15The tax collectors and “sinners” were all gathering around to hear Jesus. ²But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law were whispering among themselves. They said, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”

³Then Jesus told them a story. ⁴He said, “Suppose one of you has 100 sheep and loses one of them. Won’t he leave the 99 in the open country? Won’t he go and look for the one lost sheep until he finds it? ⁵When he finds it, he will joyfully put it on his shoulders ⁶and go home. Then he will call his friends and neighbors together. He will say, ‘Be joyful with me. I have found my lost sheep.’

⁷“I tell you, it will be the same in heaven. There will be great joy when one sinner turns away from sin. Yes, there will be more joy than for 99 godly people who do not need to turn away from their sins.

The Story of the Lost Coin

⁸“Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. She will light a lamp and sweep the house. She will search carefully until she finds the coin. ⁹And when she finds it, she will call her friends and neighbors together. She will say, ‘Be joyful with me. I have found my lost coin.’

¹⁰“I tell you, it is the same in heaven. There is joy in heaven over one sinner who turns away from sin.”

The Story of the Lost Son

¹¹Jesus continued, “There was a man who had two sons. ¹²The younger son spoke to his father. He said, ‘Father, give me my share of the family property.’ So the father divided his property between his two sons.

¹³“Not long after that, the younger son packed up all he had. Then he left for a country far away. There he wasted his money on wild living. ¹⁴He spent everything he had.

“Then the whole country ran low on food. So the son didn’t have what he needed. ¹⁵He went to work for someone who lived in that country, who sent him to the fields to feed the pigs. ¹⁶The son wanted to fill his stomach with the food the pigs were eating. But no one gave him anything.

¹⁷“Then he began to think clearly again. He said, ‘How many of my father’s hired workers have more than enough food! But here I am dying from hunger! ¹⁸I will get up and go back to my father. I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven. And I have sinned against you. ¹⁹I am no longer fit to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired workers.” ’ ²⁰So he got up and went to his father.

“While the son was still a long way off, his father saw him. He was filled with tender love for his son. He ran to him. He threw his arms around him and kissed him.

²¹“The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer fit to be called your son.’

²²“But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. ²³Bring the fattest calf and kill it. Let’s have a big dinner and celebrate. ²⁴This son of mine was dead. And now he is alive again. He was lost. And now he is found.’

“So they began to celebrate.

²⁵“The older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. ²⁶So he called one of the servants. He asked him what was going on.

²⁷“ ‘Your brother has come home,’ the servant replied. ‘Your father has killed the fattest calf. He has done this because your brother is back safe and sound.’

²⁸“The older brother became angry. He refused to go in. So his father went out and begged him.

²⁹“But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve worked like a slave for you. I have always obeyed your orders. You never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. ³⁰But this son of yours wasted your money with some prostitutes. Now he comes home. And for him you kill the fattest calf!’

³¹“ ‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me. Everything I have is yours. ³²But we had to celebrate and be glad. This brother of yours was dead. And now he is alive again. He was lost. And now he is found.’ ”

The Story of the Clever Manager

16Jesus told his disciples another story. He said, “There was a rich man who had a manager. Some said that the manager was wasting what the rich man owned. ²So the rich man told him to come in. He asked him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Tell me exactly how you have handled what I own. You can’t be my manager any longer.’

³“The manager said to himself, ‘What will I do now? My master is taking away my job. I’m not strong enough to dig. And I’m too ashamed to beg. ⁴I know what I’m going to do. I’ll do something so that when I lose my job here, people will welcome me into their houses.’

⁵“So he called in each person who owed his master something. He asked the first one, ‘How much do you owe my master?’

⁶“ ‘I owe 800 gallons of olive oil,’ he replied.

“The manager told him, ‘Take your bill. Sit down quickly and change it to 400 gallons.’

⁷“Then he asked the second one, ‘And how much do you owe?’

“ ‘I owe 1,000 bushels of wheat,’ he replied.

“The manager told him, ‘Take your bill and change it to 800 bushels.’

⁸“The manager had not been honest. But the master praised him for being clever. The people of this world are clever in dealing with those who are like themselves. They are more clever than God’s people.

⁹“I tell you, use the riches of this world to help others. In that way, you will make friends for yourselves. Then when your riches are gone, you will be welcomed into your eternal home in heaven.

¹⁰“Suppose you can be trusted with very little. Then you can be trusted with a lot. But suppose you are not honest with very little. Then you will not be honest with a lot.

¹¹“Suppose you have not been worthy of trust in handling worldly wealth. Then who will trust you with true riches? ¹²Suppose you have not been worthy of trust in handling someone else’s property. Then who will give you property of your own?

¹³“No servant can serve two masters at the same time. He will hate one of them and love the other. Or he will be faithful to one and dislike the other. You can’t serve God and Money at the same time.”

¹⁴The Pharisees loved money. They heard all that Jesus said and made fun of him. ¹⁵Jesus said to them, “You try to make yourselves look good in the eyes of other people. But God knows your hearts. What is worth a great deal among people is hated by God.

More Teachings

¹⁶“The teachings of the Law and the Prophets were preached until John came. Since then, the good news of God’s kingdom is being preached. And everyone is trying very hard to enter it. ¹⁷It is easier for heaven and earth to disappear than for the smallest part of a letter to drop out of the Law.

¹⁸“Anyone who divorces his wife and gets married to another woman commits adultery. Also, the man who gets married to a divorced woman commits adultery.

The Rich Man and Lazarus

¹⁹“Once there was a rich man. He was dressed in purple cloth and fine linen. He lived an easy life every day. ²⁰A man named Lazarus was placed at his gate. Lazarus was a beggar. His body was covered with sores. ²¹Even dogs came and licked his sores. All he wanted was to eat what fell from the rich man’s table.

²²“The time came when the beggar died. The angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. ²³In hell, the rich man was suffering terribly. He looked up and saw Abraham far away. Lazarus was by his side. ²⁴So the rich man called out, ‘Father Abraham! Have pity on me! Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water. Then he can cool my tongue with it. I am in terrible pain in this fire.’

²⁵“But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember what happened in your lifetime. You received your good things. Lazarus received bad things. Now he is comforted here, and you are in terrible pain. ²⁶Besides, a wide space has been placed between us and you. So those who want to go from here to you can’t go. And no one can cross over from there to us.’

²⁷“The rich man answered, ‘Then I beg you, father. Send Lazarus to my family. ²⁸I have five brothers. Let Lazarus warn them. Then they will not come to this place of terrible suffering.’

²⁹“Abraham replied, ‘They have the teachings of Moses and the Prophets. Let your brothers listen to them.’

³⁰“ ‘No, father Abraham,’ he said. ‘But if someone from the dead goes to them, they will turn away from their sins.’

³¹“Abraham said to him, ‘They do not listen to Moses and the Prophets. So they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’ ”

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