The Parable of the Shrewd Manager
1Jesus told his disciples: “There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions. 2So he called him in and asked him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your management, because you cannot be manager any longer.’
3“The manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do now? My master is taking away my job. I’m not strong enough to dig, and I’m ashamed to beg— 4I know what I’ll do so that, when I lose my job here, people will welcome me into their houses.’
5“So he called in each one of his master’s debtors. He asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’
6“ ‘Nine hundred gallons16:6 Or about 3,000 liters of olive oil,’ he replied.
“The manager told him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it four hundred and fifty.’
7“Then he asked the second, ‘And how much do you owe?’
“ ‘A thousand bushels16:7 Or about 30 tons of wheat,’ he replied.
“He told him, ‘Take your bill and make it eight hundred.’
8“The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light. 9I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.
10“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. 11So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? 12And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own?
13“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”
14The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and were sneering at Jesus. 15He said to them, “You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of others, but God knows your hearts. What people value highly is detestable in God’s sight.
Additional Teachings
16“The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John. Since that time, the good news of the kingdom of God is being preached, and everyone is forcing their way into it. 17It is easier for heaven and earth to disappear than for the least stroke of a pen to drop out of the Law.
18“Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery, and the man who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.
The Rich Man and Lazarus
19“There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. 20At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores 21and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.
22“The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. 23In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. 24So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’
25“But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. 26And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’
27“He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family, 28for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’
29“Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’
30“ ‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’
31“He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’ ”
Rasipni upravitelj
1Isus ispriča učenicima ovu pripovijest: “Imao neki bogataš upravitelja kojega su optužili da mu rasipa imanje. 2Bogataš ga pozove i reče mu: ‘Što to čujem o tebi? Položi račun o svojem upravljanju jer više ne možeš biti upraviteljem.’
3Upravitelj nato pomisli: ‘Što da radim kad me gospodar otpusti? Da kopam? Nisam dovoljno snažan za to. Da prosjačim? Sramio bih se toga. 4Znam što ću! Kad tako učinim, bit ću dobrodošao u domovima ljudi kad me otpusti.’
5Pozove zatim jednoga po jednoga gospodarova dužnika. Prvoga upita: ‘Koliko duguješ mojemu gospodaru?’ ‘Sto bata ulja’, odgovori on. 6‘Uzmi brzo zadužnicu pa ispravi na pedeset’16:5-6 i 6: 3 000 litara ulja… 1 500 litara., reče upravitelj.
7I drugoga upita: ‘Koliko duguješ?’ ‘Sto kora pšenice’, odgovori. ‘Uzmi svoju zadužnicu pa ispravi na osamdeset’,16:7 35 000 litara pšenice…30 000 litara. reče mu upravitelj.
8I gospodar se morao diviti dovitljivosti nepoštenoga upravitelja. Ljudi ovoga svijeta snalažljiviji su u postupanju prema sebi sličnima nego narod svjetlosti. 9Kažem vam: uporabite ovozemaljsko bogatstvo za stjecanje prijatelja pa ćete biti, kad ga ponestane, bit ćete primljeni u vječne stanove.
10Tko je vjeran u sitnicama, bit će vjeran i u najvećemu, a tko je nepošten u sitnicama, bit će nepošten i u najvećemu. 11Ako dakle niste vjerni u ovozemaljskom bogatstvu, tko će vam povjeriti istinsko nebesko bogatstvo? 12Ako niste bili vjerni u postupanju s tuđim, tko će vam dati vaše vlastito?
13Nijedan sluga ne može služiti dvojici gospodara. Ili će jednoga mrziti, a drugoga voljeti ili će jednome biti odan, a drugoga prezirati. Ne možete služiti i Bogu i bogatstvu.”
14Farizeji, koji su voljeli novac, sve su to slušali i rugali se. 15Isus im reče: “Vi se pred ljudima pretvarate da ste pravedni, ali Bog poznaje vaša srca. Jer što ljudi uzvisuju, Bogu je gnusno.
Zakon i Božje kraljevstvo
(Mt 11:12-13; 5:18, 31-32)
16Zakon i Proroci važili su do dolaska Ivana Krstitelja, a od tada se navješćuje Božje kraljevstvo i navala je na njega. 17Ali to ne znači da Zakon više ne vrijedi jer će lakše propasti nebo i zemlja nego ijedan potez pera u Zakonu.
18Tko god se razvede od žene pa se oženi drugom, čini preljub. I tko se oženi razvedenom ženom, čini preljub.
Bogataš i Lazar
19Bio je neki bogataš koji se odijevao u najfinije tkanine, u grimiz i tanki lan, i svakoga se dana obilno gostio. 20Pred njegovim je vratima sav u čirovima ležao siromah Lazar 21čeznući da se najede ostataka s bogataševa stola. Dok je tako ležao, psi su dolazili i lizali mu čirove. 22Siromah napokon umre te ga anđeli odnesu k Abrahamu.16:22 U grčkome: u krilo Abrahamovo. Umre zatim i bogataš te ga pokopaju, 23a duša mu ode u pakao. Dok je bio u teškim mukama, ugleda u daljini Lazara s Abrahamom.
24‘Oče Abrahame!’ zavapi on, ‘smiluj mi se pa pošalji Lazara da umoči vršak prsta u vodu i da mi rashladi jezik jer se strašno mučim u ovome plamenu!’
25‘Sinko moj,’ odgovori mu Abraham, ‘sjeti se da si ti za života primio svoja dobra, a Lazar zla. Sada se on ovdje tješi, a ti se mučiš. 26Osim toga, između nas je golemi bezdan, tako da oni koji bi odavde htjeli prijeći k vama ne mogu to učiniti, a ni s vaše strane nema prijelaza ovamo.’
27Bogataš nato reče: ‘Molim te, oče Abrahame, pošalji onda Lazara u dom mojega oca. 28Imam petoricu braće. Neka ih opomene da i oni ne dospiju u ovo mjesto muka.’
29Ali Abraham reče: ‘Opominju ih Mojsije i proroci u svojim zapisima. Neka njih čitaju i poslušaju ih.’
30‘Neće, oče Abrahame! Ali ako im dođe tko od mrtvih, obratit će se od grijeha’, reče bogataš.
31Ali Abraham reče: ‘Ako ne slušaju Mojsija i proroke, neće poslušati čak ni ako tko ustane od mrtvih.’”
