Do Not Fear…

Luke Chapter 12

LUKE 12:01-12

1Under these circumstances, after so many thousands of people had gathered together that they were stepping on one another, He began saying to His disciples first of all, “ Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. 2”But there is nothing covered up that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known. 3”Accordingly, whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in the inner rooms will be proclaimed upon the housetops.

4”I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that have no more that they can do. 5”But I will warn you whom to fear: fear the One who, after He has killed, has authority to cast into hell; yes, I tell you, fear Him! 6”Are not five sparrows sold for two cents? Yet not one of them is forgotten before God. 7”Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows.

8”And I say to you, everyone who confesses Me before men, the Son of Man will confess him also before the angels of God; 9but he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God. 10”And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him. 11”When they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not worry about how or what you are to speak in your defense, or what you are to say; 12for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”

LUKE 12:01-03

“Beware the leaven of the Pharisees…”

Lets examine the first sentence in this reading, “Under these circumstances...”

Remember, the context of this reading was Jesus had just cited the Six Woes of the religious leaders. They included a judgmental attitude, hypocrisy, failing to love God above tradition and turning their back on the people. When he left the Pharisees behind, they were plotting Jesus’ death.

Now thousands were following Jesus, crowds so large they were “stepping on one another.”

That is the context in which Jesus tells the people (and his disciples first of all) to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees.

Leaven was a very small change agent that, when placed in bread, made the bread rise to fullness. It was important to the Jews both for food purposes but also for symbolic purposes. The feast of unleavened bread remains a major Jewish celebration in which Jewish people remember fleeing Pharaoh’s Egypt without being able to put leaven in their bread.

Thus, Jesus’ statement has two meanings; he compares the Pharisees message to flat and hardened bread without fullness while also comparing the Pharisees lives to non-sacrificial living, distant from the leadership of Moses and the liberation of the Israelites. In essence they’re flat message flows from their privileged lives.

Biblical leadership is in stark contrast to the leadership of the Pharisees and of many leaders today. Leadership biblically was not about getting ahead. Instead, if you left anyone behind, you were not a good leader. If Moses abandoned even one elderly widow or one hungry orphan, God would not approve of his leadership. We need to rediscover and reclaim that type of leadership as our model today.

Jesus goes on to identify transparency and accountability as the two primary traits of healthy leadership and healthy communities. Organizations that survive disaster have the sense to address it upfront and vigorously. They accept blame, instead of defray it and set about finding a resolution that insures the dignity of all involved.

Organizations that avoid disaster use preventative measures of constant openness, policies of transparency and accountability throughout the organization while encouraging people to bring their problems to the fore quickly and honestly.

What is healthy systemically, Jesus emphasizes personally as well. Each of us is healthier when we build relationships around our values and mission and encourage people to be courageously honest with us.

As discussed in the last study, courageous honesty is not the same as brutal honesty. The first focuses on building strengths, the second focuses on exacerbating weaknesses. When I am honest with others, I must always ask myself which goal I have in mind? In return, even when others are brutally honest with us we should hear them out as long as we don’t allow people to treat us disrespectfully. There may be a grain of truth in what they say — and there may not. But sometimes, those who dislike us most can be prophetic in their anger.

The life of Jesus tells us some people will dislike us. The key is, let us be disliked by the right people. Let us be disliked by those who take advantage of the vulnerable while being loved by those need an advocate in their lives.

LUKE 12:04-07

“Fear the One who…”

Beware the leaven of the Pharisees, but fear the One who has authority to cast you into hell.

Clearly Christ is stating that the authority of the Pharisees was temporal and self-delusional. It is so easy to surround ourselves with people who always agree with us and dope ourselves into a sense of eternal importance. It is the classic “Yes Men,” issue in life, where leaders surround themselves only with people who agree with them and then start making decisions based in ideology rather than fact. It is quite easy for groups like this to turn inwards and begin asking, “What would serve us?” Rather than, “How do we serve others?”

When the leaven works in those kinds of situation people become all puffed up with pride and lose sight of purpose.

Alternatively, Jesus says fear [G5399 Phobeō], the One [G3326 Meta]. This type of fear is a constant state of alertness, like a lifeguard continually scanning the seas for a shark. Jesus alludes not to someone, but to The One, Meta, The Metashark. The shark above other sharks. He is The One who can pull us into hell. The term implies being cast into uselessness, cast into oblivion or cast into meaninglessness.

What if the entirety of my life was weighed and I had not lifted a finger to serve anyone other than myself? What if my life was so irresponsible that I left nothing but brokenness in my wake?

Jesus condemns the religious leaders of his day for multiple issues of injustice — not for religious legalities. His citations include distancing the people from God, adding guilt upon guilt to the common person’s life, casting out the vulnerable, robbing the poor of their esteem and income. Our lord is saying, “Don’t worry that you can’t keep up with their rules, tithe them your money, don’t endeavor to win their esteem instead, worry that you’ll become like them and ignore the needs of the vulnerable for then you will surely live a life in absence of God (the essence of hell).” If I’m not comfortable with the vulnerable in this life, I won’t be comfortable in the heaven Christ articulated.

