What does Luke 16:16 mean?
Jesus has given a parable and several applications about the proper prioritization of money. Money should be used out of a desire to love God and love others. Those who love and are devoted to money do so at the expense of faithfulness to God (Luke 16:1–13).Jesus is speaking to a large group of His disciples, but the ever-present Pharisees are listening in. They love money and are willing to bend the Mosaic law to its breaking point to get it (Mark 7:9–13). They have no real defense against what Jesus has said, however, so they "ridicule" Him (Luke 16:14). Jesus tells them that their obsession with money and attention and accolades from others are "an abomination in the sight of God" (Luke 16:15).
Here, Jesus explains that the Mosaic law, which the Pharisees claim to follow and value, is not a simplistic formula in which God leads people to salvation (Luke 16:17). The Law never provided salvation, in and of itself. For the Old Testament saints, it was a tutor that revealed they could never be righteous on their own; they had to rely on God's grace (Galatians 3:19–24). Salvation was evidenced by obedience (1 Samuel 15:22; John 14:15) yet has always been grounded in submissive faith (James 2:23; Romans 4:23–24; Galatians 3:11).
With the coming of John the Baptist, more of God's salvation plan was revealed: Jesus. Jesus is the savior of the world: the "good news."
The phrase "and everyone forces his way into it" is cryptic. No one can push their way into heaven. The Greek word biazetai is difficult to translate but has the sense of attack or violence. Although the language is similar, it is not parallel to Matthew 11:12–13. It's also unclear who is doing the forcing. Bible scholars offer different options. One is that the emphasis is on "everyone." Where once God offered salvation primarily to Jews living under the Law of Moses, now it is available to everyone, and Gentiles will rush to believe. While it is true the early church faced some aggression when Gentiles joined, it's too much to say Gentiles forced their way in.
Others, such as Darrell Bock, consider the context and the tone of the passage and interpret it to mean that Jesus is forcefully urging everyone towards the kingdom of God. Jesus vehemently tries to make everyone see the urgency. He is the way, and they need to believe Him!
Jesus goes on to say this doesn't mean the Mosaic law is "void" or useless. First, it points to Him (Acts 7:52). Second, it still teaches principles on how to live out faith. Part of those principles have to do with how to use money: to bless others (Deuteronomy 16:11, 14; Proverbs 19:17).
