Instructions About Hypocrisy and Confession (12:1-11)

The Leaven of the Pharisees: Hypocrisy (vv.1-3)

CHAPTER 12

1 In those times, the myriads of the crowd being gathered together, so that they trod one on another, he began to say to his disciples first, Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy; 2 but there is nothing covered up which shall not be revealed, nor secret that shall not be known; 3 therefore whatever ye have said in the darkness shall be heard in the light, and what ye have spoken in the ear in chambers shall be proclaimed upon the housetops.

What the Disciples Were to Fear (vv.4-5)

4 But I say to you, my friends, Fear not those who kill the body and after this have no more that they can do. 5 But I will shew you whom ye shall fear: Fear him who after he has killed has authority to cast into hell; yea, I say to you, Fear “him”.

God’s Care for the Disciples of the Lord (vv.6-7)

6 Are not five sparrows sold for two assaria? and one of them is not forgotten before God. 7 But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore, ye are better than many sparrows.

Confession Before Men, and Its Reward (vv.8-10)

8 But I say to you, Whosoever shall confess me before men, the Son of man will confess him also before the angels of God; 9 but he that shall have denied me before men shall be denied before the angels of God; 10 and whoever shall say a word against the Son of man it shall be forgiven him; but to him that speaks injuriously against the Holy Spirit it shall not be forgiven.

The Holy Ghost to Give them Words to Speak (vv.11-12)

11 But when they bring you before the synagogues and rulers and the authorities, be not careful how or what ye shall answer, or what ye shall say; 12 for the Holy Spirit shall teach you in the hour itself what should be said.

Warnings About Covetousness and Concern With Riches (12:13-53)

Parable of the Rich Fool (vv.13-21)

13 And a person said to him out of the crowd, Teacher, speak to my brother to divide the inheritance with me. 14 But he said to him, Man, who established me as a judge or a divider over you? 15 And he said to them, Take heed and keep yourselves from all covetousness, for it is not because a man is in abundance that his life is in his possessions. 16 And he spoke a parable to them, saying, The land of a certain rich man brought forth abundantly. 17 And he reasoned within himself saying, What shall I do? for I have not a place where I shall lay up my fruits. 18 And he said, This will I do: I will take away my granaries and build greater, and there I will lay up all my produce and my good things; 19 and I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much good things laid by for many years; repose thyself, eat, drink, be merry. 20 But God said to him, Fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee; and whose shall be what thou hast prepared? 21 Thus is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.

Exhortation Not to Be Concerned with Material Needs (vv.22-34)

Because Your Father Cares and Knows What You Need (vv.22-32)

22 And he said to his disciples, For this cause I say unto you, Be not careful for life, what ye shall eat, nor for the body, what ye shall put on. 23 The life is more than food, and the body than raiment. 24 Consider the ravens, that they sow not nor reap; which have neither storehouse nor granary; and God feeds them. How much better are “ye” than the birds? 25 But which of you by being careful can add to his stature one cubit? 26 If therefore ye cannot do even what is least, why are ye careful about the rest? 27 Consider the lilies how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; but I say unto you, Not even Solomon in all his glory was clothed as one of these. 28 But if God thus clothe the grass, which to-day is in the field and to-morrow is cast into the oven, how much rather you, O ye of little faith? 29 And “ye”, seek not what ye shall eat or what ye shall drink, and be not in anxiety; 30 for all these things do the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that ye have need of these things; 31 but seek his kingdom, and all these things shall be added to you. 32 Fear not, little flock, for it has been the good pleasure of your Father to give you the kingdom.

Exhortation to Lay Up Treasure in Heaven (vv.33-34)

33 Sell what ye possess and give alms; make to yourselves purses which do not grow old, a treasure which does not fail in the heavens, where thief does not draw near nor moth destroy. 34 For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be. v.34 We cannot wait for the heart to be right, or we will never act. We must make the investment in heavenly treasure, and then our heart will follow. That is the order. It is true that if we are laying up treasure on earth it is because our heart is here. “According to the multitude of years thou shalt increase the price thereof, and according to the fewness of years thou shalt diminish the price of it: for according to the number of the years of the fruits doth he sell unto thee” (Lev. 25:16).

The Importance of Waiting, Watching, and Doing the Lord’s Will (vv.35-48)

35 Let your loins be girded about, and lamps burning; v.35 Self-discipline and therefore witness, a testimony in a dark word.

36 and “ye” like men who wait their own lord whenever he may leave the wedding, that when he comes and knocks, they may open to him immediately. 37 Blessed are those bondmen whom the lord on coming shall find watching; verily I say unto you, that he will gird himself and make them recline at table, and coming up will serve them. 38 And if he come in the second watch, and come in the third watch, and find them thus, blessed are those bondmen.

