Luke 16:16-18 — The Word = TRUTH

READ THIS: Luke 16:16-18

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 their way into it. 17 It is easier for heaven and earth to disappear than for the least stroke of a pen to drop out of the Law.  18 “Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery, and the man who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

WHAT’S THIS MEAN, ANYWAY?

These verses are all about God’s Word! For us, when we think of the Word of God, we think of the Bible, but during the time of Jesus’s life, God’s Word was just the Old Testament (often called “the Law and the Prophets”). Jesus is trying to make a couple big points here about the Word, so let’s break it down.

The first thing Jesus wants to make clear is that God’s Word has been preached! Jesus says that even until the time of John the Baptist, God’s Word has been proclaimed. Think about the Old Testament… this makes sense! From the prophets of old to Moses, people have always been proclaiming God’s Word to His people. The second thing Jesus wants to make clear is that God’s Word doesn’t change! Jesus says it would be easier for heaven and earth to simply vanish than it would be for a single promise in God’s Word to fail. He uses verse 18 to emphasize it, quoting the Word and saying that in the same way that the rules about divorce and adultery have not changed since the early days of the Word, the rest of God’s Word does not change either! These verses should encourage us, because that means we can have confidence that when Jesus promises to be with us in His Word, we know it is the truth and not some empty promise! 

THINK ABOUT IT:

1. Why is it important that God’s Word doesn’t ever change? What does that say about who God is?

2. In the book of John, Jesus is literally described as God’s Word… what similarities do you see in Jesus and the way He speaks about God’s Word here?

TRY THIS:

We wrote a VBS song about God’s Word a while back! Check it out!

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