Story of a Calculating Business Manager
1Jesus told this story to his disciples. “A rich man got word that his business manager had been mismanaging the money. 2So he called in the manager and said, ‘What do you think you’re doing? I’ve heard about it. Wrap up your work and turn in your books. You’re done being my business manager.’3“The manager said to himself, ‘What am I going to do? My boss demoted me; I’m not in management anymore. But I’m not strong enough to do backbreaking work, like digging. And I’d be too ashamed to beg. 4I know what I’ll do before I wrap up this job. I’m going to buy some insurance. I’m going to make sure that if I get tossed out on the street, people will welcome me into their homes.’
5“One at a time he called in the people who owed something to his boss. He asked the first man, ‘What do you owe my boss?’
6“The man said, ‘I owe him 800 gallons [1] of olive oil.’
“The manager said, ‘Tell you what I’m gonna do. Let’s take that bill and cut it in half. Write down 400 gallons on the bill. And do it fast before I change my mind.’
7“Then along came another. The manager asked him the same question, ‘What do you owe?’
“The man answered, ‘I owe him 1,000 bushels [2] of wheat.’
“The manager said, ‘I’m going to cut you a deal. Take your bill and write 800 bushels.’
8“When the boss found out about it, he complimented the conniving manager’s strategy. People of the world are great at working the angles to get what they want—the people of God aren’t nearly as cunning.
9“Let me tell you something, get more cunning. Work the angles by using whatever resources you have to make friends with people. When everything falls apart, relax. You have an eternal home waiting for you. 10People who can handle the smallest details can take on the biggest challenges. And people who cheat in little ways will cheat in big ways too, when they get the chance.
11“Here’s the thing, if you can’t be trusted with something as unholy as this world’s wealth, who’s going to trust you with heaven’s wealth? 12And if you can’t be trusted with something that belongs to someone else, who’s going to give you anything of your own?
You Can’t Work for Two Bosses Without Hating One
13“No worker can be loyal to two bosses. You’re going to love one and hate the other. That’s the way it is. You’ll devote yourself to one and you’ll despise the other. You can’t work for God if you’re going to work for money.” 14Pharisees loved money. They heard what Jesus said, so they started to make fun of him.15Jesus told them, “You make excuses for yourself when you talk to people, so they’ll think highly of you. But God knows what you’re really like. Sometimes, what people respect most in this world is what God hates with a passion. 16People taught the Law and the Prophets up until the time of John the Baptist. But since John, this has been the time to teach the good news about the kingdom of God. Now, everyone is trying hard to get into that kingdom. 17I want you to know something about the Law. Heaven will fall and earth will disappear before anyone erases even the tiniest curl on the tip of a letter in the Law. 18Anyone who gets a divorce from his wife and then up and marries another woman, he’s committing adultery. And anyone who marries a woman divorced from her husband is committing adultery too.
Rich Man Meets Lazarus in the Dead Zone
19“There was a rich man who dressed in stylish, fine linen that had been dyed in the most expensive color on the market: purple. [3] He made every day a party day, as he wallowed in luxury. 20There was a poor man named Lazarus, covered in sores. He was put by the city gate. [4]21“He would have loved to have eaten the rich man’s leftovers, or even pieces of food that accidentally fell off the table. Instead, he served himself as food for the dogs that came and licked his sores. 22The poor man died. Angels carried him away to be with Abraham. The rich man died and was buried. 23He found himself in Hades, [5] tortured. He looked up, and off in the distance he saw Abraham, with Lazarus beside him.
24“The rich man yelled, ‘Father Abraham, please help me. Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in some water and come over here to cool my tongue. I’m suffering incredible pain in all this fire.’
25“Abraham answered, ‘Son, you remember that you enjoyed a lot of comfort and pleasure in your lifetime. Lazarus did not. But he does now. He’s finally in a comfortable place, though you are suffering. 26Besides, there’s a huge canyon between the two of us. No one can possibly get across it. No one from this side can get over there. And no one from that side can get over here.’
27“The rich man said, ‘In that case, father, please send Lazarus to my family. 28I have five brothers. Ask Lazarus to warn them so they don’t end up here in this zone of torture.’
29“Abraham said, ‘They already have Moses as well as the Prophets. They have every opportunity to listen to them and do the right thing.’
30“The rich man answered, ‘No, no, no, Father Abraham. They won’t listen. But if someone comes back from the dead to warn them, they’ll quit sinning and straighten out their lives.’
31“Abraham said, ‘If they don’t listen to the likes of Moses and the Prophets, they’re not going to get convinced by someone who rises from the dead.’” [6]
