Luke 16:16

Plain English Version

You know, God gave Moses the law for people to follow, and he sent his other men to tell people God’s messages. And God’s people had to follow those words, from the time of Moses until the time that John the Baptiser came. Then John told people about the new way. And I’m telling people about that new way too. I’m telling them how to join God’s family too, and now lots of people are trying hard to get into God’s family.

Cross References

Matthew 21:32

You see, John the Baptiser came and told everyone the right way to live, and you mob didn’t believe him. But some of those bad people did believe him, and they stopped doing bad things. And even when you saw them do that, you still didn’t change your minds. You didn’t say you were sorry for the bad things you did, and you didn’t turn around and follow God’s way.” (We have not yet translated 21:33—24:44. You can read most of those stories and messages in Mark chapters 12 and 13; Luke 11:37-51; 13:34-35; 14:15-24; 17:24-35.)

Matthew 3:2

He said, “Listen. God is going to show everyone how they can be in his family. So you have to stop doing bad things. You have to turn around and live God’s way.”

Matthew 4:17

Then Jesus started to tell everybody, “Listen. God is going to show everyone how they can be in his family. So you have to stop doing bad things. You have to turn around and live God’s way.”

Matthew 4:23

After that, Jesus went through all of Galilee country. He taught people in the Jewish meeting houses, and he told them the good news about God’s family. And he made a lot of sick people better. They had all sorts of sickness.

Mark 1:14

One day, that country’s government boss was angry with John the Baptiser, so he sent some soldiers to grab John and put him in jail. After that, Jesus went back to Galilee country, and he told everyone God’s good news.

Mark 1:45

But the man didn’t do what Jesus said. He went away and told everyone, “Jesus made me better.” After people heard the man’s story they went to Jesus from everywhere. Lots of people went to him and stood around him. So he couldn’t go into the towns any more, because there were too many people. So he had to stay out in the bush. But people still came from everywhere and found him, even in the bush.

Luke 16:29

But Abraham said, ‘God told his message to Moses, and to his other men too. They wrote God’s word in his book. Your brothers can read that book at any time, and if they do what God says, they will not end up in that bad place.’

Luke 16:31

But Abraham said, ‘Look, if they take no notice of Moses, and if they take no notice of the things that God’s men wrote in his book, they will not take any notice of anyone, not even a dead person that comes alive again.’ ”

John 1:45

Philip went to his friend Nathaniel and said to him, “We have found the special man that Moses wrote about in our Jewish law books. And God’s other messengers talked about this man too. His name is Jesus. He is from the town called Nazareth, and he is the son of Joseph.”

John 11:48

We have to do something. If we don’t stop him, all the people might believe in him, and they might make a lot of trouble. Then the Roman soldiers might come and smash God’s ceremony house here, and finish up our nation.”

John 12:19

The Pharisee mob were there too. They didn’t want Jesus because they were strong for the Jewish law. They said to each other, “Look, we still haven’t stopped this man. Everyone is starting to follow him.”

John 5:4

You see, those sick people wanted to get better, and they believed that sometimes one of God’s angel messengers came down and stirred the water in that pool. And they believed that after that, the first person to get into the water got better from any sickness they had.

Acts 3:18

But a long time ago, God told his men to tell people about Jesus, and those men wrote those messages in God’s book. They all said that God was going to send his special man, the man that is called the Christ, and they said that people were going to hurt him and kill him. And now God has made all that happen.