Bible School · The Gospels · Class 56 of 89

Do not fear: the rich fool, the watching servants and the fire Jesus came to cast

Luke 12 · about 22 minutes

By the end of this class you should be able to

Explain why Jesus calls hypocrisy the leaven of the Pharisees and why he tells his disciples to fear God rather than people.
Describe the parable of the rich fool and the teaching on anxiety that follows it.
Compare the watchfulness parables of Luke 12:35-48 with the parallels in Matthew 24-25.
Interpret the sayings about fire, baptism and division as Jesus' own account of his mission.
Place the chapter within Luke's purpose of giving Theophilus an orderly, certain account.

Read the passage

12In the meantime, a crowd of many thousands had gathered, so that they were trampling one another. Jesus began to speak first to His disciples: “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. ²There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, and nothing hidden that will not be made known. ³What you have spoken in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the housetops. ⁴I tell you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. ⁵But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear the One who, after you have been killed, has authority to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear Him! ⁶Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. ⁷And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. ⁸I tell you, everyone who confesses Me before men, the Son of Man will also confess him before the angels of God. ⁹But whoever denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God. ¹⁰And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. ¹¹When you are brought before synagogues, rulers, and authorities, do not worry about how to defend yourselves or what to say. ¹²For at that time the Holy Spirit will teach you what you should say.” ¹³Someone in the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” ¹⁴But Jesus replied, “Man, who appointed Me judge or executor between you?” ¹⁵And He said to them, “Watch out! Guard yourselves against every form of greed, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” ¹⁶Then He told them a parable: “The ground of a certain rich man produced an abundance. ¹⁷So he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, since I have nowhere to store my crops?’ ¹⁸Then he said, ‘This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and will build bigger ones, and there I will store up all my grain and my goods. ¹⁹Then I will say to myself, “You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take it easy. Eat, drink, and be merry!”’ ²⁰But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be required of you. Then who will own what you have accumulated?’ ²¹This is how it will be for anyone who stores up treasure for himself but is not rich toward God.” ²²Then 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. ²³For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. ²⁴Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storehouse or barn; yet God feeds them. How much more valuable you are than the birds! ²⁵Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? ²⁶So if you cannot do such a small thing, why do you worry about the rest? ²⁷Consider how the lilies grow: They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his glory was adorned like one of these. ²⁸If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith! ²⁹And do not be concerned about what you will eat or drink. Do not worry about it. ³⁰For the Gentiles of the world strive after all these things, and your Father knows that you need them. ³¹But seek His kingdom, and these things will be added unto you. ³²Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father is pleased to give you the kingdom. ³³Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide yourselves with purses that will not wear out, an inexhaustible treasure in heaven, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. ³⁴For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. ³⁵Be dressed for service and keep your lamps burning. ³⁶Then you will be like servants waiting for their master to return from the wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks, they can open the door for him at once. ³⁷Blessed are those servants whom the master finds on watch when he returns. Truly I tell you, he will dress himself to serve and will have them recline at the table, and he himself will come and wait on them. ³⁸Even if he comes in the second or third watch of the night and finds them alert, those servants will be blessed. ³⁹But understand this: If the homeowner had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. ⁴⁰You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour you do not expect.” ⁴¹“Lord,” said Peter, “are You addressing this parable to us, or to everyone else as well?” ⁴²And the Lord answered, “Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom the master puts in charge of his servants to give them their portion at the proper time? ⁴³Blessed is that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. ⁴⁴Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. ⁴⁵But suppose that servant says in his heart, ‘My master will be a long time in coming,’ and he begins to beat the menservants and maidservants, and to eat and drink and get drunk. ⁴⁶The master of that servant will come on a day he does not expect and at an hour he does not anticipate. Then he will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the unbelievers. ⁴⁷That servant who knows his master’s will but does not get ready or follow his instructions will be beaten with many blows. ⁴⁸But the one who unknowingly does things worthy of punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and from him who has been entrusted with much, even more will be demanded. ⁴⁹I have come to ignite a fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! ⁵⁰But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is accomplished! ⁵¹Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but division. ⁵²From now on, five in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three. ⁵³They will be divided, 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.” ⁵⁴Then Jesus said to the crowds, “As soon as you see a cloud rising in the west, you say, ‘A shower is coming,’ and that is what happens. ⁵⁵And when the south wind blows, you say, ‘It will be hot,’ and it is. ⁵⁶You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and sky. Why don’t you know how to interpret the present time? ⁵⁷And why don’t you judge for yourselves what is right? ⁵⁸Make every effort to reconcile with your adversary while you are on your way to the magistrate. Otherwise, he may drag you off to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and the officer may throw you into prison. ⁵⁹I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the very last penny.”

