Luke 16:9

16:9 And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by how you use worldly wealth, ¹  so that when it runs out you will be welcomed ²  into the eternal homes. ³ 

Luke 18:9

The Parable of the Pharisee and Tax Collector

18:9 Jesus ⁴  also told this parable to some who were confident that they were righteous and looked down ⁵  on everyone else.

Luke 21:34

Be Ready!

21:34 “But be on your guard ⁶  so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life, and that day close down upon you suddenly like a trap. ⁷ 

[16:9]  ¹ tn Grk “unrighteous mammon.” Mammon is the Aramaic term for wealth or possessions. The point is not that money is inherently evil, but that it is often misused so that it is a means of evil; see 1 Tim 6:6-10, 17-19. The call is to be generous and kind in its use. Zacchaeus becomes the example of this in Luke’s Gospel (19:1-10).

[16:9]  ² sn The passive refers to the welcome of heaven.

[16:9]  ³ tn Grk “eternal tents” (as dwelling places).

[18:9]  ⁴ tn Grk “He”; the referent has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:9]  ⁵ tn Grk “and despised.” This is a second parable with an explanatory introduction.

[21:34]  ⁷ tn Grk “watch out for yourselves.”

[21:34]  ⁸ sn Or like a thief, see Luke 12:39-40. The metaphor of a trap is a vivid one. Most modern English translations traditionally place the words “like a trap” at the end of v. 34, completing the metaphor. In the Greek text (and in the NRSV and REB) the words “like a trap” are placed at the beginning of v. 35. This does not affect the meaning.