Luke Chapter 16
There is a sad connotation of the religious leaders given in verse 14 of this chapter “The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all these things, and they ridiculed him (Jesus).” And Jesus told them that He knew their hearts. He also said that what men exalt is an abomination to God. Can you imagine how angry these pious men must have been, when Jesus put them in their place? They had just been told that they were an abomination to God!
Let's Reflect
1. In the parable, what had the manager of the rich man been doing that almost cost him his job?
2. When his shrewd business dealings were found out, the manager went right to work at saving his own skin. Did he do enough to satisfy the master?
3. Jesus wanted to motivate believers to be vigilant about sharing the gospel. Most of the time we are more interested in making money and pursuing happiness than we are in spreading the gospel. Jesus called us sons. What type of sons are we? See verse 8.
4. Money is a tricky thing. We need it to live, that’s for sure, but it can easily become our focus. Every decision we make in life can be wound up in the pursuit of money. What is a principle about money that we should teach our children (and ourselves)? See verse 12.
5. What is the truth about money (or mammon) found in verse 13?
6. It would seem that verses 14 through the end of the chapter are kind of randomly put together until we stop and think about the purpose of Christ’s coming. His purpose was to introduce His kingdom to the world. That kingdom will be lived out and magnified in the light of the gospel emitted from every believer. No longer would they have to live under the curse of the law because Jesus was the fulfillment of the law. Who began the ministry of introducing the good news of the gospel, the new kingdom?
7. The new order of God is not one where we forcefully usher in the kingdom of God, and the law is not to be abolished. Instead, we submit to the law of God through the strength of the Holy Spirit. The believer’s life is to be a life of submission to God. One example of obeying the law is found in verse 18. People should not break their vows of what covenant promise just because they do not get along. What is the example of God’s law given, that we should still obey?
8. In the parable of the rich man being in hell, what reason did Abraham give that he could not fulfil the man’s wishes?
9. How many brothers did the rich man have?
10. These brothers had been given opportunity to hear the truth already and what had they done with the truth of God? Just as Jesus had said – You cannot serve God and money.
Devotionals
