Luke 12
12
Beware of the Leaven of the Pharisees
1In the meantime, #ch. 11:29 when so many thousands of the people had gathered together that they were trampling one another, he began to say to his disciples first, #Matt. 16:6, 11, 12; Mark 8:15 “Beware of #1 Cor. 5:6-8; Gal. 5:9 the leaven of the Pharisees, #Matt. 23:28; Mark 12:15which is hypocrisy. 2#ch. 8:17; Mark 4:22; [1 Tim. 5:25]; For ver. 2-9, see Matt. 10:26-33Nothing is covered up that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. 3Therefore whatever you have said in the dark shall be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in #Matt. 6:6 private rooms shall be proclaimed on #See ch. 5:19the housetops.
Have No Fear
4 “I tell you, my friends, #
Isa. 8:12, 13; 51:12, 13; Jer. 1:8; 1 Pet. 3:14 do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do. 5But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him #James 4:12who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell.#12:5 Greek Gehenna Yes, I tell you, fear him! 6Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies?#12:6 Greek two assaria; an assarion was a Roman copper coin worth about 1/16 of a denarius (which was a day’s wage for a laborer) And #[Ps. 50:11]not one of them is forgotten before God. 7Why, #See 1 Sam. 14:45 even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; #Matt. 6:26; 12:12you are of more value than many sparrows.
Acknowledge Christ Before Men
8 “And I tell you, # [Rom. 10:9, 10; Heb. 10:35; Rev. 3:5] everyone who acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man also will acknowledge # [ch. 15:10; Matt. 25:31; 1 Tim. 5:21; Rev. 3:5] before the angels of God, 9but #2 Tim. 2:12; 2 Pet. 2:1; 1 John 2:23; [Mark 8:38] the one who denies me before men #ch. 13:25; Matt. 7:23; 25:12 will be denied #[See ver. 8 above]before the angels of God. 10And #[Matt. 12:31, 32; Mark 3:28-30; Heb. 6:4-6; 10:26; 1 John 5:16] everyone who speaks a word #Matt. 11:19; John 7:12; 9:24 against the Son of Man #1 Tim. 1:12, 13 will be forgiven, but the one who #[Acts 7:51; Heb. 10:29]blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. 11#Matt. 10:17, 19; [ch. 21:12, 14; Mark 13:11] And when they #See Matt. 23:34 bring you before the synagogues and #Titus 3:1 the rulers and #Titus 3:1 the authorities, #See ver. 22do not be anxious about how you should defend yourself or what you should say, 12#See Matt. 10:19, 20for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”
The Parable of the Rich Fool
13 # ch. 11:27 Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” 14But he said to him, #Mic. 6:8; Rom. 2:1, 3; 9:20 “Man, #[Ex. 2:14; Acts 7:27]who made me a judge or arbitrator over you?” 15And he said to them, #1 Tim. 6:6-11; [Heb. 13:5]“Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” 16And he told them a parable, saying, #[Ps. 49:16-20]“The land of a rich man produced plentifully, 17and he thought to himself, #[Eccles. 5:10]‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ 18And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my #ver. 24barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up #[Prov. 27:1; James 4:13-15] for many years; relax, #Eccles. 2:24; 11:9; 1 Cor. 15:32; [ch. 15:23]eat, drink, be merry.”’ 20But God said to him, #Jer. 17:11; [Matt. 16:26] ‘Fool! #[See ver. 19 above] This night #Job 27:8 your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, #Ps. 39:6; [Job 27:17-22; Eccles. 2:18, 21]whose will they be?’ 21So is the one #Matt. 6:19, 20who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”
Do Not Be Anxious
22And he said to his disciples, #For ver. 22-31, see Matt. 6:25-33 “Therefore I tell you, #ver. 11; ch. 10:41; Matt. 10:19; 13:22 (Gk.); 1 Cor. 7:32 (Gk.); Phil. 4:6; 1 Pet. 5:7do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on. 23For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. 24#[Job 38:41; Ps. 147:9] Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. #See ver. 7Of how much more value are you than the birds! 25And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his #ch. 2:52 (Gk.)span of life?#12:25 Or a single cubit to his stature; a cubit was about 18 inches or 45 centimeters 26If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest? 27Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin,#12:27 Some manuscripts Consider the lilies; they neither spin nor weave yet I tell you, #1 Kgs. 10:4-7even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 28But if God so clothes the grass, which is alive in the field today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, #Matt. 8:26; 14:31; 16:8; [ch. 17:6]O you of little faith! 29And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor #[James 1:6]be worried. 30For #Matt. 6:8all the nations of the world seek after these things, and #Matt. 6:8your Father knows that you need them. 31Instead, #[Matt. 5:6, 20] seek #ch. 11:2 his#12:31 Some manuscripts God’s kingdom, #[1 Kgs. 3:11-14; Mark 10:29, 30; 1 Tim. 4:8; 1 Pet. 3:9]and these things will be added to you.
