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The Gospel of Luke Chapter Twelve
Commentary by Timothy H. Burdick
Before we look at verse 1 of chapter
12 in Luke, I would like you to go on a journey with me.
Imagine yourself at a rock concert. People are screaming and
tearing their clothes. They are in a riotous frenzy, pushing
and stepping on one another, without regard for anyone else.
All are trying to get a better view of the person or persons
on stage.
The people of that day simply didn’t
understand the mission of Jesus. They thought of Him as a
teacher or wonder worker. They saw Him as something like a
modern day pop star.
So having said all of that, let’s
look at verse one: “Meanwhile, when a crowd of many
thousands had gathered, so that they were trampling on one
another, Jesus began to speak first to His disciples,
saying: ‘be on your guard against the yeast of the
Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.’” While we can paint a mental
picture of the crowd, and catch a glimpse of Jesus relating
to His disciples, it is important to remember that He is
speaking to us as His disciples, right now, in the
Twenty-First Century, through His Word, the Bible.
You may be asking yourself, what did
the “yeast” Jesus spoke about (or “leaven” in some
translations) have to do with “hypocrisy?” Many times in the
Scriptures, yeast was used as a synonym to help us
understand the nature of evil. One example of this can be
found in 1st Corinthians 5:8 - ”Therefore let us keep the
festival, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and
wickedness, but with bread without yeast, the bread of
sincerity and truth.”
Many times, evil causes us to play a
role in life that we would not otherwise be comfortable
with. Think of a person who is two-faced for example. They
may treat you like their best friend, all the while thinking
bad thoughts about you and stabbing you in the back every
chance they get.
This is precisely what Jesus meant
when He talked about “hypocrisy” on the part of the Jewish
leaders called the “Pharisees.” They were saying one thing
and doing another. The word “hypocrisy” came from the Greek
plays of that time, in which actors would wear masks,
pretending to be something they were not. In analyzing this
verse, we can see then that Jesus is taking the Pharisees to
task, because they were acting out a dual role, pretending
to be something that they weren’t.
Again what Jesus said 2000 years
ago, applies to us right now in the twenty-first century. He
said, “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in
sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves”
(Matthew 7:15). 1 Peter 5:8 says this - “Be self-controlled
and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring
lion looking for someone to devour.”
Verses two and three of Luke 12,
reveal to us that we can’t play games with God, for He knows
the secrets in our hearts. “There is nothing concealed that
will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made
known. What you have said in the dark will be heard in the
daylight, and what you have whispered in the ear in the
inner rooms, will be proclaimed from the roofs.” Compare
what Jesus is saying, with 2 Kings 6:11-12 - “This enraged
the king of Aram. He summoned his officers and demanded of
them, ‘Will you not tell me which of us is on the side of
the king of Israel?’ “None of us, my lord the king said one
of his officers, but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel,
tells the king of Israel the very words you speak in your
bedroom.” God will reveal everything about you.
What do you think that these three
verses in Luke are saying to you? Do you ever try and play a
dual role? Do you have secret sins in your heart? In this
regard, David said, speaking of God, “You know when I sit
and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.” Psalm
139:2. Every one of us, like David, should ask God to
cleanse us of “secret sins” (Psalm 19:12).
We live in an age of fear; a time
when people are very afraid. Jesus addressed this in Luke
12, Verses 4 and 5, when He said, “I tell you My friends,
‘do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that
can do no more. But I will show you whom you should fear:
fear Him who after the killing of the body, has power to
throw you into hell. Yes I tell you fear Him.’”
In these verses, Jesus is talking
about the attitude we should have toward God. But, we often
have too casual an attitude toward Him. While God is good
and not willing that any should perish, we tend to go to an
extreme. The popular conception of God is that of a divine
sugar daddy in the sky. Yes He loves you, but there is more
to Him than that.