Open Luke 12 in the reader (BSB)

01Background

Luke writes the third Gospel, and its companion volume Acts, for a patron or reader named Theophilus (; ). His stated aim is to give an orderly account, drawn from eyewitnesses and earlier written sources, so that Theophilus may know the certainty of what he has been taught. Tradition from the second century onward names the author as Luke, Paul's physician companion (). Some critical scholars question whether the author knew Paul, but the book's Greek style, its interest in the Gentile mission and its careful travel details are consistent with a well-educated Gentile Christian writing for a Greek-speaking audience.

The dating of Luke is disputed. A date in the early 60s fits the way Acts ends without Paul's trial. A date in the 80s is common among those who hold that Luke used Mark and who read the predictions of Jerusalem's fall as written after AD 70. itself does not depend on the answer. Most of its sayings have parallels in Matthew but not in Mark. Scholars who accept the two-source hypothesis assign them to a shared sayings collection (Q). Others argue Luke used Matthew directly, and still others hold that the Gospels were written by independent use of the same oral tradition. The parable of the rich fool () has no parallel in the other Gospels.

The chapter belongs to the long journey section (-) in which Jesus travels toward Jerusalem. The crowd has become so large that people are trampling one another, and Jesus turns first to his disciples. The setting is the growing opposition from the Pharisees and law experts at the end of , who have just begun to watch him in order to trap him. Luke's distinctive concern appears clearly: the danger of wealth, the care of God for the poor and ordinary, and the urgency of being ready for the coming of the Son of Man.

02Outline

Beware the leaven of the Pharisees; fear God, not people; the Spirit will teach
The inheritance dispute and the rich fool
Do not worry: ravens, lilies and treasure in heaven
Be ready: watching servants, the thief, the faithful manager
Fire, baptism and division
Reading the times; settling with an accuser

03How to read it

consists of sayings and parables, with short questions from the crowd and from Peter that move the teaching along. Jesus speaks to different audiences in turn: his disciples (), someone in the crowd (13-21), the disciples again (22-53) and the crowd at the end (54-59). Keeping track of who is addressed helps. The warnings of the first part are for those who follow him and face pressure. The parable of the rich fool is told to a man with a family quarrel and to anyone eager for more.

The parables here are short and have one main point each. The rich fool teaches about the danger of storing up treasure for oneself and not being rich toward God. The watching servants and the thief teach readiness. The details in them should not be pressed into a timetable. A second principle is that Jesus' vivid commands are real teaching, and they are read in context. The command to sell possessions and give alms () was given to disciples and must be read beside Luke's other teaching on possessions, such as the generosity of Zacchaeus in and the shared goods in and 4. A third principle is that the Old Testament background clarifies the words. Solomon in all his glory, the ravens fed by God and the lilies of the field draw on the creation and wisdom traditions (; ) in which God provides for all his creatures.

04What the text says

Verses 1–3

The crowd presses so close that people are treading on one another. Jesus speaks first to his disciples and warns them against the leaven of the Pharisees, which he names as hypocrisy. Leaven works unseen through the whole lump of dough. Hypocrisy (the Greek word means playing a part on a stage) hides the real person behind the performance. Jesus adds that nothing hidden will stay hidden. What is whispered in private rooms will be proclaimed from the housetops. This is first a warning that the hidden heart will be exposed at judgment, and it is also an encouragement that the message the disciples now speak quietly will become public.

Verses 4–7

Jesus calls the disciples his friends, a rare address in the Synoptic Gospels, and tells them not to fear those who can only kill the body. They are to fear the one who, after killing, has authority to cast into Gehenna (the valley of Hinnom outside Jerusalem, used as an image of final judgment). Yet the same God knows the sparrows, which sell cheaply, and has numbered the hairs of their heads. The argument runs from the smaller to the greater: they are worth more than many sparrows.

Verses 8–12

Whoever acknowledges Jesus before people, the Son of Man will acknowledge before the angels of God. Whoever denies him will be denied. Then comes a saying that has troubled readers: speaking a word against the Son of Man can be forgiven, but blasphemy against the Holy Spirit will not. In its setting the saying concerns a settled refusal to recognise the Spirit's work in Jesus, as in the Beelzebul charge of and the parallel in . Disciples brought before synagogues and rulers need not worry about their defence, for the Holy Spirit will teach them at that hour what they should say.

Verses 13–21

A man asks Jesus to tell his brother to divide the inheritance. Jesus declines the role of judge or arbitrator, though the Law gave guidance on inheritance (), and warns against every kind of greed: life does not consist in the abundance of possessions. The parable follows. A rich man's land yields so well that he has nowhere to store the crop. He plans bigger barns and talks to his own soul: eat, drink, be merry. God calls him 'Fool' and tells him his life is required that very night. The man is never called wicked. His folly is to plan as if life were his to keep. and make a similar point. The parable closes with its lesson: this is how it is with anyone who stores up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.

