admire highly is often disgusting to God."
I speak as Jesus - Don't build your life around impressing other people or managing your reputation - build it around what's actually true in your heart, because that's what really counts, whether or not anyone else ever sees it.
"The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it. "
"Jesus says: The law and the prophets were in force until John the Baptist came; since then, the good news of God's kingdom is being preached, and everyone is eager to get into it."
I speak as Jesus - I want you to feel the urgency and openness of this moment - the door is genuinely open right now, and it's worth pressing towards with real effort rather than treating it as something distant or automatic.
"And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail. "
"Jesus says: It's easier for the heavens and earth to disappear than for a single stroke of the law to fail."
I speak as Jesus - Don't mistake grace and a new start for permission to treat right and wrong casually - the moral seriousness behind everything I teach doesn't disappear just because I'm offering you a fresh beginning.
"Whosoever putteth away his wife, and marrieth another, committeth adultery: and whosoever marrieth her that is put away from her husband committeth adultery. "
"Jesus says: Anyone who divorces his wife and marries someone else commits adultery, and anyone who marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery too."
I speak as Jesus - Faithfulness in your closest relationships isn't a technicality to find loopholes around - it's meant to be lived out with real integrity, matching what you say you believe with how you actually treat the people closest to you.
"There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: "
"There was a rich man who dressed in purple clothes and fine linen and enjoyed a lavish feast every single day."
I speak as Jesus - I'm not condemning enjoying good things in life, but I want you to notice how easily constant comfort can make a person blind to whoever is suffering right outside their own door.
"And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, "
"And there was a poor beggar named Lazarus, covered in sores, who was laid at the rich man's gate."
I speak as Jesus - I give the poor man a name because to me he was never invisible or anonymous, however overlooked he was by everyone else. Notice the people right in front of you that others have stopped seeing.
"And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. "
"He longed to eat just the scraps that fell from the rich man's table, and on top of that, dogs came and licked his open sores."
I speak as Jesus - Don't let comfort or busyness make you walk past real suffering that's right in front of you. The smallest act of attention or generosity to someone in need can matter more than you realise.
"And 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; "
"In time, the beggar died and was carried by angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried."
I speak as Jesus - However your life looks from the outside right now, however overlooked or however celebrated, what really matters in the end isn't earthly status but the state of your heart before God. Don't measure worth by what people notice.
"And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. "
"In the place of the dead, in torment, the rich man looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus right beside him."
I speak as Jesus - The people you choose not to see now are seen fully in the end, by God, and ultimately even by you. What you do with your attention and resources towards those in need has consequences that outlast this life.
"And 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. "
"He cried out, "Father Abraham, have mercy on me! Send Lazarus to dip just the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue - I'm in agony in this fire.""
I speak as Jesus - Old habits of looking down on others don't automatically disappear just because circumstances change - real change of heart has to happen now, while there's still opportunity to act differently.
"But 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. "
"But Abraham replied, "Son, remember that during your life you had good things and Lazarus had bad things - now he's comforted here, and you're in agony.""
I speak as Jesus - What you do with what you've been given while you have the chance really matters - comfort now is not the same as being right with what matters most, and hardship now is not evidence of being abandoned.
"And 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. "
""And besides all that, there's a huge, fixed gap between us and you, so that no one can cross from here to you, or from there to us.""
I speak as Jesus - Don't put off the changes you know you need to make, assuming there'll always be another opportunity - the choices you make with the time, care, and resources you have now genuinely matter, and this life is the time to act on them.
"Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father’s house: "
"Then the rich man said, "Then I beg you, father, send him to my father's house.""
I speak as Jesus - It's a good instinct to want to warn the people you love about mistakes you've made - but the best time to act on that concern for them is now, through how you actually live in front of them, not later.
"For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. "
""I have five brothers - let him warn them, so they don't end up in this place of torment too.""
I speak as Jesus - Don't wait for some dramatic, unmistakable sign to change your direction in life - the truth you need is usually already available to you, if you're willing to actually listen to it.
"Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. "
"Abraham said to him, "They have Moses and the prophets - let them listen to them.""
I speak as Jesus - The wisdom you need to live well and treat people rightly is usually already within reach, in what you already have access to - the real obstacle is rarely lack of information, but willingness to actually take it seriously.
"And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. "
"The rich man replied, "No, father Abraham, but if someone went to them from the dead, they would change their ways.""
I speak as Jesus - Don't assume you need something spectacular to happen before you'll take truth seriously - if you're not willing to listen to what's plainly in front of you, a miracle wouldn't actually change that.
"And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead. "
"Abraham said to him, "If they won't listen to Moses and the prophets, they won't be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.""
I speak as Jesus - I want you to notice that even my own resurrection won't convince someone who has already decided not to listen. Real change starts with an open, honest willingness to hear the truth, not with waiting for overwhelming proof.