Just as a child has a healthy fear
of his or her parents, taking the form of respect, we need
to cultivate such a fear of our Heavenly Father. Psalm
111:10 says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of
wisdom; all that follow His precepts have good
understanding. To Him belongs eternal praise.” Like those of
us who were brought up in a good home; if we were punished,
we were punished out of love. God deals with us in much the
same way. You can be assured He only wants the best for you.
Many times, we develop wisdom and good understanding,
because out of love, God says “no” to some of our desires.
In Luke 12:6-7, Jesus gives us an
idea of just how valuable we are to the Father. ”Are not
five sparrows sold for two pennies yet not one of them is
forgotten by God. Indeed the very hairs of your head are all
numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many
sparrows.”
Have you ever really thought, about
how valuable you are to God? He loved you enough to give His
life for you, and He loves you enough to help you live life
fully on earth. Some times I think we forget just how
valuable we are to God. Please stop and meditate on these
verses. No matter what you have done, you can’t lose God’s
love.
Many times we have a problem with
self-image. The Bible says that if we have accepted Christ,
we are new creations in Him. Paul said this in 2 Corinthians
5:17 - “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new
creation the old has gone, the new has come!” So, the next
time you feel bad about who you are, remember that you are
precious in the sight of God. Again, Paul puts it this way,
in Romans 8:17-18 - “Now if we are children, then we are
heirs - heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, If indeed we
share in His sufferings in order that we may also share in
His glory.”
In Luke 12:8, Jesus talks about the
importance of public confession. “I tell you, whoever
acknowledges Me before men, the Son of Man will also
acknowledge him before the angels of God.“ In our culture,
it is easy to go along with the crowd. But Jesus is calling
for a radical commitment to God. Compare Mark 8:38, and ask
yourself what Jesus is saying to you? He said, “If any one
is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful
generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He
comes in His Father’s glory.” It is easy to stand up in
church, but Jesus is talking about not being ashamed to
stand up against every day pressures., in word and actions.
Let us say with Paul, “I am not ashamed of the Gospel
because it is the power of God for the salvation of every
one who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile”
(Romans 1:16).
Although Verses 9 and 10 of Luke 12
go together, I would like to look at each one separately.
Verse 9 talks about the terrible consequences of disowning
Christ. It says, “But he who disowns Me before men will be
disowned before the angels of God.” Look at that word
“disowned.” We have ALL said and done things which we wish
we hadn’t. Christ is not talking about a one time incident
in His statement. He is talking about a person who disowns
God and wants nothing to do with Him.
Many people feel guilty and think
that they may have committed the unpardonable sin. I have
good news for you if you are in that camp. Just the fact
that you are seeking after God shows that you have not
committed it. Let’s see if we can understand this sin, in
light of what Jesus says in Luke 12:10. “And everyone who
speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but
anyone who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be
forgiven.”
Peter spoke a word against Jesus
(three times, actually), yet he was forgiven by Him, and he
went on to become an outspoken leader in the church. To see
Peter’s denial, look with me at Matthew 26:69-75 - “Now
Peter was sitting out in the courtyard, and a servant girl
came to him. ‘You also were with Jesus of Galilee,’ she
said. But he denied it before them all. ‘I don’t know what
you’re talking about,’ he said. Then he went out to the
gateway, where another girl saw him and said to the people
there, ‘This fellow was with Jesus of Nazareth.’ He denied
it again with an oath: ‘I don’t know the man!’ After a
little while, those standing there went up to Peter and
said, ‘Surely you are one of them, for your accent gives you
away.’ Then he began to call down curses on himself and he
swore to them, ‘I don’t know the man!’ Immediately a rooster
crowed. Then Peter remembered the word that Jesus had
spoken: ‘Before the rooster crows you will disown Me three
times.’ And He went outside and wept bitterly.”
Jesus, when speaking about the
blasphemy of the Holy Spirit was speaking of a person who
continually hardens their heart in rejection against God. To
see the inner relationship between Christ and the working of
the Spirit, look with me at 1 Corinthians 6:10-11. “Nor
thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor
swindlers will inherit the Kingdom of God. And that is what
some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified,
you were justified in the Nname of the Lord Jesus Christ and
by the Spirit of our God.” So a total rejection of Christ is
also rejecting the Spirit that works in us to draw us to the
Lord. The Holy Spirit has been given to instruct us. The
Holy Spirit is not a “force,” He is our Helper, Comforter
and Guide.
