Chapter Twelve

1–12. Exhortations to open confession of faith. – 13–21. The parable of the rich fool. – 22–34. On gathering earthly treasures. – 35–48. On watchfulness and faithfulness. – 49–53. On the struggle that will come to Christ’s followers. – 54–59. On the signs of the times.

Luke 12:1. In the meantime, when so many thousands of the multitude had gathered together, so that they trampled one another, He began to say to His disciples first: Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. In the following section (down to verse 13) the evangelist Luke follows the Gospel of Matthew or the source which was close to this Gospel (compare Matt 10:17-33). “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees” (see Matt 16:6). “Which is hypocrisy,” that is, beware because this leaven, which permeates the whole nature of the Pharisee, is hypocrisy (compare Matt 6:2).

Luke 12:2. For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; nor hid, that shall not be known. What is the connection of this speech with the preceding verse? Undoubtedly, the Lord points now to the uselessness of hypocrisy: all the same, the truth will certainly come to light in time (see Matt 10:26-27).

Luke 12:3. Therefore whatsoever you have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light; and that which you have spoken in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon the housetops. Some interpret this with reference to the preaching of the apostles, at first concealed, then, with the victory of Christianity, proclaimed openly. But simpler and more natural is to see here the continuation of the speech about the uselessness of hypocrisy: however much a hypocrite hides his spiritual state, it will in the end still be revealed openly for all to see. “In the light,” that is, in daylight.

Luke 12:4. And I say to you My friends: Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. Luke 12:5. But I will show you whom you should fear: fear Him, who after He has killed has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him. Luke 12:6. Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings? and not one of them is forgotten before God. Luke 12:7. But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Therefore fear not: you are of more value than many sparrows. (See Matt 10:28-31). Hitherto the Lord spoke about hypocrites; now He turns to His friends. From them He expects not hypocritical devotion, but open and honest, fearless service.

Luke 12:8. Also I say to you: Every one that confesses Me before men, him shall the Son of Man also confess before the angels of God. Luke 12:9. But he that denies Me before men shall be denied before the angels of God. (See Matt 10:32-33). The Lord here persuades the disciples to firm confession of their faith and points to the reward awaiting them for this. “Before the Angels of God.” The evangelist Luke speaks of the “Angels” as servants surrounding the throne of the Heavenly King. The evangelist Matthew speaks directly of the Father in Heaven, before whom Christ acknowledges His faithful confessors as His own.

Luke 12:10. And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven; but whoever speaks blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him. (See Matt 12:31-32). From confessors of Christ the discourse passes to those who do not believe in Christ, who will speak against the Son of Man, and from these to the blasphemers of the Holy Spirit.

Luke 12:11. When they bring you before the synagogues and authorities and powers, do not worry about how or what you should answer, or what you should say, Luke 12:12. for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that hour what you ought to say. According to the evangelist Luke, those who blaspheme the Holy Spirit should be recognized as the authorities and powers who will not acknowledge the disciples of Christ as messengers of God speaking under the action of the Holy Spirit (see Matt 10:17-20).

Luke 12:13. Someone from the crowd said to Him: Teacher! Tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me. Luke 12:14. And He said to that man: Who made Me a judge or a divider over you? This remarkable event is recorded by only one evangelist, Luke. Someone from among those listening to Christ—certainly not a disciple of Christ, for a disciple would hardly dare approach in front of the crowd with such a question to Christ—someone, evidently extremely preoccupied with his own affairs, interrupted Christ with a question or request: “Teacher! Tell my brother...” It is evident that his brother had wrongly appropriated all the inheritance after their father’s death, and he desired that the Great Teacher of the people would intervene on his behalf. Perhaps, he thought, the brother would listen to the Teacher. But the Lord answered him briefly that He was not appointed to divide property. “Man!” (this is how Christ’s form of address ἄνθρωπε should be translated here). “Who made...” The Lord calls the one who addressed Him “man”—a form of address showing some disapproval of the request itself (cf. Rom 2:1). Then the Lord clearly withdraws from participation in affairs of a purely civil character. He came to proclaim the Gospel, and once the Gospel is established in human hearts, it itself will already transform and change the whole structure of social life. On the basis of the Gospel there could develop entirely just Christian legislation—inner renewal ought to lead to outer, civil renewal as well (see: Rozanov N.P. Socio-economic Life and the Gospel, pp. 1–5).

