The Gospel of Luke (Greek: K κατ Λουκᾶν εὐαγγέλιον, kata Loukan evangelion), also simply called the Third Gospel, tells of the origin, birth, ministry, redemption, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ. But chapter 16 of this Gospel is notable not for the biography of Christ, of which there are many, but for its parables, which will be discussed in this article.
The realm of the Christ discourse in this chapter is to awaken and hasten all of us to use this world, not to abuse it, to manage all our possessions and pleasures here in this world.
The Gospel of Luke: the interpretation of John Chrysostom, a brief essence
If we state what this Gospel says about deeds of piety and mercy, we will come to the conclusion that we will take advantage of thesetraits and deeds in the future world. This idea is expressed in the parable of the unjust steward who profitably sold his master's goods, securing a comfortable existence for himself in order to compete for him. Line 1-8 speaks of the disrespect and contempt that the Pharisees had for the doctrine preached by Christ, for which he sharply rebuked them, adding some other weighty sayings that cannot be left out of the interpretation of chapter 16 of the Gospel of Luke.
Condemnation of hedonism
Instead of doing good, combining it with our worldly pleasures, we make them the food and fuel of our lusts, our luxury and sensuality and deny helping the poor, thus dooming ourselves and everyone else to suffering and torment. This is mentioned in the famous parable of the rich man and Lazarus. Following any interpretation of Luke chapter 16, we can conclude that the parable of Lazarus has another intention, namely to wake us all up to accept the warning given to us by the written word and not expect immediate messages from the other world.
Do good and you will be happy
We are mistaken in thinking that the essence of the teachings of Christ and the holy religion was to entertain us with concepts of divine mysteries or divine graces. No, divine revelation, according to the interpretation of chapter 16 of the Gospel of Luke, is designed to draw us into the practice of Christian duties and, if you like, accustom us to do good deeds and goodwill towards those who need help and love. This is our Saviorcalls us to this, reminding us that we are but the possessors of the manifold grace of God; and since we have been unfaithful on various occasions and fallen out of favor with our Lord, our wisdom is to think how we can improve.
Interpretation of parables
Proverbs should not go beyond their main meaning. Therefore, they must be interpreted in the context of general Christian ethics. We must be diligent and industrious in order to use our we alth for the purpose of showing piety and charity, to promote our future and eternal well-being. The protagonist of the most famous parable - about an unscrupulous manager - occupies a special place in Theophylact's interpretation of the Gospel of Luke. So, it is worth stopping at it properly.
The Parable of the Unscrupulous Manager
In the parable, all the children of people are presented as stewards of what they have in this world, and we are only stewards. Everything we have is the property of God; we only have the opportunity to use its we alth for the benefit of all people in the world, ourselves, faith and God. One of the most famous interpretations of the Gospel of Luke, ch. 16, reads: "This world is a house, the sky is a roof, the stars are lights, the earth with its fruits is a table, the owner of the house is the holy and blessed God, and the man is the steward at whose disposal the riches of this house are placed, and if he behaves well, he will find favor in the eyes of his Lord, and if not, he will be rejected."
Dishonestymanager - the main character of the parable - is described in very bright colors. He spent money on his lord's property, appropriated it, misused it, lost it and harmed himself, for which he was accused and punished by the Lord. We are all responsible for the same charge. We have not properly fulfilled the mission that God has entrusted to us in this world, but we have perverted its purpose. And we have no one to blame but ourselves.
Interpretation in three points
In the parable, the owner of the steward (an allusion to God) called him and said: "I expected something better from you." He said that it was unpleasant for him to be disappointed in him, and if necessary, he would release him from service: he asks him to somehow justify himself, but the steward cannot deny his sins, and therefore there is no remedy, after a while he is forced to leave the abode of his master. Accordingly, according to the interpretation of the Gospel of Luke Theophylact of Bulgaria, the parable has several meanings:
- We will all soon be released from our leadership in this world; we won't always be able to enjoy the things we enjoy now. Death will come and free us from our leadership, deprive us of the abilities and opportunities that we have, in particular, the ability to do good, and others will come to our places and have the same.
