The Gospel of Luke (Greek: K κατ Λουκᾶν εὐαγγέλιον, kata Loukan evangelion), also called simply the third Gospel, tells about the origin, birth, service, 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 examined in this article.
The scope of the discourse of Christ in this chapter is to awaken and accelerate 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: Interpretation of John Chrysostom, a Brief Essence
If we set forth what this gospel says about the works of piety and mercy, we will conclude that we will take advantage of these features and actions in the future world. This idea is expressed in the parable about the unjust manager who profitably sold the goods of his master, securing a convenient existence for himself to compete for him. Line 1-8 tells of the disrespect and contempt that the Pharisees had for the teachings preached by Christ, for which he sharply rebuked them, adding some other weighty sayings that cannot be omitted from 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 the help of the poor, so we doom ourselves and everyone else to suffering and torment. This is stated in the famous parable of the richer and Lazarus. Following any of the interpretations of chapter 16 of the Gospel of Luke, we can conclude that the parable of Lazarus has one more intention, namely, to awaken us all, to accept the warning given to us in writing, and not to expect immediate messages from another world.
Do good - and you will be happy
We are mistaken in believing that the essence of the teachings of Christ and the holy religion was to entertain us with the concepts of divine secrets or divine graces. No, divine revelation, if you follow the interpretation of chapter 16 of the Gospel of Luke, is intended to draw us into the practice of Christian duties and, if you like, to teach us to do good deeds and goodwill towards those who need help and love. It is our Savior who calls us to this, reminding us that we are only possessors of the diverse grace of God; and since we have been unfaithful in different cases and have lost the favor of our Lord, our wisdom is to think about how we can improve.
Interpretation of parables
Parables should not go beyond their primary meaning. Therefore, they must be interpreted in the context of common Christian ethics. We must be diligent and hardworking in order to use our wealth for the purpose of manifesting piety and mercy in order to contribute to our future and eternal well-being. The protagonist of the most famous parable - about an unscrupulous manager - occupies a special place in the interpretation of Theophylact the Gospel of Luke. So, it’s worth stopping at it properly.
Parable of a dishonest steward
In the parable, all the children of people are represented as stewards of what they have in this world, and we are only stewards. All that we have is the property of God; we have only the opportunity to use its wealth for the benefit of all people in the world, ourselves, faith and God. One of the most famous interpretations of the Gospel of Luke, chap. 16, states: "This world is a house, sky is a roof, stars are lights, the earth with its fruits is a table, the owner of the house is a holy and blessed God, and a person is a steward, at whose disposal the wealth of this house is provided, and if he will behave well, he will find favor in the eyes of his Lord, and if not, he will be rejected. "
The dishonesty of the manager, the protagonist of the parable, is described by very bright colors. He spent money on the property of his lord, appropriated it to himself, misused, lost and hurt himself, for which he was accused and punished by the Lord. We are all responsible for the same charge. We did not properly fulfill the mission that God entrusted to us in this world, but perverted its purpose. And we have no one to blame but ourselves.
Three point interpretation
In the parable, the master of the steward (allusion to God) called him and said: "I expected something better from you." He said that it was unpleasant for him to give up on him, and if necessary, he would relieve him of service: he asks him to at least somehow justify himself, but the steward cannot deny his sins, and therefore he has no legal remedy, after some time 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:
- All of us will soon be freed from our leadership in this world; we cannot always enjoy the things that 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, while others will come to our places and will have the same thing.
- Our liberation from the leadership of this world through death is fair, and we deserve it, because we have wasted the property of our Lord and thereby lost his trust, therefore we can no longer complain to him about the hardships of being.
- When injustice speaks in us and the desire to misuse the riches of this world, we must report this to our Lord. After death, a judgment awaits us. We are rightly warned about both our liberation and our teaching (through the Bible), and we must often think about it. These are general conclusions from the interpretation of the Gospel of Luke Theophylact of Bulgaria.
Another meaning
The lord nevertheless praised the unjust steward, because he did wisely, having left his house at the call of conscience. Be that as it may, Christ said: “Now pay tribute to me for such a person who knows how to succeed for himself, how to improve the present opportunity and how to secure the future need.” The gentleman does not praise the manager, because he did harm to him, but notes that he acted wisely, self-relieving his post and not expecting proceedings. 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 justified somehow, then his act in relation to the residents who lived in the master’s monastery cannot be justified. He knew what tough conditions he created for them, because they could not pay the rent, were thrown out into the street, and, probably, were doomed to death along with their families. Taking this into account, now that he was going to do what he should have done in justice, he should not think so much about his departure and repentance, but about saving those souls that were destroyed 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 may mean: “What kind of rental are you worth?” Come, I have set you a better price, but not less than the one you should have had. ” The manager did everything for his master, but now he must atone for himself, not for him, but for the tenants who were put out the door because of his unjust acts.
Worldly Wisdom and Children's Innocence
Note:
- The wisdom of worldly people in the cares of this world should be dedicated to the care of our souls. Just as people cannot harvest in the winter, they cannot correct their sins at the sunset of life: you need to live right. You need to be wise in our affairs until the end of life!
- The children of the world are usually surpassed by the children of this world. Not that they really were wise; it is only a matter of their spiritual purity at the beginning of life. Because the children were just born and had not yet had time to commit sins, and in this they are even cleaner than the angels - the children of the light. The manager, having raised the rental price in the monastery of his master, found many children to die. This is consistent with the interpretation of chapter 4 of the Gospel of Luke.
