Luke 16:14 - 17
14 The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all these things, and they ridiculed him. 15 And he said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God.
16 “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.[e] 17 But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one dot of the Law to become void.
Questions:
ReplyDelete1. Is everything that is exalted among men an abomination?
2. What does it mean: "The Law and the Prophets were until John"?
3. Is it saying here that the kingdom of God has replaced the Law and the Prophets?
4. Is vs 17 saying that the Law and the Prophets is still in force?
https://hartmangroupdevotions.blogspot.com/2014/12/matthew-517-20-17-do-not-think-that-i.html?zx=63fcbab5a951ad4b says:
ReplyDeleteMatthew 5:17-20
17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. 19 Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.
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The antinomian viewpoint mentioned above holds that, because Jesus accomplished all that was required by the law, thus fulfilling it, he made it unnecessary for anyone to do anything further. Proponents of this view believe this view was described by the Apostles in Acts of the Apostles, and that the Jewish Christians overlooked such teaching as they continued to worship in Herod's Temple as prescribed by the Mosaic Law, even after the resurrection. According to this view, anyone accepting his gift of salvation would not only avoid consequences of failing to live up to the law, but is no longer expected to do any works of the law for any spiritual reason.
The opposite of antinomianism, a view also mentioned above, is that the entire Torah Law is still entirely applicable to Christians; not for salvation, but rather for simple obedience.
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The law is good, and it's been fulfilled by Christ. He was the one who fulfilled it; not us.
It means that while the gospel state supersedes and makes the Mosaic Covenant obsolete, it does not do it by opposing it but by becoming the perfection and fulfillment of it.
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If, however, the law of Moses bears the same relationship to men today, in terms of its binding status, then it was not fulfilled, and Jesus failed at what He came to do. On the other hand, if the Lord did accomplish His goal, then the law was fulfilled, and it is not a binding legal institution today. Further, if the law of Moses was not fulfilled by Christ—and thus remains as a binding legal system for today—then it is not just partially binding. Rather, it is a totally compelling system. Jesus plainly said that not one “jot or tittle” (representative of the smallest markings of the Hebrew script) would pass away until all was fulfilled. Consequently, nothing of the law was to fail until it had completely accomplished its purpose. Jesus fulfilled the law. Jesus fulfilled all of the law. We cannot say that Jesus fulfilled the sacrificial system, but did not fulfill the other aspects of the law. Jesus either fulfilled all of the law, or none of it. What Jesus' death means for the sacrificial system, it also means for the other aspects of the law.
https://biblehub.com/commentaries/luke/16-14.htm says:
ReplyDeleteThey derided him - The fact that they were "covetous" is here stated as the reason why they derided him, or, as it is literally, "they turned up the nose at him." They contemned or despised the doctrine which he had laid down, probably because it showed them that with their love of money they could not be the true friends of God, or that their profession of religion was really false and hollow. They were "attempting" to serve God and mammon, and they, therefore, looked upon his doctrine with contempt and scorn.
Is abomination - Is abominable, or hateful. The word used here is the one that in the Old Testament is commonly given to "idols," and denotes God's "abhorrence" of such conduct. But many things, much sought and admired, "are" hateful in his sight. The love of wealth and show, ambition and pride, frivolous and splendid vices, and all the wickedness that people contrive to "gild" and to make appear like virtue - external acts that "appear" well while the heart is evil - are abominable in the sight of God, and "should be" in the sight of people.
https://biblehub.com/commentaries/matthew/11-12.htm says:
ReplyDeleteAnd from the days of John ... - That is, from the days when John began to preach. It is not known how long this was, but it was not probably more than a year. Our Saviour here simply states a fact. He says there was a great rush or a crowd pressing to hear John. Multitudes went out to hear him, as if they were about to take the kingdom of heaven by force. See Matthew 3:5. So, he says, it has continued. Since "the kingdom of heaven," or "the gospel," has been preached, there has been a "rush" to it. People have been "earnest" about it; they have come "pressing" to obtain the blessing, as if they would take it by violence. There is allusion here to the manner in which cities were taken. Besiegers "pressed" upon them with violence and demolished the walls. With such "earnestness" and "violence," he says, people had pressed around him and John since they began to preach. There is no allusion here to the manner in which individual sinners seek salvation, but it is a simple record of the fact that multitudes had thronged around him and John to hear the gospel.
https://www.preceptaustin.org/luke-16-commentary says:
ReplyDeleteIronically, it was the zeal of the Pharisees for the Law that caused them to become focused on rituals and external acts that symbolized in their warped way of thinking that they were keeping of the Law. They abandoned true religion which is internal and of the heart and exchanged it for external behavior and ritual as their means by which they would achieve (self) righteousness.
