Luke 12
12
Jesus Gives Words of Warning and Hope
1During that time, when a crowd of so many thousands had gathered that the people were stepping on one another, Jesus began to speak first to his disciples. He said, “Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. They just pretend to be godly. 2But everything that is secret now will be brought out into the open, and everything that’s hidden will be uncovered. 3What you’ve said in the dark will be heard in the daylight; what you’ve whispered behind closed doors will be shouted from the rooftops.
4“My friends, listen to me. Don’t be afraid of those who can kill the body but who can’t do anything after that. 5Let me tell you who you should be afraid of: the one who has the authority to throw you into hell after you’ve been killed. Yes, I tell you, be afraid of him. 6Aren’t five sparrows sold for two pennies? Even so, God doesn’t forget a single one of them. 7For that matter, every hair on your head is numbered! So don’t be afraid; you’re worth more than many sparrows.
8“I tell you, if anyone says in front of others that he knows me, the Son of Man will say in front of God’s angels that he knows that person. 9But if anyone says in front of others that he doesn’t know me, I, the Son of Man, will say in front of God’s angels that I don’t know them. 10Everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks evil things against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.
11“When you are brought before synagogues, rulers, and authorities, don’t worry about how to stand up for yourselves or about what to say. 12The Holy Spirit will show you at that time what you should say.”
The Story of the Rich Fool
13Someone in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family property with me.”
14Jesus answered, “Friend, who made me a judge or arbitrator between the two of you?” 15Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be careful not to get greedy, because life isn’t about how much a person has.”
16Then Jesus told them a story. He said, “There was a rich man whose land produced a very large crop. 17He thought to himself, ‘What should I do? I don’t have anywhere to store all my grain.’
18“But then he said, ‘I know what I’ll do! I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and I’ll store my extra grain there. 19Then I’ll tell myself, “You’ve got enough stored away to last many years. Take it easy. Eat, drink, and have a good time!” ’
20“But God said to him, ‘You foolish man! Tonight, you are going to die. And then who will to get all the things you collected for yourself?’
21“That’s what it will be like for people who store up things for themselves but who aren’t rich as far as God is concerned.”
Do Not Worry
22Then Jesus said to his disciples, “I tell you, don’t worry about your life and what you will eat, and don’t worry about your body and what you will wear. 23There’s more to life than eating and there are more important things for the body than clothing. 24Think about the ravens: They don’t plant or gather crops—they don’t have any barns at all—but God feeds them. You’re worth much more than birds! 25Can you add even one hour to your life by worrying? 26Since you can’t even do that very little thing, why worry about the rest?
27“Think about how the wild flowers grow. They don’t work or make clothes, but not even Solomon in his royal robes, I tell you, was dressed like one of those flowers. 28If that’s how God dresses the wild grass, which is here today and gets thrown into the fire tomorrow, how much better will he dress you! You should have more faith. 29Don’t spend your time thinking about what you’ll eat or drink; don’t worry about it. 30People who don’t consider God run after all those things, but your Father knows you need them. 31So put God’s kingdom first, and those other things will also be given to you.
32“Don’t be afraid, little flock, your Father is pleased to give you the kingdom. 33So sell what you own and give to the poor. That will be like putting your money in a bag that will never wear out. Store up your riches in heaven, where they can never be used up, where no thief can get near them and no moth can destroy them. 34Remember, wherever your riches are, that’s where your heart will be too.
Be Ready
35“Be dressed and ready to serve and keep your lamps burning, 36like servants who are waiting for their master to return from a wedding dinner so that when he comes and knocks, they can open the door for him right away. 37Truly I tell you, if that master finds his servants watching for him when he comes, he’ll do something special for them. He’ll dress to serve them, have them take their places at the table, and come and wait on them. 38It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready, especially if the master comes in the middle of the night or near dawn. 39But understand this: If the owner of a house knew when a burglar was coming, he wouldn’t let him break into his house. 40You have to be ready too, because the Son of Man is going to come at a time when you’re not expecting him.”
41Peter asked, “Lord, are you telling this story to us, or to everyone?”
42The Lord answered, “Suppose a master gives one of his servants the job of giving the other servants their food at the right time, as a faithful and wise manager. 43It will be good for that servant if the master finds him doing this job when he returns. 44Truly I tell you, the master will put him in charge of everything he owns. 45But suppose the servant says to himself, ‘My master is taking a long time to come back,’ and he begins to beat the other servants. Suppose that instead of feeding those men and women, he only feeds himself and drinks until he gets drunk. 46His master will come back on a day and at a time when he isn’t expecting him, and he will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the unbelievers.
47“If a servant knows his master’s wishes but doesn’t get ready and doesn’t do what the master wants, he will receive a heavy beating. 48But if a servant doesn’t know the master’s wishes and does things for which he should be punished, he will receive a lighter beating. If someone has been given a lot, a lot will be expected of him; more will be asked of the person who has been entrusted with many responsibilities.
Jesus Will Separate People From One Another
49“I’ve come to start a fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already burning! 50But I have a baptism of suffering to go through, and I must go through it. 51Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, I came to bring division. 52From now on when there are five members in a family, they’ll be divided against one another, three against two and two against three. 53Relatives will turn against each other: father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”
Understanding the Meaning of What Is Happening
54Jesus spoke to the crowd and said, “When you see a cloud rising in the west, you say right away, ‘It’s going to rain,’ and it does. 55And when the south wind blows, you say, ‘It’s going to be hot,’ and it is. 56How can it be that you can understand the meaning of the appearance of the earth and sky, but you can’t understand the meaning of what’s happening right now?
57“Why don’t you judge for yourselves what is right? 58Suppose someone has a claim against you and you’re on your way with them to court. Try hard to settle the matter on the way. If you don’t, that person may drag you off to the judge, and the judge may turn you over to the officer, and the officer may throw you into prison. 59In that case, there’s no way you’re getting out until you’ve paid the very last penny!”
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