Jesus has been teaching about discipleship. And one of the most important lessons disciples must learn is that Jesus' message will be vigorously opposed, and therefore their own will be also. Jesus warned his disciples repeatedly that he would be rejected and put to death (Luke 18:32-34), and that after his departure they too would be rejected, falsely accused, and persecuted (Luke 21:17; John 15:18). This has in fact been the lot of Jesus' disciples around the world from that day to the present.
But the second half of what he said to them on this subject was that, despite intense opposition, his message would continue to win those who were willing to enter the "narrow gateway" into Life. And that in the end, when he returned to Earth, the Kingdom of God would triumph. This second half of his message was designed to give hope and encouragement.
Today's lesson contains both elements. It begins with Jesus describing how God's revelation began with the Law and the Prophets and continued down to his own appearance as the Messiah, announced first by his forerunner, John the Baptizer. From that point on a new and climactic message appeared and crowned the Old Testament revelation: "the good news ('gospel') of the Kingdom of God".
As expected, Satan's minions were happy with neither revelation. And just as the new form of God's message, "the good news of the Kingdom of God", was much more glorious and intense than what preceded it, so also Satan's opposition became much more intense and open. We have seen how there was a heavy outbreak of demon possession precisely during the lifetime of Jesus. Jesus met this opposition and defeated it. But the intensity needed to be explained to the disciples. This intense, violent opposition—both in the form of demonic possession and of criticism and accusations against Jesus by his human opponents among Pharisees and temple clergy—is what is referred to in the last phrase of v. 16, which should be translated: "and everyone (meaning all his critics) attacks it (that is the Kingdom of God taking shape in Jesus' teaching and healings) violently". If you sample the available English translations of this verse, you will find many who translate " enter it violently", which not only makes no sense, but stretches the meaning of the Greek verb biazetai, which has nothing to do with entering, and only means "treat with violence".
That this phrase does not mean that everyone is welcoming to the Kingdom violently is also clear by the next verse which shows a contrast by the use of the conjunction "but" (Greek de):
"But (that is, nevertheless) it is easier for Heaven and Earth to pass away, than for one dot of the law to become void".In other words, Jesus assures his disciples that, in spite of the violent opposition to his message, the "good news of the Kingdom", which he himself has just explained to be in continuation with the Law and the Prophets, God's Word will not be replaced or invalidated—it will remain in force and will prevail ultimately.
At this point, Luke records that Jesus uses just one sample of ethical teaching derived from from the Law and the Prophets to represent the entire teaching of God's Word. Interestingly enough, it was the one ethical matter that in Jesus' own day—as well as today!—was the most unpopular, namely the teaching that God intended marriages to be permanent: that marriages should not be dissolved by divorce.
There were two schools of thought among the learned religious scholars of Jesus' time. The school of Hillel advocated easy divorce. No courtroom procedure was necessary. A man simply said to his wife "I divorce you" three times, and it was legal. A man could divorce his wife for burning the toast at breakfast. Divorce initiated by the wife was not so easy, but it could also be had. The second school, that of Shammai , discouraged divorce under all but the most serious reasons. Judging from other passages in the gospels where Jesus taught on the subject, he followed the second school. Only a few extremely serious situations called for divorce.
The Old Testament itself had laws governing (i.e., regulating) divorce, but not prohibiting it. Yet Jesus, reasoning from the intention of God in instituting marriage in the first place, argued that it was always intended to be permanent. In marriage, God joined two persons and made them "one flesh". What God had joined together humans should not seek to separate.
Now this blog posting is not about divorce per se. To do that properly I would have to lead you to many different passages in the Bible and several different sayings of Jesus on the subject. No, I only write these things to give some background to what Jesus says here. I believe he chose the divorce issue deliberately to show that even the most apparently unpopular of God's ethical requirements for his disciples will not be revoked by him, but will prevail, in spite of the most intense opposition.
For us, dear friends, today's passage from Luke underlines how important Jesus considers it that his disciples follow him and in following him, follow the Scriptures. For us, living after his cross and resurrection, there is not only "the Law and the Prophets": there are also the New Testament writings, the gospels, the letters of Paul and the other Apostles. These offer us a fuller revelation than the "Law and the Prophets" could give of God's saving grace as well as his expectations of us in daily living. These make up our entire Bible—Old and New Testaments—which despite the opposition which the opponents of Jesus hurl against it remains the disciple's main resource and his/her treasure. Make it your treasure, as well as your daily resource!
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