“If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?”
The full verse · Luke 16:11 · KJV
ye the , will to the riches?
Asked by
Jesus: the Son of God and promised Messiah, teaching His disciples after the parable of the unjust steward (Luke 16:1, 9)
Asked to
Disciples: "his disciples" (Luke 16:1), the followers Jesus taught with the parable of the unjust steward, while "the Pharisees also" heard (Luke 16:14); He has told them, "Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness" (Luke 16:9).
The Scene
After the parable of the unjust steward, Jesus draws lessons for His disciples about faithfulness with money, with the Pharisees listening (Luke 16:9-10, 14).
Why It Was Asked
The purpose behind the questionJesus had just stated a principle: "He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much" (Luke 16:10). This question applies it. Money is the "least," and the "true riches" are the "much." Barnes explains the true riches as "The graces of the gospel; the influences of the Spirit; eternal life." Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary agrees that they "signify spiritual blessings." Gill frames it as a question of trust: if they misuse earthly wealth, how should they expect "to be intrusted with the riches of grace"? Jesus asks rather than declares, so His hearers must reach the answer themselves.
The Response
What Scripture recordsThe answer is plain: no one would. Jesus does not stop for a reply but adds a second question (Luke 16:12) and then a conclusion: "No servant can serve two masters... Ye cannot serve God and mammon" (Luke 16:13). The Pharisees, "who were covetous, heard all these things: and they derided him" (Luke 16:14). Jesus answered them, "God knoweth your hearts" (Luke 16:15).
Historical Context
The world behind the words"Mammon" (mamona) is a word of Aramaic origin meaning riches or possessions. Barnes explains "unrighteous mammon" as a Hebrew way of speaking: wealth that is "deceitful, false, not to be trusted." Matthew Henry says it is called so "because those who trust to it for satisfaction and happiness will certainly be deceived." The word "true" (alethinon) means real or genuine, in contrast to riches that cannot be trusted. The words "faithful" (pistoi) and "commit to your trust" (pisteusei) both stand in this one Greek sentence, so the question is about trust on both sides.
The Bigger Picture
Where this fits in God's storyJesus asks this question to show that money is a test. It is a small thing in itself, yet how a person handles it reveals whether he can be trusted with what really matters. Matthew Henry writes that if we are unfaithful with the things of this world, "it may justly be feared that we should be so in the gifts of God's grace."
The question also reveals something about God. He has "true riches" to give and entrusts them to His people. Jesus does not treat earthly wealth as worthless; He treats it as practice ground. The Pharisees, who loved money, scorned this teaching (Luke 16:14), but Jesus answered that God looks at the heart (Luke 16:15).
Look Closer
In Luke 16:10-11, what is the "least" Jesus has in mind?
Carry the question into prayer and conversation.
Father, what does the way I handle money show about my heart, and how are You growing me to be trusted with the true riches You give?
A prayer to carry into the day.
- Jesus calls money "that which is least." Why do you think something so small in His eyes can have such a strong hold on the heart?
- Share a habit or practice that has helped you be faithful with money. How has it affected your walk with God?
For you, a small group, a friend, or the dinner table.
Your everyday money decisions matter to God. Paying what you owe, giving, saving, and spending with care are not separate from your spiritual life. Jesus connects them directly.
This doesn't mean spiritual blessings can be earned with good budgeting. The true riches are, as Barnes puts it, "The graces of the gospel." Faithfulness with money is not a payment for grace; it is a sign of a heart that can be trusted with more. Scripture's own application: 1 Timothy 6:17-19
Built from the biblical text and checked against trusted commentaries and lexicons. References & Sources
Keep questioning
“And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man's, who shall give you that which is your own?”
“How is it that I hear this of thee?”
“How much owest thou unto my lord?”
“And how much owest thou?”