Luke 16:16 - Printer Friendly

ESV: “The Law and the Prophets were until John; since then the good news of the kingdom of God is preached, and everyone forces his way into it.

NIV: The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John. Since that time, the good news of the kingdom of God is being preached, and everyone is forcing their way into it.

NASB: The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John came; since that time the gospel of the kingdom of God has been preached, and everyone is forcing his way into it.

CSB: "The Law and the Prophets were until John; since then, the good news of the kingdom of God has been proclaimed, and everyone is urgently invited to enter it.

NLT: Until John the Baptist, the law of Moses and the messages of the prophets were your guides. But now the Good News of the Kingdom of God is preached, and everyone is eager to get in.

KJV: The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it.

NKJV: “The law and the prophets were until John. Since that time the kingdom of God has been preached, and everyone is pressing into it.

Jesus has given a parable and several applications about the proper prioritization of money. Money should be used out of a desire to love God and love others. Those who love and are devoted to money do so at the expense of faithfulness to God (Luke 16:1–13).

Jesus is speaking to a large group of His disciples, but the ever-present Pharisees are listening in. They love money and are willing to bend the Mosaic law to its breaking point to get it (Mark 7:9–13). They have no real defense against what Jesus has said, however, so they "ridicule" Him (Luke 16:14). Jesus tells them that their obsession with money and attention and accolades from others are "an abomination in the sight of God" (Luke 16:15).

Here, Jesus explains that the Mosaic law, which the Pharisees claim to follow and value, is not a simplistic formula in which God leads people to salvation (Luke 16:17). The Law never provided salvation, in and of itself. For the Old Testament saints, it was a tutor that revealed they could never be righteous on their own; they had to rely on God's grace (Galatians 3:19–24). Salvation was evidenced by obedience (1 Samuel 15:22; John 14:15) yet has always been grounded in submissive faith (James 2:23; Romans 4:23–24; Galatians 3:11).

With the coming of John the Baptist, more of God's salvation plan was revealed: Jesus. Jesus is the savior of the world: the "good news."

The phrase "and everyone forces his way into it" is cryptic. No one can push their way into heaven. The Greek word biazetai is difficult to translate but has the sense of attack or violence. Although the language is similar, it is not parallel to Matthew 11:12–13. It's also unclear who is doing the forcing. Bible scholars offer different options. One is that the emphasis is on "everyone." Where once God offered salvation primarily to Jews living under the Law of Moses, now it is available to everyone, and Gentiles will rush to believe. While it is true the early church faced some aggression when Gentiles joined, it's too much to say Gentiles forced their way in.

Others, such as Darrell Bock, consider the context and the tone of the passage and interpret it to mean that Jesus is forcefully urging everyone towards the kingdom of God. Jesus vehemently tries to make everyone see the urgency. He is the way, and they need to believe Him!

Jesus goes on to say this doesn't mean the Mosaic law is "void" or useless. First, it points to Him (Acts 7:52). Second, it still teaches principles on how to live out faith. Part of those principles have to do with how to use money: to bless others (Deuteronomy 16:11, 14; Proverbs 19:17).

Luke 16:14–18 exposes the Pharisees' twisted relationship between their hearts, the Mosaic law, and the kingdom of God. They love money, and so reject Jesus' assertions about the antagonistic relationship between chasing wealth and following God. Jesus points out that this is a problem with their hearts, not the Law. He then gives another example: the callous way in which men divorce their wives. Next, Jesus will tell the story of the rich man and Lazarus, warning the Pharisees to let the Scriptures lead them to Him (Luke 16:19–31).

Teaching His disciples and confronting the Pharisees, Jesus offers several lessons about wealth and devotion to God. The first is a parable about a dishonest manager. This illustrates the value of being careful and clever with earthly resources. Jesus then uses remarks about the Law and marriage to introduce the story of the rich man and Lazarus. This not only highlights the dangers of greed, but it also debunks the common claim that a non-believer would submit to God if only they saw "a little more evidence" or a miracle.

The prior chapter included Jesus' teachings centered on lost things: the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the prodigal son. Luke 16 includes several of Jesus' lessons about living in the kingdom of God compared to the world system, beginning and ending with parables (Luke 16:1—17:10). Chapter 16 includes the parable of the dishonest manager, Jesus' teaching on how money reveals faith, and the story of the rich man and Lazarus. Luke 17:1–10 teaches about whether Christ-followers bear responsibility for others' sin, lessons about faith, and the parable of the unworthy servants.

Luke was a traveling companion of Paul (Acts 16:10) and a physician (Colossians 4:14). Unlike Matthew, Mark, and John, Luke writes his gospel as an historian, rather than as a first-hand eyewitness. His extensive writings also include the book of Acts (Acts 1:1–3). These are deliberately organized, carefully researched accounts of those events. The gospel of Luke focuses on the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ. Luke's Gentile perspective presents Christ as a Savior for all people, offering both forgiveness and direction to those who follow Him.