Please look with me at Luke
12:11-12. “When you are brought before synagogues, rulers
and authorities do not worry about how you will defend
yourselves or what you will say, for the Holy Spirit will
teach you at that time what you should say.” See how the
Holy Spirit did just this in Acts 4:8-10 - “Then Peter,
filled with the Holy Spirit Said to them, ‘Rulers and elders
of the people! If we are being called to account today for
an act of kindness shown to a cripple and are asked how he
was healed, then know this, you and all the people of
Israel: it is by the Name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom
you crucified, but whom God raised from the dead, that this
man stands before you healed.’” See what Jesus has to say
about the Spirit in John 14:26 - “But the Counselor, the
Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in My name, will teach
you all things and will remind you of everything I have said
to you.”
It is not enough simply to look at
truths about the Spirit, if we don’t apply them to our
lives. In the twenty-first century, we have become too
self-sufficient, too complacent in our Christian lives. We
need to let the Lord instruct and guide us. We need Him.
Next in Luke 12:13 -14, we see
someone in the crowd trying to put Jesus into the role of a
mediator. “Someone in the crowd said to Him, ‘Teacher, tell
my brother to divide the inheritance with me.’ Jesus
replied, ‘Man, who appointed Me a judge or an arbiter
between you?’ It is interesting to see how Jesus flatly
refused to get involved in this. Sometimes, people want
those of us who are Christians to get involved where we
shouldn’t. But Like Jesus, we must not lose our primary
focus.
Now in Luke 12:15-21, Jesus
sandwiches a story in between two comments. It illustrates
what He was talking about, when it came to “greed.” ”Then He
said to them, ‘Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds
of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of
his possessions.’ And He told them this parable: ‘The ground
of a certain rich man produced a good crop. He thought to
himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my
crops.’ Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear
down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store
all my grain and my goods. And I’ll say to myself, you have
plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life
easy; eat, drink and be merry.’ But God said to him, ‘You
fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you.
Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’“
This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for
himself but is not rich toward God.”
Jesus is not saying that there is
anything wrong with planning ahead. In fact, the Bible
teaches us to do exactly this. Look at Proverbs 16:9, to see
what I mean - “In his heart a man plans his course, but the
Lord determines his steps.”
All you have to do is count the
personal pronouns in the parable of Jesus, to see what He
was saying. The farmer, who built bigger barns, was simply
absorbed in himself. There was no thought of others, let
alone God. Neither is Jesus saying, that it is wrong to have
nice things. He is simply saying that spiritual treasure is
what we should be concerned about storing up in life.
Ask yourself some questions in light
of what Jesus is saying here: Christ’s message, rather than
what the world is saying, has to be our first priority in
life. In stopping for a moment and thinking about this, what
changes, if any, do you see occurring in your life? Also, as
you do this exercise, ask yourself, how is my life being
spent? Am I “rich toward God?”
Now meditate on Ephesians 3:8-9 -
“Although I am less than the least of all God’s people, this
grace was given me to preach to the Gentiles the
unsearchable riches of Christ, and to make plain to everyone
the administration of this mystery, which for ages passed
was kept hidden in God, who created all things.”
Now we see a shift in what Jesus was
saying. He again turns His attention from the crowds to His
disciples. Look with me at Luke 12:22 and the verses that
follow – “Then Jesus said to His disciples: Therefore I tell
you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or
about your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food,
and the body more than clothes.”
Notice that Jesus does not say that
a healthy concern about your life is wrong. When He spoke of
the “Gentiles” in Matthew 6:32 about this same subject, or
as some have translated it, “pagans,” he was speaking of
people outside of Christ who are obsessed with the needs of
the body.