“Indeed, the very hairs of your head are numbered”

Our Lord moves from the condemnation of the religious leaders and the “fear of the One,” to a statement of childlike intimacy, “The very hairs of your head are numbered.”

In doing this, Jesus reminds us as followers where our focus must be as well. We don’t focus on burdening people with religiosity and ritual, we don’t focus on fear and Satan, we focus on the amazing intimacy of our Creator to attend to the least important detail of our lives. He knows the very hairs on every head.

As a prison chaplain I often watched visiting pastors come in and use fear tactics to try and convert inmates. Many of the men around me had spent their lives raised in environments of abuse and abandonment. What they hadn’t heard were the words of endearing love, unconditional dignity, ransom is paid for those enslaved by lives of compounding errors. Joy for tragedy, hope for abandonment.

How do we work to enhance people’s lives in Christ’s name? Clearly, if Christ was invitational sharing the message of God’s intimate knowledge and love for each person, shouldn’t that be our primary message too? He feeds the masses. He heals the sick. He cures the blind. He eats with sinners but he never attempts to frighten them into following. For a people who lived in constant subservience and bare sustenance, he reserved a message of love — not fear.

So should we…

LUKE 12:08-10

“He who Blasphemes…”

This passage is covered with more depth in Matthew 12:31, but let’s take a look at the context of this statement and a couple of its key words.

· Deny [G720 Arneoma]

This term is used for denial and rejection but also in two other contexts, to refuse a command or refuse to “pour forth” — as in be indifferent in the face of injustice or when one has knowledge that could assist others (for example, to be silent in the face of injustice). Few of us have this problem. Most people are way too willing to offer their advice when not requested. Or speak when they should be listening, it is far more like Christ to listen before speaking and speak only when prompted by the Holy Spirit. How do we know the Holy Spirit is prompting us to speak, not because we want to speak, but because we must… It is probably best to be quiet until we’re assured we’re moving from want to must. Some people rarely have a conversation, just a marathon sermon. Am I a participant in a conversation? Or do I try to take them over? It is good to practice helping other people speak. A rare but needed quality today.

· Blasphemy [GG987 Blasphēmeō]

Blasphemy is to defame or speak evil of someone but also to speak impiously. This could mean to speak about holy things presumptuously or to act piously when your life is anything but holy. Look how these two words mimic each other. One is being silent in the face of injustice, the other is verbal vomiting — speaking without control.

Matthew 12:31

“Therefore I say to you, any sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven people, but blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven.”

LUKE 12:11-12

11”When they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not worry about how or what you are to speak in your defense, or what you are to say; 12for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”

“Do not worry…”

The exact wording here is “Take you no thought.” The word used is [G3307 Merimna] it means, “take no thought and do not be distracted.” To Jesus, a worry is a distraction. It keeps us from focusing on what God can do in our lives. Worrying is like giving up hope, instead we are to “turn our worry into prayer,” or — as Jesus says, “Give your distractions to the Holy Spirit and be taught how to pray in the moment of distraction…”

“The Holy Spirit will teach you in that hour what you ought to say…”

This phrase is filled with meaning; the Holy Spirit will teach in the immediate hour what to say. To Teach — [G1321 Didaskō] — means not only to learn but also to teach. We truly learn best by teaching. And when the Holy Spirit teaches us. It is a three-step process that ends in freely offering others what we’ve been given. Contrast this words, denial and hypocrisy above. This is the true response to anxiety in life. Give it up in the moment of need to the Holy Spirit and then be open to sharing the learning.

1. In the moment of our need

2. When we give up being distracted by worry

3. And when we teach others what we are learning.

Frequently Greek verbs are give and take, response and action. Take heed means to hear and to act. Power means both ability and authority. Preach means receive the word and live it. Prayer is to ask and to act. Witness means to know the truth and be willing to die in court for professing it.

Fool: A self-absorbed man

LUKE 12:13-21

13Someone in the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.”

14But He said to him, “Man, who appointed Me a judge or arbitrator over you?” 15Then He said to them, “Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions.” 16And He told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man was very productive. 17”And he began reasoning to himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?’ 18”Then he said, ‘This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19’And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry.”’ 20”But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?’ 21”So is the man who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”

LUKE 12:13-14

13Someone in the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.”

14But He said to him, “Man, who appointed Me a judge or arbitrator over you?”

“Tell my brother...”

We are about to see not just how little Christ cares for our petty attachments to this world; but how, instead, he was even hostile to such pettiness.

The poor man who was whining about his brother would have been stunned by Christ’s response. This is exactly the type of thing the Rabbis of Jesus’ day loved to argue. There would undoubtedly be a nice ‘gift’ attached to the Rabbi who settled such a case favorably (from one party or the other). There might even be a little bribery under the table.

