16:10 “The one who is faithful in a very little 4 is also faithful in much, and the one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. 16:11 If then you haven’t been trustworthy 5 in handling worldly wealth, 6 who will entrust you with the true riches? 7 16:12 And if you haven’t been trustworthy 8 with someone else’s property, 9 who will give you your own 10 ? 16:13 No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate 11 the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise 12 the other. You cannot serve God and money.” 13
1 tn Grk “unrighteous mammon.” Mammon is the Aramaic term for wealth or possessions. The point is not that money is inherently evil, but that it is often misused so that it is a means of evil; see 1 Tim 6:6-10, 17-19. The call is to be generous and kind in its use. Zacchaeus becomes the example of this in Luke’s Gospel (19:1-10).
2 sn The passive refers to the welcome of heaven.
3 tn Grk “eternal tents” (as dwelling places).
4 sn The point of the statement faithful in a very little is that character is shown in how little things are treated.
5 tn Or “faithful.”
6 tn Grk “the unrighteous mammon.” See the note on the phrase “worldly wealth” in v. 9.
7 sn Entrust you with the true riches is a reference to future service for God. The idea is like 1 Cor 9:11, except there the imagery is reversed.
8 tn Or “faithful.”
9 tn Grk “have not been faithful with what is another’s.”
10 tn Grk “what is your own.”
11 sn The contrast between hate and love here is rhetorical. The point is that one will choose the favorite if a choice has to be made.
12 tn Or “and treat [the other] with contempt.”
13 tn Grk “God and mammon.” This is the same word (μαμωνᾶς, mamwnas; often merely transliterated as “mammon”) translated “worldly wealth” in vv. 9, 11.
sn The term money is used to translate mammon, the Aramaic term for wealth or possessions. The point is not that money is inherently evil, but that it is often misused so that it is a means of evil; see 1 Tim 6:6-10, 17-19. God must be first, not money or possessions.