I tell you
This phrase indicates a direct and authoritative statement from Jesus, emphasizing the importance of the teaching that follows. In the Gospels, Jesus often uses this phrase to introduce significant spiritual truths or principles. It underscores His role as a teacher and prophet, conveying divine wisdom.

use worldly wealth
Worldly wealth refers to material possessions and financial resources. In the context of first-century Judea, wealth was often seen as a sign of God's blessing, yet Jesus frequently taught about the dangers of relying on riches (Matthew 6:19-21). The term "worldly" suggests a temporary and earthly nature, contrasting with eternal values. Jesus is not condemning wealth itself but instructing on its proper use.

to make friends for yourselves
This phrase suggests using resources to build relationships that have lasting value. In the cultural context, hospitality and generosity were highly valued, and forming alliances through gifts was common. The idea is to invest in relationships that transcend earthly life, reflecting the principle of sowing and reaping (Galatians 6:7-10).

so that when it is gone
This acknowledges the transient nature of material wealth. Wealth can be lost or depleted, and ultimately, it cannot be taken beyond this life (1 Timothy 6:7). Jesus emphasizes the inevitability of wealth's end, urging a focus on what endures beyond temporal existence.

they will welcome you into eternal dwellings
"Eternal dwellings" refers to the heavenly realm, a place of everlasting life with God. The imagery of being welcomed suggests a community aspect of the afterlife, where relationships formed on earth have eternal significance. This aligns with the biblical theme of storing treasures in heaven (Matthew 6:20) and the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, which follows in Luke 16, illustrating the eternal consequences of earthly actions.

1. Jesus Christ
The speaker of this parable, providing teaching on the use of wealth and resources.

2. Disciples
The primary audience of Jesus' teaching, representing followers of Christ who are learning about kingdom values.

3. Worldly Wealth
Refers to material possessions and financial resources, often seen as temporary and not eternal.

4. Eternal Dwellings
Symbolizes the eternal life and heavenly rewards that await believers who live according to God's principles.

5. Friends
Represents those who benefit from the believer's wise and generous use of resources, potentially leading them to faith.Stewardship of Resources
Believers are called to manage their resources wisely, recognizing that all wealth is ultimately God's and should be used for His purposes.

Eternal Perspective
Christians should prioritize eternal outcomes over temporary gains, using their wealth to impact lives for the kingdom of God.

Generosity as Witness
By using wealth to bless others, believers can demonstrate the love of Christ and potentially lead others to faith.

Building Relationships
Investing in relationships through generosity can create opportunities for sharing the gospel and fostering community.

Accountability and Reward
There is a promise of eternal reward for those who use their resources in alignment with God's will, encouraging believers to live with accountability.1. What is the meaning of Luke 16:9?

2. How can we "make friends" using "worldly wealth" according to Luke 16:9?

3. What does Luke 16:9 teach about the temporary nature of earthly possessions?

4. How does Luke 16:9 connect with Matthew 6:19-21 on storing treasures?

5. In what ways can we use resources to impact others for God's kingdom?

6. How can Luke 16:9 guide our financial decisions and priorities today?

7. What does "unrighteous wealth" mean in Luke 16:9, and why should we use it wisely?

8. How does Luke 16:9 relate to the concept of stewardship in Christianity?

9. Why does Jesus advise making friends with "worldly wealth" in Luke 16:9?

10. What are the top 10 Lessons from Luke 16?

11. How can worldly wealth secure eternal friendships?

12. How can worldly wealth secure eternal friendships?

13. What does it profit to gain the world?

14. Why does Luke 16:1–8 seem to commend the unjust steward’s dishonest tactics, potentially endorsing unethical behavior? I tell you

Jesus prefaces His instruction with an emphatic, personal charge: “I tell you…” (Luke 16:9).

• The Lord Himself is speaking with the authority that once called the universe into being (John 1:1–3).

• Whenever Christ says “I tell you,” His words demand immediate attention and obedience (Luke 12:4–5).

• This reminds us that Scripture is not suggestion but revelation, accurate and binding (2 Timothy 3:16).

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use worldly wealth to make friends for yourselves

“Use worldly wealth to make friends for yourselves…”

• “Worldly wealth” (literally “unrighteous mammon”) is temporary money and material goods (Matthew 6:19).

• The call is not to love money (1 Timothy 6:10) but to leverage it for eternal good:

– Meeting practical needs of believers and neighbors (James 2:15–16).

– Supporting Gospel work and missionaries (Philippians 4:15–17).

– Showing hospitality that reflects God’s generosity (Romans 12:13).

• Such generosity forges friendships that transcend earthly boundaries, uniting giver and receiver in Christ (Acts 2:44–47).

