Lùjiāfúyīn 16

1 Yēsū yòu duì méntǔ shuō , yǒu yī gè cáizhǔ de guǎnjia . biérén xiàng tā zhǔrén gào tā làngfeì zhǔrén de cáiwù .

2 Zhǔrén jiào tā lái , duì tā shuō , wǒ tīngjian nǐ zhè shì zĕnmeyàng ne . bǎ nǐ suǒ jīngguǎn de jiāo daì míngbai . yīn nǐ bùnéng zaì zuò wǒde guǎnjia .

3 Nà guǎnjia xīnli shuō , zhǔrén cí wǒ , búyòng wǒ zaì zuò guǎnjia , wǒ jiānglái zuò shénme . chú dì ne , wúlì . tǎofàn ne , pàxiū .

4 Wǒ zhīdào zĕnme xíng , hǎo jiào rén zaì wǒ bú zuò guǎnjia zhī hòu , jiē wǒ dào tāmen jiā lǐ qù .

5 Yúshì bǎ qiàn zhǔrén zhaì de , yī gè yī gè de jiào le lái , wèn tóu yī gè shuō , nǐ qiàn wǒ zhǔrén duōshào .

6 Tā shuō , yī bǎi lǒu yóu . mĕi lǒu yuē wǔ shí jīn guǎnjia shuō , ná nǐde zhàng kuaì zuò xià xiĕ wǔ shí .

7 Yòu wèn yī gè shuō , nǐ qiàn duōshào . tā shuō , yī bǎi dàn maìzi . guǎnjia shuō , ná nǐde zhàng xiĕ bā shí .

8 Zhǔrén jiù kuājiǎng zhè bú yì de guǎnjia zuò shì cōngming . yīnwei jīnshì zhī zǐ , zaì shìshì zhī shàng , jiàobǐ guāngmíng zhī zǐ , gèngjiā cōngming .

9 Wǒ yòu gàosu nǐmen , yào jiè zhe nà bú yì de qiáncái , jiéjiāo péngyou . dào le qiáncái wúyòng de shíhou , tāmen kĕyǐ jiē nǐmen dào yǒng cún de zhàngmù lǐ qù .

10 Rén zaì zuì xiǎo de shì shàng zhōngxīn , zaì dà shì shàng yĕ zhōngxīn . zaì zuì xiǎo de shì shàng bú yì , zaì dà shì shàng yĕ bú yì .

11 Tǎngruò nǐmen zaì bú yì de qiáncái shàng bù zhōngxīn , shuí hái bǎ nà zhēn shí de qiáncái tuōfù nǐmen ne .

12 Tǎngruò nǐmen zaì biérén de dōngxi shàng bù zhōngxīn , shuí hái bǎ nǐmen zìjǐ de dōngxi gĕi nǐmen ne .

13 Yī gè púrén bùnéng shìfèng liǎng gè zhǔ . bú shì wù zhège aì nàge , jiù shì zhòng zhège qīng nàge . nǐmen bùnéng yòu shìfèng shén , yòu shìfèng mǎmén .

14 Fǎlìsaìrén shì tān aì qiáncái de , tāmen tīngjian zhè yīqiè huà , jiù chīxiào Yēsū .

15 Yēsū duì tāmen shuō , nǐmen shì zaì rén miànqián zìchēng wéi yì de . nǐmen de xīn , shén què zhīdào . yīnwei rén suǒ zūnguì de shì shén kàn wéi kĕ zēngwù de .

16 Lǜfǎ hé xiānzhī , dào Yuēhàn wéizhǐ . cóngcǐ shén guó de fúyin chuán kāi le , rénrén nǔlì yào jìn qù .

17 Tiāndì feì qù , jiàobǐ lǜfǎ de yídiǎn yī huà luò kōng hái róngyi .

18 Fán xiū qī Lìng qǔ de , jiù shì fàn jiānyín . qǔ beì xiū zhī qī de , yĕ shì fàn jiānyín .

19 Yǒu yī gè cáizhǔ , chuān zhe zǐse paó hé xìmábù yīfu , tiāntiān shēhuá yàn lè .

20 Yòu yǒu yī gè tǎofàn de , míng jiào Lāsalù , húnshēn shēng chuāng , beì rén fàng zaì cáizhǔ ménkǒu ,

21 Yào dé cáizhǔ zhuōzi shàng diào xià lái de língsuì chōngjī . bìngqiĕ gǒu lái tiǎn tāde chuāng .

22 Hòulái nà tǎofàn de sǐ , beì tiānshǐ fàng zaì Yàbólāhǎn de huái lǐ . cáizhǔ yĕ sǐ le , bìngqiĕ máizàng le .

23 Tā zaì yīnjiān shòu tòngkǔ , jǔmù yuǎn yuǎn de wàng jiàn Yàbólāhǎn , yòu wàng jiàn Lāsalù zaì tā huái lǐ .

24 Jiù hǎn zhe shuō , wǒ zǔ Yàbólāhǎn nǎ , kĕliàn wǒ ba , dǎfa Lāsalù lái , yòng zhítou jiān zhàn diǎn shuǐ , liáng liáng wǒde shétou . yīnwei wǒ zaì zhè huǒyàn lǐ , jíqí tòngkǔ .

25 Yàbólāhǎn shuō , ér a , nǐ gāi huí xiǎng nǐ shēng qián xiǎng guō fú , Lāsalù yĕ shòu guò kǔ . rújīn tā zaì zhèlǐ dé ānwèi , nǐ dào shòu tòngkǔ .

