Replies

And for those who still have doubts ....

Luke
Chapter 16

19: ¹² "There was a rich man ¹³ who dressed in purple garments and fine linen and dined sumptuously each day.
20: And lying at his door was a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores,
21: who would gladly have eaten his fill of the scraps that fell from the rich man's table. Dogs even used to come and lick his sores.
22: When the poor man died, he was carried away by angels to the bosom of Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried,
23: and from the netherworld, ¹⁴ where he was in torment, he raised his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side.
24: And he cried out, 'Father Abraham, have pity on me. Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am suffering torment in these flames.'
25: Abraham replied, 'My child, remember that you received what was good during your lifetime while Lazarus likewise received what was bad; but now he is comforted here, whereas you are tormented.
26: Moreover, between us and you a great chasm is established to prevent anyone from crossing who might wish to go from our side to yours or from your side to ours.'
27: He said, 'Then I beg you, father, send him to my father's house,
28: for I have five brothers, so that he may warn them, lest they too come to this place of torment.'
29: But Abraham replied, 'They have Moses and the prophets. Let them listen to them.'
30: ¹⁵ He said, 'Oh no, father Abraham, but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.'
31: Then Abraham said, 'If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded if someone should rise from the dead.'"

Footnotes

¹ [1-8a] The parable of the dishonest steward has to be understood in the light of the Palestinian custom of agents acting on behalf of their masters and the usurious practices common to such agents. The dishonesty of the steward consisted in the squandering of his master's property (Luke 16:1) and not in any subsequent graft. The master commends the dishonest steward who has forgone his own usurious commission on the business transaction by having the debtors write new notes that reflected only the real amount owed the master (i.e., minus the steward's profit). The dishonest steward acts in this way in order to ingratiate himself with the debtors because he knows he is being dismissed from his position (Luke 16:3). The parable, then, teaches the prudent use of one's material goods in light of an imminent crisis.

² [6] One hundred measures: literally, "one hundred baths." A bath is a Hebrew unit of liquid measurement equivalent to eight or nine gallons.

³ [7] One hundred kors: a kor is a Hebrew unit of dry measure for grain or wheat equivalent to ten or twelve bushels.

⁴ [8b-13] Several originally independent sayings of Jesus are gathered here by Luke to form the concluding application of the parable of the dishonest steward.

⁵ [8b-9] The first conclusion recommends the prudent use of one's wealth (in the light of the coming of the end of the age) after the manner of the children of this world, represented in the parable by the dishonest steward.

⁶ [9] Dishonest wealth: literally, "mammon of iniquity." Mammon is the Greek transliteration of a Hebrew or Aramaic word that is usually explained as meaning "that in which one trusts." The characterization of this wealth as dishonest expresses a tendency of wealth to lead one to dishonesty. Eternal dwellings: or, "eternal tents," i.e., heaven. his opposed to the teachings.

⁷ [10-12] The second conclusion recommends constant fidelity to those in positions of responsibility.

⁸ [13] The third conclusion is a general statement about the incompatibility of serving God and being a slave to riches. To be dependent upon wealth is opposed to the teachings of Jesus who counseled complete dependence on the Father as one of the characteristics of the Christian disciple (Luke 12:22-39). God and mammon: see the note on Luke 16:9. Mammon is used here as if it were itself a god.

⁹ [14-18] The two parables about the use of riches in ch 16 are separated by several isolated sayings of Jesus on the hypocrisy of the Pharisees (Luke 16:14-15), on the law (Luke 16:16-17), and on divorce (Luke 16:18).

¹⁰ [14-15] The Pharisees are here presented as examples of those who are slaves to wealth (see Luke 16:13) and, consequently, they are unable to serve God.

¹¹ [16] John the Baptist is presented in Luke's gospel as a transitional figure between the period of Israel, the time of promise, and the period of Jesus, the time of fulfillment. With John, the fulfillment of the Old Testament promises has begun.

¹² [19-31] The parable of the rich man and Lazarus again illustrates Luke's concern with Jesus' attitude toward the rich and the poor. The reversal of the fates of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:22-23) illustrates the teachings of Jesus in Luke's "Sermon on the Plain" (Luke 6:20-21, 24-25).

¹³ [19] The oldest Greek manuscript of Luke dating from ca. A.D. 175-225 records the name of the rich man as an abbreviated form of "Nineveh," but there is very little textual support in other manuscripts for this reading. "Dives" of popular tradition is the Latin Vulgate's translation for "rich man." (Luke 16:19-31)

¹⁴ [23] The netherworld: see the note on Luke 10:15.

¹⁵ [30-31] A foreshadowing in Luke's gospel of the rejection of the call to repentance even after Jesus' resurrection.