Luke 12:1-59
1 In the mean time, when there were gathered together an innumerable multitude of people, insomuch that they trode one upon another, he began to say unto his disciples first of all,Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.
2 For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known.
3 Therefore whatsoever ye have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light; and that which ye have spoken in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon the housetops.
4 And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.
5 But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him.
6 Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God?
7 But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows.
8 Also I say unto you, Whosoever shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God:
9 But he that denieth me before men shall be denied before the angels of God.
10 And whosoever shall speak a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but unto him that blasphemeth against the Holy Ghost it shall not be forgiven.
11 And when they bring you unto the synagogues, and unto magistrates, and powers, take ye no thought how or what thing ye shall answer, or what ye shall say:
12 For the Holy Ghost shall teach you in the same hour what ye ought to say.
13 And one of the company said unto him, Master, speak to my brother, that he divide the inheritance with me.
14 And he said unto him,Man, who made me a judge or a divider over you?
15 And he said unto them,Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.
16 And he spake a parable unto them, saying,The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully:
17 And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits?
18 And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods.
19 And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.
20 But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thya soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?
21 So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.
22 And he said unto his disciples, Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat; neither for the body, what ye shall put on.
23 The life is more than meat, and the body is more than raiment.
24 Consider the ravens: for they neither sow nor reap; which neither have storehouse nor barn; and God feedeth them: how much more are ye better than the fowls?
25 And which of you with taking thought can add to his stature one cubit?
26 If ye then be not able to do that thing which is least, why take ye thought for the rest?
27 Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
28 If then God so clothe the grass, which is to day in the field, and to morrow is cast into the oven; how much more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith?
29 And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neitherb be ye of doubtful mind.
30 For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things.
31 But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you.
32 Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
33 Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth.
34 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
35 Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning;
36 And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately.
37 Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them.
38 And if he shall come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants.
39 And this know, that if the goodman of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched, and not have suffered his house to be broken through.
40 Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not.
41 Then Peter said unto him, Lord, speakest thou this parable unto us, or even to all?
42 And the Lord said,Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his lord shall make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of meat in due season?
43 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.
44 Of a truth I say unto you, that he will make him ruler over all that he hath.
45 But and if that servant say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to beat the menservants and maidens, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken;
46 The lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cutc him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.
47 And that servant, which knew his lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.
48 But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.
49 I am come to send fire on the earth; and what will I, if it be already kindled?
50 But I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how am I straitenedd till it be accomplished!
51 Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division:
52 For from henceforth there shall be five in one house divided, three against two, and two against three.
53 The father shall be divided against the son, and the son against the father; the mother against the daughter, and the daughter against the mother; the mother in law against her daughter in law, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.
54 And he said also to the people, When ye see a cloud rise out of the west, straightway ye say, There cometh a shower; and so it is.
55 And when ye see the south wind blow, ye say, There will be heat; and it cometh to pass.
56 Ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky and of the earth; but how is it that ye do not discern this time?
57 Yea, and why even of yourselves judge ye not what is right?
58 When thou goest with thine adversary to the magistrate, as thou art in the way, give diligence that thou mayest be delivered from him; lest he hale thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and the officer cast thee into prison.
59 I tell thee, thou shalt not depart thence, till thou hast paid the very last mite.
Luke 12:1. There were gathered together an innumerable multitude of people. The Greek is myriads, or ten thousands of people.
Luke 12:5. Power to cast into hell. The Greek is Gehenna, as on Isaiah 30:33; Matthew 5:22.
Luke 12:6. Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, two assarions. The assarion was the tenth of a denarion. A farthing, that is, the fourth of a penny, though correct in English, is quite erroneous when applied to the denarion, as in the Greek. Matthew 22:19; Mark 12:15. These coins were introduced among the Jews by the Romans.
Luke 12:10. To him that blasphemeth against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven. Other sins might have apologies, but this sin of ascribing the miracles of Christ to the power of Satan, can have no excuse. Nor do we find from the visitations of God on the nation, that the sin of rejecting the Saviour was forgiven. Yet even in this case we must not limit the Holy One of Israel. Matthew 12:31; Mark 3:28. These words are repeated, and it would seem, on another occasion.
Luke 12:13. Master, speak to my brother, that he divide the inheritance with me. A just request, no doubt, but the griping brother, who had resisted all private and public application, it is likely, would have resisted the Saviour also, as the injurious Hebrew resisted Moses. The Lord however would not interfere with the civil authorities, in which he has taught ministers prudence in similar matters. But family robbers, who fall under the contempt of the public, can expect no inheritance in heaven, till repentance shall be attended with restitution.
