Luke 12:13-46

Luke 12:13. And one of the company said unto him, Master, speak to my brother, that he divide the inheritance with me. And he said unto him, Man, who made me a judge or a divider over you?

Our Lord kept to his proper business, which was the preaching of the gospel and the healing of the sick. We find, in these days, that the minister of the gospel is asked to do almost everything. He must be a politician; he must be a social reformer; he must be I know not what. For my part, I often feel as if I could answer, «Who made me to do anything of the kind? If I can preach the gospel, I shall have done well if I do that to the glory of God, and to the salvation of men. Surely there are enough people to be judges and dividers, there are quite sufficient politicians to attend to politics, and plenty of men who feel themselves qualified to direct social reforms. Some of us may be spared to attend to spiritual affairs.»

Luke 12:15. 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.

Jesus gave his hearers a good moral and spiritual lesson from the occurrence which they had witnessed, and then passed on to speak of the matter which always occupied his thoughts.

Luke 12:16. And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth, plentifully: and he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits?

He did not enquire, «Where can I find a needy case in which I may use my superfluity for charity?» Oh, no! «How can I hoard it? How can I keep it all to myself?» This was a selfish, worldly man.

Luke 12:18. 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. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine case, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said unto him, Thou fool,

Other men said of him, «This is a wise man; he minds the main chance; he is a fellow plentifully endowed with good sense and prudence;» but God said unto him, «Thou fool, «

Luke 12:20. This night thy soul shall be required of thee:

I should like you to set that up as the counter picture to the one that we had this morning, «Today shalt thou be with me in Paradise.» That was said by Christ to the penitent thief, but to this impenitent rich man, God said, «This night thy soul shall be required of thee.»

Luke 12:20. Then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.

«He that layeth up treasure for himself.» That was the chief point of this man's wrong-doing, his selfishness. His charity began at home, and ended there; he lived only for himself.

Luke 12:22. 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. The life is more than meat, and the body is more than raiment.

Have no anxious, carking care. Do not be looking after the inferior things, and neglecting your soul. Take care of your soul; your body will take care of itself better than your soul can. The raiment for the body will come in due time; but the clothing for the soul is the all-important matter. Therefore, see to that.

Luke 12:24. 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? And which of you with taking thought can add to his stature one cubit? If ye then be not able to do that thing which is least, why take ye thought for the rest? 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.

The lilies simply stand still in the sunlight, and silently say to us, «See how beautiful are the thoughts of God.» If we could just drink in God's love, and then, almost without speech, show it in our lives, how we should glorify his name!

Luke 12:28. If then God so clothe the grass, which is today in the field, and tomorrow is cast into the oven; how much more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith!

But you have some faith, else the Saviour would not have said to you, «O ye of little faith!» The man who has no faith may well go on fretting, toiling, spinning; but he that hath faith, as he goes forth to his daily labour, looks beyond that to the God of providence, and thus God keeps him without care, and provides for him.

Luke 12:29. And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind. For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things.

He knows that you must go and work for these things; but he would not have you fret and fume about them. «Your Father knows.» He will provide. It is enough for him to know his children's wants, and he will be sure to provide for them.

Luke 12:31. But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you.

Thrown in as a kind of make-weight. You get the spiritual, and then the common blessings of life shall be added unto you.

Luke 12:32. Fear not, little flock; for it is your Fathers good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

That is your share. Others may have inferior joys; but you are to have the kingdom. The Lord could not give you more than that; and he will not give you less.

Luke 12:33. Sell that ye have, and give alms;

Do not merely give away what you can spare; but even pinch yourself sometimes, and sell what you can that you may have the more to give.

Luke 12:33. Provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth.

Put some of your estate where it cannot be lost. Take care that you invest some of it for God's poor, and God's work, where the interest will be sure, and the investment will be safe.

Luke 12:34. For where your treasure is, there will your heart he also.

Make sure of that. Your heart will go after your treasure; and if none of your treasure has gone to heaven, none of your heart will go there.

Luke 12:35. Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning; 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. Our Lord constantly reminded his disciples that the time would come when he must leave them for a season; but he always kept before them the thought of his return, and bade them watch for him as those that wait for their lord.

Luke 12:37. 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. And if he shall come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants. And this know, that if the good man 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.

As he does not know when the thief will come, he is always watching.

Luke 12:40. Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not. Then Peter said unto him, Lord, speakest thou this parable unto us, or even to all?

And the Lord told him that, while it was spoken to all, it had a very special bearing upon apostolic men, upon preachers of the gospel, ministers of Christ.

Luke 12:42. 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? Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. Of a truth I say unto you, that he will make him ruler over all that he hath.

Just as Pharaoh made Joseph ruler over all Egypt, so, when men have done well in the ministry of Christ, he will promote them, and they shall do still more for him.

Luke 12:45. 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; 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 cut him in sunder.

This is a truly terrible expression. We are sometimes charged with using too strong expressions with regard to the wrath to come. It is quite impossible that we should do so, even if we tried, for the expressions of the Lord Jesus are more profoundly terrible than any which even mediaeval writers have ever been known to invent.

Luke 12:46. And will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.

The worst portion that any man can get is with the unbelievers. Are there not some here who may, in this verse, see what a dark doom theirs will be if they are among those who are described as being out in sunder, and having their portion with the unbelievers?

Luke 12:47. And that servant, which knew his lords will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.

So that there are different measures of responsibility; there are degrees in guilt, and degrees in punishment.

Luke 12:48. But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall he 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.

O my brethren! Let those of us who are privileged with the possession of the gospel, and privileged with any amount of ability to spread it, enquire whether we could give in a good account if the Lord were to come tonight, and summon us, as stewards, to give an account of our stewardship. God bless to us all the reading of his Word! Amen.