32 #
Isa. 41:14; 44:2 “Fear not, little #
Isa. 40:11; Matt. 26:31; John 10:16; 21:15-17; Acts 20:28, 29; 1 Pet. 5:2, 3 flock, for # [ch. 10:21; Matt. 11:26; Eph. 1:5, 9; Phil. 2:13] it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you # ch. 22:29; See Matt. 13:19 the kingdom. 33#See Matt. 19:21 Sell your possessions, and #ch. 11:41 give to the needy. #[ch. 16:9] Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with #Matt. 6:20; [ver. 21; 1 Pet. 1:4]a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. 34#Matt. 6:21For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
You Must Be Ready
35 #
Eph. 6:14; 1 Pet. 1:13 “Stay dressed for action # 12:35 Greek Let your loins stay girded ; compare Exodus 12:11 and #[Matt. 25:7]keep your lamps burning, 36and be like men who are #See 2 Pet. 3:12 waiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast, so that they may open the door to him at once when he comes and #Rev. 3:20knocks. 37#See Matt. 24:42, 46 Blessed are those servants#12:37 Or bondservants whom the master finds #See Matt. 24:42, 46 awake when he comes. Truly, I say to you, #John 13:4; [ver. 35; ch. 17:8] he will dress himself for service and #[ch. 22:27]have them recline at table, and he will come and serve them. 38If he comes in the second watch, or in the third, and finds them awake, blessed are those servants! 39#For ver. 39-46, [Matt. 24:43-51] But know this, that if the master of the house had known at what hour #[1 Thess. 5:2; 2 Pet. 3:10; Rev. 3:3]the thief was coming, he#12:39 Some manuscripts add would have stayed awake and would not have left his house to be broken into. 40You also must be #ver. 47; Matt. 25:10 ready, for #ch. 21:27the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”
41Peter said, “Lord, #[Mark 13:37]are you telling this parable for us or for all?” 42And the Lord said, “Who then is #See Matt. 24:45 the faithful and #See Matt. 24:45 wise #ch. 16:1manager, whom his master will set over his household, to give them their portion of food at the proper time? 43#John 13:17; Rev. 16:15Blessed is that servant#12:43 Or bondservant; also verses 45, 46, 47 whom his master will find so doing when he comes. 44Truly, I say to you, #Matt. 25:21, 23he will set him over all his possessions. 45But if that servant says to himself, ‘My master #Matt. 25:5; [Heb. 10:37; 2 Pet. 3:4, 9] is delayed in coming,’ and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and #1 Thess. 5:7get drunk, 46the master of that servant will come #2 Pet. 3:12; [ver. 40]on a day when he does not expect him and #2 Pet. 3:12; [ver. 40]at an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces and put him with the unfaithful. 47#[Matt. 11:24; John 15:22, 24] And that servant who #[James 4:17; 2 Pet. 2:21] knew his master’s will but #ver. 40 did not get ready #[James 4:17; 2 Pet. 2:21] or act according to his will, will receive a #[Deut. 25:2, 3]severe beating. 48#Lev. 5:17; [Num. 15:29, 30] But the one who did not know, and did what deserved a beating, #Rom. 1:19, 20; 2:14, 15; [1 Tim. 1:13] will receive a light beating. #[Matt. 25:29]; See Matt. 13:12Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more.
Not Peace, but Division
49 # [Matt. 3:11] “I came to cast fire on the earth, and would that it were already kindled! 50#Mark 10:38 I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how #2 Cor. 5:14 (Gk.)great is my distress until it is accomplished! 51#For ver. 51-53, see Matt. 10:34, 35 Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? #[Rev. 6:4]No, I tell you, but rather division. 52For from now on in one house there will be five divided, three against two and two against three. 53They will be divided, #Matt. 10:21; [Mic. 7:6]father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”
Interpreting the Time
54He also said to the crowds, #[Matt. 16:2, 3] “When you see #1 Kgs. 18:43, 44a cloud rising in the west, you say at once, ‘A shower is coming.’ And so it happens. 55And #[See ver. 54 above] when you see the south wind blowing, you say, ‘There will be #See Matt. 20:12scorching heat,’ and it happens. 56You hypocrites! #Matt. 16:3You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time?
