Daily Devotions
Luke
Luke 16 : 14-17 "THE LAW AND THE PROPHETS WERE UNTIL JOHN..." Luke 16:16"
Day 200 – Luke 16
Text: Luke 16 : 14-17
“THE LAW AND THE PROPHETS WERE UNTIL JOHN…” Luke 16:16
Jesus defended His teachings by appealing to God as well as the Scriptures, here described as “The Law and the Prophets”. The teachings that Jesus proclaimed were always from the Scriptures. At all times, Jesus could appeal to God His Father for support.
In John’s Gospel, this approach of Jesus was even more clearly stated. We read,
“And the Father Himself, who sent Me,
has testified of Me.”
John 5:37
“You search the Scriptures, for in them
you think you have eternal life;
and these are they which testify of Me.”
John 5:39
What is significant here is that Jesus once again declared John to be a very special servant of God. In Luke 7, Jesus gave the highest praise to John,
“For I say to you, among those born of women
there is not a prophet than John the Baptist…”
Luke 7:28
The Law and the Prophets were of course highly esteemed by all. They constituted the Scriptures. Of course there was a high regard for The Law and the Prophets. But what about John the Baptiser?
The Pharisees and lawyers obviously did not have a very high regard for John the Baptiser. They were described by Luke as people who had
“Rejected the will of God for themselves,
not having been baptized by him (John).”
Luke 7:30
The significance of the ministry of John was due to the fact that he was the forerunner of the Messiah. His ministry heralded the appearance of the Messiah (Luke 7:27).
The Pharisees justified their pursuit for wealth to their own peril. The Messiah had come into their midst, but they were so caught up with their earthly, material pursuits that they had failed to appreciate “the kingdom of God (that had been) preached” (Luke 16:16).
“EVERYONE IS PRESSING INTO IT…” Luke 16:16
What would truly be the greatest treasure? What are true riches? Surely entrance into the Kingdom of God would be a priceless treasure! Jesus was trying to present this idea logically to the Pharisees. What could be more important than to be admitted into the kingdom of God?
Everyone is pressing into it. Even the tax-collectors and the sinners knew that they had the greatest opportunity to enter into the Kingdom of God. They sought to find faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
However, the Pharisees were adamant. They had rejected John’s Baptism. They had also rejected the teachings of Jesus.
They did not seem very keen about the Kingdom of God that Jesus proclaimed. This was something that Jesus noted sadly. Once again, He preached about the Kingdom of God to the Pharisees.
He was right in sounding out a word of warning about having two masters.
“No servant can serve two masters;
for either he will hate the one
and love the other,
or else he will be loyal to the one
and despise the other.
You cannot serve God and mammon”
Luke 16:13
The Pharisees had fallen in love with money. They were in fact serving money as their master. They could not accept another master. Their love for money was so strong, that they did not even give very much consideration to the teachings of Jesus. They just derided Him immediately after hearing Him.
The Pharisees exemplify the danger of becoming “lovers of money”. Their hearts had changed and had become so caught up with the riches of the world that they could not even appreciate God, the Scriptures or the Kingdom of God. They had become snared. They now served a different master- Mammon!
“AND IT IS EASIER FOR HEAVEN AND EARTH TO PASS AWAY THAN FOR ONE TITTLE OF THE LAW TO FAIL” Luke 16:17
Jesus’ closing words to the Pharisees were both an appeal and a solemn warning.
1. AN APPEAL TO APPRECIATE THE WORD OF GOD
The Psalmist David had the highest regard and love for the Scriptures. His appreciation for the Word of God was beautifully stated in a psalm he wrote.
“More to be desired are they than gold,
Yea, than much fine gold”
Psalm 19:10
The Pharisees had sold the Word of God short! They, who prided themselves as people who knew the Scriptures, did not know how to treasure the Word of God.
2. A SOLEMN WARNING
The Word of God would never fail. It contained many words of warning about the sin of covetousness. The Pharisees would fall should they not heed the Word of God that would not pass away. How we must learn to TREASURE the Word of God. May we never become lovers of money and run the danger of being enslaved by it.