39 But this know, that if the master of the house had known in what hour the thief was coming, he would have watched, and not have suffered his house to be dug through. 40 And ye therefore, be “ye” ready, for in the hour in which ye do not think it, the Son of man comes. 41 And Peter said to him, Lord, sayest thou this parable to us, or also to all? 42 And the Lord said, Who then is the faithful and prudent steward, whom his lord will set over his household, to give the measure of corn in season? 43 Blessed is that bondman whom his lord on coming shall find doing thus; 44 verily I say unto you, that he will set him over all that he has. 45 But if that bondman should say in his heart, My lord delays to come, and begin to beat the menservants and the maidservants, and to eat and to drink and to be drunken, 46 the lord of that bondman shall come in a day when he does not expect it, and in an hour he knows not of, and shall cut him in two and appoint his portion with the unbelievers. 47 But that bondman who knew his own lord’s will, and had not prepared himself nor done his will, shall be beaten with many stripes; 48 but he who knew it not, and did things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few. And to every one to whom much has been given, much shall be required from him; and to whom men have committed much, they will ask from him the more.

Instructions in View of the Day of the Lord (12:49-59)

The Lord’s Purpose on Earth (vv.49-53)

49 I have come to cast a fire on the earth; and what will I if already it has been kindled? 50 But I have a baptism to be baptised with, and how am I straitened until it shall have been accomplished! 51 Think ye that I have come to give peace in the earth? Nay, I say to you, but rather division: 52 for from henceforth there shall be five in one house divided; three shall be divided against two, and two against three: 53 father against son, and son against father; mother against daughter, and daughter against mother; a mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.

Importance of Repentance Before the Coming of the Lord (vv.54-59)

54 And he said also to the crowds, When ye see a cloud rising out of the west, straightway ye say, A shower is coming; and so it happens. 55 And when ye see the south wind blow, ye say, There will be heat; and it happens. 56 Hypocrites, ye know how to judge of the appearance of the earth and of the heaven; how is it then that ye do not discern this time? 57 And why even of yourselves judge ye not what is right? 58 For as thou goest with thine adverse party before a magistrate, strive in the way to be reconciled with him, lest he drag thee away to the judge, and the judge shall deliver thee to the officer, and the officer cast thee into prison. 59 I say unto thee, Thou shalt in no wise come out thence until thou hast paid the very last mite.

Instructions About Complacency and the Need of Repentance (vv.1-9)

God’s Sovereignty in Luke 13-14.

Ch. 13:1-5 all have sinned and need to repent or else they will come under the judgement of God
Ch.13:6-10 no amount of cultivation will improve man in the flesh
Ch.13:11-17 man has no strength to lift himself up, needs the intervention of God. Man is in bondage to Satan.
Ch.13:18-19 in man’s responsibility christianity would become a great external organization under Satan’s control.
Ch.13:20-22 in man’s responsibility christianity would become saturated with evil Doctrine.
Ch.13:23-30 man’s inability to come to God does not eliminate his responsibility to do so.
Ch.13:31-33 the Lord’s path was under the control of God’s sovereignty… and nothing man could do would interfere.
Ch.13:34-35 Man’s heart is set against the grace of God.
Ch.14:1-6 man’s pride is the hindrance to his salvation
Ch.14:7-11 man’s self-exaltation
Ch.14:12-14 God’s sovereign choice has noting to do with man’s merit.
Ch.14:15-24 none would respond to the gospel call, all without exception began to make excuse. The soverign action of the Spirit of God (the servant) is required to compel them to come in.

The Galileans Whose Blood Pilate Mingles With that of Their Sacrifices (vv.1-3)

CHAPTER 13

1 Now at the same time there were present some who told him of the Galileans whose blood Pilate mingled with that of their sacrifices. 2 And he answering said to them, Think ye that these Galileans were sinners beyond all the Galileans because they suffered such things? 3 No, I say to you, but if ye repent not, ye shall all perish in the same manner.

The Eighteen Upon Whom the Tower of Siloam Fell (vv.4-5)

4 Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, think ye that “they” were debtors beyond all the men who dwell in Jerusalem? 5 No, I say to you, but if ye repent not, ye shall all perish in like manner.

Parable of the Fig Tree: Israel’s Second Chance at Repentance (vv.6-9)

6 And he spoke this parable: A certain man had a fig-tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit upon it and did not find any. 7 And he said to the vinedresser, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig-tree and find none: cut it down; why does it also render the ground useless? 8 But he answering says to him, Sir, let it alone for this year also, until I shall dig about it and put dung, 9 and if it shall bear fruit — but if not, after that thou shalt cut it down.

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