Verse-by-Verse Commentary
The Book of Luke
Chapter 16: Ye Cannot Serve God and Mammon
Luke 16 turns from the joy of the lost being found to a searching teaching about money, the heart, and eternity. Jesus tells the parable of the unjust steward, who, facing dismissal, used his master's goods shrewdly to secure his future, and He draws the lesson that His people should be at least as wise with earthly wealth for eternal ends: 'Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness.' Faithfulness in little proves faithfulness in much, and no servant can serve two masters: 'Ye cannot serve God and mammon.' The covetous Pharisees deride Him, and He answers that 'that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.' Then He tells of the rich man clothed in purple and the beggar Lazarus at his gate, and of the great reversal beyond death, Lazarus carried by angels to Abraham's bosom, the rich man lifting up his eyes in torment across a 'great gulf fixed,' pleading in vain. The chapter warns that how we use what God entrusts reveals whom we truly serve, that riches cannot buy heaven, and that those who will not hear Moses and the prophets will not repent though one rose from the dead.
About This Commentary
This is a verse-by-verse study of Luke chapter 16. For each section you will find the KJV text, the Greek words that sharpen the meaning, plain explanation, and a Gospel Focus. Here Jesus teaches the wise use of wealth, warns that no one can serve God and mammon, rebukes the covetous Pharisees, and tells of the rich man and Lazarus and the fixed gulf beyond death. Every Scripture quotation is from the King James Version.
Setting the Stage
Give an Account
A dismissed steward acts shrewdly to secure his future.
God and Mammon
No servant can serve two masters; choose whom you will serve.
God Knoweth Your Hearts
What men esteem is abomination in the sight of God.
A Great Gulf Fixed
The rich man and Lazarus, and the reversal beyond death.
Ye Cannot Serve God and Mammon (Luke 16:1-13)
Jesus urges His people to use earthly wealth wisely for eternal ends, and warns that no one can serve both God and money.
Faithful in That Which Is Least
"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. 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. 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. I am resolved what to do, that, when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses. So he called every one of his lord's debtors unto him, and said unto the first, How much owest thou unto my lord? And he said, An hundred measures of oil. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and sit down quickly, and write fifty. 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. 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. 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. 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. If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man's, who shall give you that which is your own? 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."
Word Study
"mammon," Greek mamonas (μαμωνᾶς), from the Aramaic. The word means wealth, riches, money, treated almost as a person, a master to be served. Jesus calls it "the mammon of unrighteousness" and "the unrighteous mammon," not because money is evil in itself but because it belongs to this fallen age and so easily becomes an idol. He sets it in stark opposition to God: "Ye cannot serve God and mammon." Money makes a good servant but a cruel master. The choice is not whether we will possess wealth but whom we will serve; mammon claims the throne of the heart, and no man can bow there and to God at once.
Explanation
The parable of the unjust steward is startling: a manager about to be fired shrewdly uses his master's wealth to secure friends for the future, and his prudence -- not his dishonesty -- is commended. Jesus draws the lesson: use "the mammon of unrighteousness" now to lay up eternal welcome, for the children of light should be at least as wise about eternity as worldly men are about money. Faithfulness in "that which is least" reveals character for "that which is much." And the bottom line is absolute: "ye cannot serve God and mammon" -- money is a useful servant but a ruinous master.
Gospel Focus
Jesus tells a startling parable. A steward, about to be fired for wasting his master's goods, acts shrewdly to secure his future: he calls in his master's debtors and reduces their bills, so that when he is put out they will receive him into their houses. Then comes the surprising line: "the lord commended the unjust steward, because he had done wisely." Jesus is not praising the man's dishonesty, He plainly calls him "unjust", but his foresight, his decisive use of present resources to prepare for the future. The point is drawn out at once: "the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light." Worldly people are often more diligent and clever about their earthly security than believers are about eternity. So the lesson: "Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations." Use the money of this passing age for eternal purposes, for the good of others and the work of God, so that its fruit greets you in heaven. Money spent for the kingdom is not lost but sent ahead. Then Jesus lays down abiding principles of stewardship. "He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much"; how we handle small things, and money is a small thing compared to eternal realities, reveals our character and readies us for greater trust. Earthly wealth is "another man's," a trust from God, and "the true riches" of eternity are given to those found faithful with it. Finally the sharp either-or: "No servant can serve two masters... Ye cannot serve God and mammon." The heart has one throne. Money will either be a tool in the hand of one who serves God, or a master that rules a heart in place of God. There is no middle ground; we must choose whom we will serve.