Another reason the Pharisees who were lovers of money were scoffing at Jesus is because He had just taught in Luke 16:9 to "make friends for yourselves by means of the wealth of unrighteousness, so that when it fails, they will receive you into the eternal dwellings." In other words Jesus was saying invest in God, not in yourself, which clearly would have convicted the greedy Pharisees. They had no interest in or intention of using their money for purposes that Jesus had just brought to their attention. Like they lover of money Judas, they were in religion for the money for themselves, not for God and His Kingdom. And so they were exposed and convicted by Jesus' words which motivated them to mock His words. They were like those people Jesus described in John 3:19-20
“This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. 20 “For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed."
https://www.preceptaustin.org/luke-16-commentary continued:
ReplyDeleteAs Mattoon says "God's view and man's view of sin are at different ends. Sin is not done by chance, but by choice. Sin is not liberty to do what you want, it is lawlessness. Sin is not weakness, it is willfulness. It is not a disease, it is a decision. Jesus taught the importance of examining yourselves in order to conquer self-justification and having a ministry with other people. Self-righteousness claims to be both lawgiver and judge, claiming authority that belongs only to the Lord.
Matthew 6:1: 1 “Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven.
MacArthur explains "The Old Testament era, the era of promise, concluded with the ministry of John the Baptist, the last of the Old Testament prophets. In addition to being the final representative of the Old Testament era of promise, John was also the first representative of the New Testament era of fulfillment; his ministry bridged the two eras. The transition from John to Jesus, from the Old Testament era of promise to the New Testament era of fulfillment was complete.
And everyone is forcing his way into it - The easy part of this phase is identifying the "It" of course as the Kingdom of God. However there is a difference of opinion on what everyone is forcing his way into it means. One can see the interpretative differences even in the translations (which of course always have some element of interpretative bias even those considered more "literal") Translations #1-3 below interpret the verb biazo as passive voice (subject is a recipient of the action), whereas the others (the majority) interpret the verb biazo as middle voice (subject initiates the action and participates in the carrying out of the action).
everyone is urged to enter it. (Lk 16:16NET)
everyone is eager to get in. (Lk 16:16NLT)
everyone is strongly urged to enter it. (Lk 16:16CSB)
everyone forces his way into it. (Lk 16:16ESV)
everyone is forcing his way into it. (Lk 16:16NIV)
everyone tries to enter it by force. (Lk 16:16NRS)
everyone is pressing into it. (Lk 16:16NKJ)
everyone who enters does so with violence. (Luk 16:16 NAB)
https://www.preceptaustin.org/luke-16-commentary continued:
ReplyDeleteTo summarize these translations, there are basically two ideas - (1) everyone is forcing their way into the Kingdom of God and (2) everyone is strongly urged to enter the Kingdom of God. Of course the problem with a literal adherence to translation #1 is that it might seem to imply that one can work to obtain salvation. If I force myself hard enough by my self-efforts, I can gain entry into the Kingdom of God. Of course we know that Scripture elsewhere clearly teaches that salvation is by grace through faith, not works lest we would/could boast! (cf Eph 2:8-9).
Several proposed interpretations for Luke 16:16 bear examination. First, the term may be negative and in the middle voice: “all act violently against it.” On this rendering the kingdom is subject to universal opposition. This view presupposes a linkage to Matthew, since in the Matthean passage the force is clearly negative, where the whole world stands opposed to the kingdom. But...the link between Matthew and Luke here is doubtful. Second, the term may be positive and in the middle voice: “everyone tries to force his way into it”. But does this positive outlook match Jesus’ experiences? Far from everyone running to press their way into the kingdom, resistance to Jesus’ teachings and claims has been the common theme. Third and most probable, the verb may have a softened force and be in the passive voice: “all are urged insistently to come in”. The HCSB adopts this approach. This view fits the context, where Jesus exhorted his opponents constantly in a bid to persuade them to accept Him. Jesus presented the message to all, and all were given the chance to enter and share in the kingdom’s benefits (cp. Lk 14:15-24). But if one was to share in the kingdom message, one must respond to Jesus’ authority—not scoff at it (Lk 16:14). This third option obviously relieves the difficulties raised above in the introductory paragraph. If the image Luke meant to convey is of people being urged to enter the kingdom, there is no question of their entering forcibly, being forced in by another, or working their way to salvation.
https://www.preceptaustin.org/luke-16-commentary continued:
ReplyDeleteWilliam MacDonald - "Everyone is pressing into it" means that those who did respond to the message literally stormed into the kingdom. The tax collectors and sinners, for instance, had to jump over the roadblocks set up by the Pharisees. Others had to deal violently with the love of money in their own hearts. Prejudice had to be overcome."
Questions and findings:
ReplyDelete1. Is everything that is exalted among men an abomination?
No. Much of what men exalt is backwards from God's kingdom - and those things are an abomination. There are some things that men exalt that align with God because they are created in the image of God. Those things correspond and by definition are not an abomination.