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so that when it is gone

“…so that when it is gone…”

• Money will fail; death or economic collapse eventually strips everyone of possessions (Proverbs 23:5; 1 Timothy 6:7).

• Because wealth is evaporating, wise stewardship invests in what cannot perish (Matthew 6:20).

• Jesus does not say “if” but “when,” underscoring the certainty of wealth’s disappearance and the urgency of eternal priorities (James 4:13–14).

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they will welcome you into eternal dwellings

“…they will welcome you into eternal dwellings.”

• “They” refers to those who benefited from our faithful giving—saints whose lives were touched by our generosity and who are now in glory (Luke 16:4).

• These redeemed friends greet us as we step into eternity, celebrating how God used temporal resources for their everlasting gain (Matthew 25:34–40).

• The “eternal dwellings” are the permanent homes prepared by the Lord (John 14:2), contrasting the fragile houses money buys on earth (Hebrews 11:10).

• Far from buying heaven, stewardship simply evidences a transformed heart that values souls above silver (Acts 20:35; Revelation 19:8).

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summary

Luke 16:9 calls believers to treat every dollar as a servant of Christ. Jesus authoritatively commands us to convert fading wealth into eternal friendships through generous, Gospel-centered giving. Money will vanish, but the people rescued, discipled, and encouraged through our stewardship will one day greet us in the everlasting homes our Savior has secured. Living this way proves we believe Scripture, trust Christ’s promise, and long for the Kingdom that never ends.

(9) And I say unto you.--The pronoun is emphatic, and stands, as in Matthew 5:22; Matthew 5:28; Matthew 5:32, in contrast with what had gone before.

Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness.--On "mammon," comp. Note on Matthew 6:24. The word was Syriac in its origin, and was found also, as Augustine testifies, in Punic. It was in common use in the Targums or Paraphrases of the Old Testament, in our Lord's time, for "wealth" or "riches," and possibly, as stated by Tertullian, whose authority, as a Carthaginian, may be admitted as of some weight, was applied to some Syrian deity who, like the Greek Plutus, was worshipped as wealth personified. If we admit this view, it explains, what otherwise it is not easy to explain, St. Luke's introduction of the Syriac word instead of its Greek equivalent. "The mammon of unrighteousness," the genitive having the same force as in Luke 16:8, is the wealth to which that character for the most part attaches, wealth wrongly gained and wrongly spent. And yet "of that mammon"--or better, out of, or with, the mammon--men are to make friends. The right use of wealth in helping the poor, making men happier and better, leading them to repentance and to God, will gain for us friends, perhaps the very persons whom we have helped, perhaps the angels of God who rejoice over one sinner that repenteth, perhaps even Christ and the Father, who will receive us into "everlasting habitations." . . .

Verse 9. - And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness. Then, with his usual solemn formula, "I say unto you," the Lord gave out his moral interpretation of the parable. His words were addressed to possessors of various degrees of wealth. "You will soon have to give up all your worldly goods; be prudent in time, make some real friends out of the mammon of unrighteousness; by means of that money entrusted to your care, do good to others who are in need." The mammon of unrighteousness. This word "mammon" does not denote, as some have supposed, the name of a deity, the god of wealth or money, but it signifies "money" itself. It is a Syriac or Aramaic term. The words, "of unrighteousness," are added because in so many cases the getting of money is tainted with unrighteousness in some form or other; and, when possessed, it so often hardens the heart, as the Lord himself said in another place (Luke 18:25), that it was easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. "What the steward of my story," said the Master, "did to men of his world, see that you with your money do toward those who belong to your world." That, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations. So that when you shall be dismissed from being stewards of God's possessions, that is, when ye shall die, "when ye suffer the last eclipse and bankruptcy of life," that then others, your friends, may receive you (welcome you) into everlasting dwellings. The majority of the older authorities here, instead of" when ye fail," read, "when it (money) shall fail you" (by the event of your death). The sense of the passage, however, remains the same, whichever reading be adopted. But now a deeply interesting question arises - When the Lord speaks of friends receiving us after death into eternal homes, to what friends is he alluding? Great expositors, Ewald and Meyer, for instance, tell us that he means the angels. But the plain sense of the parable points, not to angels, but to poor, weak, suffering persons whom we have helped here; these, then, must be the friends who will receive us, or welcome us, in the world to come. A further query suggests itself - How will these be able to receive us? To such a question no definite reply can be given. We know too little of the awful mysteries of that world to be able even to hazard a surmise as to the help or the comfort which grateful, blessed spirits will be able to show to their brethren the newly arrived, when they receive them. His word here must suffice us; well will it be for us, if one day we practically discover the holy secret for ourselves. Godet has a weighty note with which he concludes his exposition of this difficult but most instructive parable: "There is no thought more fitted than that of this parable, on the one hand to undermine the idea of merit belonging to alms-giving (what merit could be got out of that which is another's? and is not all money, are not all goods out of which we bestow our alms, God's?); and on the other, to encourage us in the practice of that virtue which assures us of friends and protectors for the grave moment of our passing into the world to come." One beautiful and exquisitely comforting thought is shrined in this playful and yet intensely solemn utterance of Jesus. The eternal tents, the "many mansions," as John calls them, will have among their occupants, it is certain, many a one whose life on earth was hard and sorrowful. These are now enjoying bliss indescribable, these poor Lazaruses, to whom this world was so sad, so dreary a habitation. And perhaps a portion of their blessedness consists in this power, to which the Lord makes allusion here, of assisting others - the helped here becoming the helpers there. Although the teaching of Christ and his chosen servants here and elsewhere shows us distinctly that no merit can attach to almsgiving, seeing that our alms are only given out of property entrusted to us for a short time by God for this and other similar purposes, yet the same authoritative teaching informs us that God has regard to almsdeeds done in the true spirit of love, in determining our eternal destiny. Thus a message direct from heaven informs the Roman legionary Cornelius that his prayers and alms were come up for a memorial before God. Paul writes to Timothy to charge the Ephesus Christians "that they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate; laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life." In the parable of Lazarus and Dives we shall find this principle yet more clearly illustrated. These are only a few out of the many passages where this generosity and almsgiving is commended to the believer with peculiar earnestness.

