Luke 16:14-18: a reflection

When the Pharisees, who loved money, scoff at Jesus, he exposes the difference between what people exalt and what God values, reminding them that God sees the heart behind our self-justification. You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of men, Jesus says, but God knows your hearts. For that which is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God. The Pharisees justified themselves before others, keeping up an appearance of righteousness; but God knew their hearts. And Jesus warns that what is exalted and admired among people is not necessarily what God values; indeed, what people prize can be an abomination to God, who sees past appearances to the heart. This shows that God sees the heart, not the outward self-justification we present to others. God knows the heart behind our self-justification. What people exalt is not necessarily what God values. God sees past our appearances to the heart. Self-justification before people does not fool God, who knows the heart.

Notice the contrast Jesus draws: between justifying ourselves before people and God's knowledge of the heart. The Pharisees were skilled at justifying themselves in the sight of others, keeping up an appearance that won human approval and esteem. But Jesus says God knows their hearts; the self-justification that impressed people did not fool God, who saw past the appearance to the reality within. And he adds a searching warning: what is exalted among people, prized and admired by human standards, is not necessarily what God values, and can even be an abomination to him. This confronts us. We can be concerned to justify ourselves before others, to win human approval, to keep up an appearance that people admire; and we can measure ourselves by what people exalt. But God knows our hearts, and does not judge by appearances or by what people prize. What matters is not how we appear to others or whether we win their approval, but the reality of our hearts before God, who sees past all self-justification. We do well to care more about the truth of our hearts before God than about justifying ourselves before people. God sees the heart, not the appearance we present to others. What wins human approval is not necessarily what God values. Care more for the truth of your heart before God than for human approval. God is not fooled by self-justification; he knows the heart.

That is worth taking to heart, for God sees and knows the heart behind our self-justification, and what people exalt is not necessarily what he values. We can be concerned to justify ourselves before others, winning human approval and measuring ourselves by what people prize; but Jesus said God knows the heart, and what is exalted among people can be an abomination to God, who sees past appearances. God is not fooled by our appearances. Do not care most about justifying yourself before people or winning their approval; care about the truth of your heart before God, who knows it. Care more about the truth of your heart before God, who knows it, than about justifying yourself before people or winning their approval, as Jesus told the Pharisees, who justified themselves in the sight of others, that God knows the heart, and that what is exalted among people is not necessarily what God values but can even be an abomination in his sight; for we can be concerned to justify ourselves before others, to keep up an appearance that wins human approval and esteem, and to measure ourselves by what people exalt and admire, but God knows our hearts and is not fooled by our self-justification or impressed by mere appearances, and does not judge by what people prize, so that what matters is not how we appear to others or whether we win their approval but the reality of our hearts before God, who sees past all self-justification, and we do well to care more about the truth of our hearts before him than about justifying ourselves before people.