- Our liberation from the leadership of this world through death is just, and we deserve it, because we have wasted our Lord's property and thereby lost his trust, therefore we can no longer complain to him about the hardships of life.
- When injustice speaks in us and a desire to misuse the riches of this world, we must report it to our Lord. After death, judgment awaits us. We are justly warned of both our deliverance and our teaching (through the Bible) and should think about it often. These are general conclusions from the interpretation of the Gospel of Luke Theophylact of Bulgaria.
Another meaning
The master nevertheless praised the unfair manager, because he did wisely, leaving his house at the call of his conscience. Be that as it may, Christ said, "Now give me my due as a man who knows how to prosper for himself, how to improve present opportunity, and how to secure future need." The master does not praise the manager because he harmed him, but notes that he acted wisely, vacating his position on his own and not waiting for trials. According to the interpretation of the Gospel of Luke by the Bulgarian theologian, we must repent of our sins in time.
Responsibility for others
If the behavior of the manager in relation to his master can still be somehow justified, then his act in relation to the tenants who lived in the owner's monastery cannot be justified. He knew what harsh conditions he created for them, because they could not pay the rent, were thrown out into the street, and were probably doomed to death along with their families. With this in mind, now that he was about to do what he should have done in justice, he should have thought not so much about his departure and repentance, but about the salvation of those soulswhich were lost through his fault. This conclusion intersects with the interpretation of the Gospel of Luke, chapter 15.
How much does a person cost?
“How much are you worth?”… This could mean, “What rent are you worth? Come, I have set you a better price, and yet not less than what you should have had. The steward did everything for his master, but now he must atone not for him, but for the tenants who were put out the door because of his unjust deeds.
Worldly wisdom and childlike innocence
Please note:
- The wisdom of worldly people in the cares of this world should be devoted to the care of our souls. Just as people cannot harvest in the winter, they cannot correct their sins at the end of their lives: one must live right. We must be wise in our affairs for the rest of our lives!
- Children of the light are usually surpassed by the children of this world. Not that they were really wise; it is only a matter of their spiritual purity at the beginning of life. Because children have just been born and have not yet had time to commit sins, and in this they are even purer than angels - children of light. The manager, by raising the price of rent in the monastery of his master, found many children to perish. This is consistent with the interpretation of the 4th chapter of the Gospel of Luke.
Grace and glory
The we alth of this world is not as great as its grace and glory. So, if we are less unfaithful, if we use the things of this world for other purposes than those for which they were provided to us, then we shouldfear that God will continue to bestow his grace on us as before.
He who serves God and does good with his money will serve God and do good further, with nobler and more valuable talents of wisdom and grace, and spiritual gifts, and servants of heaven; but he who squanders the we alth of this world in vain will never improve his spiritual talents. God withholds mercy.
Material and spiritual we alth
The we alth of this world is deceptive and uncertain. According to the Gospel of Luke with the interpretation of the holy fathers, we must avoid greed and greed, and if we use the riches of the world, we must take only the smallest thing from them and not get carried away too much. If we do not heed this advice, how can we trust in spiritual riches, which are the only truth?
Let's make sure that people are really rich and generous, both in faith and in God, rich in Christ, recognizing themselves as slaves on earth and in heaven. Therefore, God argues, it is necessary to endow a person with the desire to possess spiritual riches so that he can ex alt himself in the Kingdom of God, atoning for Original Sin and all his earthly sins.
God gives a person who is good in his eyes, that is, kind-hearted and merciful, more wisdom, knowledge and joy (Eccl. II, 26); that is, to those who are convinced that greed is a sin, the Lord gives true grace.
The we alth of this world is people who are able to comprehend the essence of faith and develop their spiritual qualities. So saysinterpretation of the 4th chapter of the Gospel of Luke. The main sinners are greedy and selfish people, because they are alien to the soul, its nature and interests. They are not ours, for they are not God's. These people neglect spiritual we alth for the sake of material we alth, which means they reject the basic principles of the Faith of Christ.