Think about all of the advertising
that we both see and hear about the body. The same thing
that was going on in the days of Jesus is also going on in
the twenty first century. Scripture presents the idea that
we should establish a completely new set of values and the
apostle Paul has this to say. ”Do not conform any longer to
the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the
renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:2). When you are
transformed in that manner, you will be able to test and
approve what God’s will is - His good, pleasing and perfect
will.
As Jesus so often does after stating
a truth, He paints a picture in words, so that His disciples
can grasp what He is saying. Jesus was an excellent
communicator. He still is. As we communicate the Gospel to
others, we need to display the same forethought, so that its
great truths can be understood. Luke 12:24 and the following
verses display this word picture: “Consider the ravens, they
do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God
feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds!
Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?
Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry
about the rest? Consider how the lilies grow. They do not
labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his
splendor was dressed like one of these.”
Just as an aside. To understand what
Jesus is talking about when He refers to Solomon, look with
me at 1 Kings 10:4-5 - “When the queen of Sheba saw all the
wisdom of Solomon and the palace he had built, the food on
his table, the seating of his officials, the attending
servants in their robes, his cupbearers, and the burnt
offerings he made at the temple of the Lord, she was
overwhelmed.”
Now, that we have seen that, let’s
pick up again with Luke 12:28 - “If that is how God clothes
the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is
thrown into the fire, how much more will He clothe you, o
you of little faith!” In Luke 12:24, Jesus talked about the
ravens; how they don’t have to be overly concerned about how
or where they get their food. In a different way, He now
talks again about the value that God places on each one of
us. He is reinforcing what He has already said, because
sometimes, we tend to undervalue ourselves. But we don’t
realize how much we mean to God. Again, see What Paul says
about this. “He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him
up for us all — how will He not also along with Him,
graciously give us all things” (Romans 8:32).
Then Jesus goes on in Luke 12:29,
“And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do
not worry about it. For the pagan world runs after all such
things, and your Father knows that you need them.” Just as
in this passage, the Bible talks a lot about where we “set
our hearts.” For example, let’s look at Proverbs 4-23 -
“Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring
of life.”
Jesus has told us where not to put
our focus. Now in Luke 12:31, He gives a positive
affirmation. ”But seek His Kingdom and these things will be
given to you as well.”
To sum this entire passage up, let’s
look at James 4:13-15. ”Now listen, you who say, ‘today or
tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year
there, carry on business and make money.’ why you do not
even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You
are a mist that appears for a little while and then
vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, ‘if it is the Lord’s
will, we will live and do this or that.’”
Now again, in Luke 12:32, Jesus
again addresses the subject of fear.” Do not be afraid
little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you
the kingdom.”
Fear is something that we all face
and especially humanity fears the unknown. The disciples of
Jesus weren’t any exception. They followed a Man they called
“teacher and Lord,” but now He was telling them something
new as they traveled to Jerusalem. They thought He would set
up His kingdom on earth, but He is telling them that He is
going to die.
We can KNOW that they were confused
and upset by His words. He turned to them and told them not
to let this fear rule them. He told them that while they may
not understand it with their minds, their Father intends to
give them a share in His kingdom.
Many times, we are like the
disciples, afraid of the unknown, afraid of changes. Jesus
is telling us also that while there is always something new
on the horizon, God’s kingdom is the one constant that
remains in our lives. What are you afraid of today? What
changes are you going through? It may be quite upsetting,
but know also that it is the Father’s pleasure to give you
the Kingdom with all it entails. Compare what He is saying
here with John 14:1, “Do not let your hearts be troubled.
Trust in God trust also in Me.”
After telling His disciples to trust
Him totally, Jesus talks to them in Luke 12:33 of the
relative unimportance of earthly treasure, compared with
heavenly treasure. He said, “Sell your possessions and give
to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not
wear out. A treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted,
where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. Then He
continues in verse 34, “For where your treasure is, there
your heart will be also.”