Parallel Commentaries ...


I
ἐγὼ (egō)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Nominative 1st Person Singular
Strong's 1473: I, the first-person pronoun. A primary pronoun of the first person I.

tell
λέγω (legō)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 1st Person Singular
Strong's 3004: (a) I say, speak; I mean, mention, tell, (b) I call, name, especially in the pass., (c) I tell, command.

you,
ὑμῖν (hymin)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Dative 2nd Person Plural
Strong's 4771: You. The person pronoun of the second person singular; thou.

use
ἐκ (ek)
Preposition
Strong's 1537: From out, out from among, from, suggesting from the interior outwards. A primary preposition denoting origin, from, out.

worldly
ἀδικίας (adikias)
Noun - Genitive Feminine Singular
Strong's 93: Injustice, unrighteousness, hurt. From adikos; injustice; morally, wrongfulness.

wealth
μαμωνᾶ (mamōna)
Noun - Genitive Masculine Singular
Strong's 3126: (Aramaic), riches, money, possessions, property. Of Chaldee origin; mammonas, i.e. Avarice.

to make
ποιήσατε (poiēsate)
Verb - Aorist Imperative Active - 2nd Person Plural
Strong's 4160: (a) I make, manufacture, construct, (b) I do, act, cause. Apparently a prolonged form of an obsolete primary; to make or do.

friends
φίλους (philous)
Adjective - Accusative Masculine Plural
Strong's 5384: Friendly; subst: a friend, an associate. Properly, dear, i.e. A friend; actively, fond, i.e. Friendly.

for yourselves,
ἑαυτοῖς (heautois)
Reflexive Pronoun - Dative Masculine 3rd Person Plural
Strong's 1438: Himself, herself, itself.

so that
ἵνα (hina)
Conjunction
Strong's 2443: In order that, so that. Probably from the same as the former part of heautou; in order that.

when
ὅταν (hotan)
Conjunction
Strong's 3752: When, whenever. From hote and an; whenever; also causatively inasmuch as.

it is gone,
ἐκλίπῃ (eklipē)
Verb - Aorist Subjunctive Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 1587: To fail, die out, come to an end, be defunct. From ek and leipo; to omit, i.e. cease.

they will welcome
δέξωνται (dexōntai)
Verb - Aorist Subjunctive Middle - 3rd Person Plural
Strong's 1209: To take, receive, accept, welcome. Middle voice of a primary verb; to receive.

you
ὑμᾶς (hymas)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Accusative 2nd Person Plural
Strong's 4771: You. The person pronoun of the second person singular; thou.

into
εἰς (eis)
Preposition
Strong's 1519: A primary preposition; to or into, of place, time, or purpose; also in adverbial phrases.

eternal
αἰωνίους (aiōnious)
Adjective - Accusative Feminine Plural
Strong's 166: From aion; perpetual.

dwellings.
σκηνάς (skēnas)
Noun - Accusative Feminine Plural
Strong's 4633: A tent, booth, tabernacle, abode, dwelling, mansion, habitation. Apparently akin to skeuos and skia; a tent or cloth hut.


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NT Gospels: Luke 16:9 I tell you make for yourselves friends (Luke Lu Lk)