Besides, the people were supposed to go to the Rabbi’s with such problems; they certainly wouldn’t take a Jewish problem to the Romans!

By rejecting this case, Jesus wasn’t just humiliating this man, he was rejecting the very heart of Rabbinical pride; arguing the scriptures.

By saying, “Man, who appointed Me a judge or arbitrator over you?” Jesus was basically saying, “You are wasting my time.”

Which of the two am I?

1. Am I the man who wastes Christ’s time by trying to make him focus on my petty, self-righteousness — my indignities?

2. Or, am I the rabbi wasting my own time debating minutiae rather than practicing faith?

God will neither ask if I got my fair share or argued a good case for the man who got his fair share.

God will ask me how many children I pulled out of the jaws of drugs; he will ask if I left anyone behind on my watch. “I gave my son’s life for you — what did you do with that gift?”

“I won a lawsuit against my brother,” or, “I argued that lawsuit for him,” is going to sound really feeble in God’s court.

LUKE 12:15

15Then He said to them, “Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions.”

“For not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions.”

Our culture values people by what they have or what they do. That is how we define a person’s worth. We are so easily deceived. We longingly buy into the lifestyles of the rich and famous and gladly go into debt to look like we are one of them. In my country, even racism and sexism seem to have fallen a distant second to classism.

Jesus’ message cuts more deeply today than ever; “You can have millions or control billions — but in the end you are still going to be naked before God. Are you preparing for that?”

Christ could not show more disdain for this man’s financial issues and feigned righteousness. He publicly chastises the man then turns to his disciples and makes a further example out of him. Why is Christ so harsh on this man? Because he is a fool, possessed by his own greed.

At the heart of greed is a self-centeredness that devalues the needs of others while elevating the needs of self. It is a sickness that leads the victim to view the world through a lens of: “What can you do for me?”

In our greed we exploit those we can use and discard those we cannot. In this story from Luke, the greed of this man looked right through God’s only son and into his own wants. He literally saw the Son of God as his legal lackey; “Tell my brother…” Indeed!

The lens of this man’s greed had him believing even the Christ existed for his beck and call. Greed does that to people so “be on guard,” warns Jesus.

It is so easy to fall into this trap, not just for money but also for whatever we covet. It is this coveting attitude that lies at the heart of manipulation — using others to meet my needs. The issue is much broader than money (though it is often most visible in that form). I can use people for my own cause, for any of my own physical or emotional needs. It seeps into what I say or do in the subtlest of ways — but we can stop it.

“Treasure God!” Jesus tells us.

Wake up each morning and plead with God to have his purpose at heart. Let’s carry with us a slip of paper or some gentle daily reminder so we always ask ourselves; “How can I free this person to know the love that God has for him/her?”

How deeply would that alter our relationships if we would just practice this one statement? It is his children that our God treasures; how can I use every resource I have to invest in them?

LUKE 12:16-21

16And He told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man was very productive. 17”And he began reasoning to himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?’ 18”Then he said, ‘This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19’And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry.”’ 20”But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?’ 21”So is the man who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”

“The land of a rich man was very productive.”

Christ makes a subtle but important statement here; “The land of a rich man was very productive.” He does not say; “A rich man was very productive.”

How often do I forget that every talent I have, every resource I use or accumulate is a blessing from God and must be returned to Him — with interest [Matthew 25:24-27]!

Arable land was very scarce in Israel and this man seemed to have plenty of it. In the eyes of God, that land was held in trust and to be used as with all gifts of God — a “return on investment.” Did the man use his resources to further God’s interests? That is the question at the heart of this story. Will I use my resources to further God’s interests? Those resources might be land, money or even the ability to practice medicine, communicate or lead — will they be used for God’s glory or my own?

In a region where land is so precious this man had a problem that made him totally oblivious to those around him. While many suffered from absolute poverty, his worries dealt with not having large enough storehouses to hold his grain. How self-centered his needs had become! How many of those around him could even contemplate that as a problem?

Yet, we too can become concentric in our greed. We cry; “Lord, what kind of leather interior will match my eyes?” While all around us others cry for health care, a living wage or access to education. While some worry about diversifying their wealth, others worry about feeding their children. On one block a man loses sleep over choosing the right investment; two blocks away an elderly couple worries about choosing between heart medication and groceries. Lord, if I am going to lose sleep — let it be over something of eternal worth.

Let me remember that all I have is held in trust for you and so let me be a man worthy of your trust.

“You fool! This very night your soul is required of you.”

I hate to focus on golfers, but…

Turn on any golf tournament and watch the commercials. See if the messages laid forth by the automobile companies, the retirement companies or the investment firms differ in any manner from what this man says to himself; “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry.”

“I deserve it…” “I’ve worked hard…” In what other ways do we couch these terms?

Our Mercedes SUV might have shaded windows — but it is the heart that refuses to see the needs of those around me. The man (woman) who “retires” while the poor are still hungry and children are still neglected — misses the point of life entirely. While we are here, our work will never be completed. We are Strangers in a strange land. This is not our home. Our home is heaven [Genesis 15:13].

