Luke 16:15 Commentary and Bible Study

He doesn’t hesitate to confront them in the strongest possible terms. He doesn’t speak softly to them, as if they could be won over by treating them nicely. He has previously delivered a very kindly rebuke to them in the parable of the elder brother, but their sins need to be exposed, and now he will tell them plainly what God thinks of them. When Christ returns and all mankind is summoned before him to be judged, he will not be afraid to tell men and women plainly what their sins are and how wilful and stubborn they are in the sight of God. In that day, every knee will bow to him, and there will be terror in the hearts of every person. The Book of Revelation tells us: ‘And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; ¹⁶ And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: ¹⁷ For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?’ (Revelation 6:15-17). What aggravates their sin is their self-justification, their defence of their behaviour, such as they have just made to refute the charge that they are covetous. They have attacked the Lord Jesus in order to justify themselves. What concerns them is not what God really thinks of them – they do not have any wholesome fear of the Almighty. What troubles them is the possible loss of reputation before the people. This is always the chief concern of the hypocrite. When his mask slips, he quickly takes steps to restore it in place. Christ has not mentioned them by name so far in this chapter, but it is obvious to them, and to everyone else who is listening that his teaching applies to them. But though they keep up a pretence before men, God knows their hearts. They succeed in hiding nothing from him. Christ also knows their hearts and he sees the duplicity, the sham, the vain attempts to hide their covetousness, and their secret commitment to this world. ‘For that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.’ What is the approval of the world worth? Far from counting in our favour, it may actually count against us. God does not change his mind about us, because men think highly of us. Many people are confident because they believe they have the approval of the world. Would they feel so secure if they understood that the very things the world approves of, are abomination in God’s sight? To be approved of by an unbelieving world is to be condemned by God. Will men come to our defence and act as out advocates before the judgment seat of Christ? No, they will melt into the back ground, and each one will be concerned for his own skin.