Gnostic interpretation
The Gnostic interpretation of the Gospel of Luke (chapter 12) is also curious: since the Gnostics believed in the original sinfulness of the material world, greed looks even more vicious in their view. According to the mythology of the Gnostics, the material world was created by an evil and weak-minded false god, Yaldabaoth, while the true God, described in the Gospels and the New Testament, is hiding in another world - invisible, spiritual, true. Accordingly, those who neglect spiritual values in favor of material ones unconsciously sell their souls to the false god Yaldabaoth, renouncing the precepts of Christ. Similarly, a Gnostic interpretation of Luke 13 can be created.
But spiritual and eternal we alth are our own values (they enter our soul, which controls the body). They are an integral part of ourselves, and in this sense the Gnostics agree with the Christians. If we make Christ our own God, a part of our soul, and heaven our own kingdom, then we will finally return home, for the nature of man is more spiritual than material. But how can we expect God to enrich us with this if we do not serve him in our earthly life, in which we are only stewards, managers, such as that described ininterpretation of the holy Gospel of Luke and the parable of chapter 16?
Deprecation of oracles
In chapter 16 there is a parable condemning oracles. First, they justified themselves before people, denied all accusations placed on them, even before Christ himself. They claimed to be regarded as people of exceptional holiness and devotion and justified themselves in this statement:
You are the ones who do it because no one has ever done it so that your cause determines the opinion of the people and justifies you before the world.
Second, they were highly rated among men. The men not only excused them from every guilt they were subjected to, but applauded them and treated them with reverence, not only as good people, but also as the best of people. Their insights were regarded as prophecies, their instructions as laws, and their practices as inviolable recipes for solving any problem.
Their odious selfishness was obvious to God: "He knows your heart, and it is an abomination in his eyes, because it is full of all wickedness." Any interpretation of the parable of the oracles echoes the interpretation of chapter 13 of the Gospel of Luke.
Please note: firstly, it is stupid to make excuses to people and think that with your excuses you will hide your sins from God, who knows our hearts, knows what is bad in us - in a word, what no one knows. This is to test our worth to ourselves and our self-confidence, that God knows our hearts and how much deceit exists, because we have grounds for humiliation and distrust ofyourself.
Secondly, it is foolish to judge people and things by the opinion of others, in relation to them, and go down with the flood of vulgar evaluation; for that which is highly valued among men who judge by outward appearance is perhaps an abomination before God, who sees things as they are, and whose judgment is most true and just. On the contrary, there are holy people who are accepted and approved by God, but who, however, are not accepted by human society (2 Cor. Ex. 18.). We can meet this motif in any part of the Bible, as we are told by the interpretation of chapter 14 of the Gospel of Luke.
The Parable of the Pharisees
In this parable, the Lord addressed the publicans and sinners, who, most likely, will act on behalf of his gospel, because they are self-serving conceited Pharisees (verse 16): “The law and the prophets were really before John, in the Old Testament, which was addressed to you Jews up until the advent of John the Baptist, and you seemed to have a monopoly on righteousness and salvation, and you were proud of it, and this increased respect for you, because you are students in the law and the prophets, but with Since John the Baptist appeared, the Kingdom of God has been preached, a New Testament creed that does not value people only because they are the keepers of the law of God, but because every person belongs to the kingdom of the Gospel - Gentiles as well as Jews ….
Some understand this: they ridiculed Christ or spoke of contempt for we alth, for, they thought, were there not many promises of we alth and other temporal benefits in the law of God and in the words of the prophets? And weren'tmany of the best servants of God are very rich, like Abraham and David? "That's true," says Christ, "that's the way it was, but now that the Kingdom of God is beginning to be preached, there's a new twist, now the poor and the afflicted and the persecuted are blessed."
The Pharisees, in order to reward people for their high opinion of them, allowed them to exist in a cheap, simple, official religion. “But,” says Christ, “now that the gospel is being preached, the eyes of the people are being opened, and since they cannot now worship the Pharisees as they did before, they cannot be content with such indifference in religion as they have been taught.”
Please note: those who go to heaven must be sick, must strive for the flow, must resist the crowd going in the opposite direction.
The Parable of the Prodigal Son
Because the parable of the prodigal son has placed before us the grace of the gospel that encourages us all, so it is meant for our awakening; and very fast asleep, the Pharisees are in sin. The latter distorted the sermons of Christ against the world; this parable was intended to let people know how frivolous the Pharisees' mockery of Christ was. At least, this is what all interpretations of chapter 1 of the Gospel of Luke say. But in chapter 16 the Pharisees play an even bigger role.
