1Jesus fortalte nu følgende historie til disciplene: „En rig godsejer havde ansat en forvalter til at bestyre sit gods. Nogen tid efter blev han underrettet om, at forvalteren var uærlig og brugte løs af hans penge.2Derfor kaldte han ham ind til sig. ‚Hvad er det, jeg hører om dig?’ sagde han. ‚Nu skal du afslutte alle dine regnskaber, og så bliver du fyret!’3‚Hvad skal jeg dog gøre?’ tænkte forvalteren. ‚Nu mister jeg mit job. Jeg kan ikke klare hårdt fysisk arbejde, og jeg vil ikke være bekendt at gå rundt og tigge.4Vent lidt! Nu har jeg det! Jeg må sørge for at have nogle venner, som kan hjælpe mig, når jeg ikke har flere penge.’5Derfor tilkaldte han en efter en alle de folk, der stod i gæld til godsejeren. ‚Hvor meget skylder du?’ spurgte han den første.6‚100 tønder olivenolie.’ ‚Godt, her er gældsbeviset. Sæt dig straks ned og ret det til 50.’7‚Og du,’ spurgte han den næste, ‚hvor meget skylder du?’ ‚100 tønder hvede.’ ‚Okay, skriv 80 i stedet for.’8Da godsejeren hørte, hvad hans uærlige forvalter havde fundet på, roste han ham for hans klarhjernede initiativ.” Jesus fortsatte: „Denne verdens børn behandler folk af deres egen slags med større skarpsindighed, end lysets børn gør.9Og jeg siger til jer: Pas på, hvordan I bruger denne verdens materielle værdier. Brug dem til at skaffe jer venner og vinde dem for Guds rige. Når penge ikke længere har gyldighed, så vil disse venner tage imod jer i de evige boliger.”10Jesus sluttede med følgende ord: „De, der er ærlige og trofaste i det mindre væsentlige, vil også være det i det mere væsentlige. Men de, der ikke er til at stole på i det, som har ringe værdi, kan man heller ikke regne med i det, som har stor værdi.11Hvis man ikke kan stole på jer med hensyn til denne verdens flygtige værdier, kan man heller ikke betro jer de sande værdier.12Og hvis I ikke kan tage vare på andres ejendom, hvem vil så give jer noget, I kan kalde jeres eget?”
Kontrasten mellem de himmelske og jordiske værdier
13Jesus fortsatte: „Ingen kan tjene to herrer. Enten vil man hade den ene og elske den anden, eller man vil satse på den ene og ignorere den anden. I kan ikke tjene både Gud og materialismen.[1]” (Matt 5,18; Matt 5,32; Matt 6,24; Matt 11,12)14Da farisæerne hørte det, hånede de Jesus, for de satte stor pris på deres penge.15Jesus sagde da til dem: „I farisæere vil gerne give det udseende af at være så fromme, men Gud kender jeres hjerter. Det, som mennesker sætter højt, er uden værdi i Guds øjne.16Toraen[2] og de profetiske bøger havde deres tid, indtil Johannes Døberen kom. Men med Johannes begyndte budskabet om Guds rige at blive forkyndt, og alle kæmper imod det![3] (Matt 11,12)17Men det er lettere for himlen og jorden at forgå, end det er for selv den mindste del af Toraen at falde til jorden uden at blive opfyldt.18Enhver mand, der skiller sig fra sin kone, bryder ægteskabet, hvis han gifter sig med en anden, og den, der gifter sig med en fraskilt kvinde, bryder også ægteskabet.”
