|
Luke 12:1:reads "In the mean time, when the many thousands of the multitude were gathered together, insomuch that they trod one upon another, he began to say unto his disciples first of all, Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.
2: But there is nothing covered up, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known.
3: Wherefore whatsoever ye have said in the darkness shall be heard in the light; and what ye have spoken in the ear in the inner chambers shall be proclaimed upon the housetops.
4: And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.
5: But I will warn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, who after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him.
6: Are not five sparrows sold for two pence? and not one of them is forgotten in the sight of God.
7: But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not: ye are of more value than many sparrows.
8: And I say unto you, Every one who shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God:
9: but he that denieth me in the presence of men shall be denied in the presence of the angels of God.
10: And every one who shall speak a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but unto him that blasphemeth against the Holy Spirit it shall not be forgiven.
11: And when they bring you before the synagogues, and the rulers, and the authorities, be not anxious how or what ye shall answer, or what ye shall say:
12: for the Holy Spirit shall teach you in that very hour what ye ought to say."
Jesus teaches us why we should fear God in chapter 12. Man is a creature of many allegiances and as such is a fickle being. Man will generally give loyalty to the highest bidder for his service. In our dealings with men, the temptation is often overwhelmingly great to do the will of men, and not the will of God. More so a mans life means a lot to him and generally speaking a man will give all that he has in exchange for his own life. This is indeed the problem that the followers of Jesus would face. Either they would renounce Christ and so save their lives or they would not renounce Christ and lose their families,possesions and lives. It is into such a context that Jesus teaches the fear of God. The fear of God is a restraining factor, just as the law in many lands acts as a restraining factor toward people who lean toward evil. People will often not do certain forbidden things for fear of the consequences of the law, especially if they will be severely punished. Obviously there are such lawless men who would break the law, because they have no fear of the law. But what Jesus is teaching here is that the fear of God will result in life. For the punishment of God haters can result in death and then there is nothing more that they can do. But we must look beyond to the true reality. That reality is that we must and will all face God. Either we will face Him as loyal servants who do the Kings will or we will face Him as disloyal deserters who face their commanding officer. They know that they will be shot and disgraced. The true son of God will face disgrace from those who accuse him of disloyalty to the rulers of this world. He will even lose his life in some circumstances, but rather that than face the fire of hell. The will of our God and King must come first before our wills and the fear of God is the way to make sure Gods will comes before our will. We will need to know that God expects of us to confess the name of Jesus before men and not hide it, lest we be found before Jesus not to own us as his own before God.. We must know to fully follow Christ will result in us being mistreated, imprisoned even killed. But in all this we by faith see the unseen reality of God in Jesus Christ Everything will be revealed and nothing will be hidden. But for those who are willing to be sold out to the King of Kings, come what may they will receive Immortality and honour in the world to come which is Gods Kingdom. The fear of God is indeed the beginning of all wisdom. 13: And one out of the multitude said unto him, Teacher, bid my brother divide the inheritance with me. 14: But he said unto him, Man, who made me a judge or a divider over you? 15: And he said unto them, Take heed, and keep yourselves from all covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth. 16: And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: 17: and he reasoned within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have not where to bestow my fruits? 18: And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my grain and my goods. 19: And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, be merry. 20: But God said unto him, Thou foolish one, this night is thy soul required of thee; and the things which thou hast prepared, whose shall they be? 21: So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God. 22: And he said unto his disciples, Therefore I say unto you, Be not anxious for [your] life, what ye shall eat; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. 23: For the life is more than the food, and the body than the raiment. 24: Consider the ravens, that they sow not, neither reap; which have no store-chamber nor barn; and God feedeth them: of how much more value are ye than the birds! 25: And which of you by being anxious can add a cubit unto the measure of his life? 26: If then ye are not able to do even that which is least, why are ye anxious concerning the rest? 27: Consider the lilies, how they grow: they toil not, neither do they spin; yet I say unto you, Even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 28: But if God doth so clothe the grass in the field, which to-day is, and to-morrow is cast into the oven; how much more [shall he clothe] you, O ye of little faith? 29: And seek not ye what ye shall eat, and what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind. 30: For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: but your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things. 31: Yet seek ye his kingdom, and these things shall be added unto you. 32: Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. 33: Sell that which ye have, and give alms; make for yourselves purses which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief draweth near, neither moth destroyeth. 34: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. 35: Let your loins be girded about, and your lamps burning; 36: and be ye yourselves like unto men looking for their lord, when he shall return from the marriage feast; that, when he cometh and knocketh, they may straightway open unto him. 37: Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them sit down to meat, and shall come and serve them. 38: And if he shall come in the second watch, and if in the third, and find [them] so blessed are those [servants]. 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 have left his house to be broken through. the next theme of chapter 12 is about seeking after wealth as opposed to Gods Kingdom. We have a terrible reminder that those who prosper and have no fear of God stand or fall by God. Right after Jesus is asked by one in the crowd to make sure his brother divides his inheritance with him. Immediatly Jesus takes up on this to speak to the people about covetousnous. 16: And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: 17: and he reasoned within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have not where to bestow my fruits? 18: And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my grain and my goods. 19: And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, be merry. 20: But God said unto him, Thou foolish one, this night is thy soul required of thee; and the things which thou hast prepared, whose shall they be? in this parable the mans thirst for riches is never quenched and so he thinks he will just carry on. But God says he is a fool and so God took away his life that same night. We are to understand that greed leads to death and that it is by God that we stand or fall. |