Luke 12:15. And He said to them: Look out, guard yourselves against greed, for a person’s life does not depend on the abundance of his possessions. The Lord points out that greed—covetousness—was what prompted the request voiced by the “man,” and He urges them to fear this feeling. “For life.” What life? The ordinary physical life or eternal life? From verse 20 it is evident that only the former can be meant here—mere existence, the length of which does not depend on how much wealth one has managed to accumulate: God unexpectedly brings the life of a rich man to an end and continues the life of a poor man.

Luke 12:16. And He said to them a parable: A certain rich man had a good harvest in his field; Luke 12:17. and he reasoned with himself, saying: What shall I do? I have nowhere to store my fruit? Luke 12:18. And he said: This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and I will gather there all my grain and all my goods, Luke 12:19. and I will say to my soul: Soul! You have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease, eat, drink, and be merry. Luke 12:20. But God said to him: Fool! This very night your soul will be demanded of you; then whose will be the things you have prepared? Luke 12:21. So it is with the one who stores up treasures for himself and is not rich toward God. The parable of the rich fool confirms in the best way the thought of verse 15—about the unreliability of wealth for lengthening a person’s life. “Nowhere for me to store my fruit.” Before the rich man were, of course, thousands of those in need, to whom he ought to have given the surplus of his harvest, but he seems to regard himself as not at all obliged to help his neighbor and thinks only of himself, so that he might be at ease about the future, when there might be no harvest. “I will say to my soul.” The soul here is taken as the “seat of feelings”: it will feel the pleasure which wealth will give to the person (“soul” in Greek ψυχή—precisely the lower aspect of the soul’s life in contrast to pneuma—the higher aspect of this life). “God said to him.” When and how is not said; these gaps are generally characteristic of parables (Blessed Theophylact). “Will demand.” Again it is not said—who. One can, of course, see here the Angels—“the Angels of death, who will tear out the soul of the one resisting the lover of life” (Blessed Theophylact; cf. Luke 16:22). “Rich toward God” (εἰς θεὸν πλουτῶν)—this does not mean: to gather wealth in order to use it for the glory of God, because in that case the previous expression would have been retained: “stores up treasures” (θησαυρίζειν), and the contrast would consist only in a difference of purposes for enrichment, whereas clearly the Lord contrasts “enrichment in general” with complete indifference to the gathering of property. Nor can there be here any question of gathering unfading riches—the blessings of the Messiah’s Kingdom, because that would still be an accumulation of treasures “for oneself,” though they are treasures of another kind. Therefore nothing remains but to accept the interpretation of B. Weiss, according to which “to be rich toward God” means to be rich in goods which God Himself recognizes as goods (cf. the expression of verse 31: “seek rather the kingdom of God”).

Luke 12:22. And He said to His disciples: For this reason I say to you, do not worry for your soul what you will eat, nor for your body what you will put on: Luke 12:23. the soul is more than food, and the body is more than clothing. Luke 12:24. Consider the ravens: they do not sow, they do not reap; they have neither storehouse nor granary, and God feeds them; how much more valuable are you than the birds? Luke 12:25. And who of you by worrying can add a single cubit to his stature? Luke 12:26. If then you are not able to do even the least, why do you worry about the rest? Luke 12:27. Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory was clothed like one of these. Luke 12:28. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is today and tomorrow will be cast into the fire, how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith! Luke 12:29. And you, do not seek what you will eat, or what you will drink, and do not be anxious, Luke 12:30. for all these things the nations of the world pursue; and your Father knows that you need these things; Luke 12:31. rather seek the kingdom of God, and all these things will be added to you. These sayings, in which the thoughts of the parable of the rich fool are expounded, in the Gospel of Matthew are placed in the Sermon on the Mount (see Matt 6:25-33). “And do not be anxious” (verse 29, μὴ μετεωρίζεσθε)—more accurately “do not carry yourselves too high” in the demands you make upon life in general.

