14 Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, were listening to all these
things and were scoffing at Him.
So, here’s where our parabolic adventure begins. The Pharisees have become
Israel’s self proclaimed authority. Their money and their enforced teaching
of their “Oral law,” and not the simplicity of God’s Word as their absolute
authority position on all things. As far as they were concerned everyone
that was not part of their religious hierarchy were unimportant lowly and
dirty sinners.
Here now, following in the footsteps of John the Baptist, was this itinerant
rabbi Jesus, and as far as they were concerned… He was just a big
troublemaker.
We should be reminded again that Jesus is on His way to the Cross. He’s
probably just a week away from His “Triumphal entry” into Jerusalem. His
messages have become more and more pointed at the Pharisees, Sadducees, and
scribes (religious lawyers), and Jesus is now right in their faces.
15a
And He said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of
men,
The book of John (starting at 5:39) reports to us, speaking to the Jewish
leaders, “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have
eternal life; and it is these that bear witness of Me.” He told them, “If
you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote of Me. But if you do
not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?”
Just so we are clear, the rabbis over the years have been re-writing God’s
revelation to Moses (and the writings, and the prophets) in order to benefit
them and their various religious groups - mainly the Pharisees, a leadership
group that was most popular with the masses, the Sadducees, another
leadership group that did not hold to spirits and life after death or
resurrection, and the Scribes, those responsible for the duplication of
God's word, which became a means of “re-writing the Scriptures according to
their own interpretations of it. Their writings became written laws that
specifically benefitted these religious leader groups.
Here in our verse Jesus makes it clear that these leaders are “Those who
justify yourselves in the sight of men.” These men had been making these
loop-holes in their oral laws so that they could easily divorce a wife, for
instance, so that, even when breaking God’s written Law for His covenanted
people, they could point to their Oral Law as their method of justifying
themselves.
Here in our own time we see much evidence of this kind of behavior in our
political systems, every day worldly life and media.
15b
but God knows your hearts;
So there’s the setting. The hearts of
these leaders does not fit the requirements of the Word of God, so
they have made up rules that excuse their need for authority and
wealth – as well as keep the common man under the control of their
made up laws – “But God knows your
hearts.”
The lesson here to God’s people, by way of the very words of His Son
is… Be aware and careful of all that you plan, say, and do so that
it conforms to the Will of God – and specifically, don’t make up
rules for yourself, or others, that seemingly release them from the
desire and/or performance of His holiness.
15c
for that which is highly esteemed among men is detestable in the sight of
God.
I’m sure what they heard was, “for that which is highly esteemed among YOU…
is detestable in the sight of God.” There’s no word on how the Pharisees
reacted to this statement, but I’m sure they became most angry being
lectured to by this seemingly simple rabbi.
Jesus’ words were extremely pointed at these
self-righteous leaders. They harken back to the Fall. Since then that which
was seemingly innocent was shown to be the wicked nature of the human heart.
Without God’s Spirit in control in the human heart the human’s actions are
truly wicked. Even our best ideas, thoughts, or actions are nothing more
than each of us trying our best to benefit ourselves – even our greatest
outward deeds for others are desperate attempts to prove our value and worth
to ourselves and all those around us. Without Him we are
“detestable in the sight of God.”
These men have hearts that are preparing to put Him to death. Another reason
for their scoffing.
But Jesus is not finished with them quite yet. Jesus will now tell them
something they will probably not understand and then He will give them two
examples to make His words clear.
16
“The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John; since that time the
gospel of the kingdom of God has been preached, and everyone is forcing his
way into it.
Throughout these lessons on The Parables of
Jesus, a central theme has been “What the Kingdom of God is like.” A little
bit ago we talked about John’s Gospel and Jesus saying to them,
“You search the Scriptures because you think that
in them you have eternal life.” Now Jesus
tells them that the proclamation of the Law and the Prophets has ended, but
now the GOSPEL of the kingdom of God has
been preached, by John and his disciples;
by Jesus and His disciples… and crowds of people have been following Jesus
in order to have access to the kingdom of God.
Since Moses and his receiving the Law of God on Mount Sinai no one has ever
been righteous before God by keeping the Law. We’re all born under the rule
of sin and death and every thought and deed has in some way violated God’s
holiness. We all stand condemned. These men believed that by rewriting God’s
Word and placing deeper and higher requirements to it, and then writing
rules to keep them, the rulers, free from those requirements, and therefore
they became holy and righteous under their laws.
But now the Gospel has been preached and many hear the truth and believe
Jesus and they are flocking towards The Kingdom of God.
17
But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one stroke of a
letter of the Law to fail.
Example #1
These words from Jesus are pointed at the Pharisees, Sadducees, Scribes and
religious leaders. They hold to the Law as the entry qualifications to enter
the Kingdom of God. Jesus makes it very clear where the law stands – You
cannot be saved through the keeping of the law, you can only be condemned by
it. Heaven and earth itself could pass away – but the Law of God remains. It
is the very nature of God. The only way past that condemnation… is by the
Grace of God to grant it as a gift of forgiveness and love.
18
“Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and he
who marries one who is divorced from a husband commits adultery.”
Example #2
This example seems to be pretty far out of
context, but it’s actually right on. God’s word states that He hates divorce
(Malachi 2:16). The deepest reasons concern Genesis 2:18 and the creating of
the woman by separating her from the man (using His rib).
