Luke 16:1-18

1Then Jesus said to his disciples, “A rich man had a business manager. The manager was accused of wasting the rich man’s property.

2So the rich man called for his manager and said to him, ‘What’s this I hear about you? Let me examine your books. It’s obvious that you can’t manage my property any longer.’

3“The manager thought, ‘What should I do? My master is taking my job away from me. I’m not strong enough to dig, and I’m ashamed to beg.

4I know what I’ll do so that people will welcome me into their homes when I’ve lost my job.’

5“So the manager called for each one of his master’s debtors. He said to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’

6“The debtor replied, ‘Eight hundred gallons of olive oil.’ “The manager told him, ‘Take my master’s ledger. Quick! Sit down, and write “four hundred!” ’

7“Then he asked another debtor, ‘How much do you owe?’ “The debtor replied, ‘A thousand bushels of wheat.’ “The manager told him, ‘Take the ledger, and write “eight hundred!” ’

8“The master praised the dishonest manager for being so clever. Worldly people are more clever than spiritually-minded people when it comes to dealing with others.”

9⌞Jesus continued,⌟ “I’m telling you that although wealth is often used in dishonest ways, you should use it to make friends for yourselves. When life is over, you will be welcomed into an eternal home.

10Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with a lot. Whoever is dishonest with very little is dishonest with a lot.

11Therefore, if you can’t be trusted with wealth that is often used dishonestly, who will trust you with wealth that is real?

12If you can’t be trusted with someone else’s wealth, who will give you your own?

13“A servant cannot serve two masters. He will hate the first master and love the second, or he will be devoted to the first and despise the second. You cannot serve God and wealth.”

14The Pharisees, who love money, heard all this and were making sarcastic remarks about him.

15So Jesus said to them, “You try to justify your actions in front of people. But God knows what’s in your hearts. What is important to humans is disgusting to God.

16“Moses’ Teachings and the Prophets were ⌞in force⌟ until the time of John. Since that time, people have been telling the Good News about God’s kingdom, and everyone is trying to force their way into it.

17It is easier for the earth and the heavens to disappear than to drop a comma from the Scriptures.

18“Any man who divorces his wife to marry another woman is committing adultery. The man who marries a woman divorced in this way is committing adultery.