Many of our outreach programs are staffed with elderly volunteers — committed people who have chosen to see “their retirement” as an opportunity to serve people in great need a healthy relationship. Yet, what is most interesting to me, when I ask them about their commitment to service; it was an ideal they held onto throughout their life. Retirement just gave them the opportunity to be even more focused on service. They are the happiest people I know. The least self-centered people I know. The most compassionate and fulfilled people I know.

Of course, this can go the other way. Some of the elderly are the most crotchety people I know. But their petulant behavior didn’t just start at retirement; it started 20, 30, forty years before with self-focused lives. I hear that attitude daily in statements among the middle-aged; “I only have 10 more years until retirement.”

We don’t start off caring and compassionate and suddenly become critical and grouchy on our 60th, 65th or 70th birthday. We chose to be self-serving from the start and we harden the attitude more with each day of self-centeredness.

“You fool…” Christ declares. The word [G878 Aphron], is used for the self-serving, egotistical, mindless, ignorant, egotistical and morally unbelieving. Isn’t it great the Greeks could use one word to mean so many things?

To Christ a fool was a man who was focused on himself — the self-absorbed man.

Greed and self-absorption; “Tell my brother…”

There is the attitude of the fool. A man who thinks even God is at his beck and call. A man who thinks he holds the universe on retainer. How can we protect ourselves from such deception? Give…

Live “for-giving.” What can I empty my life of today? Invest everything in God. Be rich in giving; be rich in God.

Our Father Has Chosen GLADLY!

LUKE 12:35-48

35”Be dressed in readiness, and keep your lamps lit. 36”Be like men who are waiting for their master when he returns from the wedding feast, so that they may immediately open the door to him when he comes and knocks. 37”Blessed are those slaves whom the master will find on the alert when he comes; truly I say to you, that he will gird himself to serve, and have them recline at the table, and will come up and wait on them. 38”Whether he comes in the second watch, or even in the third, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves.

39”But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have allowed his house to be broken into. 40”You too, be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not expect.”

41Peter said, “Lord, are You addressing this parable to us, or to everyone else as well?” 42And the Lord said, “Who then is the faithful and sensible steward, whom his master will put in charge of his servants, to give them their rations at the proper time? 43”Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes. 44”Truly I say to you that he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 45”But if that slave says in his heart, ‘My master will be a long time in coming,’ and begins to beat the slaves, both men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk; 46the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces, and assign him a place with the unbelievers. 47”And that slave who knew his master’s will and did not get ready or act in accord with his will, will receive many lashes, 48but the one who did not know it, and committed deeds worthy of a flogging, will receive but few. From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more.

LUKE 12:32

“Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom.”

“Do not be afraid, little flock...”

This chapter could well be known for lessons on fear and worry. Jesus tells his disciples not to fear or worry about four different things.

1. Those who can kill the body and beyond that are harmless [12:4]

2. Do not fear because God has even numbered the hair on our heads [12:7]

3. Do not worry about defending ourselves before persecutors [12:11]

4. Do not worry about our life, our food or our clothing because God knows our needs and worry won’t add a minute to our longevity [12:22-31].

Simultaneously, Jesus also says what to fear:

Luke 12:5

“But I will warn you whom to fear: fear the One who, after He has killed, has authority to cast into hell; yes, I tell you, fear Him!”

Luke 12:10

“And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him.”

Luke 12:20-21

20”But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?’ 21”So is the man who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”

To worry about the fears of this day, “What will I eat,” “What will I wear,” is to waste what little time I do have on earth. It robs our lives of joy and reveals the weakness of our faith in God. “Do NOT worry about earthly things,” is not a statement of comfort by Jesus. It isn’t as though the Lord is leading us in a Hebrew version of the popular song “Don’t worry, be happy.”

Rather, this is a command of discipleship. We are being told to turn our worry into worship and our fears into faith.

The disciple of Christ:

1. Abhors hypocrisy and embraces sincerity [12:1].

2. Refuses to be paralyzed by fear and uses fearful moments as an opportunity to witness to God’s glory [12:4-9].

3. Rejects worry and chooses trust [12:25-26].

4. Is motivated by generosity, not greed [12:34].

5. Is always diligent and alert and not lured into the false slumber and comfort of this world [12:37].

This is not natural to us. We don’t stumble upon such confidence. It is a determined habit to choose trust in a world of disappointment and even betrayal. Yet, herein is the greatest witness we have to offer for when we accept Christ we no longer rely on our experience and perceptions. We no longer say, “I was burned once, I am not trusting again!”

The attitude of Christ is to expect this world to be unfair while choosing to remain fair despite our circumstances. He urges us to remain open despite being wounded and to love despite being burned so as to reveal the depth of our faith in God’s control — faith through difficulties is indeed one of our greatest opportunities to testify to God. Our Lord did not venture to Jerusalem expecting a last minute change among his persecutors. He knew they would kill him but he knew God’s plan was even greater.

