Dual Panel1THEN there is this story he told his disciples: "Once there was a rich man whose agent was reported to him to be mismanaging his property.
2So he summoned him and said, 'What's this that I hear about you? Give me an account of your stewardshipyou're not fit to manage my household any longer.'
3At this the agent said to himself, 'What am I going to do now that my employer is taking away the management from me? I am not strong enough to dig and I can't sink to begging.
4Ah, I know what I'll do so that when I lose my position people will welcome me into their homes!'
5So he sent for each one of his master's debtors. 'How much do you owe my master?' he said to the first.
6'A hundred barrels of oil,' he replied. 'Here,' replied the agent, 'take your bill, sit down, hurry up and write in fifty.'
7Then he said to another, 'And what's the size of your debt?' 'A thousand bushels of wheat,' he replied. 'Take your bill,' said the agent, 'and write in eight hundred.'
8Now the master praised this rascally agent because he had been so careful for his own future. For the children of this world are considerably more shrewd in dealing with their contemporaries than the children of light.
9Now my advice to you is to use 'money',tainted as it is, to make yourselves friends, so that when it comes to an end, they may welcome you into the homes of eternity.
10"The man who is faithful in the little things will be faithful in the big things, and the man who cheats in the little things will cheat in the big things too.
11So that if you are not fit to be trusted to deal with the wicked wealth of this world, who will trust you with the true riches?
12And if you are not trustworthy with someone else's property, who will give you property of your own?
13No servant can serve two masters. He is bound to hate one and love the other, or give his loyalty to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and the power of money at the same time."
14Now the Pharisees, who were very fond of money, heard all this with a sneer.
15But he said to them, "You are the people who advertise your goodness before men, but God knows your hearts. Remember, there are things men consider splendid which are detestable in the sight of God!
16"The Law and the Prophets were in force until John's day. From then on the good news of the kingdom of God has been proclaimed and everyone is trying to force his way into it.
17"Yet it would be easier for Heaven and earth to disappear than for a single point of the Law to become a dead letter.
18"Any man who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery. And so does any man who marries the woman who was divorced from her husband.
19"There was once a rich man who used to dress in purple and fine linen and lead a life of daily luxury.
20And there was a poor man called Lazarus who was put down at his gate. He was covered with sores.
21He used to long to be fed with the scraps from the rich man's table. Yes, and the dogs used to come and lick his sores.
22Well, it happened that the poor man died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom. The rich man also died and was buried.
23And from the place of the dead he looked up in torment and saw Abraham a long way away, and Lazarus in his arms.
24Father Abraham,' he cried out, 'please pity me! Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in agony in these flames.'
25But Abraham replied, 'Remember, my son, that you used to have the good things in your lifetime, just as Lazarus suffered the bad. Now he is being comforted here, while you are in agony.
26And besides this, a great chasm has been set between you and us, so that those who want to go to you from this side cannot do so, and people cannot come to us from your side.'
27At this he said, 'Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father's house
28for I have five brothers. He could warn them and prevent their coming to this place of torture.'
29But Abraham said, 'They have Moses and the Prophets: they can listen to them.'
30'Ah no, father Abraham,' he said, 'if only someone were to go to them from the dead, they would change completely.'
31But Abraham told him, 'If they will not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they would not be convinced even if somebody were to rise from the dead.'"