2. What does it mean: "The Law and the Prophets were until John"?
3. Is it saying here that the kingdom of God has replaced the Law and the Prophets?
4. Is vs 17 saying that the Law and the Prophets is still in force?
Let's handle these three questions together and at length. First of all, I'm quite disappointed in the commentaries that say we need to follow the Old Testament law still. I was shocked at how many of them got this so wrong. It contradicts the very essence of the Gospel, and what Paul was fighting the judaizers about. There were even comments that tried to separate the Old Testament law into three categories and claiming that we needed to follow certain categories and not others. Rediculous! Either follow the Law or don't. Here's what Paul says about the Law:
Gal 3:2 - 3: 2 Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? 3 Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?
Gal 3:10 - 12: 10 For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.” 11 Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for “The righteous shall live by faith.”
Gal 3:19: 19 Why then the law? It was added because of transgressions, until the offspring should come to whom the promise had been made, and it was put in place through angels by an intermediary.
Gal 3:24 - 26 : So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. 25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, 26 for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.
Rom 6:14: For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.
Rom 7:4 - 6: 4 Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God. 5 For while we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death. 6 But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code.
(There are many more examples).
Paul does say that the Law is useful to use to show us the Holiness of God and to convince us of our complete lack of ability to follow it. But we must be careful not to think that Paul said we should live according to the Old Testament Law. We have Christ and live according to the Law of Christ. We can expect that there are certain resemblances to the old law, but we must never confuse the two.
Questions and findings continued:
ReplyDeleteSo given what is said in the rest of the New Testament, let's address these questions:
I think, given the above verses, it's clear that the Law and the Prophets were until John. Jesus fulfilled the Law and freed us from it.
Also, it is correct to say that Jesus fulfilled and replaced the Law (with His own). I don't see how Romans 7 (above) could be any more clear.
So, how do we deal with vs 17? "But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one dot of the Law to become void."
A lot of the commentaries use this verse to try to say that this means that the Old Testament Law is still in effect - in direct contradiction to the rest of the New Testament. I suggest that when there is a verse that seems to contradict the rest of the Bible, we stop and take a closer look.
Is Jesus saying that we are under the Law? No. Is Jesus saying that the Law is in effect until heaven and earth are destroyed? Not the way we understand it.
I am disappointed that I can't find the correct exegesis of this verse, and unfortunately, I lack the skills to give it. However, here is an attempt to give different possible explanations:
a. The Law cannot be fulfilled / ended unless something catastrophic was done - and Jesus was going to do just that with His death and resurrection.
b. The law Jesus is speaking of here is not the Old Testament Law, but the Law of Christ that He is implementing with His kingdom.
c. The Old Testament Law is being fulfilled by Jesus, and even though it's not in effect, it's still not void.
My feeling is that "a" interpretation is the correct interpretation, but it's just my guess. It actually fits the rest of the data in the New Testament, unlike most of the other interpretations out there.
This wasn't asked, but it should have been:
5. What does it mean that everyone is forces his way into the kingdom?
This is another difficult passage in which the commentaries get wrong. The main argument was over whether this was active or passive voice: whether people were forcing their way in or being forced in.
We are incapable of forcing our way into the kingdom. Recognizing that, people attemmpt to argue that this verse means that God is forcing us in. But, that doesn't make any sense either. So, we can't force our way in and God (or His followers) doesn't force us in. In my opinion, neither of these two views hold water.
I suggest that this verse is referring to the great spiritual battle that is occurring behind the scenes when the kingdom of God is being preached. When we are building God's kingdom here on earth, God and His angels exert spiritual force on our behalf, forcing the kingdom of darkness to give way.
Vs, 16 has always puzzled me. Your interpretation is interesting. I also think the way the HCSB translates that verse fits with the general thrust of Jesus' ministry -- that we are strongly urged to enter the Kingdom.
ReplyDeleteAs to the law, yes Jesus fulfilled all of it, but that does not make it void. It stands in judgement against those who reject Christ and it is informative about what God values, much like our house rules for our kids show what we value. When the rich young ruler comes to Jesus and asks how to inherit eternal life, Jesus asks him about his obedience to the ten commandments, which reinforces their value both to convict us of our need for a savior and to reveal God's plan for society. The rule of Christ for his kingdom is more like how we want our young adult children to behave - to have developed true love and character that goes beyond the letter of our family rules.
Thank for for this comment! The HCSB is the Holman Christian Study Bible. The verse in question is Luke 16:16. Here is the rendering by the HCSB:
Delete16 “The Law and the Prophets were[a] until John; since then, the good news of the kingdom of God has been proclaimed, and everyone is strongly urged to enter it.
My attempt to clarify (since this is a very complex topic) "It stands in judgement against those who reject Christ": I think that the Law isn't used to judge New Testament people, although it does "stand" in judgement against them. The judgement is made concerning whether people accept or reject Christ (just like what Maribeth said). However, Christ is the Author of the Law. The Law points toward Christ, and to reject what it points to will be what condemns people.
My apologies if that just confused things all the more. Like I said, it's a very complex topic (in my opinion).