The practice of growing such persistent faith is explained in this chapter; intentionally seeking out what you fear and bringing God to that place. It is hard for us to fathom this, but the very things we are to truly fear—the hypocritical life of evil, blaspheming the Holy Sprit by saying I am a Christian but not living like one, choosing greed over God—will lose their power over me only if I confront them.

· Confront hypocrisy by choosing humility, “Lord, make me the weakest of the weak.”

· Resist living a blasphemous life by going to the places where my faith will be forced to grow. “Lord take me to the places you would be found.”

· Reject the comfort and greed of this world by trying to out give God everyday — it will never happen—but it is a great joy to try. “Lord, grow my faith by growing my ability to bring peace to chaos.”

· Therein is the penultimate promise of verse 32, “Your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom.” “Lord, let me remember that you have gladly chosen to bring me into your kingdom and let that abundant promise be evident in my attitude with all whom I meet.”

Our Father is not resigned to include us, he doesn’t have to and he doesn’t even think about it, it is his desire. Our Father is not even waiting for us to consider it and “get back to him.” Our Father is running out to greet us — like children returning from a kidnapping. We were doped and drugged, fooled by our captors, we even betrayed our Loved One; but he was working toward our release the whole time. He paid the ransom and it cost him his Beloved but, in the end, he was victorious and our freedom was secured. The gate is wide open (the meaning of the word “salvation”) but it is stunning how many of us try to turn right around, relock the bars and re-clamp the chains.

Cast them away! Flee the dungeon! Our Father’s greatest joy is to see us walk out into the light and throw his arms about us.

Satan will try to trick us into staying in the stench of darkened dungeons. He will tell us; “God doesn’t want you now, you stink, you’ve been a prisoner too long — he won’t accept you now.”

But run! Flee! The Father’s open arms are waiting!

And if we already know this — if we have been given the incredible gift of knowing just how much the Savior loves us — then tarry but a moment longer to help others who may be unsure and timid. Assure them, unshackle them even carry them if you must — the Father will rejoice all the more in your arrival.

Our Father has chosen GLADLY! So must we...

LUKE 12:33-34

33“Sell your possessions and give to charity; make yourselves money belts which do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near nor moth destroys. 34“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

“Money belts which do not wear out”

To our culture, freedom is tied to earnings. We speak of financial freedom and use the term “independently wealthy.” In contrast, Jesus tells us we will find freedom in giving and wealth in healthy relationships, particularly with the community around us. Our culture speaks of wealth and security while Jesus equated those qualities with insecurity — the more you possess, the more you fear both man (the thief) and nature (the moth).

Do I see “financial liberation” as freedom from worry? Christ proposes another possibility; it is freedom from needs. Do I see “financial liberation” as getting what I want? Christ sees another possibility, opportunities to offer mercy. The literal translation of “give [G1325 didomi] to charity [G1654 eleemosune]” would be something like; “Use your resources to create opportunities for mercy.”

The term for treasure [G2344 thesauros] (finding the right word in the right circumstance is a treasure) is just as interesting as the terms for giving and charity. The root word of treasure is tithemi [G5087]— we have embraced this concept many times and it is also the root of our word, “tithe.”

Tithemi means to kneel before an object or person or to make an offering or sacrifice. When Christ tells us to “use our resources to create opportunities for mercy,” he is telling us how to focus our lives on what God treasures or literally, he is telling us how we can be treasured by God. Total liberation then is to be a living tithe; all of our resources — not just financially — but our time, our creativity even our passion used for his glory. And that glory is revealed in mercy, justice and humility:

“He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God [Micah 6:8]?”

To treasure God is to treasure these qualities, not with a proportion of our resources — 5%, 10%, whatever — but selling out totally to God.

LUKE 12:35-38

35”Be dressed in readiness, and keep your lamps lit. 36”Be like men who are waiting for their master when he returns from the wedding feast, so that they may immediately open the door to him when he comes and knocks. 37”Blessed are those slaves whom the master will find on the alert when he comes; truly I say to you, that he will gird himself to serve, and have them recline at the table, and will come up and wait on them. 38”Whether he comes in the second watch, or even in the third, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves.”

“Be dressed in readiness...”

“Gird your loins...”

This was the cry of biblical readiness. A warrior would reach through his legs, pull up the back hem of his robe and tuck it into his front belt. The action effectively freed his legs up for running or maneuverability. He could now move without tripping on his robes.

Christ tells us, “Be dressed in readiness [G4024 Perizonnumi].” It is all one word and means to be ready for battle at all times and in all places. In Judges 7, we get an idea of the kind of warriors our Lord is seeking. He tells Gideon only to choose the warriors who do not kneel to drink the water. Instead, God wants warriors who drink with their heads up — ever watchful — lifting the water to their lips and lapping it up in the event the enemy lies near in wait.

“Be like men who are waiting for their master...”

