Luke 12
12
A Warning against Hypocrisy
(Mt 10.26–27)
1 #
Mt 16.6; Mk 8.15 As thousands of people crowded together, so that they were stepping on each other, Jesus said first to his disciples, “Be on guard against the yeast of the Pharisees — I mean their hypocrisy. 2#Mk 4.22; Lk 8.17Whatever is covered up will be uncovered, and every secret will be made known. 3So then, whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in broad daylight, and whatever you have whispered in private in a closed room will be shouted from the housetops.
Whom to Fear
(Mt 10.28–31)
4 “I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot afterwards do anything worse. 5I will show you whom to fear: fear God, who, after killing, has the authority to throw into hell. Believe me, he is the one you must fear!
6 “Aren't five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one sparrow is forgotten by God. 7Even the hairs of your head have all been counted. So do not be afraid; you are worth much more than many sparrows!
Confessing and Rejecting Christ
(Mt 10.32–33; 12.32; 10.19–20)
8 “I assure you that for those who declare publicly that they belong to me, the Son of Man will do the same before the angels of God. 9But those who reject me publicly, the Son of Man will also reject before the angels of God.
10 #
Mt 12.32; Mk 3.29 “Whoever says a word against the Son of Man can be forgiven; but those who say evil things against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.
11 #
Mt 10.19–20; Mk 13.11; Lk 21.14–15 “When they bring you to be tried in the synagogues or before governors or rulers, do not be worried about how you will defend yourself or what you will say. 12For the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say.”
The Parable of the Rich Fool
13A man in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide with me the property our father left us.”
14Jesus answered him, “My friend, who gave me the right to judge or to divide the property between you two?” 15And he went on to say to them all, “Watch out and guard yourselves from every kind of greed; because a person's true life is not made up of the things he owns, no matter how rich he may be.”
16Then Jesus told them this parable: “There was once a rich man who had land which bore good crops. 17He began to think to himself, ‘I haven't anywhere to keep all my crops. What can I do? 18This is what I will do,’ he told himself; ‘I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, where I will store my corn and all my other goods. 19Then I will say to myself, Lucky man! You have all the good things you need for many years. Take life easy, eat, drink, and enjoy yourself!’ 20But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night you will have to give up your life; then who will get all these things you have kept for yourself?’ ”
21And Jesus concluded, “This is how it is with those who pile up riches for themselves but are not rich in God's sight.”
Trust in God
(Mt 6.25–34)
22Then Jesus said to the disciples, “And so I tell you not to worry about the food you need to stay alive or about the clothes you need for your body. 23Life is much more important than food, and the body much more important than clothes. 24Look at the crows: they don't sow seeds or gather a harvest; they don't have storerooms or barns; God feeds them! You are worth so much more than birds! 25Can any of you live a bit longer#12.25 live a bit longer; or grow a bit taller. by worrying about it? 26If you can't manage even such a small thing, why worry about the other things? 27#1 Kgs 10.4–7; 2 Chr 9.3–6Look how the wild flowers grow: they don't work or make clothes for themselves. But I tell you that not even King Solomon with all his wealth had clothes as beautiful as one of these flowers. 28It is God who clothes the wild grass — grass that is here today and gone tomorrow, burnt up in the oven. Won't he be all the more sure to clothe you? How little faith you have!
29 “So don't be all upset, always concerned about what you will eat and drink. 30(For the pagans of this world are always concerned about all these things.) Your Father knows that you need these things. 31Instead, be concerned with his Kingdom, and he will provide you with these things.
Riches in Heaven
(Mt 6.19–21)
32 “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father is pleased to give you the Kingdom. 33Sell all your belongings and give the money to the poor. Provide for yourselves purses that don't wear out, and save your riches in heaven, where they will never decrease, because no thief can get to them, and no moth can destroy them. 34For your heart will always be where your riches are.
Watchful Servants
35 #
Mt 25.1–13
“Be ready for whatever comes, dressed for action and with your lamps lit, 36#Mk 13.34–36like servants who are waiting for their master to come back from a wedding feast. When he comes and knocks, they will open the door for him at once. 37How happy are those servants whose master finds them awake and ready when he returns! I tell you, he will take off his coat, ask them to sit down, and will wait on them. 38How happy they are if he finds them ready, even if he should come at midnight or even later! 39#Mt 24.43–44And you can be sure that if the owner of a house knew the time when the thief would come, he would not let the thief break into his house. 40And you, too, must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you are not expecting him.”
