Discovery BoxLuke 16:8-9 
Context16:8 The 1 master commended the dishonest 2 manager because he acted shrewdly. 3 For the people 4 of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their contemporaries 5 than the people 6 of light. 16:9 And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by how you use worldly wealth, 7 so that when it runs out you will be welcomed 8 into the eternal homes. 9
Luke 16:11
Context16:11 If then you haven’t been trustworthy 10 in handling worldly wealth, 11 who will entrust you with the true riches? 12
Luke 16:19-25
Context16:19 “There was a rich man who dressed in purple 13 and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously 14 every day. 16:20 But at his gate lay 15 a poor man named Lazarus 16 whose body was covered with sores, 17 16:21 who longed to eat 18 what fell from the rich man’s table. In addition, the dogs 19 came and licked 20 his sores.
16:22 “Now 21 the poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. 22 The 23 rich man also died and was buried. 24 16:23 And in hell, 25 as he was in torment, 26 he looked up 27 and saw Abraham far off with Lazarus at his side. 28 16:24 So 29 he called out, 30 ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus 31 to dip the tip of his finger 32 in water and cool my tongue, because I am in anguish 33 in this fire.’ 34 16:25 But Abraham said, ‘Child, 35 remember that in your lifetime you received your good things and Lazarus likewise bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in anguish. 36
1 tn Grk “And the.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
2 sn Is the manager dishonest because of what he just did? Or is it a reference to what he had done earlier, described in v. 1? This is a difficult question, but it seems unlikely that the master, having fired the man for prior dishonesty, would now commend those same actions. It would also be unusual for Jesus to make that point of the story the example. Thus it is more likely the reference to dishonesty goes back to the earliest events, while the commendation is for the cleverness of the former manager reflected in vv. 5-7.
3 sn Where this parable ends is debated: Does it conclude with v. 7, after v. 8a, after v. 8b, or after v. 9? Verse 8a looks as if it is still part of the story, with its clear reference to the manager, while 8b looks like Jesus’ application, since its remarks are more general. So it is most likely the parable stops after v. 8a.
4 tn Grk “sons” (an idiom).
5 tn Grk “with their own generation.”
6 tn Grk “sons.” Here the phrase “sons of light” is a reference to the righteous. The point is that those of the world often think ahead about consequences better than the righteous do.
7 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).
8 sn The passive refers to the welcome of heaven.
9 tn Grk “eternal tents” (as dwelling places).
10 tn Or “faithful.”
11 tn Grk “the unrighteous mammon.” See the note on the phrase “worldly wealth” in v. 9.
12 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.
13 sn Purple describes a fine, expensive dye used on luxurious clothing, and by metonymy, refers to clothing colored with that dye. It pictures someone of great wealth.
14 tn Or “celebrated with ostentation” (L&N 88.255), that is, with showing off. Here was the original conspicuous consumer.
15 tn The passive verb ἐβέβλητο (ebeblhto) does not indicate how Lazarus got there. Cf. BDAG 163 s.v. βάλλω 1.b, “he lay before the door”; Josephus, Ant. 9.10.2 (9.209).
16 sn This is the one time in all the gospels that a figure in a parable is mentioned by name. It will become important later in the account.
17 tn Or “was covered with ulcers.” The words “whose body” are implied in the context (L&N 23.180).
18 tn Grk “to eat his fill,” but this phrase has been simplified as “to eat” for stylistic reasons.
19 tn The term κύνες (kunes) refers to “wild” dogs (either “street” dogs or watchdogs), not house pets (L&N 4.34).
20 sn When the dogs came and licked his sores it meant that he was unclean. See the negative image of Rev 22:15 that draws on this picture.
21 tn Grk “Now it happened that the.” The introductory phrase ἐγένετο (egeneto, “it happened that”), common in Luke (69 times) and Acts (54 times), is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.
22 tn Grk “to Abraham’s bosom.” The phrase “carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom” describes being gathered to the fathers and is a way to refer to heaven (Gen 15:15; 47:30; Deut 31:16).
23 tn Grk “And the.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
24 sn The shorter description suggests a different fate, which is confirmed in the following verses.
25 sn The Greek term Hades stands for the Hebrew concept of Sheol. It is what is called hell today. This is where the dead were gathered (Ps 16:10; 86:13). In the NT Hades has an additional negative force of awaiting judgment (Rev 20:13).
26 sn Hades is a place of torment, especially as one knows that he is separated from God.
27 tn Grk “he lifted up his eyes” (an idiom).
28 tn Grk “in his bosom,” the same phrase used in 16:22. This idiom refers to heaven and/or participation in the eschatological banquet. An appropriate modern equivalent is “at Abraham’s side.”
29 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of previous actions in the narrative.
30 tn Grk “calling out he said”; this is redundant in contemporary English style and has been simplified to “he called out.”
31 sn The rich man had not helped Lazarus before, when he lay outside his gate (v. 2), but he knew him well enough to know his name. This is why the use of the name Lazarus in the parable is significant. (The rich man’s name, on the other hand, is not mentioned, because it is not significant for the point of the story.)
32 sn The dipping of the tip of his finger in water is evocative of thirst. The thirsty are in need of God’s presence (Ps 42:1-2; Isa 5:13). The imagery suggests the rich man is now separated from the presence of God.
33 tn Or “in terrible pain” (L&N 24.92).
34 sn Fire in this context is OT imagery; see Isa 66:24.
35 tn The Greek term here is τέκνον (teknon), which could be understood as a term of endearment.
36 tn Or “in terrible pain” (L&N 24.92). Here is the reversal Jesus mentioned in Luke 6:20-26.
