Section 117a
Parable to teach the proper use of money
Perhaps Perea
| Luke 16:1-13 |
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| 1Then Jesus said to his disciples, “There was a rich man whose steward was accused of squandering his possessions. 2So he called the steward in and said to him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your stewardship, for you can no longer be steward.’ 3The steward said to himself, ‘What should I do, since my master is taking my stewardship away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg. 4I know what I will do so that when I am removed from my stewardship people will receive me into their homes.’ 5So he summoned each one of his master's debtors. He said to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ 6The man said, ‘A hundred measures of oil.’ The steward said to him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and write fifty.’ 7Then he said to another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ The man said, ‘A hundred measures of wheat.’ The steward said to him, ‘Take your bill and write eighty.’ 8So the master commended the unrighteous steward because he had acted shrewdly. For the sons of this age are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than are the sons of light. 9And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth so that when you die, they will receive you into the eternal dwellings. 10“He who is faithful with very little is also faithful with much, and he who is dishonest with very little is also dishonest with much. 11If then you have not been faithful with unrighteous wealth, who will entrust you with true riches? 12And if you have not been faithful with the property of another, who will give you property of your own? 13No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” |
Notes
Perea
Perea was the term used by the historian Flavius Josephus, and others, for a section of the territory east of The Jordan River, opposite Judea and Samaria. Although the word Perea is not found in the Scriptures, the area was mentioned frequently in the Gospels as the “land beyond the Jordan”. John the Baptist baptized in Perea, and was also martyred there at Herod’s fortress of Machaerus. Jesus Christ often visited Perea during His ministry, and had many followers from there, which at the time had a large Jewish population.
Jesus spent most of his final 3 months before Passion Week traveling around Perea, teaching in its towns and villages. Jesus had been in Jerusalem for the Feast of Dedication (John 10:22-39), and the Jews tried to stone him again. He escaped their grasp and went back across the Jordan into Perea for the final months before his crucifixion. During these months he taught his disciples about the cost of following him and he tried to prepare them for his coming death.
Today, most of Perea is in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.