Luke 12:32. Fear not, little flock; for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. Luke 12:33. Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide yourselves with purses that do not wear out, with an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief approaches and no moth eats away, Luke 12:34. for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. “Fear not, little flock.” These words are found only in the evangelist Luke. Here the Lord gives assurance to His disciples that their striving for the kingdom of God (verse 31) will achieve its goal. And they might fear precisely that it would not be granted to them to enter this kingdom, because they, in any case, represented only an extremely small circle (“little flock”), whereas in the Old Testament, according to the common understanding of the time, the kingdom of the Messiah was designated for the chosen people as a whole. “What really are we?” the apostles could have thought. “What kind of ‘kingdom’ will this be, in which there will be only us and a few other followers of Christ?” But the Lord dispels all their doubts by pointing to the “good pleasure” of God: The kingdom will be opened before you (cf. Luke 22:29 and following)—of course, the glorious heavenly kingdom of the Messiah. “Sell your possessions.” This aim is so important that you must sacrifice your earthly possessions for it. This, of course, applies not only to the apostles, but to all followers of Christ (see Matt 6:19-21). “Provide yourselves.” You will give to others your earthly acquisitions, but take care also for yourselves—strive to gain for yourselves heavenly treasure, that is, entry into the glorious kingdom of Christ. However, one cannot think that this will be achieved by merely distributing one’s property to the poor or by alms alone. Alms and the distribution of one’s property only free a person from the obstacle which wealth presents for one who strives to gain the kingdom of heaven, but besides this, one who seeks such a kingdom must apply all his strength to achieve the goal he has set. “Purses that do not wear out,” that is, such storehouses of heavenly treasures as never wear away and from which nothing spills out.

Luke 12:35. Let your loins be girded and your lamps burning. Luke 12:36. And you be like men waiting for their master’s return from a wedding, so that when he comes and knocks, they may open to him immediately. Luke 12:37. Blessed are those servants, whom the master, when he comes, will find watching; truly, I say to you, he will gird himself and have them sit down, and coming he will serve them. Luke 12:38. And if he comes in the second watch, or in the third watch, and finds them so, blessed are those servants. Luke 12:39. You know this, that if the master of the house had known at what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and would not have allowed his house to be broken into. Luke 12:40. You also be ready, for the Son of Man comes at an hour when you do not expect him. With the discourse about the future glorious kingdom of the Messiah is closely connected the discourse in which Christ persuades the apostles to be especially vigilant in awaiting the revelation of this kingdom. “Let your loins be girded...” That is, be in full readiness to meet the coming Messiah. Servants had to walk quickly while serving their master, and therefore they had to gird their clothing so it would not get entangled about their feet. In the same way, meeting their master at night, they had to hold lamps in their hands. The master is shown coming “from a wedding”—not from his own, but simply from someone’s wedding. “Blessed are those servants...” By this parabolic saying the Lord wants to point out the certainty of righteous recompense, which all His faithful servants will receive upon the revelation of the glorious kingdom of the Messiah: the master will show such servants as much attention as they showed him, so also the Messiah will reward His watching servants appropriately. “In the second watch, and in the third watch.” In the first watch, that is, at the beginning of the night, some servants could very well not sleep while doing something about the house. But not to sleep in the second and third watches—that meant already to watch intentionally. Here the evangelist Luke follows the ancient Jewish division of the night into three parts, or watches; Mark in Mark 13:35 follows the later, Roman, division of the night into four watches. “You know this, that if...” (see Matt 24:43-44).