Verses 22–34

Jesus tells the disciples not to worry about their life. The ravens do not sow or reap and God feeds them. The lilies neither toil nor spin, and Solomon in all his splendour was not dressed like one of them. The grass will be thrown into the oven tomorrow, yet God clothes it. The disciples are people of 'little faith', and the nations of the world seek these things, but the Father knows what they need. Instead they are to seek his kingdom. He calls them a little flock, to whom the Father has been pleased to give the kingdom, and so they are to sell possessions and give to the poor, making purses that do not wear out, for where treasure is, the heart will be also.

Verses 35–48

They are to be dressed for action with lamps burning. The picture is servants waiting for a master back from a wedding feast. Blessed are the servants whom he finds awake. The master will gird himself, have them recline at table and serve them. This reversal is striking and has its fulfilment in Jesus' words at the Last Supper in , where he says he is among them as one who serves. A second picture is a householder who would not have let a thief break in had he known the hour. The Son of Man comes at an hour they do not expect. Peter asks whether the parable is for them or for all, and Jesus answers with the faithful and wise manager put in charge of the household. If he is found faithful he is promoted. If he abuses his fellow servants and gets drunk he will be cut in pieces. Those who knew the master's will and did not do it receive a severe beating, those who did not know receive a lighter one. Much is required of everyone who has been given much.

Verses 49–53

Jesus says he came to cast fire on the earth and wishes it were already kindled. Fire in the Old Testament and in John the Baptist's preaching () is a figure for purifying judgment and for the Spirit. Jesus also speaks of a baptism he must undergo and his distress until it is accomplished. This is an image of immersion in suffering and death, and his words to James and John in use the same figure. He did not come to bring peace but division, as in , within a household.

Verses 54–59

The crowd can forecast rain from a cloud in the west and heat from a south wind but cannot interpret the present time. The final saying urges anyone going to court with an accuser to settle on the way, or be handed over to the judge and thrown into prison until the last penny is paid. In context it is a parable of urgency for a nation heading to judgment.

05Key terms

hypocrisy hypokrisis: From the word for an actor playing a role. It means outward display that hides what is inside, the leaven that spreads through the whole life.
Gehenna geenna: The Greek form of the valley of Hinnom south of Jerusalem. Jesus uses it as a name for the place of final judgment.
covetousness pleonexia: The desire to have more. Jesus warns against every kind of it, because life is not measured by possessions.
fool aphron: A person without sense. In Hebrew wisdom () the fool lives as if there is no God to answer to.
little faith oligopistoi: A gentle rebuke for disciples who worry. It describes weak trust, not unbelief.
baptism baptisma: A plunging or immersion. Here it names the overwhelming suffering and death Jesus must go through.

06In the whole Bible

The chapter teaches the Father's care and sovereignty together. God knows the sparrows, numbers the hairs and clothes the grass, and he is the one who may require a life. This holds together the Bible's teaching on providence (; ) and its warnings on judgment. Fear of God, in the Bible's sense, is the right answer to that holiness and it removes lesser fears.

The chapter also teaches that possessions are a test of the heart. Wisdom literature, the prophets and the Law warn against greed and call for justice for the poor (; ; ). Luke adds the call to give alms and to treasure in heaven (), which echoes . And it teaches the delay and certainty of the coming of the Son of Man. The New Testament calls for watchfulness as the posture of those who wait (; ). Responsibility rises with knowledge: those given much will be asked for much (compare ).

07Where Christ is

Jesus speaks here with direct authority about himself. He says that how people respond to him decides their standing before the angels (), where the Son of Man is the figure of who comes with authority. He promises the Holy Spirit's help to those who witness for him, which Acts shows fulfilled. He is the master who returns, and in a surprising twist the master who serves. and show Jesus as the servant who girds himself, so the image of is promise that the Gospel later fulfils.

The baptism and fire sayings point at his death and at the Spirit he will pour out. In John the Baptist says that the coming one will baptise with the Holy Spirit and fire. Jesus' own baptism in is his death, and and show what follows. His mission also brings division because he demands decision. Old Simeon had said that the child would be a sign opposed, so that thoughts of many hearts would be revealed (). The rich fool and the watchful servants then become pictures of two ways of meeting the one who is coming.

08Review questions

Why does Jesus call hypocrisy the leaven of the Pharisees, and what does he say about the hidden becoming known?
What is the rich man in the parable called by God, and what is his mistake?
What reasons does Jesus give for not being anxious, and what does he tell his disciples to seek instead?
How does the picture of the master who serves his waiting servants in connect to ?
What do the fire, the baptism and the division in show about the cost of Jesus' mission?

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