Settle with Your Accuser
57 “And why # ch. 21:30 do you not judge #
John 7:24; 1 Cor. 11:13 for yourselves what is right? 58#Matt. 5:25, 26; [Prov. 25:8]As you go with your accuser before the magistrate, make an effort to settle with him on the way, lest he drag you to the judge, and the judge hand you over to the officer, and the officer put you in prison. 59I tell you, #[Matt. 18:34, 35] you will never get out until you have paid the very last #ch. 21:2; Mark 12:42penny.”#12:59 Greek lepton, a Jewish bronze or copper coin worth about 1/128 of a denarius (which was a day’s wage for a laborer)
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Luke 12: ESV
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Luke 12
12
The Leaven of the Pharisees.#See notes on Mk 8:15 and Mt 16:5–12. 1Meanwhile, so many people were crowding together that they were trampling one another underfoot.#Mt 16:6; Mk 8:15. He began to speak, first to his disciples, “Beware of the leaven—that is, the hypocrisy—of the Pharisees.
Courage Under Persecution.#Luke presents a collection of sayings of Jesus exhorting his followers to acknowledge him and his mission fearlessly and assuring them of God’s protection even in times of persecution. They are paralleled in Mt 10:26–33. 2#Mt 10:26–33. “There is nothing concealed that will not be revealed, nor secret that will not be known.#8:17; Mk 4:22. 3Therefore whatever you have said in the darkness will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered behind closed doors will be proclaimed on the housetops. 4I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body but after that can do no more. 5I shall show you whom to fear. Be afraid of the one who after killing has the power to cast into Gehenna;#Gehenna: see note on Mt 5:22. yes, I tell you, be afraid of that one. 6Are not five sparrows sold for two small coins?#Two small coins: the Roman copper coin, the assarion (Latin as), was worth about one-sixteenth of a denarius (see note on Lk 7:41). Yet not one of them has escaped the notice of God. 7Even the hairs of your head have all been counted. Do not be afraid. You are worth more than many sparrows.#12:24; 21:18; Acts 27:34. 8I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before others the Son of Man will acknowledge before the angels of God. 9But whoever denies me before others will be denied before the angels of God.#9:26; Mk 8:38; 2 Tm 2:12.
Sayings About the Holy Spirit.#The sayings about the holy Spirit are set in the context of fearlessness in the face of persecution (Lk 12:2–9; cf. Mt 12:31–32). The holy Spirit will be presented in Luke’s second volume, the Acts of the Apostles, as the power responsible for the guidance of the Christian mission and the source of courage in the face of persecution. 10“Everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but the one who blasphemes against the holy Spirit will not be forgiven.#Mt 12:31–32; Mk 3:28–29. 11When they take you before synagogues and before rulers and authorities,#21:12–15; Mt 10:17–20; Mk 13:11. do not worry about how or what your defense will be or about what you are to say. 12For the holy Spirit will teach you at that moment what you should say.”
Saying Against Greed. 13#Luke has joined together sayings contrasting those whose focus and trust in life is on material possessions, symbolized here by the rich fool of the parable (Lk 12:16–21), with those who recognize their complete dependence on God (Lk 12:21), those whose radical detachment from material possessions symbolizes their heavenly treasure (Lk 12:33–34). Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to share the inheritance with me.” 14He replied to him, “Friend, who appointed me as your judge and arbitrator?”#Ex 2:14; Acts 7:27. 15Then he said to the crowd, “Take care to guard against all greed, for though one may be rich, one’s life does not consist of possessions.”#1 Tm 6:9–10.
Parable of the Rich Fool. 16Then he told them a parable. “There was a rich man whose land produced a bountiful harvest. 17He asked himself, ‘What shall I do, for I do not have space to store my harvest?’ 18And he said, ‘This is what I shall do: I shall tear down my barns and build larger ones. There I shall store all my grain and other goods 19#Mt 6:19–21; 1 Tm 6:17. and I shall say to myself, “Now as for you, you have so many good things stored up for many years, rest, eat, drink, be merry!”’#Sir 11:19. 20But God said to him, ‘You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you; and the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong?’ 21Thus will it be for the one who stores up treasure for himself but is not rich in what matters to God.”#Rich in what matters to God: literally, “rich for God.”
