Luke 12:54-59

Applebury's Comments

Signs of the Coming Storm
Scripture

Luke 12:54-59 And he said to the multitudes also, When ye see a cloud rising in the west, straightway ye say, There cometh a shower; and so it cometh to pass. 55 And when ye see a south wind blowing, ye say, There will be a scorching heat; and it cometh to pass. 56 Ye hypocrites, ye know how to interpret the face of the earth and the heaven; but how is it that ye know not how to interpret this time? 57 And why even of yourselves judge ye not what is right? 58 For as thou art going with thine adversary before the magistrate, on the way give diligence to be quit of him; let haply he drag thee unto the judge, and the judge shall deliver thee to the officer, and the officer shall cast thee into prison. 59 I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou have paid the very last mite.

Comments

When you see a cloud rising.Jesus had just been telling the disciples what His earthly mission would do to their lives and to the lives of others who would take sides for or against Him. He also warned the crowds about the coming storm.

People were able to read weather signs, why couldn-'t they interpret the signs that pointed to the rejection of the Son of God and the resulting destruction that was coming upon Jerusalem? The setting of this whole lesson is the bitter opposition to Jesus expressed by the Pharisees and lawyers (Luke 11:52 to Luke 12:1).

And why even of yourselves judge ye not what is right?With all the evidence about them, why couldn-'t they make the right decision by themselves? That decision called for them to align themselves with Christ; for if they let the matter go before God the Judge of heaven, they would lose their case. And many of them did just that (Luke 19:42). Before Pilate they rejected their King, and on the Day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit spoke through the apostles and charged them with the guilt of having crucified Him whom God made both Lord and Christ (Acts 2:23; Acts 2:36).

with thine adversary before the magistrate.The crowds were in danger of considering Christ as their adversary. He appealed to them to settle the issue before it was too late.

In Matthew 5:25, the same figure is used, but there it refers to the necessity of brethren adjusting their differences before attempting to approach God in worship.

Thou shalt by no means come out.A person in debtor's prison had no possible way of earning money to effect his release. There is no escape from the final state of punishment into which sinner must go.

Summary

The scribes and Pharisees continued their attack on Jesus after leaving the house where He had dined with the Pharisee. This became the occasion for His warning to the disciples. The false teaching of the Pharisees was like leaven, transforming all who came in contact with it into hypocrites like the Pharisees. But their hypocrisy was exposed by Jesus.
For the encouragement of the disciples, Jesus told them about God's protective care. He called on them to acknowledge Him even in face of all the threats of their enemies. He reminded them that the Holy Spirit would teach them what to say in the hour of need.
A man came to Jesus asking Him to tell his brother to divide their inheritance. Jesus told the story of the man God called a fool, He pointed out that life does not consist in possessions; the important thing is to be rich toward God. Jesus explained they could be rich in this way; it meant putting the kingdom of God first, for He said, where your treasure is, there will be your heart also.
Since life is temporary, it is necessary to be alert to avoid being caught unprepared when the Lord comes again. When He comes, He will reward the faithful and punish the wicked.
His mission was like kindling a fire. Already there was the struggle going on between members of one's own family over their relation to Him.
Jesus chided the multitudes for their inability to see what was about to happen to them. He urged them to agree with Him before it was too late, for there will be no escape from punishment on the Judgment Day for those who fail to acknowledge Him before men.

Questions

1.

What was the occasion of Jesus-' warning about the leaven of the Pharisees?

2.

What was it that had caused the crowds to gather at this time?

3.

Why did Jesus say that the leaven of the Pharisees was hypocrisy?

4.

What important lesson did Paul teach using the figure of leaven to illustrate it?

5.

How can leaven be used as a symbol of false teaching and also of teaching that is true?

6.

What effect does the truth of the Gospel have on those who hear it and obey it?

7.

What did Jesus do about the hypocritical teaching of the Pharisees?

8.

What did Jesus tell the apostles to do about what He taught them?

9.

Why did He say that they were not to be afraid of them that kill the body?

10.

Of whom were they to be afraid? Why?

11.

What lesson did He teach by calling attention to the sparrows?

12.

What lesson did He teaching by calling attention to the fact that the hairs of their heads were numbered?

13.

Why did Jesus demand allegiance from His disciples?

14.

What examples are given in the Scriptures of men confessing their faith in Him even in face of death?

15.

Why could a word spoken against the Son be forgiven when blasphemy against the Holy Spirit couldn-'t?

16.

What is this unforgivable sin?

17.

What would the Holy Spirit do for the apostles when they were brought before the authorities of the synagogues?

18.

How does God provide for the answers we may be called on to give today?

19.

What was the request of the man from the crowd?

20.

Why didn-'t Jesus do as the man requested?

21.

What important lesson did Jesus teach by the story of the man God called a fool?

22.

What foolish thing was the man doing?

23.

What was his fatal mistake?

24.

What does it mean to be rich toward God?

25.

What is one to do to become rich toward God?

26.

What did Jesus tell the disciples that would keep them from being anxious about food and clothing?

27.

What can anxiety to for life? What can-'t it do?

28.

What is the Father's concern about man's need for food and clothing?

29.

How does one seek first the kingdom of God?

30.

What did Jesus say about the heart and treasure?

31.

What is meant by Let your loins be girded?

32.

Why did Jesus liken His coming to a thief in the night?

33.

Why did Peter want to know if Jesus was talking to all or just to the apostles?

34.

How did He answer Peter's question?

35.

What is the lesson of the unfaithful servant?

36.

What about degrees of punishment?

37.

What did Jesus mean by casting fire upon the earth?

38.

In what way was it already kindled?

39.

What did He mean when He said, I have a baptism?

40.

What warning did Jesus give the crowds which He based on their ability to read the weather signs?

41.

What storm warnings should they have been able to see?

42.

What did He mean by saying that they should agree with their adversary?