26 Búdàn zhèyàng , bìngqiĕ zaì nǐ wǒ zhī jiān , yǒu shēn yuān xiàndéng , yǐzhì rén yào cóng zhèbiān guò dào nǐmen nàbiān , shì bùnéng de , yào cóng nàbiān guò dào wǒmen zhèbiān , yĕ shì bùnéng de .

27 Cáizhǔ shuō , wǒ zǔ a , jì shì zhèyàng , qiú nǐ dǎfa Lāsalù dào wǒ fù jiā qù .

28 Yīnwei wǒ hái yǒu wǔ gè dìxiōng . tā kĕyǐ duì tāmen zuò jiànzhèng , miǎndé tāmen yĕ lái dào zhè tòngkǔ de dìfang .

29 Yàbólāhǎn shuō , tāmen yǒu Móxī hé xiānzhī de huà , kĕyǐ tīng cóng .

30 Tā shuō , wǒ zǔ Yàbólāhǎn nǎ , bú shì de . ruò yǒu yī gè cóng sǐ lǐ fùhuó de , dào tāmen nàli qù de , tāmen bìyào huǐgǎi .

31 Yàbólāhǎn shuō , ruò bù tīng cóng Móxī hé xiānzhī de huà , jiù shì yòu yī gè cóng sǐ lǐ fùhuó de , tāmen yĕ shì bù tīng quàn .

Lùjiāfúyīn 16 Commentary

Chapter 16

The parable of the unjust steward. (1-12) Christ reproves the hypocrisy of the covetous Pharisees. (13-18) The rich man and Lazarus. (19-31)

Verses 1-12 Whatever we have, the property of it is God's; we have only the use of it, according to the direction of our great Lord, and for his honour. This steward wasted his lord's goods. And we are all liable to the same charge; we have not made due improvement of what God has trusted us with. The steward cannot deny it; he must make up his accounts, and be gone. This may teach us that death will come, and deprive us of the opportunities we now have. The steward will make friends of his lord's debtors or tenants, by striking off a considerable part of their debt to his lord. The lord referred to in this parable commended not the fraud, but the policy of the steward. In that respect alone is it so noticed. Worldly men, in the choice of their object, are foolish; but in their activity, and perseverance, they are often wiser than believers. The unjust steward is not set before us as an example in cheating his master, or to justify any dishonesty, but to point out the careful ways of worldly men. It would be well if the children of light would learn wisdom from the men of the world, and would as earnestly pursue their better object. The true riches signify spiritual blessings; and if a man spends upon himself, or hoards up what God has trusted to him, as to outward things, what evidence can he have, that he is an heir of God through Christ? The riches of this world are deceitful and uncertain. Let us be convinced that those are truly rich, and very rich, who are rich in faith, and rich toward God, rich in Christ, in the promises; let us then lay up our treasure in heaven, and expect our portion from thence.

Verses 13-18 To this parable our Lord added a solemn warning. Ye cannot serve God and the world, so divided are the two interests. When our Lord spoke thus, the covetous Pharisees treated his instructions with contempt. But he warned them, that what they contended for as the law, was a wresting of its meaning: this our Lord showed in a case respecting divorce. There are many covetous sticklers for the forms of godliness, who are the bitterest enemies to its power, and try to set others against the truth.

Verses 19-31 Here the spiritual things are represented, in a description of the different state of good and bad, in this world and in the other. We are not told that the rich man got his estate by fraud, or oppression; but Christ shows, that a man may have a great deal of the wealth, pomp, and pleasure of this world, yet perish for ever under God's wrath and curse. The sin of this rich man was his providing for himself only. Here is a godly man, and one that will hereafter be happy for ever, in the depth of adversity and distress. It is often the lot of some of the dearest of God's saints and servants to be greatly afflicted in this world. We are not told that the rich man did him any harm, but we do not find that he had any care for him. Here is the different condition of this godly poor man, and this wicked rich man, at and after death. The rich man in hell lifted up his eyes, being in torment. It is not probable that there are discourses between glorified saints and damned sinners, but this dialogue shows the hopeless misery and fruitless desires, to which condemned spirits are brought. There is a day coming, when those who now hate and despise the people of God, would gladly receive kindness from them. But the damned in hell shall not have the least abatement of their torment. Sinners are now called upon to remember; but they do not, they will not, they find ways to avoid it. As wicked people have good things only in this life, and at death are for ever separated from all good, so godly people have evil things only in this life, and at death they are for ever put from them. In this world, blessed be God, there is no gulf between a state of nature and grace, we may pass from sin to God; but if we die in our sins, there is no coming out. The rich man had five brethren, and would have them stopped in their sinful course; their coming to that place of torment, would make his misery the worse, who had helped to show them the way thither. How many would now desire to recall or to undo what they have written or done! Those who would make the rich man's praying to Abraham justify praying to saints departed, go far to seek for proofs, when the mistake of a damned sinner is all they can find for an example. And surely there is no encouragement to follow the example, when all his prayers were made in vain. A messenger from the dead could say no more than what is said in the Scriptures. The same strength of corruption that breaks through the convictions of the written word, would triumph over a witness from the dead. Let us seek to the law and to the testimony, ( isaiah 8:19 isaiah 8:20 ) , for that is the ( 2 Peter. 1:19 ) Circumstances in every age show that no terrors, or arguments, can give true repentance without the special grace of God renewing the sinner's heart.