Luke 12

Fear God, Not Man Luke 12:4–12

⁴Verse 4. “I tell you, my friends, don’t be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. ⁵Verse 5. But I will warn you whom you should fear. Fear him, who after he has killed, has power to cast into Gehenna. Yes, I tell you, fear him. ⁶Verse 6. “Aren’t five sparrows sold for two assaria coins? Not one of them is forgotten by God. ⁷Verse 7. But the very hairs of your head are all counted. Therefore don’t be afraid. You are of more value than many sparrows. ⁸Verse 8. “I tell you, everyone who confesses me before men, him will the Son of Man also confess before the angels of God;

⁹Verse 9. but he who denies me in the presence of men will be denied in the presence of the angels of God. ¹⁰Verse 10. Everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but those who blaspheme against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. ¹¹Verse 11. When they bring you before the synagogues, the rulers, and the authorities, don’t be anxious how or what you will answer, or what you will say; ¹²Verse 12. for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that same hour what you must say.”

Parable of the Rich Fool Luke 12:13–21

¹³Verse 13. One of the multitude said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” ¹⁴Verse 14. But he said to him, “Man, who made me a judge or an arbitrator over you?” ¹⁵Verse 15. He said to them, “Beware! Keep yourselves from covetousness, for a man’s life doesn’t consist of the abundance of the things which he possesses.” ¹⁶Verse 16. He spoke a parable to them, saying, “The ground of a certain rich man produced abundantly. ¹⁷Verse 17. He reasoned within himself, saying, ‘What will I do, because I don’t have room to store my crops?’ ¹⁸Verse 18. He said, ‘This is what I will do. I will pull down my barns, and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.

¹⁹Verse 19. I will tell my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years. Take your ease, eat, drink, be merry.”’ ²⁰Verse 20. “But God said to him, ‘You foolish one, tonight your soul is required of you. The things which you have prepared—whose will they be?’ ²¹Verse 21. So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”

Trust in God's Provision Luke 12:22–34

²²Verse 22. He said to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you, don’t be anxious for your life, what you will eat, nor yet for your body, what you will wear. ²³Verse 23. Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing. ²⁴Verse 24. Consider the ravens: they don’t sow, they don’t reap, they have no warehouse or barn, and God feeds them. How much more valuable are you than birds! ²⁵Verse 25. Which of you by being anxious can add a cubit to his height? ²⁶Verse 26. If then you aren’t able to do even the least things, why are you anxious about the rest? ²⁷Verse 27. Consider the lilies, how they grow. They don’t toil, neither do they spin; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

²⁸Verse 28. But if this is how God clothes the grass in the field, which today exists, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith? ²⁹Verse 29. Don’t seek what you will eat or what you will drink; neither be anxious. ³⁰Verse 30. For the nations of the world seek after all of these things, but your Father knows that you need these things. ³¹Verse 31. But seek God’s Kingdom, and all these things will be added to you. ³²Verse 32. Don’t be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the Kingdom. ³³Verse 33. Sell that which you have, and give gifts to the needy. Make for yourselves purses which don’t grow old, a treasure in the heavens that doesn’t fail, where no thief approaches, neither moth destroys.

³⁴Verse 34. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

Readiness for the Master Luke 12:35–40

³⁵Verse 35. “Let your waist be dressed and your lamps burning. ³⁶Verse 36. Be like men watching for their lord, when he returns from the marriage feast; that, when he comes and knocks, they may immediately open to him. ³⁷Verse 37. Blessed are those servants, whom the lord will find watching when he comes. Most certainly I tell you, that he will dress himself, and make them recline, and will come and serve them. ³⁸Verse 38. They will be blessed if he comes in the second or third watch, and finds them so. ³⁹Verse 39. But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what hour the thief was coming, he would have watched, and not allowed his house to be broken into.

⁴⁰Verse 40. Therefore be ready also, for the Son of Man is coming in an hour that you don’t expect him.”

Faithful Stewardship Luke 12:41–48

⁴¹Verse 41. Peter said to him, “Lord, are you telling this parable to us, or to everybody?” ⁴²Verse 42. The Lord said, “Who then is the faithful and wise steward, whom his lord will set over his household, to give them their portion of food at the right times? ⁴³Verse 43. Blessed is that servant whom his lord will find doing so when he comes. ⁴⁴Verse 44. Truly I tell you, that he will set him over all that he has. ⁴⁵Verse 45. But if that servant says in his heart, ‘My lord delays his coming,’ and begins to beat the menservants and the maidservants, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken,

⁴⁶Verse 46. then the lord of that servant will come in a day when he isn’t expecting him, and in an hour that he doesn’t know, and will cut him in two, and place his portion with the unfaithful. ⁴⁷Verse 47. That servant, who knew his lord’s will, and didn’t prepare, nor do what he wanted, will be beaten with many stripes, ⁴⁸Verse 48. but he who didn’t know, and did things worthy of stripes, will be beaten with few stripes. To whomever much is given, of him will much be required; and to whom much was entrusted, of him more will be asked.

Division and Discernment Luke 12:49–59

⁴⁹Verse 49. “I came to throw fire on the earth. I wish it were already kindled. ⁵⁰Verse 50. But I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how distressed I am until it is accomplished! ⁵¹Verse 51. Do you think that I have come to give peace in the earth? I tell you, no, but rather division. ⁵²Verse 52. For from now on, there will be five in one house divided, three against two, and two against three. ⁵³Verse 53. They will be divided, father against son, and son against father; mother against daughter, and daughter against her mother; mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law, and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.” ⁵⁴Verse 54. He said to the multitudes also, “When you see a cloud rising from the west, immediately you say, ‘A shower is coming,’ and so it happens.

⁵⁵Verse 55. When a south wind blows, you say, ‘There will be a scorching heat,’ and it happens. ⁵⁶Verse 56. You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky, but how is it that you don’t interpret this time? ⁵⁷Verse 57. Why don’t you judge for yourselves what is right? ⁵⁸Verse 58. For when you are going with your adversary before the magistrate, try diligently on the way to be released from him, lest perhaps he drag you to the judge, and the judge deliver you to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison. ⁵⁹Verse 59. I tell you, you will by no means get out of there, until you have paid the very last penny.”