July 19th, 2025

The season of Pentecost continues on, with this Sunday being the “Sixth Sunday after Pentecost.” And the Gospel Reading of Luke 10:38-42 continues looking at Jesus as he makes his way toward Jerusalem.

The current writings of this website are also going through the Gospel according to Luke, taking the entire work into account, and giving it in the order in which it was laid out by the writer. And with this week’s writing we are much farther than the Gospel Reading.

Last week’s writing covered the whole of chapter fifteen, and it covered the parables of the lost sheep, coin, and son. This week’s writing will also cover an entire chapter, chapter sixteen. This week’s writing (and chapter) also has to do with money, an important subject. But Jesus, with his carefully picked words, helps keep it from being too important in our lives.

If this is the first experience with the writings of this website, you should know that the biblical text that is below is an EXTREMELY literal translation of the text. It takes into account the word order of the text in the original language of the New Testament. And in general, the earlier in the sentence, the more important the word is. There are also some words below that have been chosen to show their close connection to the Greek language. And since the writer of this account is a doctor, it should not be too surprising that the words he has chosen are sometimes very rare ones. An attempt was made to have that characteristic as well reflected in the words below.

It should also be noted within this chapter that there are two verbs in a different form than the others, and these are in capital letters. A verb that is expected to be in the past tense, but it appears in the present, that is called the historical present. This form of the verb enlivens the action. It also signals a significant move that will be happening in the progression of the story. And in this Gospel account it is special in that it also makes a connection to the great variety of people with whom God works. Such a thing is certainly seen in the book of Acts as well.

All of this was attempted within this translation, and all of this can make it a difficult text to follow. Looking at another translation or a study bible is HIGHLY recommended. And here is Luke 16(:1-31):

Now  he-was-saying  also  toward  the  disciples,  “A-man,  a-certain-one,  was  wealthy,  who  had  a-house-law-man,  and  this-one  was-thrown-through  to-him  as  scattering-thoroughly  the  possessions,  his.  And  having-called  him,  he-said  to-him,  ‘What  this  I-hear  about  you?  Give-back  the  word  of-the  house-law,  your,  for  not  you-are-able  still,  to-house-law.’  Now  he-said  in  himself,  the  house-law-man,  ‘What  will-I-do,  because  the  lord,  my,  he-is-taking-away  the  house-law  from  me?  To-dig,  not  I-am-strong;  to-beg,  I-am-ashamed.  I-know  what  I-will-do,  that,  when  I-am-removed  from  the  house-law,  they-may-receive  me  into  the  houses  of-them.’  And  having-called-toward  one,  each  of-the  debtors  of-the  lord  of-himself,  he-was-saying  to-the-first,  ‘How-much  do-you-owe  to-the  lord,  my?’  Now  the-one  said,  ‘One-hundred  baths  of-oil.’  Now  the-one  said  to-him,  ‘Receive  your,  the  bill,  and  having-sat-down,  quickly  write  fifty.’  Then  to-a-hetero  he-said,  ‘Now  you,  how-much  do-you-owe?’  Now  the-one  said,  ‘One-hundred  cors  of-grain.  HE-SAYS  to-him,  ‘Receive  your,  the  bill,  and  write  eighty.’  And  he-praised,  the  lord,  the  house-law-man,  of-the  unrighteous  that  wisely  he-did,  because  the  sons  of-the  age  of-this,  wiser  than  the  sons  of-the  light,  into  the  generation,  the  their,  they-are.  And  I,  to-you  I-am-saying,  for-yourselves  make  loving-friends  from  the  mammon  of-the  unrighteous,  that  when  it-fails,  they-may-receive  you  into  the  eternal  tents.”
“The  faithful-one  in  the-least-thing,  also  in  much,  faithful  he-is;  and  the-one  in  the-least-thing  unrighteous,  also  in  much,  unrighteous  he-is.  Therefore,  if  in  the  unrighteous  mammon,  faithful  not  you-became;  the  true,  who  to-you  will-he-believe?  And  if  in  the  thing-of-another,  faithful  not  you-became;  the  your-thing,  who  to-you  will-he-give?  Not-any  house-servant,  he-is-able,  two  lords,  to-serve;  for  either  the  one,  he-will-hate,  and  the  hetero  he-will-agape,  or  to-one  he-will-cling,  and  the  hetero  he-will-think-down.  Not  you-are-able  God  to-serve  and  mammon.”

