Luke 16:14-17 14And the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all these things, and they ridiculed him. 15And he said to them, “You are the ones who justify yourselves before people, but God knows your hearts. For what is exalted among people is disgusting before God. 16The Law and the Prophets were until John; since then the good news of the kingdom of God is preached, and everyone uses force into it. 17But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one small letter of the Law to become void.”
The focus of attention switches back to the Pharisees who were listening in. They ridiculed (exemyktērizon) or sneered at Jesus in mockery and derision because his parables made no sense to their closed-minded views. The kingdom values that Jesus was talking about did not sit with them well because they were lovers of money. The greed of the Pharisees is mentioned in 11:39 and 20:46–47. Being a lover of money indicates selfishness and a desire to gain. Money itself is neutral but can lead to evil because it feeds the self bent in on itself and seeks to please fleshly desires (1 Timothy 6:9-10). To gain money often leads to abusing others. The concept of limited goods means when the rich get richer, the poor get poorer because there is only so much “goods” in the world to go around. Someone suffers when people get rich for selfish reasons. It is possible to be wealthy and have a good heart, but it is difficult to overcome the temptation of selfish ambition.
At first, Jesus does not address the issue of wealth but the deeper issue of attitude. The Pharisees try to justify themselves by their pious activities (10:29; 18:9, 14). They loved money but what they really loved was the attention of people. They liked the attention they got for praying out on the street corners and giving their tithes in the temple or synagogue. They looked impressive with the fashionable Pharisee robes. Everyone envied them. They were the celebrities of first century Judaism. The praise of people may have been a strong motivator of some of them to become a Pharisee.
But God saw the Pharisees’ hearts, which means God knew their thoughts and motives. Not all their activities were wrong but the attitude they had about them. God is all knowing. It is foolish to think we can fool God and hide bad thinking. Verse 15 contains a short proverb by which Jesus warns against trying to please people and look impressive to them. Conforming to the ways of the world (Romans 12:2) pulls us away from kingdom values. Living to please self in any way, especially in trying to look righteous is a disgusting (bdelygma) to God and not what God wants from people. It is chasing after the wind as far as getting into heaven.
Verses 16 and 17 imply that the Pharisees had misinterpreted God’s law. Jesus gives a very brief history of salvation in these verses. The Law and the Prophets have great value. It is wrong to think that the Law and Prophets, representing the Old Testament, are not valid for Christians any more or that we should not follow the laws in them. Not even the smallest letter (the small Hebrew stroke called a serif) will be taken away. The Law and Prophets led people to God until John the Baptist starting preaching and calling people to repent in preparation for the Messiah. The Scriptures showed the people how to find God.
After John, a new era began with Jesus preaching the kingdom of God. The kingdom has always existed, but Jesus came showing people what it took to enter it. People like the Pharisees had distorted the way and thought they could “force” (biazetai) their way in by their pious and legalistic actions. Jesus corrects this wrong thinking in these verses. The Scriptures were still valid but were being fulfilled in his ministry. The sacrificial laws would soon be fulfilled with his death and resurrection. For those with eyes of faith, it all makes sense. For those blinded by “works of righteousness” and selfish religiosity cannot see God’s plan of salvation. Jesus both saves the Old Testament and lifts up the way of faith in joining God’s kingdom.
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