Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Luke 16:15

"And he said unto them, Ye are they that justify yourselves in the sight of men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God." — Luke 16:15 (ASV)

Money links the next verses with the preceding. The charge that the Pharisees do not have a proper sense of values leads to the saying about the value of the kingdom and the law (vv.16–17). In turn, the reference to the permanence of the law becomes the occasion for a specific example of a contested moral standard, divorce and remarriage (v.18).

Regarding v.14, Jewish teachers in Hellenistic society were aware that philosophers often taught for fees. Rabbis in the first centuries of our era often had secular jobs. The Pharisees would not have been immune to desires for remuneration commensurate with their own sense of importance. Note Paul’s desire not to be charged with greed (1 Thessalonians 2:5; cf. 1 Corinthians 9:12). Self-justification (v.15) is a temptation for religious people (cf. Matthew 5:20; 6:1).