“This is bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh;
She shall be called Woman because she was taken out of man.”
The man and the woman were created to be together as a unit.
The Godly wedding ceremony is the act of reuniting a man and a woman and
once again, making them “one flesh.” So, now we might ask, “Why is this so
important?”
At a time in our future, when we believers are
brought together for the first time in Heaven at “The Marriage Feast of The
Lamb,”
[2]
the Body of Christ (the Church) will be officially married to Jesus as His
bride. All of the Marriage rite for all time has been a foreshadowing of
this moment in the future in heaven. To divorce one from the other is a
sacrilege of the heart and mind of God in His intentions for Christ and His
bride… And the corrupt religious leadership of God’s “Chosen” nation wrote
their laws to that no one could divorce except the writers of this new set
of laws. They made sure that they were exempt. They were claiming their
faithfulness to Divorce, but relying upon legal “loopholes” to free
themselves from the marriage divorce laws.
This verse has probably touched a nerve in many people. This was the law
given to a covenanted nation (a nation under a binding contract with their
God). That’s the relationship of Israel and God. Then, by extension, all Old
Testament non-Jewish believers were also included by default. In the New
Testament (and promised by the Prophets) believers now fall under the early
benefits of the New Covenant which will come into full force at the end of
the Tribulation and the introduction of the promised Kingdom of God being
established on earth and the New Jerusalem. When Jesus died on the Cross,
and was resurrected, mankind was freed from the effects of the Law. Now all
of humanity is responsible for only one moment in their entire lives: The
moment when they say “Yes” to believing in Jesus the Savior God. Those who
never come to that moment, before their deaths, will find themselves fully
guilty of rejecting the Son of God, and being sentenced to eternity apart
from God in the torturous place called Hell.
John 3:18
The one who believes in Him is not judged; the one who does not believe has
been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son
of God.
So, this lesson is to all those who scoff at the existence of God, His Holy
Spirit, and His beloved only begotten Son, Jesus, and those who specifically
scoff at the salvation freely offered through Jesus’ death on the Cross.
This negative choice deserves serious consideration. As philosopher Sorin
Kierkegaard observed that aside from the constant suffering and burning,
there would be the hopelessness felt by rejecting Christ (as one would feel
being alive eternally in Hell) desperately wanting to die… but not ever
being able to die.
Make your choice wisely.
FOLLOW-UP QUESTIONS
WITHOUT ANSWERS
1.
In the first part of the chapter, what is the lesson (Lk 16:1-13)
that Jesus teaches the Pharisees?
2.
Why does Jesus bring up this lesson at this time?
3.
What verse tells us the main point of this parable?
4.
What is your reaction to acquiring wealth for yourself?
5. The last conclusions that you should get from this parable is…?
FOLLOW-UP QUESTIONS WITH ANSWERS
1.
In the first part of the chapter, what is the lesson (Lk 16:1-13)
that Jesus teaches the Pharisees?
It tells us of two separate, and important, lessons
concerning the 1.) the misuse of money and 2.) the misuse of power and
authority. Jesus uses this introduction to the chapter to bring out the
important truth – “You cannot serve two masters – The Lord God and money at
the same time.
2.
Why does Jesus bring up this lesson at this time?
If
you stand back from this parable and view the bigger picture you should see
the importance that the Pharisees place on money and power. They have made
up hundreds of rules for living a “righteous” life to have more control over
the populace. Both they and the Romans had introduced any number of cultural
laws and taxes in order for themselves to become wealthy. In doing so they
have set themselves to “serve money,” but then this makes them not being
able to serve their God effectively. God is very unhappy with them taking
this route – placing money above good works for His Kingdom. God reveals
that they, by choosing money as their most important job, the Pharisees (and
all of the Jewish leadership) have placed themselves into the position of
becoming those who are devoted to money and not God (“You can not serve
two masters… you cannot serve God and wealth”). So Jesus brings this up
to the Pharisees while He is ministering to all those who are following Him.
3.
What verse tells us the main point of this parable?
Luke
16:14 – “Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, were listening to all
these things and were scoffing at Him.”
It’s here
that we hear Jesus’ explanation of the route cause for this parable. Jesus
was talking about money as a dividing line between serving God or serving
self to the exclusion of God.
4.
What is your reaction to acquiring wealth for yourself?
Do you sit at home reading the financial times but
not reading your Bible. While in Church is your mind spread all over your
financial affairs and you are intellectually fully engaged in your own
affairs, especially financial affairs while the Pastor preaches. Or... is
your head clear and your focus upon God’s Word as it is being preached to
you? Is your heart contemplating that new beautiful car (and it’s cost)
instead of going to church and worshipping Him? Or is that church project
tucked way back in your mind while you dream of wealth and things?
5.
The last conclusions that you should get from this parable is…?
First, recognize the difference between what you
want (money and power) and what God wants for you (A clear conscience and a
mind occupied with service to Him. And remember… “You cannot service God and
wealth.”
Then, secondly, the revelation (Lk 16:16) that God’s
Word is the ultimate authority for those who wish to belong to Him. The
Pharisees (and other religious leaders of His Son’s time) were all
classified by Jesus as the ones who have set God’s Word aside and replaced
it with a Pharisaic set of “works” laws for all the people, except
themselves. Jesus then tells them, “that it is easier for God’s heaven, and
our earth, to pass away than a single stroke of the pen of God’s Law to
fail.”