Evil rich and godly poor
There is a very big problem known throughout the ages: the different living conditions of an evil rich man and a godly poor man in this world. We know what the ancient Jews were willing to doprosperity is one of the marks of a true church, a good man and a favorite of heaven, so that they can hardly have any favorable thoughts about a poor man. Christ was going to correct this mistake at any cost and no matter what, and this greatly affected the entire Christian spirit.
The parable of Lazarus and the rich man
An evil person and one who will be forever miserable in the midst of prosperity (verse 19).
There was a certain rich man. Based on the available translations and interpretations of the Gospel of Luke, we simply call him a rich man or a rich man, but, as Bishop Tillotson notes, he does not have the name that is given to him, unlike a poor man, because it was suspicious to name any rich man, acting as an anti-hero, by any name, and make him unpopular. So, for example, it happened with the old Jewish name Judah (Yehuda).
Judging by some interpretations, Christ specifically did not honor the rich man from the parable with a name. Although, perhaps, the rich man called his lands just by his own name, because he thought that his dynasty would last for a very long time. However, the beggar in the parable who begged at the rich man's gate lived a long life, while the rich man turned to dust. This attitude towards the rich can also be seen in the interpretation of chapter 11 of the Gospel of Luke.
What was this rich man like? He was dressed in purple robes and linen, and this was his adornment. He had beautiful linen on a bed not meant for sleeping but for pleasure, and he was clean, no doubt, for he washed every day,and poor servants changed his bed linen. He was dressed in purple and purple because it was the image of princes and kings, which gives us some clues as to why Christ brought him to the attention of Herod. He never appeared abroad, but was magnificent in his appearance.
We alth is not a sin
The rich man dined deliciously and sumptuously every day. His table was stocked with every sort of wine and dainty that nature and the art of cooking could supply; his table is richly decorated with crockery; his servants, who were waiting for him at the table, are in rich liveries; and the guests at his table no doubt brightened his company with their presence, for they were noble persons. Well, what harm was in all this? We alth is not a sin, just as there is no sin in wearing purple robes and linen, and also having a large table, if a person, for a number of reasons, has such abundance. After all, the parable does not say that he received his property as a result of fraud, oppression or extortion, no, or that he was drunk, or made others drunk. The attitude towards alcohol is clearly seen in the interpretation of the Gospel of Luke 12.
Christ showed that a person can have a lot of we alth, pomp and enjoyment of this world, and in principle there is nothing wrong with this. Evil, according to the interpretation of the Gospel of Luke by Chrysostom, known by the name of John, begins when the rich lie, and thus perish forever under God's wrath and curse. We cannot conclude that people who live in greatness do not want God to love them so much, orthat they love God because he has given so much; happiness is not in these things. An excess of pleasure is very dangerous, and for many the temptation of luxury becomes fatal, as well as excessive sensuality, and the habit of forgetting about God, and about the other world. This person would probably be happy even if he did not have great possessions and enjoyments. That the excess of pleasures for the body, and the ease that comes from it, is the destruction of many souls and his spiritual interests - this is true.
Eating good meat and wearing good clothes is perfectly legal. But often these things become food and fuel for a sense of pride and dependence on luxury, and therefore turn into a sin for us. One cannot feast alone or with one's friends, and at the same time forget the misfortunes of the poor and suffering, provoking and angering God, and cursing one's own soul. The sin of this rich man was not so much in his clothes or in his diet, but in the fact that he only provided for himself.
Who is Lazarus
Here is a godly man, and one who will always be happy, in the depths of adversity and calamity (verse 20): There was a certain beggar named Lazarus. He is most pious and mournful, and was probably well known among the good people of that time: a beggar, let's say, such as Eleazar, or Lazarus. Some think that Eleazar is a proper name for any poor person, since it denotes the help of God, which only the poor could hope for. This man was at the very bottom of the thensocial hierarchy. Social issues are given many places in the Bible, as can be seen from the interpretation of ch. 5 Gospel of Luke.