Now  they-were-hearing  these-things  all,  the  Pharisees,  money-loving  existing,  and  they-were-turning-up-nose-at  him.  And  he-said  to-them,  “You,  you-are  the-ones  making-righteous  yourselves,  in-front-of  the  men,  now  the  God  knows  the  hearts,  yours.  Because  the  in  men,  high-thing;  disgusting  in-front-of  the  God.”

“The  Law  and  the  Prophets,  until  John;  from  then,  the  Kingdom  of-the  God  is-evangelized,  and  all  into  it  he-forces-himself.  Now  better-for-toil  it-is  the  heaven  and  the  earth  to-pass-away  than  of-the  Law,  one  horn  to-fall.”

“Every  the-one  releasing  the  wife,  his,  and  marrying  hetero,  he-commits-adultery,  and  the-one  having-been-divorced  from  man,  one-marrying,  he-commits-adultery.”
​
“Now  a-man,  a-certain-one,  he-was  wealthy,  and  he-would-dress-himself  a-purple-robe  and  fine-linen,  being-merry,  according-to-a-day,  splendidly.  Now  a-poor-man,  a-certain-one, by-name  Lazarus,  had-been-thrown  toward  the  gate  of-him,  being-covered-with-sores,  and  desiring  to-be-satisfied  from  the-things  falling  from  the  table  of-the-wealthy-man,  but-on-the-contrary,  even  the  dogs,  coming,  they-licked  the  sores  of-him.  Now  it-happened,  to-die,  the  poor-man,  and  to-be-carried-away,  he,  by  the  angels,  into  the  bosom  of-Abraham;  now  he-died,  also  the  wealthy-one,  and  he-was-buried.  And  in  the  hades,  having-lifted-up  the  eyes  of-him,  existing  in  torments,  HE-SEES  Abraham  from  afar  and  Lazarus  in  the  bosoms  of-him.  And  he,  having-called,  he-said,  ‘Father  Abraham,  pity  me,  and  send  Lazarus  that  he-may-dip  the  tip  of-the  finger  of-him  of-water  and  it-may-cool  the  tongue  of-me,  because  I-am-suffering  in  the  flame,  this.’  Now  he-said,  Abraham,  ‘Child,  remember  that  you-received  the  good-things  of-you  in  the  life  of-you,  and  Lazarus,  likewise,  the  bad;  now,  at-present,  here  he-is-paracleted,  now  you  are-suffering.  And  in  all  these-things,  between  us  and  you,  a-chasm,  mega,  has-been-firmly-fixed,  so-that  the-ones  wanting  to-pass-through  from-here  toward  you,  not  they-are-able,  neither  from-there  toward  us  they-may-cross-over.’  Now  he-said,  ‘I-ask  you,  therefore,  father,  that  you-may-send  him  into  the  house  of-the  father  of-me,  for  I-have  five  brothers,  so-that  he-may-thoroughly-witness  to-them,  that  not  also  they,  they-may-come  into  the  place,  this,  of-the  torment.’  Now  HE-SAYS,  Abraham,  ‘They-have  Moses  and  the  prophets;  let-them-hear  them.’  Now  the-one  said,  ‘No,  father  Abraham,  but-on-the-contrary,  if  someone  from  dead,  he-should-travel  toward  them,  they-may-repent.’  Now  he-said  to-him,  ‘If  Moses  and  the  prophets,  not  they-do-hear,  neither  if  someone,  out-of  dead  should-rise-again,  they-will-be-persuaded.’”
Another connection between these two chapters is that, in the story of the prodigal son, the father, to the older son, “calls alongside of him”, in other words, “paracletes” him. (You were warned that another translation or study bible would be helpful.) And the very same verb happens to Lazarus. God comes along the side of his people. And that special word and action will definitely come up within the Gospel according to John. (It also happens to be in the Lutheran Service Book.)