In Christ’s time, when a wealthy man (“their master”) went to a wedding feast, it was not for the afternoon. Weddings would last several days or weeks and the trip would even be longer if it was at the home of a distant relative, merchant or ruler. The servants in question were not garden servants or field workers; they had one sole task. These were the house servants and the only role they had was to keep the house spotless for the moment the master returned, “So that they may immediately open the door to him when he comes and knocks.”

Two things we should note about our Master’s return

1) He may come, “in the second watch, or even in the third.”

The first watch was from midnight to two; the second was from two until four and the third from four until six. In essence, our Lord may return in the darkest watch; when the world is most concerned about its own comfort and least concerned about its responsibilities. Think about this in regards to people who demand their own rights, but neglect their responsibilities. The right to worship freely bears the responsibility to protect others faith too. The right to bear arms includes the responsibility of insuring the safety of others — especially the vulnerable…

What other rights can you think of have equitable responsibilities?

2) We know we need to be doubly ready for — after such a trip — the Master is least likely to look like the Master. He will look like a stranger, like the hungry — he may even be waylaid, held hostage or sick [Matt 25:34-46]. However we hear of our Master, however he looks, whatever state he is in, we must run to greet him.

In essence, we need to be prepared for our Master to return at any time and in any form. Am I as ready to serve my Master at any time and in any form as Gideon’s soldiers were ready to serve their general? At the spring of Harod, on the fields below Galilee, God narrowed His warriors from 22,000 to 300 who were ready. Am I that ready? Am I that unencumbered? Am I that focused on serving? What do I need to give away so as to liberate myself to be that focused?

“He will gird himself to serve...”

“Blessed are those slaves whom the master will find on the alert when he comes [v12].”

How blessed?

Imagine the Creator of this universe inviting you to his barbecue. Imagine being surprised there by every person whom you have ever touched, advocated for, led to the warmth of Christ, offered the freedom of forgiveness or to whom you have been a pillar of hope. It will be the most joyful party we shall ever know — provided our treasures in this life have been stored up in the right places.

If not that is going to be one long, intolerable barbecue…

Yet, the great news is that it is never too late to give everything away. It is never too late to, “Use every resource to make or create opportunities for mercy.”

Remember; “Your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom.”

No one wants you to be welcome at this party more than God, let’s not disappoint him.

LUKE 12:39-40

39”But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have allowed his house to be broken into. 40You too, be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not expect.”

“What hour the thief was coming...”

Here the tenor of Christ’s message changes; from the Master’s returning and the party that awaits to a discussion about a thief in the night. The message is clear: We can give what we have in joy or watch it be taken from us in sorrow. We can choose humility or be humiliated.

Clearly, the thief in the night is death whose coming is preeminent. To a man who has spent his life giving a thief is no threat — he may even see it as another opportunity to share God’s richness. To a man who has spent his life keeping, taking and accumulating — a thief is his ruin, his ultimate fear. What greater joy could there be than to know that death will bring me closer to the one I have served all my life? Yet, what greater sorrow can there be than to see that where I gave all my time, where I invested all my passion, where I stored all my resources is gone in a flash; stolen by a thief in the night?

Why live in fear of the thief when, “Our Father has chosen gladly to give us the kingdom?”

As joyfully passionate he has given to us, let us endeavor to give to him. It is going to be an awesome barbecue, who could you invite today?

“Analyze this present time!”

LUKE 12:49-56

49”I have come to cast fire upon the earth; and how I wish it were already kindled! 50”But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is accomplished! 51Do you suppose that I came to grant peace on earth? I tell you, no, but rather division; 52for from now on five members in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three. 53”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 and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”

54And He was also saying to the crowds, “When you see a cloud rising in the west, immediately you say, ‘A shower is coming,’ and so it turns out. 55And when you see a south wind blowing, you say, ‘It will be a hot day,’ and it turns out that way. 56”You hypocrites! You know how to analyze the appearance of the earth and the sky, but why do you not analyze this present time?”

LUKE 12:49-50

49”I have come to cast fire upon the earth; and how I wish it were already kindled! 50”But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is accomplished!”

“I have come to cast fire...”

People don’t like this Jesus. Yet, this is the same Lord that held children in his lap while teaching, who told the little girl, “Tabitha, rise little lamb.” Was Jesus’ intensity increasing as he neared Jerusalem? Was Jesus becoming less compassionate and harsher as his time neared?

Not likely...

This same Jesus would still heal the blind beggar in Jericho. He would still heal the woman who had bled for 18 years; he healed the man of dropsy and dined with sinners. This was the same Jesus who looked down upon Jerusalem and wept. It was the same Jesus who shielded the poor and placed himself between the seething crowd and the broken adulterous woman.

This same Jesus had a stomach that churned for the vulnerable and yet, seethed with anger at the temple priests who turned worship into a moneymaking carnival. This same Jesus who forgave a criminal on the cross and restored an ear on the soldier who would arrest him would also condemn the religious leaders and even pierce Peter’s pride when the apostle tried to keep him from his destiny in Jerusalem.