Lazarus' body was full of sores, just like Job's. To be sick and weak in the body is a great misfortune; but ulcers are more painful to the patient and more disgusting to others.
He was forced to beg for his bread and wander around to get food from rich people. He was so sick and limping that he could not go on his own, expecting compassion and help from other people, and therefore lay down at the rich man's gate. Take note, those who cannot help the poor with their purses should help them with their pains; those who cannot lend them a penny should give them a hand; those who themselves cannot give them anything must either wear them or go after them to those who can give. Lazarus, in his distress, had nothing for himself, not a single means to exist normally, and the Jewish parish did not care about him. This is an example of the degeneration of the Jewish church at this time, when a divine man like Lazarus had to perish for lack of necessary food.
His expectations from the rich man's table? He only wanted to be fed with crumbs, which we can read on page 21. He did not seek luxury or abundance, but would be grateful only for crumbs from under the table, or spoiled meat that was thrown away by a rich man and served as food for his dogs. The poor use supplication and must be content with what they can get. Now it's being noticed to show, He was poor. He lay at the rich man's gate,he did not complain, did not shout and did not make noise, only quietly and modestly wanting to be fed with crumbs. This unfortunate poor man was a good man and lived in the name of God.”
Note: often many of God's dearest and most holy servants suffer greatly in this world, while evil people prosper and have abundance; see Ps. LXXIII. 7, 10, 14. Here is a child of wrath and an heir of hell, sitting in a house, having a sumptuous meal; and the child of love, and the heir of heaven, lying at the gate, perishes of hunger. Is it really a parable that the spiritual state will be the opposite of his external state?
What was the rich man's attitude towards Lazarus really like? Let us turn to the interpretation of the Gospel of Luke by John Chrysostom. We are not told that he abused his poverty, or forbade him to sleep at his gate, or did him any harm, but Luke, the author of the Gospel, only hinted that the rich man neglected Lazarus; he didn't care, didn't worry about him. Here was a real object of mercy and a very touching example of self-sacrifice that spoke for itself; he was presented to him at his own gates.
The poor man had a good character and a modest demeanor, and everything that could instill mercy and confidence in the heart of any righteous Christian. The rich man would have done a great thing simply by feeding Lazarus, and yet he did not understand his mission and his duty in this regard, did not order that Lazarus be taken away and settled in a barn or some of the buildings, but allowed him to lie there at the gate. It is not enough not to oppress and trample the poor; we shall find many unfaithful stewards of our Lord's riches ingreat day if we don't help and set them free. The reason for the most terrible death of that time was hunger, and Lazarus, deprived of food, was doomed to such a death. I wonder how those rich people who have read the gospel of Christ and believed in it can be so unconcerned about the needs and sufferings of the poor and suffering?
Man is more important than animal
The dogs came and licked Lazar's sores. The rich man in the parable kept a kennel of dogs as a form of entertainment, and they were fattened to the limit while Lazarus slowly and painfully died of hunger. Note that rich people in the Bible have many such offenses where they fed their dogs but turned a blind eye to the suffering of the poor. And this is a great exacerbation of the impartiality of many we althy people who put the entertainment of watching animals in the first place, but do not respect other people. They are the ones who offend God, despise human nature, who spoil their dogs and horses while the families of their poor neighbors are starving.
Now these dogs have come and licked poor Lazarus' sores. First, it can be interpreted as an aggravation of his suffering. His sores were bloody, enticing dogs to come and lick them as they licked the blood of Naboth and Ahab, 1 Samuel 19. And we read of the tongues of dogs dipped in the blood of enemies, in Ps. LXVIII. 23. They attacked Lazarus while he was still alive, as if he were already dead, and he did not have the strength to stop them, and none of the servants was so conscientious and courageous as to save Lazarus. The dogs looked like their owner and thought they were doing quite well, drinking human blood.
A dog is man's best friend
But what does chapter 16 of the Gospel of Luke say about this with the interpretation of the holy fathers? In fact, in chapter 16, the dogs didn't want to eat Lazarus. On the contrary, they eased his suffering by licking his sores. The animals were kinder to him than their master. Any interpretation of chapter 1 of the Gospel of Luke converges on this, because there, too, the relationship between man and animal is briefly mentioned.