The Faithful or the Unfaithful Servant
(Mt 24.45–51)
41Peter said, “Lord, does this parable apply to us, or do you mean it for everyone?”
42The Lord answered, “Who, then, is the faithful and wise servant? He is the one that his master will put in charge, to run the household and give the other servants their share of the food at the proper time. 43How happy that servant is if his master finds him doing this when he comes home! 44Indeed, I tell you, the master will put that servant in charge of all his property. 45But if that servant says to himself that his master is taking a long time to come back and if he begins to beat the other servants, both the men and the women, and eats and drinks and gets drunk, 46then the master will come back one day when the servant does not expect him and at a time he does not know. The master will cut him in pieces#12.46 cut him in pieces; or throw him out. and make him share the fate of the disobedient.
47 “The servant who knows what his master wants him to do, but does not get himself ready and do it, will be punished with a heavy whipping. 48But the servant who does not know what his master wants, and yet does something for which he deserves a whipping, will be punished with a light whipping. Much is required from the person to whom much is given; much more is required from the person to whom much more is given.
Jesus the Cause of Division
(Mt 10.34–36)
49 “I came to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already kindled! 50#Mk 10.38I have a baptism to receive, and how distressed I am until it is over! 51Do you suppose that I came to bring peace to the world? No, not peace, but division. 52From now on a family of five will be divided, three against two and two against three. 53#Mic 7.6Fathers will be against their sons, and sons against their fathers; mothers will be against their daughters, and daughters against their mothers; mothers-in-law will be against their daughters-in-law, and daughters-in-law against their mothers-in-law.”
Understanding the Time
(Mt 16.2–3)
54Jesus said also to the people, “When you see a cloud coming up in the west, at once you say that it is going to rain — and it does. 55And when you feel the south wind blowing, you say that it is going to get hot — and it does. 56Hypocrites! You can look at the earth and the sky and predict the weather; why, then, don't you know the meaning of this present time?
Settle with your Opponent
(Mt 5.25–26)
57 “Why do you not judge for yourselves the right thing to do? 58If someone brings a lawsuit against you and takes you to court, do your best to settle the dispute with them before you get to court. If you don't, they will drag you before the judge, who will hand you over to the police, and you will be put in jail. 59There you will stay, I tell you, until you pay the last penny of your fine.”
Currently Selected:
Luke 12: GNBDK
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
Good News Bible with Deuterocanonicals/Apocrypha. Scripture taken from the Good News Bible (r) (Today's English Version Second Edition, UK/British Edition). Copyright © 1992 British & Foreign Bible Society. Used by permission.
Luke 12
12
1In those times, the myriads of the crowd being gathered together, so that they trod one on another, he began to say to his disciples first, Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy; 2but there is nothing covered up which shall not be revealed, nor secret that shall not be known; 3therefore whatever ye have said in the darkness shall be heard in the light, and what ye have spoken in the ear in chambers shall be proclaimed upon the housetops. 4But I say to you, my friends, Fear not those who kill the body and after this have no more that they can do. 5But I will shew you whom ye shall fear: Fear him who after he has killed has authority to cast into hell; yea, I say to you, Fear him. 6Are not five sparrows sold for two assaria? and one of them is not forgotten before God. 7But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore, ye are better than many sparrows. 8But I say to you, Whosoever shall confess me before men, the Son of man will confess him also before the angels of God; 9but he that shall have denied me before men shall be denied before the angels of God; 10and whoever shall say a word against the Son of man it shall be forgiven him; but to him that speaks injuriously against the Holy Spirit it shall not be forgiven. 11But when they bring you before the synagogues and rulers and the authorities, be not careful how or what ye shall answer, or what ye shall say; 12for the Holy Spirit shall teach you in the hour itself what should be said.