We live in a world of decay. In
telling His disciples to “provide purses that won’t wear
out,” He is telling them to set their priorities on what is
eternal. For He concludes by telling them, that the way they
store their treasure provides a good indicator of where
their values lie. In order to see this just look with me at
Luke 12:34 - “For where your treasure is, there your heart
will be also.”
Now, look with me at Luke 12:35-40 -
“be dressed, ready for service and keep your lamps burning,
like men waiting for their master to return from a wedding
banquet, so that when He comes and knocks they can
immediately open the door for Him. It will be good for those
servants whose master finds them watching when He comes. I
tell you the truth, He will dress Himself to serve, will
have them recline at the table and will come and wait on
them. It will be good for those servants whose master finds
them ready, even if He comes in the second or third watch of
the night. But understand this: if the owner of the house
had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not
have let his house be broken into. You must also be ready,
because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not
expect Him.”
In Luke 12:35-36, Jesus tells us
about the lifestyle we are to live as believers. It is a
lifestyle in which one is ready for service. He tells us to
be “dressed” for this or to have the attire of our minds
ready for service at all times. We don’t take His admonition
seriously enough. If we did, this would be a different
world. If we spoke to the world by our actions, they would
listen to our words.
Look with me as Paul talks about our
“wardrobe” - “Put on the full armor of God, so that you can
take your stand against the devil’s schemes” (Ephesians
6:12). Also look with me at 1 Peter 5:5 - “Young men, in the
same way be submissive to those who are older. All of you
clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because
God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
(reference Proverbs 3:34).
In the next part of Luke 12:35,
Jesus tells us to “keep our lamps burning.” In this day and
age we might say something like “keep the porch light on.”
He says in my paraphrase that watching for the Master with
this idea of expectancy is a good idea. You are to be READY
when He knocks or the “door” or rings the “doorbell” when He
returns to this world.
But I really think that many of us have missed what Jesus is
actually saying here. We have kept our eyes so focused on
Christ’s coming that we have forgotten to watch for ways to
serve Him right now! Then if we do serve, it is often so
that everybody will notice us. In Matthew 6:1, Jesus says
this: “Be careful not to do your acts of righteousness
before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no
reward from your Father in heaven.” We should act out of
love for God and in accordance with His will; NOT so that
others will notice us.
Many tend to talk about our service
as though we are to make a sacrifice. It seems as though
most of us see the “smallest ways” to serve God as almost
demeaning. But nothing is a small act to God, if our heart
is right before Him.
I want you to think about the story
found in Mark 12:41-44. While this has primarily been used
to talk about offerings, there is a larger application here.
“Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were
put and watched the crowd putting their money into the
temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts.
But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper
coins. Calling His disciples to Him, Jesus said, ‘I tell you
the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury
then all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but
she out of her poverty, put in everything - all she had to
live on.’”
Before we leave this section, take a
look at Luke 12:37. If you are ready for the Lord when He
returns, His intention is that HE will serve YOU. Have you
ever thought about Jesus serving you? In Luke 12:37, that’s
precisely what it says – “It will be good for those whose
Master finds them watching when He comes. I tell you the
truth, He will dress Himself to serve and will come and wait
on them.” Then in Luke 12:39-40, Jesus talks about the
attitude of expectancy we must have in relation to His
coming back to this earth.
Then in Luke 12:41 and following, we
see Jesus addressing the question of one person, rather than
catering to the huge crowd that was before Him. “Peter
asked, “Lord, are you telling this parable to us, or to
everyone?” Notice how Jesus indirectly answers.
“The Lord answered, ‘who then is the
faithful and wise manager, whom the master puts in charge of
his servants to give them their food allowance at the proper
time? It will be good for that servant whom the master finds
doing so when he returns. I tell you the truth, he will put
him in charge of all his possessions. But suppose the
servant says to himself, ‘my master is taking a long time in
coming’ and he then begins to beat the menservants and
maidservants and to eat and drink and get drunk. The master
of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect
him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to
pieces and assign him a place with the unbelievers.”