God Knoweth Your Hearts (Luke 16:14-18)
The money-loving Pharisees deride Jesus, and He exposes the difference between what men esteem and what God sees.
Highly Esteemed Among Men, Abomination Before God
"And the Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things: and they derided him. 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. The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it. And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail. Whosoever putteth away his wife, and marrieth another, committeth adultery: and whosoever marrieth her that is put away from her husband committeth adultery."
Word Study
"justify," Greek dikaioo (δικαιόω). The word means to declare or make righteous, to acquit, to vindicate. Jesus charges the Pharisees, "Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts." They sought to be accounted righteous in the eyes of others, keeping up an outward show while their hearts were covetous and self-serving. But self-justification before men is worthless before God, who reads the heart. The same word is the great gospel word: God "justifieth" the ungodly who trust in Christ (Romans 4:5), declaring the guilty righteous by grace through faith. The Pharisee justifies himself and is condemned; the sinner who casts himself on Christ is justified by God.
Explanation
The Pharisees, "who were covetous," sneer at this teaching, and Jesus exposes them: they justify themselves before men, "but God knoweth your hearts; for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God." What the world admires and what God values are often opposites. The law and prophets pointed to the kingdom now being preached, and God's standards do not slacken -- Jesus reaffirms the permanence of the moral law even on marriage. Money-loving religion may look respectable to men, but the God who reads hearts sees it for what it is.
Gospel Focus
Jesus has just said no one can serve God and mammon, and immediately we are shown men who tried: "the Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things: and they derided him." Their sneering is self-defense; the word had struck home. Jesus answers by tearing away their mask: "Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts." They kept up a righteous appearance while loving money, but God is not deceived by outward show; He weighs the heart. And He states a principle that overturns the world's whole scale of values: "that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God." What men admire, wealth, status, self-made righteousness, God may abhor; His estimate, not man's applause, is what matters. Then Jesus marks the turning of the ages: "The law and the prophets were until John; since that time the kingdom of God is preached." John the Baptist stood at the hinge; now the kingdom is proclaimed and men press eagerly into it. Yet the coming of the kingdom does not abolish God's righteous standards, "it is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail." He illustrates with the sanctity of marriage: casual divorce and remarriage is adultery. The Pharisees, so lax with their own covetous hearts and so loose with the marriage bond, prided themselves on the law while breaking its very spirit. God's moral law abides; His kingdom does not lower the standard but writes it on the heart. Do not justify yourself before men; God knows your heart, and His judgment, not the world's esteem, is what will stand.
Between Us and You There Is a Great Gulf Fixed (Luke 16:19-31)
Beyond death comes a great reversal: the beggar comforted, the rich man in torment, and a warning that those who reject the Scriptures will not repent though one rose from the dead.
If They Hear Not Moses and the Prophets
"There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. 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; And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. 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. 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. 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. Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house: For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead."
Word Study
"hell," Greek hades (ᾅδης). The word here is not gehenna (the lake of fire, the final place of judgment) but hades, the realm of the dead, the unseen world into which souls pass at death. Jesus pictures it with two regions divided by "a great gulf fixed": a place of comfort, "Abraham's bosom," where Lazarus rests, and a place of torment, where the rich man lifts up his eyes "in torments... tormented in this flame." The scene teaches that death is not the end, that the soul is conscious after death, that one's eternal state is fixed and cannot be crossed, and that the reversal of this life's fortunes is settled by one's relationship to God, not by earthly wealth. It is a sobering window into the reality beyond the grave.
Explanation
The rich man feasts in purple while Lazarus starves at his gate, and death reverses everything: the beggar is carried to Abraham's bosom, the rich man lifts his eyes in torment. The great fixed gulf cannot be crossed, and his plea to warn his brothers is refused with a piercing word: "they have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them." If Scripture does not move the heart, "neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead." The parable warns that a life of comfortable indifference to the poor ends in ruin, and that the Scriptures already hold all the light a soul needs to repent.
