Read & explore together
The Law and the Prophets in Luke
In this short teaching, Jesus answers people who scoff at him. He exposes outward religion that seeks human approval, then speaks about God’s kingdom, the lasting authority of the law, and a serious example from marriage.
Understanding the passage
Understanding the passage
The passage begins when the Pharisees hear Jesus and scoff. Luke identifies them as lovers of money. Jesus replies directly to them about self-justification before people, what God sees in the heart, the preaching of God’s kingdom from the time of John, and the continuing weight of the law.
Luke 16:14–18Main takeaway
Jesus teaches that God sees beyond outward appearances, his kingdom is now being preached, and God’s law is not treated lightly.
Explore the teaching
Open a card to explore the full explanation and its Bible references.
01Scoffing and the love of moneyLuke says the Pharisees heard Jesus and scoffed at him. He also identifies them as lovers of money.
Explanation
Luke says the Pharisees heard Jesus and scoffed at him. He also identifies them as lovers of money. That detail matters because Jesus is answering people whose values are exposed by their reaction. Their response is not careful listening, but contempt toward what Jesus has been saying.
02What people praise is not always what God approvesJesus says they justify themselves in the sight of men, while God knows their hearts. So the issue is deeper than public appearance.
Explanation
Jesus says they justify themselves in the sight of men, while God knows their hearts. So the issue is deeper than public appearance. He adds that what is exalted among men can be an abomination in God’s sight. Human approval and God’s judgement are not the same measure.
03The law, the prophets, and the kingdomJesus says, “The law and the prophets were until John.” Then he says that from that time the good news of God’s kingdom is preached.
Explanation
Jesus says, “The law and the prophets were until John.” Then he says that from that time the good news of God’s kingdom is preached. The passage does not explain every detail of “everyone is forcing his way into it”, but it clearly marks a time when the kingdom is being proclaimed.
04The law still carries full weightJesus immediately adds that it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one tiny stroke of a pen in the law to fall.
Explanation
Jesus immediately adds that it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one tiny stroke of a pen in the law to fall. A tiny stroke of a pen points to the smallest written mark. Jesus presents God’s law as enduring and not disposable.
05A searching example from marriageJesus then gives a specific example. He says that divorcing a wife and marrying another is adultery, and marrying a woman divorced from a husband is also adultery.
Explanation
Jesus then gives a specific example. He says that divorcing a wife and marrying another is adultery, and marrying a woman divorced from a husband is also adultery. In this passage, the example shows that God’s standard reaches into real choices, not just public religious claims.
Questions to explore
Pause, look back at the verses and talk together.
01Why does Jesus’ reply to the Pharisees focus on the heart rather than outward respectability?
Look at the contrast between justifying oneself before people and God knowing the heart, then connect it with their scoffing response.
02What two things does Jesus place side by side in verses 16 and 17?
Notice that he speaks about the preaching of God’s kingdom and then immediately says the law will not lose even its smallest mark.
03How does verse 18 function in this passage?
Read it as Jesus’ concrete example showing that God’s standards apply in specific areas of life, not only in broad ideas.
Read the Bible passage
World English Bible ClassicScripture quotation · Public domain
Luke 16:14–18
14The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, also heard all these things, and they scoffed at him.
15He said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of men, but God knows your hearts. For that which is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God.
16“The law and the prophets were until John. From that time the Good News of God’s Kingdom is preached, and everyone is forcing his way into it.
17But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one tiny stroke of a pen in the law to fall.
18“Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery. He who marries one who is divorced from a husband commits adultery.