Jesus talks about three things in
this passage of Scripture. First he talks about
faithfulness, and not just faithfulness in the big things
but in the little things, when we think no one is watching.
But God is always watching. Luke 16:10 tells us, ”Whoever
can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with
much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be
dishonest with much.” Secondly, the last half of this verse
talks about the one Jesus talked about here in Luke 12,
namely the wicked servant. It is important to note that just
as faithfulness has its rewards, unfaithfulness comes with a
price tag. Thirdly, He talks about the punishment of this
servant. We will see more about punishment in the next two
verses, but for now compare Luke 12:46 (“The master of that
servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and
at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and
assign him a place with the unbelievers”) with Matthew
24:51, where it says, “He will cut him to pieces and assign
him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping
and gnashing of teeth.”
The bible shows that there are
degrees of punishment, as seen in Luke 12:47-48. “That
servant who knows his master’s will and does not get ready
or does not do what his master wants will be beaten with
many blows. But the one who does NOT know and does things
deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From
everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and
from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more
will be asked.”
In the next four verses, we see a
trinity of concepts. Namely 1) judgment, 2) the suffering of
Jesus and 3) peace.
1) Fire in the Bible, is often a
type of judgment. In Luke 12:49, Jesus talks about how He
wishes this judgment had already begun. “I have to bring
fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!
2) Next in verse 50, He tells us about the baptism of
suffering that He must go through. “But I have a baptism to
undergo, and how distressed I am until it is completed!”
Compare this with Luke 22:44, “And being in anguish, He
prayed more earnestly, and His sweat was like drops of blood
falling to the ground.” 3) Thirdly, In Luke 12:51-53, Jesus
tells us that His main mission on earth was NOT to bring
peace. “Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No I
tell you, but division. From now on there will be five in
one family divided against each other, three against two and
two against three. They will be divided, father against son
and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter
against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law.”
Was Jesus going to usher in world
peace? He answered that question before any of His listeners
could ask it. But His followers would be divided from the
world because their allegiance was to be to Him.
As for Jesus’ disciples, then and
now, the peace we strive for is not world peace, but peace
with God. In order to see this, look at John 14:27 - “Peace
I leave with you; My peace I give you. I do not give to you
as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and
do not be afraid.”
The Jews had all of the prophecies
in the Old Testament that told about Christ, yet they did
not believe Him. In Luke 12:54-57, Jesus chastises them for
this dullness. He said to the crowd, “When you see a cloud
rising in the west, immediately you say, ‘It’s going to
rain,’ and it does. And when the south wind blows you say,
‘it’s going to be hot,’ and it is. Hypocrites! You know how
to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky. How is
it that you don’t know how to interpret this present time?
But before we point the finger, I
would I would ask you, are we any better at seeing what God
is doing than the Jews were? I fear we are all to some
extent like the servant who has been given much, but did not
fulfill his obligations, as we saw in the preceding verses.
Not only will we be judged for the
harm we do to others, but we will also be rewarded for the
good we have done. While your salvation in Christ is sure if
you know Him, we have varying degrees of reward in heaven,
depending on how responsible we have been - see 1st
Corinthians 3:12-15.
In the last verses of Luke Chapter
12, namely 57; 58 and 59, Jesus calls for people to settle
their differences out of court. He asks, “Why don’t you
judge for yourselves what is right? As you are going with
your adversary to the magistrate, try hard to be reconciled
to him on the way, or he may drag you off to the judge, and
the judge turn you over to the officer, and the officer
throw you into prison. I tell you, you will not get out
until you have paid the last penny.”
While the prison system was
different in Roman times, this is still practical advice.
Instead of always insisting on our rights, we are to look to
God and be peacemakers. There are great rewards in eternity
for those who look to the Lord in all things and share His
peace with others.
Thank you for reading this, and I
hope you will join me next time for Luke 13.
Friday Study Ministries
The First Church On The Net
www.FridayStudy.org
www.FirstChurchOnTheNet.org
"While
we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8)
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