Vend om, mens der endnu er tid
19Jesus fortsatte: „Der var en rig mand, som levede i stor luksus, klædte sig i kostbart tøj og holdt fest hver dag.20Uden for hans dør havde man lagt en stakkels tigger, der havde sår over hele kroppen. Han hed Lazarus.21Han længtes efter at kunne spise sig mæt i det, der blev tilovers fra den rige mands fester, men han fik ingenting. Derimod kom de sultne hunde[4] og slikkede hans sår.22Den stakkels mand døde, og englene bar ham hen til Abraham, hvor han fik lov at ligge til bords ved hans side. Den rige mand døde også og blev begravet.23Da han slog øjnene op, var han i dødsriget, hvor han led store kvaler. Langt borte så han Lazarus ligge til bords ved Abrahams side.24‚Fader Abraham!’ råbte han. ‚Hav medlidenhed med mig! Send Lazarus hen for at dyppe spidsen af sin finger i vand og væde min tunge, for jeg har det forfærdeligt i flammerne her.’25Men Abraham svarede: ‚Husk nu, min ven, at du levede på livets solside, mens Lazarus havde det ondt. Nu er det ham, der trøstes, og dig, der lider.26Desuden er der en dyb kløft imellem os. Selv hvis nogen ville herfra over til jer, så var det ikke muligt, og man kan heller ikke komme fra jer over til os.’27Da råbte den rige mand: ‚Så beder jeg dig, fader Abraham, send Lazarus til min fars hus28for at advare mine fem brødre, så de ikke skal ende i den her frygtelige pine.’29Men Abraham sagde: ‚Dine brødre kan jo bare høre efter, når der læses op fra Toraen og de profetiske bøger.’30‚Nej, fader Abraham, det er ikke nok! Men hvis der kom en fra de døde, så ville de ændre indstilling!’31‚Hvis de ikke vil lytte til Moses og profeterne, så vil de heller ikke lade sig overbevise, selv om nogen genopstod fra de døde.’ ”
1He also said to the disciples, “There was a rich man who had a manager, and charges were brought to him that this man was wasting his possessions. (Luk 12,42)2And he called him and said to him, ‘What is this that I hear about you? Turn in the account of your management, for you can no longer be manager.’ (1.Kor 9,17)3And the manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do, since my master is taking the management away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg.4I have decided what to do, so that when I am removed from management, people may receive me into their houses.’5So, summoning his master’s debtors one by one, he said to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’6He said, ‘A hundred measures[1] of oil.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.’7Then he said to another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ He said, ‘A hundred measures[2] of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write eighty.’8The master commended the dishonest manager for his shrewdness. For the sons of this world[3] are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light. (Matt 25,2; Luk 10,6; Luk 20,34; Joh 12,36; Ef 5,8; 1.Thess 5,5)9And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth,[4] so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal dwellings. (Matt 6,20; Matt 6,24; Matt 19,21; Luk 12,33; Luk 16,11; Luk 16,13; 1.Tim 6,10; 1.Tim 6,17)10“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. (Matt 25,21; Matt 25,23; Luk 19,17)11If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches?12And if you have not been faithful in that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own? (1.Krøn 29,14; 1.Krøn 29,16)13No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” (Luk 16,9)
The Law and the Kingdom of God
14The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all these things, and they ridiculed him. (Luk 11,39; Luk 20,47; Luk 23,35; 1.Tim 6,10; 2.Tim 3,2)15And he said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God. (1.Sam 16,7; 1.Krøn 28,9; Ord 16,5; Ord 21,2; Luk 10,29)16“The Law and the Prophets were until John; since then the good news of the kingdom of God is preached, and everyone forces his way into it.[5] (Matt 11,12; Luk 4,43; Luk 15,1)17But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one dot of the Law to become void. (Matt 5,18)
Divorce and Remarriage
18“Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and he who marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery. (Matt 5,32)
The Rich Man and Lazarus
19“There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. (Ester 8,15; Jak 5,5; Åb 18,16)20And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, (Ap G 3,2)21who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores. (Matt 15,27)22The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side.[6] The rich man also died and was buried, (Matt 18,10; Luk 12,8; Luk 15,10; Joh 13,23; Ap G 12,15; Heb 1,13)23and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. (Matt 8,11; Matt 11,23; Luk 16,22)24And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’ (Es 66,24; Zak 14,12; Matt 25,41; Luk 16,30; Joh 8,33; Joh 8,39; Joh 8,53)25But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. (Job 21,13; Salm 17,14; Luk 6,24)26And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.’27And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father’s house—28for I have five brothers—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’29But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ (Luk 16,31; Luk 24,27; Joh 5,45; Ap G 26,22; Ap G 28,23)30And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ (Luk 16,24)31He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’” (Matt 28,11; Luk 16,29; Joh 12,10)