13And a person said to him out of the crowd, Teacher, speak to my brother to divide the inheritance with me. 14But he said to him, Man, who established me as a judge or a divider over you? 15And he said to them, Take heed and keep yourselves from all covetousness, for it is not because a man is in abundance that his life is in his possessions. 16And he spoke a parable to them, saying, The land of a certain rich man brought forth abundantly. 17And he reasoned within himself saying, What shall I do? for I have not a place where I shall lay up my fruits. 18And he said, This will I do: I will take away my granaries and build greater, and there I will lay up all my produce and my good things; 19and I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much good things laid by for many years; repose thyself, eat, drink, be merry. 20But God said to him, Fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee; and whose shall be what thou hast prepared? 21Thus is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.
22And he said to his disciples, For this cause I say unto you, Be not careful for life, what ye shall eat, nor for the body, what ye shall put on. 23The life is more than food, and the body than raiment. 24Consider the ravens, that they sow not nor reap; which have neither storehouse nor granary; and God feeds them. How much better are ye than the birds? 25But which of you by being careful can add to his stature one cubit? 26If therefore ye cannot do even what is least, why are ye careful about the rest? 27Consider the lilies how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; but I say unto you, Not even Solomon in all his glory was clothed as one of these. 28But if God thus clothe the grass, which to-day is in the field and to-morrow is cast into the oven, how much rather you, O ye of little faith? 29And ye, seek not what ye shall eat or what ye shall drink, and be not in anxiety; 30for all these things do the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that ye have need of these things; 31but seek his kingdom, and all these things shall be added to you. 32Fear not, little flock, for it has been the good pleasure of your Father to give you the kingdom. 33Sell what ye possess and give alms; make to yourselves purses which do not grow old, a treasure which does not fail in the heavens, where thief does not draw near nor moth destroy. 34For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be. 35Let your loins be girded about, and lamps burning; 36and ye like men who wait their own lord whenever he may leave the wedding, that when he comes and knocks, they may open to him immediately. 37Blessed are those bondmen whom the lord on coming shall find watching; verily I say unto you, that he will gird himself and make them recline at table, and coming up will serve them. 38And if he come in the second watch, and come in the third watch, and find them thus, blessed are those bondmen. 39But this know, that if the master of the house had known in what hour the thief was coming, he would have watched, and not have suffered his house to be dug through. 40And ye therefore, be ye ready, for in the hour in which ye do not think it, the Son of man comes.
41And Peter said to him, Lord, sayest thou this parable to us, or also to all? 42And the Lord said, Who then is the faithful and prudent steward, whom his lord will set over his household, to give the measure of corn in season? 43Blessed is that bondman whom his lord on coming shall find doing thus; 44verily I say unto you, that he will set him over all that he has. 45But if that bondman should say in his heart, My lord delays to come, and begin to beat the menservants and the maidservants, and to eat and to drink and to be drunken, 46the lord of that bondman shall come in a day when he does not expect it, and in an hour he knows not of, and shall cut him in two and appoint his portion with the unbelievers. 47But that bondman who knew his own lord's will, and had not prepared himself nor done his will, shall be beaten with many stripes; 48but he who knew it not, and did things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few. And to every one to whom much has been given, much shall be required from him; and to whom menhave committed much, they will ask from him the more. 49I have come to cast a fire on the earth; and what will I if already it has been kindled? 50But I have a baptism to be baptised with, and how am I straitened until it shall have been accomplished! 51Think ye that I have come to give peace in the earth? Nay, I say to you, but rather division: 52for from henceforth there shall be five in one house divided; three shall be divided against two, and two against three: 53father against son, and son against father; mother against daughter, and daughter against mother; a mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.
54And he said also to the crowds, When ye see a cloud rising out of the west, straightway ye say, A shower is coming; and so it happens. 55And when ye see the south wind blow, ye say, There will be heat; and it happens. 56Hypocrites, ye know how to judge of the appearance of the earth and of the heaven; how is it then that ye do not discern this time? 57And why even of yourselves judge ye not what is right? 58For as thou goest with thine adverse party before a magistrate, strive in the way to be reconciled with him, lest he drag thee away to the judge, and the judge shall deliver thee to the officer, and the officer cast thee into prison. 59I say unto thee, Thou shalt in no wise come out thence until thou hast paid the very last mite.
Currently Selected:
:
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
First published in 1890. This edition is maintained by the British and Foreign Bible Society.