Confusing? Not really. Jesus felt seething anger, anger that led him to pull the cords from his waist and whip the temple coin changers, but his anger was never self-righteous. His anger was never self-protective or a “sudden mood-swing.” His fury was an anger of advocacy, directed at any who stood between God’s love and lost sheep.

Is my anger so selfless? And, the anger that I do feel; is it on behalf of the forgotten, the neglected, or the discarded? Do I even feel anger over injustice?

There was a bonfire that the Messiah came to light. But, is there one burning in me? Do I feel any fire beyond the anger at the car that cut me off in traffic? Would Christ look into my heart and find it burning for anything worthwhile?

The word for fire is pur [G442]. Is my anger even close to pure? Do I have any fire that has eternal merit? “How I wish it were already kindled!”

Jesus, please kindle my heart for something worthwhile.

“I have a baptism to undergo...”

The incredible intensity of Jesus’ passion is illustrated in these words. “But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is accomplished!”

Let’s focus on two words from this reading:

1) Distressed [G4912 Sunecho];

This word means he was seized or completely occupied.

2) Accomplished [G5055 Teleo];

This is the same word used when Jesus says; “Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect [Matt 5:48].” Teleo, from which we get telescopic, means to be perfectly focused.

Jesus was seized with a perfect focus!

It is not unusual to see people seized with a perfect focus; however, in this culture, it is unusual to find people who are not perfectly focused on themselves. The focus of Jesus was not on his baptism. To the Hebrew, baptism represented a ceremonial cleansing; it was used to make things or beings ceremonially pure. Through baptism, normally secular objects would be cleansed for a holy ‘pur’-pose (being clean was never an end in itself). Jesus was perfectly focused on being cleansed for a holy purpose. His purpose was to become a sacrifice for our sins and his baptism was the crucifixion.

Are we consumed by a holy purpose or self-focus? A holy purpose would be to bring God’s wholeness into the brokenness of our world. A selfish focus makes the world more broken. I sometimes query myself, “If someone walked ten meters behind me throughout my day, would he find a trail filled with more kindness than if he walked ten meters in front of me?” The answer to that question would say more about my purpose in life than any message I could ever deliver.

A fragrance of hope and wholeness followed our Lord wherever he went; even after the cross when the Centurion who oversaw his death said; “Truly this was the Son of God [Matthew 27:54]!”

LUKE 12:51-53

51Do you suppose that I came to grant peace on earth? I tell you, no, but rather division; 52for from now on five members in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three. 53”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 and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”

“They will be divided...”

There is a point when striving for unity often leads to compromise of my personal needs. However, there is a compromise Christ would find unacceptable and that is a compromise of my values. Christ tolerated Nicodemus’ poor theology and even Peter’s early ineptitude; but he would not tolerate injustice. This was the consistent cry of the psalmists and prophets [Amos 5:23-24].

Jesus corrected the foibles and faults of his followers, but he attacked injustice and self-righteousness. Injustice was an affront to God, for which he would even condemn his own people.

Division in the church is commonplace, but rarely do we prompt division over the right issues. The dividing issue to Christ was, “Did you feed the hungry, quench someone’s driving thirst, welcome strangers as if they were family, clothe Jesus in the guise of a vagrant, or visit our Lord when he was sick and imprisoned?”

Those were the dividing lines to Jesus, are they ours? Justice draws a line in the sand.

LUKE 12:54-56

“Why do you not analyze this present time?”

Christ’s words rise to a shocking crescendo; “You hypocrites! You know how to analyze the appearance of the earth and the sky, but why do you not analyze this present time?”

He calls the religious leaders hypocrites [G5273 Hupokrites] – literally, actors who put on a mask – because they patted their own backs and fluffed their own feathers when they got the weather right. For us, it might be guessing right about an economic downturn or the value of a stock rising in our favor. “Fools!” our Lord cries. We guess at small things but don’t know how to, “Analyze [G1381a Dokimazo] this present time.” It means we aren’t even attempting to learn what is important given the signs of our time.

Even those who claim to study the “signs of our times” seem to get it wrong. They look for signs of when the world is going to end wowing people with millennial theories and all sorts of biblical prophecies. Yet, this is foolishness – a fool’s use of time. Turn away from such balderdash… We are not supposed to know — even Jesus did not seek the answer to those questions.

We might pour over prophecies and tabulate days, yet lives are being lost all around us. Lives for which we will be held accountable. It is a state of self-congratulatory complacency in the midst of suffering. We pat ourselves on the back for a great worship service while a block away from our mega-church is a child being told how stupid and unwanted she is by a parent who hasn’t had their morning fix.

“Analyze this present time!” heralds our Lord.

This present time!

Who did I drive by this morning? Who was I too busy for today that needed a quiet word of encouragement? What person cries out right now in a jail less than a few minutes from my house, work or church?

This Jesus is angry. He is red-in-the-face and stating, “Forget about the ‘end times,’ forget about someday, quit yakking about my return: “Analyze this present time!”