Dependence on God. 22#Mt 6:25–34. He said to [his] disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life and what you will eat, or about your body and what you will wear. 23For life is more than food and the body more than clothing. 24Notice the ravens: they do not sow or reap; they have neither storehouse nor barn, yet God feeds them. How much more important are you than birds!#12:7. 25Can any of you by worrying add a moment to your life-span? 26If even the smallest things are beyond your control, why are you anxious about the rest? 27Notice how the flowers grow. They do not toil or spin. But I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of them.#1 Kgs 10:4–7; 2 Chr 9:3–6. 28If God so clothes the grass in the field that grows today and is thrown into the oven tomorrow, will he not much more provide for you, O you of little faith? 29As for you, do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, and do not worry anymore. 30All the nations of the world seek for these things, and your Father knows that you need them. 31Instead, seek his kingdom, and these other things will be given you besides. 32Do not be afraid any longer, little flock, for your Father is pleased to give you the kingdom.#22:29; Rev 1:6. 33Sell your belongings and give alms. Provide money bags for yourselves that do not wear out, an inexhaustible treasure in heaven that no thief can reach nor moth destroy.#18:22; Mt 6:20–21; Mk 10:21. 34For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.
Vigilant and Faithful Servants.#This collection of sayings relates to Luke’s understanding of the end time and the return of Jesus. Luke emphasizes for his readers the importance of being faithful to the instructions of Jesus in the period before the parousia. 35#Mt 24:45–51. “Gird your loins and light your lamps 36and be like servants who await their master’s return from a wedding, ready to open immediately when he comes and knocks.#Mt 25:1–13; Mk 13:35–37. 37Blessed are those servants whom the master finds vigilant on his arrival. Amen, I say to you, he will gird himself, have them recline at table, and proceed to wait on them. 38And should he come in the second or third watch and find them prepared in this way, blessed are those servants. 39#Mt 24:43–44; 1 Thes 5:2. Be sure of this: if the master of the house had known the hour when the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. 40You also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.”
41Then Peter said, “Lord, is this parable meant for us or for everyone?” 42And the Lord replied, “Who, then, is the faithful and prudent steward whom the master will put in charge of his servants to distribute [the] food allowance at the proper time? 43Blessed is that servant whom his master on arrival finds doing so. 44Truly, I say to you, he will put him in charge of all his property. 45But if that servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed in coming,’#My master is delayed in coming: this statement indicates that early Christian expectations for the imminent return of Jesus had undergone some modification. Luke cautions his readers against counting on such a delay and acting irresponsibly. Cf. the similar warning in Mt 24:48. and begins to beat the menservants and the maidservants, to eat and drink and get drunk, 46then that servant’s master will come on an unexpected day and at an unknown hour and will punish him severely and assign him a place with the unfaithful. 47That servant who knew his master’s will but did not make preparations nor act in accord with his will shall be beaten severely;#Jas 4:17. 48and the servant who was ignorant of his master’s will but acted in a way deserving of a severe beating shall be beaten only lightly. Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more.
Jesus: A Cause of Division.#Jesus’ proclamation of the kingdom is a refining and purifying fire. His message that meets with acceptance or rejection will be a source of conflict and dissension even within families. 49“I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing! 50#Baptism: i.e., his death. There is a baptism with which I must be baptized, and how great is my anguish until it is accomplished!#Mk 10:38–39. 51Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth?#Mt 10:34–35. No, I tell you, but rather division.#2:14. 52From now on a household of five will be divided, three against two and two against three; 53a father will be divided against his son and a son against his father, a mother against her daughter and a daughter against her mother, a mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.”#Mi 7:6.
Signs of the Times.#Mt 16:2–3. 54He also said to the crowds, “When you see [a] cloud rising in the west you say immediately that it is going to rain—and so it does; 55and when you notice that the wind is blowing from the south you say that it is going to be hot—and so it is. 56You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky; why do you not know how to interpret the present time?
Settlement with an Opponent.#Mt 5:25–26. 57“Why do you not judge for yourselves what is right? 58If you are to go with your opponent before a magistrate, make an effort to settle the matter on the way; otherwise your opponent will turn you over to the judge, and the judge hand you over to the constable, and the constable throw you into prison. 59I say to you, you will not be released until you have paid the last penny.”#The last penny: Greek, lepton, a very small amount. Mt 5:26 has for “the last penny” the Greek word kodrantēs (Latin quadrans, “farthing”).
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