Luke 16:13-18

·    *    The rebuke of the Pharisees, 16:13-18.

Jesus has encouraged His disciples to be wise in the use of earthly possessions.  We don’t worship money but money is part and parcel of live on earth, even for the sons of light.  Jesus was saying these words to His disciples (16:1), that you cannot serve God and mammon (16:13).  But as He speaks to His disciples there are others around, listening in, including some from the party of the Pharisees who, Luke notes, were lovers of money (16:14).  The Pharisees derided or sneered at Jesus for this statement.  The Pharisees thought you could love both money and God and that, in fact, the reason they had money was because they loved God.  It was a form of the health and wealth gospel we see today.

Jesus’ first words on the matter is to say that the Pharisees justify their love of money (greed, covetousness) by the fact that they esteem earthly things, things that are an abomination to God.  Remember the context here.  While addressing the Pharisees Jesus is still teaching His followers about living in this world while being citizens of heaven.  When the sons of light indicate that money is not all that important it is often met with ridicule by the people of this world.  The rich usually exalt themselves for having a lot of money; and the poor feel humbled and left out because they don’t have money.  So Jesus rebukes them. 

But what is He saying in v16?  By pressing into the kingdom Jesus does not mean one enters the kingdom by their own effort.  Discipleship is a faith issue.  But Scripture frequently speaks of the need to “strive” (Lk. 13:24), “be diligent” (Heb. 4:11; 2 Pt. 1:10), and “press on” (Phil. 3:12), in the matter of faith.  We must “strive to enter the narrow gate.” How can this be if salvation is not according to our effort?  The issue actually is that it is never easy to deny self and follow Christ.  The thing we must strive with is, in fact, the tendency of humans to think they must come to God by works, by our own effort. With violence one must deny himself to follow Christ (Matt. 11:12).  The Jews stumbled over this (Rom. 3:27f; 4:1-5, etc.) and so will we unless we are ruthless and untiring in striving to come by faith, apart from works.

The point in this context was that the Pharisees disregarded God by their view of money.  The reference in v18 to divorce is saying the same thing as their view of divorce was also a way they disregarded God.  They treated marriage and divorce as the men-pleasers they were, making it easy for a man to divorce his wife and to marry again.  The practices of these leaders resulted in committing adultery, a legal method of engaging in sexual relations with multiple women.

So on the one hand Jesus says His followers should use money wisely, and that faithfulness in that area will mean faithfulness in other areas of life (16:9-12).  But on the other hand Jesus tells His followers that there is a limit to the importance of money.  They cannot love money and love God at the same time.