Luke 12:15. Beware of covetousness, the foulest vice that can be fostered in the human breast. It enters deep into the heart, and grows and encreases with years. It fixes an evil eye, and extends a griping hand to that which justly belongs to our neighbour. The victim of this passion, whatever may be his pleasure when boasting against the prodigal, is haunted day and night with jealousies and fears, lest those about him should rob him of his hoards. The severest afflictions of his neighbour will not induce him to untie the strings of his gold; when a sovereign is taken from a thousand pounds, it is a thousand pounds no longer. He is severe with the labourers who have reaped his fields, and denies bread to the faithful pastor, who would resound in his ears, that “the covetous shall not inherit the kingdom of God.” For once however he does effectual good, and that is the day when he dies.
Luke 12:22. He said to his disciples take no thought, of a distrustful nature, for your life. Christ, after the case of the covetous man, resumes the thread of his discourse, as will be found with remarks, on Matthew 6:7; Matthew 6:10.
Luke 12:31. Rather seek ye the kingdom of God. See on Matthew 6:33.
Luke 12:32. Fear not, little flock. The twelve, and the seventy disciples, who were present, formed but a little flock; but countless multitudes stood behind. The Lord having fortified them against the fears of poverty and persecution, here super-adds the good pleasure of their Father, which is the fountain of grace and glory, and which will withhold no good thing from them that walk uprightly. In the gift of the kingdom of grace in the heart, of blessings in the church, and glory in heaven, all the minor blessings are included.
Luke 12:41. Peter said, Lord, speakest thou this parable to us, who are ministers, or even to all? In Indian eloquence, we have many instances in which the more attentive hearers will venture to ask the orator a question. Our judges take this liberty on proper occasions.
Luke 12:45. If that servant say in his heart, my lord delayeth his coming. The bad pastor carries in his breast a climax, a congregation of crimes. He hides from the eyes of omniscience, and disregards his Lord's advent. He embroils himself with dogs in the quarrels and passions of life. He indulges in appetite and desire, and becomes revengeful to all who oppose his pleasure. Now, the Lord of the household will punish him strikingly according to his deserts. He shall be cut off by sudden death, when he is not aware; and being a hypocrite in his profession, the Judge shall consign him to the society of hypocrites. Yea, he shall change his cups and songs to weeping and gnashing of teeth; words indicative of anguish and despair, beyond the powers of language to deplore.
Luke 12:49. I am come to send fire on the earth. In Matthew 10:34 he said, a sword. His gospel would shake the nations, and be preached amid winds, and storms, and wars, till its regenerating influences should cause wars to cease, persecutions to subside, and the wolf and the lamb to lie down together. This can be effectuated only by the fire of love, and all the graces of the Holy Spirit.
Luke 12:50. I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how am I straitened till it be accomplished. The Lord Jesus had just spoken of the sufferings of his saints in the narrow prejudices and embittered persecutions of the jews, transporting themselves to outrages beyond natural affection; and he now encourages them by the bloody baptism of death, which he was eager to meet.
REFLECTIONS.
We again follow the Redeemer, and hear his didactic words full of grace, and his discourses full of wisdom. All his sayings were pure, and needed neither touch nor polish from the hands of men. The talmud shows us the rabbins of this world, but the gospel is full of the glory of God. Children are sportive and unsettled in their affections and desires, they are fond of the glare of novelty and change. In old age the case is otherwise; men are then fixed in some habitual propensity, whether of piety and wisdom, or whether of drunkenness, covetousness, and other sins. This we find realized in the man whose lands produced an abundant crop; a sensual covetousness absorbed his soul. Now, let it be well observed, that no gross immorality is attached to his character. He defrauded no labourer of his hire, but shed the smiles of employment and labour on all his village. He was therefore applauded for his skill, and regarded as blessed of providence. But see how prosperity embarrassed him. When he saw the golden ear and the teeming crops, he exclaimed, what shall I do? Instead of having a soul as liberal as the gifts of the year, he was distracted with apprehensions of losing much of the gift.
This man totally lost sight of God, of the poor, and of a future world. He sung the sensual requiem, soul take thine ease. Ah, this ease is still the tradesman's fatal rock; whereas God is providing him punishment, not peace. How deplorable then is the condition of men who rest in the enjoyment of earthly comforts, and turn away their hearts from the Lord and giver of all. Their comforts are sensual, which clog and satiate. The soul is dissatisfied and disgusted with life; it is condemned every day to run the hopeless round, and to be resolved to wring a divine pleasure from sordid joys. Oh what a fatal task! Yet it is a task that mortals would not leave; and being confident of long life, they often leave their will unmade, and open the way for those they did not love to inherit all their wealth.
God is very indignant with men who forget him, neglect the poor, and hoard up riches for themselves. While all the world called this man wise,God called him a fool. Whilst he promised himself a paradise of carnal pleasure for half an age at least, the Lord said, This night shall thy soul be required of thee. How terrible is the arrest of death to a soul totally unprepared! It is dragging it away from the prison of the body, to regions of darkness, in fetters which shall never be loosed from their feet.
So is every one that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich towards God. This then is not a solitary but a common case. Millions by a sensual covetousness, and wicked purposes of life, are preparing for themselves the sudden and unexpected vengeance of Almighty God.