Luke 16:10 - Printer Friendly

ESV: “One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much.

NIV: Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.

NASB: The one who is faithful in a very little thing is also faithful in much; and the one who is unrighteous in a very little thing is also unrighteous in much.

CSB: Whoever is faithful in very little is also faithful in much, and whoever is unrighteous in very little is also unrighteous in much.

NLT: If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities.

KJV: 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.

NKJV: He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much.

Jesus continues His application of the parable of the dishonest manager (Luke 16:1–8). A rich man discovers that his steward has mismanaged his property. Faced with a loss of income, the steward manipulates the amount of money the rich man's debtors owe, to convince one of them to hire him. Jesus is pointing out that the manager is very clever, and His disciples would do well to consider how to similarly respond to unfortunate situations, but in a way that glorifies God.

In Luke 16:9, Jesus tells His disciples to use their money to bless others. In doing so, they show that their trust is in God, and those they bless will be witnesses to their godly character.

Here, Jesus reveals the unfortunate consequence of the steward's character. He lost his job because he "wasted" his master's possessions. He apparently didn't steal; he was just negligent. When threatened with poverty, he amplified his behavior by severely cutting the amounts his master's debtors owed. Whatever loss his mismanagement caused, it was certainly nothing compared to the money his master lost from the interest or fees the manager erased (Luke 16:5–7).

But if the manager had been faithful with his master's business, what would have happened? He wouldn't be begging for a job from his master's debtors. He likely would have been offered more responsibility. This teaching is closely related to the parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14–30). It doesn't matter what we are given. If we are responsible with what we have, we prove we can be entrusted with more.

Luke 16:9–13 provides spiritual applications for the parable of the dishonest manager. Facing unemployment because he mismanaged another's property, the manager schemes to secure himself a new job. What he does is not likely illegal, but it's unethical and sneaky. Jesus-followers are to take a good lesson from that bad example. Insight into how the world works leaves room to add responsibility, fidelity, and faithfulness to God. Next, Jesus explains the relationship between one's heart, the Mosaic law, and the kingdom of God with an application relating to marriage and divorce (Luke 16:14–18).

Teaching His disciples and confronting the Pharisees, Jesus offers several lessons about wealth and devotion to God. The first is a parable about a dishonest manager. This illustrates the value of being careful and clever with earthly resources. Jesus then uses remarks about the Law and marriage to introduce the story of the rich man and Lazarus. This not only highlights the dangers of greed, but it also debunks the common claim that a non-believer would submit to God if only they saw "a little more evidence" or a miracle.

The prior chapter included Jesus' teachings centered on lost things: the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the prodigal son. Luke 16 includes several of Jesus' lessons about living in the kingdom of God compared to the world system, beginning and ending with parables (Luke 16:1—17:10). Chapter 16 includes the parable of the dishonest manager, Jesus' teaching on how money reveals faith, and the story of the rich man and Lazarus. Luke 17:1–10 teaches about whether Christ-followers bear responsibility for others' sin, lessons about faith, and the parable of the unworthy servants.

Luke was a traveling companion of Paul (Acts 16:10) and a physician (Colossians 4:14). Unlike Matthew, Mark, and John, Luke writes his gospel as an historian, rather than as a first-hand eyewitness. His extensive writings also include the book of Acts (Acts 1:1–3). These are deliberately organized, carefully researched accounts of those events. The gospel of Luke focuses on the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ. Luke's Gentile perspective presents Christ as a Savior for all people, offering both forgiveness and direction to those who follow Him.