Evening

May 16

Luke 16:14-16 ¹⁴The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and were sneering at Jesus. ¹⁵He said to them, "You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of men, but God knows your hearts. What is highly valued among men is detestable in God's sight. ¹⁶"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 his way into it.

Jesus was teaching about using money for the Kingdom of God and not letting it conquer our hearts. The Pharisees were upset with this because they loved money. Archeological evidence indicates these religious leaders were very well off. They associated wealth with the blessing of God on their lives. This passage tells us it was more than that in their hearts. They were in love with money.

What's wrong with loving money? It's not what God loves. We should be aligning our hearts with His heart. Natural man is inclined to love the things that God detests. What we drool over, God is disgusted with. Claiming that money was a blessing of God was merely a justification for rebelling against God. It was a way to enhance their respect in the eyes of men while continuing to do what their wicked hearts desired. It is just as prevalent today.

Then Jesus declared a turning point in history. The Law and the prophets were the word of God to mankind up through John the Baptist's ministry. John was the last of the prophets. Since John's death, the Kingdom of God has been preached. The Kingdom is about coming under the rule of the King. The King was speaking to them, but they were choosing to remain king of their own lives. Have you come under the rule of the King or does money or some other desire still reign over you? In the verse just prior to these, Jesus said, "You cannot serve God and money." What do you serve? There is only One worth serving. We will all serve something or someone. Jesus is the King that loves His subjects enough to die for them. The Kingdom of God is being preached.

Consider: Are you laying hold of the Kingdom with all your might?