Grace and glory
The wealth of this world is not as great as its grace and glory. So, if we are less faithless, if we use the things of this world for purposes other than those for which they were provided to us, then we should be afraid that God will continue, as before, to give us his grace .
He who serves God and does good with his money will serve God and do good further, with more noble and valuable talents of wisdom and grace, and spiritual gifts, and slaves of heaven; but he who in vain squanders the riches of this world will never improve his spiritual talents. God refuses mercy.
Material and spiritual wealth
The wealth of this world is deceptive and indefinite. 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 should take only the smallest from them and not get too carried away. If we do not heed this advice, then how can we count on trust in spiritual wealth, which is the only truth?
We will be convinced that people are really rich and generous, both by faith and God, are rich in Christ, recognizing themselves as slaves of the earth and heaven. Therefore, God argues, it is necessary to endow a person with the desire to possess spiritual wealth so that he can be exalted in the Kingdom of God by redeeming 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, one who is convinced that greed is a sin, the Lord gives true grace.
The wealth of this world is people who are able to comprehend the essence of faith and develop their spiritual qualities. This is the interpretation of chapter 4 of the Gospel of Luke. The main sinners are greedy and selfish people, for they are alien to the soul, its nature and interests. They are not ours, for they are not God. These people neglect spiritual wealth for the sake of the material, and therefore 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, in their view greed looks even more vicious. According to the Gnostic mythology, the material world was created by the evil and demented false god, Ialdabaoth, while the true God, described in the Gospels and the New Testament, is hiding in another world - the invisible, spiritual, true. Accordingly, those who neglect spiritual values in favor of the material unknowingly sell their souls to the false god Ialdabaoth, renouncing the covenants of Christ. In this way, a Gnostic interpretation of the Gospel of Luke 13 can be created.
But spiritual and eternal wealth 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 converge with Christians. If we make Christ our own God, 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, similar to those described in the interpretation of the holy Gospel of Luke and the parable from chapter 16?
Condemnation of the oracles
There is a parable in chapter 16 condemning the oracles. First, they justified themselves in front of people, denied all the blame imposed on them, even before Christ himself. They claimed to be seen as people of exceptional holiness and devotion and justified themselves in this statement:
You are the ones who do this, since no one has ever done this, so that your business determines the opinion of people and justifies you before the world.
Secondly, they were highly rated among men. Men not only justified them from any guilt that they were exposed to, but applauded them and treated them with respect not only as good people, but also as the best of people. Their insights were regarded as prophecies, their instructions as laws, and their practice as untouchable 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 oracle parable echoes the interpretation of chapter 13 of the Gospel of Luke.
Please note: firstly, it’s stupid to make excuses to people and think that with your excuses you will hide your sins from God, who knows our hearts, knows that the bad is in us - in a word, something that no one knows. This should test our value for ourselves and our self-confidence that God knows our hearts and how much fraud exists, because we have grounds for humiliation and distrust of ourselves.
Secondly, it is foolish to judge people and things according to others, in relation to them, and to go down with a stream of vulgar assessment; for that which is highly valued among people who judge by appearance, is perhaps an abomination before God, who sees things as they are, and whose judgment is the most true and fair. 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. Exod. 18.). We can find this motive in any part of the Bible, as the interpretation of chapter 14 of the Gospel of Luke tells us.
The parable of the Pharisees
In this parable, the Lord turned to tax collectors and sinners, who are most likely to act on behalf of his Gospel, because these are selfish vain Pharisees (verse 16): “The law and the prophets were really before John, in the Old Testament, which was addressed to you , to the Jews, up to the appearance 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 prophets, but since you appeared John the Baptist, Kingdom of God preached, New Testament creed that which people do not value only because they are the guardians of the law of God, but because each person belongs to the kingdom of the gospel - the Gentiles, as well as the Jews ... ”
Some people understand this: did they make fun of Christ or spoke of contempt for wealth, for, they thought, were there many promises of wealth and other temporary blessings in the law of God and in the words of the prophets? And were not many of God's best servants very rich, like Abraham and David? “It is true,” says Christ, “that was true, but now that the Kingdom of God is beginning to be preached, a new turn is taking place, now the poor and the mourners and the persecuted are blessed.”
The Pharisees, in order to pay tribute to 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 opened, and since they can no longer worship the Pharisees, as they did before, they cannot be content with the indifference in religion that they were taught.”
Please note: those who go to heaven must be sick, must strive to flow, must resist the crowd, going the other way around.
Parable of the Prodigal Son
Since the parable of the prodigal son has placed before us the grace of the gospel, which encourages us all, therefore it is intended for our awakening; and very fast asleep, the Pharisees are in sin. The latter distorted Christ's sermons against the world; this parable was intended to make it clear to people how mocking the Pharisees are to Christ. At least that is the interpretation of chapter 1 of the Gospel of Luke. But in chapter 16, the Pharisees play an even more significant role.
Evil rich and pious poor
There is a very big problem, known throughout all centuries: different living conditions of an evil rich man and a pious poor man in this world. We know that the ancient Jews were ready to make prosperity one of the signs of a true church, a good person and a favorite of heaven, so that they could hardly have any favorable thoughts about the poor person. , .
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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 did not want to eat Lazarus. On the contrary, they eased his suffering by licking his sores. Animals were more kind to him than their owner. Any interpretation of chapter 1 of the Gospel of Luke agrees with this, because the relationship between man and animal is also briefly mentioned there.