I tell you, make friends for yourselves with dishonest wealth, so that when it fails, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings. 10 The person who is trustworthy in very small matters is also trustworthy in great ones; and the person who is dishonest in very small matters is also dishonest in great ones. 11 If, therefore, you are not trustworthy with dishonest wealth, who will trust you with true wealth? 12 If you are not trustworthy with what belongs to another, who will give you what is yours? 13 No servant can serve two masters. He will either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.”
14 The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all these things and sneered at him. 15 And he said to them, “You justify yourselves in the sight of others, but God knows your hearts; for what is of human esteem is an abomination in the sight of God.
Jesus continues His teaching about the dishonest steward, a manager who used his master's possessions to secure his future. Although the steward acted dishonestly, Jesus draws attention to his cleverness in preparing for what lay ahead. He now teaches His disciples how the responsible use of earthly possessions relates to faithfulness to God and the hope of eternal life.
The steward realizes that his present position and access to wealth are about to end. He acts decisively to prepare for what comes afterward. Jesus uses that example to teach His disciples that earthly possessions are temporary and that they, too, should live with their future in mind. But the future Jesus directs them toward is eternal life with God, not merely earthly security.
Jesus begins with the instruction, “Make friends for yourselves with dishonest wealth, so that when it fails, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings” (v. 9). The expression “dishonest wealth” refers to material riches, which can tempt people to greed, dishonesty, and misplaced trust. Money is not evil in itself. It provides for human needs and can become a means of serving others. Jesus teaches that earthly possessions, which eventually pass away, should be used faithfully with eternal life in view. The “eternal dwellings” refer to heaven, where life with God endures forever. The steward prepared for temporary earthly security, while Jesus directs His disciples toward the lasting wealth of God's Kingdom.
Jesus then turns from the use of wealth to the importance of trustworthiness. “The person who is trustworthy in very small matters is also trustworthy in great ones” (v. 10). Ordinary responsibilities provide opportunities to develop honesty, good judgment, and faithfulness. The way people manage money, fulfill obligations, and care for what has been entrusted to them reveals the values that guide their lives. Jesus makes a similar connection in the parable of the talents, where the master tells his faithful servant, “Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities” (Matthew 25:21).
Jesus distinguishes between earthly possessions and “true wealth” (v. 11). Material riches are temporary and ultimately belong to God, who entrusts them to human care. True wealth consists of the lasting gifts of God's Kingdom, especially the gift of eternal life in communion with Him. Faithfulness in managing earthly possessions expresses a readiness to receive these greater gifts. Jesus' teaching directs attention beyond what people possess during this life toward what God promises to those who remain faithful to Him.
The teaching reaches its central point when Jesus declares, “You cannot serve God and mammon” (v. 13). Mammon is an Aramaic term meaning wealth or possessions. Jesus speaks of wealth as though it were a master demanding a person's loyalty. Possessions become a spiritual danger when people place their trust in them as the source of security, happiness, or purpose. Wealth then occupies the place that belongs to God alone.
This teaching rests upon the commandment given to Israel: “Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD alone! Therefore, you shall love the LORD, your God, with your whole heart, and with your whole being, and with your whole strength” (Deuteronomy 6:4–5). Jesus' words about God and mammon reaffirm this call to undivided devotion. The human heart cannot give its highest loyalty both to God and to possessions. As Jesus teaches elsewhere, “For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be” (Luke 12:34). Material wealth serves its proper purpose when it remains a means of providing for human needs and expressing love of God and neighbor.
The Pharisees who hear Jesus' teaching love money and ridicule Him. Their reaction reveals the attachment to wealth that Jesus has just condemned. In response, He declares, “You justify yourselves in the sight of others, but God knows your hearts” (v. 15). These Pharisees seek human approval while resisting His teaching about the proper place of wealth in their lives. Their outward religious standing cannot conceal their inward priorities from God.
Jesus' words recall God's instruction to the prophet Samuel: “God does not see as a mortal, who sees the appearance. The LORD looks into the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7). Throughout salvation history, God has revealed that genuine faithfulness involves more than outward appearances. When Jesus describes what people highly esteem as an “abomination” in God's sight, He uses a strong biblical expression of moral condemnation. In this setting, His criticism concerns the attachment to riches and human recognition that has taken the place of devotion to God. He exposes the contradiction between seeking religious approval and refusing the demands of God's Word.
Throughout this Gospel, Jesus teaches that earthly possessions are entrusted to human care for a limited time, while the gifts of God's Kingdom endure forever. Faithfulness in ordinary responsibilities, responsible stewardship of earthly possessions, and wholehearted devotion to God reveal where a person's true treasure lies. The wealth that lasts is ultimately the gift of eternal communion with God, received through His grace and sought through a life of faith and love.
Lord Jesus, teach us to use the gifts entrusted to us with wisdom, honesty, and generosity. Keep our hearts faithful to You, free from the desire to place earthly possessions above Your love. Help us seek the lasting treasure of Your Kingdom and find our true happiness in Your presence. Amen.
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Sources and References
- The New American Bible, Revised Edition. Washington, DC: Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, 2011. Luke 16:9–15 and notes; Matthew 25:21; Deuteronomy 6:4–5; Luke 12:34; 1 Samuel 16:7.
- Hahn, Scott, and Curtis Mitch. The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: New Testament. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2010. 138.
- Casciaro, Jose Maria, general editor. The Navarre Bible: New Testament, Expanded Edition. Dublin: Four Courts Press; New York: Scepter Publishers, 2008. 317–318.
- Brown, Raymond E., Joseph A. Fitzmyer, and Roland E. Murphy, editors. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1990. 708, §§149–150.
- Aguilar Chiu, Jose Enrique, et al., editors. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. New York: Paulist Press, 2018. 1077–1079.
- Collins, John J., Gina Hens-Piazza, Barbara Reid, OP, and Donald Senior, CP, editors. The Jerome Biblical Commentary for the Twenty-First Century. London: T&T Clark, 2022. 1336–1337.
- Gadenz, Pablo T. The Gospel of Luke. Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2018. 282–285.
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