Gospel Focus
Jesus paints two men in the sharpest contrast. One is rich, "clothed in purple and fine linen," feasting "sumptuously every day"; the other is Lazarus, a beggar "full of sores," laid at the rich man's gate, longing for the scraps, with only the dogs to pity him. The rich man is not condemned for being rich but for his callous indifference: day after day he stepped past a dying man at his own gate and did nothing. Then both die, and the scene reverses utterly. Lazarus is "carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom"; the rich man is "buried," and "in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments." The beggar who had nothing is comforted; the rich man who had everything is in anguish. He cries to Abraham for Lazarus to bring a single drop of water to cool his tongue, and even now he thinks of Lazarus as a servant to fetch for him, but Abraham answers that the roles are justly reversed, and "between us and you there is a great gulf fixed." The state fixed at death cannot be altered; there is no passage from torment to rest. This is a solemn and terrible truth: eternity is settled by the life lived now, and there is no second chance beyond the grave. The rich man then begs that Lazarus be sent to warn his five brothers, "lest they also come into this place of torment." Abraham's reply is the weighty point of the whole parable: "They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them." The Scriptures are God's sufficient witness; if men will not heed the written Word, no wonder or sign will save them. The rich man protests that a visitor from the dead would surely make them repent, but Abraham answers, "If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead." The problem of unbelief is not lack of evidence but hardness of heart; those who reject God's Word would explain away even a resurrection, as indeed men did when Jesus Himself rose. The parable warns the covetous, indifferent, self-justifying heart: riches cannot buy heaven, the state beyond death is fixed, and God's Word now is our warning and our mercy. Hear Moses and the prophets, and hear the Christ of whom they spoke, before the gulf is fixed forever.
Chapter 16 in Review
Luke 16 is a searching chapter on money, the heart, and eternity. The parable of the unjust steward, whose shrewd foresight Jesus commends though not his dishonesty, teaches His people to use "the mammon of unrighteousness" wisely for eternal ends, to be "faithful in that which is least," and to remember that "ye cannot serve God and mammon." When the covetous Pharisees deride Him, He answers that "that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God," and that His kingdom upholds, not abolishes, God's righteous law. Then in the rich man and Lazarus He lifts the veil on eternity: the beggar carried to Abraham's bosom, the rich man in torment across "a great gulf fixed," and the final warning, "If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead."
For the Apostolic reader the chapter presses two great truths. First, how we handle money reveals whom we truly serve. Wealth is a trust from God, a "least" thing that tests our faithfulness for "the true riches," and it must be used for the kingdom, not hoarded or loved; for the heart has one throne, and God and mammon cannot share it. The covetous Pharisee, justifying himself before men while his heart loves money, stands condemned before the God who knows the heart. Second, eternity is real and fixed. Death does not end existence; the soul passes conscious into the unseen world, and the state entered there, comfort or torment, cannot be crossed. Riches purchase nothing beyond the grave, and indifference to the suffering at our gate is no small sin. And the sufficiency of Scripture stands as both mercy and warning: God has spoken in His Word, and those who will not hear it would not repent even at a resurrection. So use what God entrusts for His glory, serve God alone and not mammon, and heed the Word that points to Christ, before the gulf is fixed.
- Use earthly wealth wisely for eternal ends, as a trust from God (16:9).
- Faithfulness in little things reveals faithfulness in much (16:10).
- No one can serve two masters: "Ye cannot serve God and mammon" (16:13).
- God knows the heart; what men esteem may be abomination to Him (16:15).
- Death is not the end; the soul is conscious and its state is fixed (16:22-26).
- Those who reject God's Word will not repent though one rose from the dead (16:31).
Questions for Reflection
- Are you using the wealth God has entrusted for eternal purposes?
- Whom do you truly serve, God or mammon, when the two conflict?
- Do you live for the esteem of men, or for the God who knows your heart?
- Is there a Lazarus at your gate whom you have stepped past?
References & Sources
Scripture is quoted from the King James Version (KJV). Supporting passages are listed so every claim can be verified in its own setting. The love of money and true riches: 1 Timothy 6:6-19; Matthew 6:19-24. Faithful stewardship: Luke 19:17; 1 Corinthians 4:2. God knows the heart: 1 Samuel 16:7; Proverbs 21:2; Luke 18:9-14. The law abiding under the kingdom: Matthew 5:17-20. Conscious existence and fixed state after death: 2 Corinthians 5:8; Hebrews 9:27; Revelation 20:11-15. The sufficiency of Scripture: John 5:39-47; 2 Timothy 3:15-17; Romans 10:17. If anything here does not look right, a verse, a reference, or a wording, please tell us at info@FruitBearers.net. Thank you for helping us keep Bible Learning error free.
- The unjust steward and serving God or mammon: Luke 16:1-13; Matthew 6:19-24; 1 Timothy 6:6-19.
- The covetous Pharisees rebuked: Luke 16:14-18; 1 Samuel 16:7; Matthew 5:17-20.
- The rich man and Lazarus: Luke 16:19-31; Hebrews 9:27; John 5:39-47.