Luk 16:10-13 | RWP | e4.org | Faithful in a very little ( πιστος εν ελαχιστω ). Elative superlative. One of the profoundest sayings of Christ. We see it in business life. The man who can be trusted in a very small thing will be promoted to large responsibilities. That is the way men climb to the top. Men who embezzle in large sums began with small sums. Verses here explain the point of the preceding parables.

‏ Luke 16:10-13

Faithful in a very little ( πιστος εν ελαχιστω ). Elative superlative. One of the profoundest sayings of Christ. We see it in business life. The man who can be trusted in a very small thing will be promoted to large responsibilities. That is the way men climb to the top. Men who embezzle in large sums began with small sums. Verses 10-13 here explain the point of the preceding parables.

Faithful in the unrighteous mammon ( εν τω αδικω μαμωνα ). In the use of what is considered "unrighteous" as it so often is. Condition of the first class, "if ye did not prove to be" ( ε ουκ εγενεσθε ). Failure here forfeits confidence in "the true riches" ( το αληθινον ). There is no sadder story than to see a preacher go down by the wrong use of money, caught in this snare of the devil.

That which is your own ( το υμετερον ). But Westcott and Hort read το ημετερον (our own) because of B L Origen. The difference is due to itacism in the pronunciation of υ- and η alike (long ). But the point in the passage calls for "yours" as correct. Earthly wealth is ours as a loan, a trust, withdrawn at any moment. It belongs to another ( εν τω αλλοτριω ). If you did not prove faithful in this, who will give you what is really yours forever? Compare "rich toward God" (Lu 12:21).

Servant ( οικετης ). Household ( οικος ) servant. This is the only addition to Mt 6:24 where otherwise the language is precisely the same, which see. Either Matthew or Luke has put the λογιον in the wrong place or Jesus spoke it twice. It suits perfectly each context. There is no real reason for objecting to repetition of favourite sayings by Jesus.