LUKE 12:57-59

57“And why do you not even on your own initiative judge what is right?

58“For while you are going with your opponent to appear before the magistrate, on {your} way {there} make an effort to settle with him, in order that he may not drag you before the judge, and the judge turn you over to the constable, and the constable throw you into prison.

59“I say to you, you shall not get out of there until you have paid the very last cent.”

“Why do you not even on your own initiative judge what is right?”

The man who has no sense of God’s timing cannot judge what is right. It means to determine or distinguish what is equitable or innocent. He has no sense of what is pure and sees everything through a judgmental or cynical eye.

The ultimate freedom is to let go of cynicism and sarcasm — of being judgmental and carrying around prejudices (which is no more than intellectual laziness). It takes nothing to point to a problem — it takes courage and maturity to boldly engage a problem.

To judge [G2919 Krino]; means to distinguish, i.e. decide (mentally or judicially); by implication to also take to trial and condemn, punish: In the King James Version it also includes to avenge, conclude, condemn, damn, decree, determine, esteem, judge, go to (sue at the) suit, ordain, call in question, sentence to and to think negatively.

What is right [G1342 Dikaios] from 1349; equitable (in character or act); by implication, innocent, holy (absolutely or relatively): KJV— just, meet, right (-eous). Nearly every Scriptural reference to righteousness also attaches mercy and justice. It is as if the concept means, “If you see something wrong, make it right. Don’t just walk by it. — i.e. the good Samaritan parable in Luke 10:30-37.

Make an effort to settle with him

Luke 12:58 (KJV Version)

When thou goest with thine adversary to the magistrate, as thou art in the way, give diligence that thou mayest be delivered from him; lest he hale thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and the officer cast thee into prison. (KJV)

Deliver us from our debts [G525 Apallasso]; from 575 and 236; to change away, i.e. release, (reflexively) remove: KJV— deliver, depart.

Jesus gives us advice on judging others by saying, “Settle before you get before this judge; because your case has no strength before the judge. Judge like you want to be judged.”

Luke 6:37

37”Do not judge, and you will not be judged; and do not condemn, and you will not be condemned; pardon, and you will be pardoned.”

We can’t stand in front of God with our finger pointed at others (or even the Adversary) and say; “Well, he’s a sinner too…”

When we go before God, we don’t want to have any anger, debt or loathing left in our hearts. Use every effort in this life to get rid of all that possesses you. Live totally unencumbered.

Jesus sat opposite the treasury and watched what people put in. What if I knew Jesus was watching what I put in? Even more — what if Jesus was watching me lay out my calendar for this week? To whom will I give the gift of my time?

Mark says of the widow in Mark 13 who gave two half-pennies. “Her life became the gift.”

Mark 12:42-44

42A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which amount to a cent. 43Calling His disciples to Him, He said to them, “Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the contributors to the treasury; 44for they all put in out of their surplus, but she, out of her poverty, put in all she owned, all she had to live on.”

Live to the fullest, become the gift…

“The entire nation would be crushed.” This was less prophecy than fact. Later, Jesus would prophesy with clarity about the demise of Jerusalem but for now prophecy was not his point. His point was much plainer; violent means lead to violent ends and violence is no respecter of good or bad it would consume them all.

Three things become apparent in these two stories:

1. Bad things happen to good people in a world filled with sin

2. We don’t have the perspective to judge good and bad

3. A nation that chooses violence as its means and worldly power as its ends brings destruction upon the good and bad alike. “You will all likewise perish”

“I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”

Here is the cry to radical personal change, which is always a theme of the Gospel. It is the base of the word, Repent [G3340 metanoeo].

We already know that repentance means to deepen your intimacy with God, shifting the paradigm in our relationships and seeing through the Godly eyes of compassion not the Judgmental eyes of humanity. Jesus was calling his disciples individually to prayer, but also his nation corporatelyto prayer. This was an ancient call to the Israelites — to repent as a nation [2 Chronicles 7:13-14].

Their ultimate deliverance was not from Rome, but from corporate and individual sin [Isaiah 58:1-12].

Who will cry out for corporate repentance today? Who will echo Christ’s call to the nations: “But unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”

Yet, all corporate repentance begins with personal repentance. We cannot change systems if we haven’t changed ourselves. Individually our hearts must embrace the humility of David in Psalm 51 [Psalm 51:1-13].

When will I teach transgressors God’s way? Only once the Lord has purified me, once I have come face to face, in humility, with my transgressions and asked the Lord to make me whole. Only once I have stripped myself of pride and then not, “return to the vomit,” [2 Peter 2:22] to become falsely prideful again.

Look at David, broken in sin, defamed before the court, he finally quits justifying his own sin, he finally quits passing the blame off to others and he finally embraces his utter failure as God’s king. Only then is he ready to lead and only then is he of any true worth to God. When all is said and done there is only one fruit we have to offer others: Grace through repentance.

The bottom line for us is not to state to others, “Unless you repent.” Our faith journey must always begin with, “Once I’ve repented.”