Inspire Bible for Kids Luke Sampler - Book - Page 47
LUKE 16:17
your father has killed the fattened calf. We are celebrating because of his
safe return.’
28 “The older brother was angry and wouldn’t go in. His father came
out and begged him, 29 but he replied, ‘All these years I’ve slaved for you
and never once refused to do a single thing you told me to. And in all that
time you never gave me even one young goat for a feast with my friends.
30 Yet when this son of yours comes back after squandering your money on
prostitutes, you celebrate by killing the fattened calf!’
31 “His father said to him, ‘Look, dear son, you have always stayed by me,
and everything I have is yours. 32 We had to celebrate this happy day. For
your brother was dead and has come back to life! He was lost, but now he
is found!’ ”
Parable of the Shrewd Manager
Jesus told this story to his disciples: “There was a certain rich man who
had a manager handling his affairs. One day a report came that the
manager was wasting his employer’s money. 2 So the employer called him
in and said, ‘What’s this I hear about you? Get your report in order, because
you are going to be fired.’
3 “The manager thought to himself, ‘Now what? My boss has fired me.
I don’t have the strength to dig ditches, and I’m too proud to beg. 4 Ah, I
know how to ensure that I’ll have plenty of friends who will give me a home
when I am fired.’
5 “So he invited each person who owed money to his employer to come
and discuss the situation. He asked the first one, ‘How much do you owe
him?’ 6 The man replied, ‘I owe him 800 gallons of olive oil.’ So the manager
told him, ‘Take the bill and quickly change it to 400 gallons.*’
7 “ ‘And how much do you owe my employer?’ he asked the next man. ‘I
owe him 1,000 bushels of wheat,’ was the reply. ‘Here,’ the manager said,
‘take the bill and change it to 800 bushels.*’
8 “The rich man had to admire the dishonest rascal for being so shrewd.
And it is true that the children of this world are more shrewd in dealing
with the world around them than are the children of the light. 9 Here’s the
lesson: Use your worldly resources to benefit others and make friends. Then,
when your possessions are gone, they will welcome you to an eternal home.*
10 “If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But
if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities. 11 And if you are untrustworthy about worldly wealth, who will
trust you with the true riches of heaven? 12 And if you are not faithful with
other people’s things, why should you be trusted with things of your own?
13 “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other;
you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and
be enslaved to money.”
14 The Pharisees, who dearly loved their money, heard all this and scoffed
at him. 15 Then he said to them, “You like to appear righteous in public, but
God knows your hearts. What this world honors is detestable in the sight
of God.
16 “Until John the Baptist, the law of Moses and the messages of the prophets were your guides. But now the Good News of the Kingdom of God is
preached, and everyone is eager to get in.* 17 But that doesn’t mean that the
law has lost its force. It is easier for heaven and earth to disappear than for
the smallest point of God’s law to be overturned.
16
16:6 Greek 100 baths . . . 50 [baths]. 16:7 Greek 100 korous . . . 80 [korous]. 16:9 Or you will be
welcomed into eternal homes. 16:16 Or everyone is urged to enter in.
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