Luke 12:41. Then Peter said to Him: Lord! Do you speak this parable to us, or also to everyone? Luke 12:42. And the Lord said: Who then is the faithful and wise steward, whom his master will set over his servants to give them their portion of food at the proper time? Luke 12:43. Blessed is that servant whom his master when he comes will find so doing. Luke 12:44. Truly I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. Luke 12:45. But if that servant says in his heart, My master delays his coming, and begins to beat the male and female servants, to eat and drink and get drunk, Luke 12:46. the master of that servant 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 put him with the unfaithful. Luke 12:47. And that servant who knew the will of his master, and was not ready and did not do according to his will, will be beaten with many blows; Luke 12:48. but the one who did not know, and committed things worthy of punishment, will be beaten with few. And from everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required, and to whom much has been entrusted, the more they will demand. Peter’s question is reported by only the evangelist Luke. Peter is puzzled about the parable of servants waiting for their master—does it apply only to the apostles or also to all believers? In answer to Peter, the Lord speaks a parable, which is also found in Matthew (Matt 24:45-51). If Matthew mentions a “servant” and here a “steward,” this is evidently not a contradiction, as in the East stewards were mostly taken from among the servants. Furthermore, in verse 46 the evangelist Luke says that the servant’s lot will be such as generally befalls unfaithful people, and Matthew (Matt 24:51) instead of the word “unfaithful” uses “hypocrites.” Verses 47–48 represent an addition made by the evangelist Luke. A servant who knew all that his master desired and yet did not prepare what was needed will be severely punished. A servant who did not know the master’s will will not be so punished in case of failure to fulfill that will, yet he will still be punished for having “done things worthy of punishment” (though the Lord does not say what exactly). “And from everyone to whom much has been given...” (verse 48). For an explanation, see the commentaries on Matt 25:14 and following. A sum of money should not lie idle in the hands of the one it is given to: it is given, evidently, for increase through business operations, and therefore when returning it to the giver, one must return with it its increase as well. In a figurative sense, this obviously refers to those followers of Christ who have received some special spiritual or external advantages, by which they should serve for the building up of the Church (Eph 4:11-13).

Luke 12:49. I have come to cast fire upon the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! Luke 12:50. But I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how distressed I am until it is accomplished! Luke 12:51. Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division; Luke 12:52. for from now on in one house there will be five divided, three against two, and two against three: Luke 12:53. father will be divided against son, and son against father; mother against daughter, and daughter against mother; mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law, and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. The Lord has just said that His faithful servants must constantly watch. He now supports this exhortation by pointing to the effect which His appearance among humanity should have: with His coming, a time of difficult struggle must begin, which will occur among people in deciding whether to stand on the side of Christ or to go against Him. “I have come to cast fire upon the earth.” This “fire” cannot be understood as the Holy Spirit (ancient church interpretation), nor as the word of God with its purifying power, nor as the fire of persecutions testing believers, nor as the burning of the Spirit that appeared in certain people under the action of Christ’s teaching, nor as the discord described further on (verse 51 and following) as an all-devouring element. In all these interpretations the very essence of fire is not sufficiently taken into account, and against the last interpretation the fact is that the discord is shown further as dividing rather than devouring people. The essence of fire consists in that it destroys things and extinguishes all that can be extinguished, while that which is inextinguishable, not susceptible to its destructive action, it purifies from every admixture that has clung to it. In more precisely determining the meaning of fire as it is understood here, we must see in it the spiritual force which destroys the present order of the world, eliminates in it all that is perishable and against God, and thereby purifies the essence of this world, and transforms it into a new one, capable of eternal existence. “And how I wish it were already kindled!” More precisely: “and how greatly do I desire...” (καὶ τί θέλω). “But I have a baptism to be baptized with.” This fire will kindle only when Christ accomplishes His ministry for which He came to earth... Here, of course, baptism by sufferings is meant, so to speak a plunging (βάπτισμα) into sufferings (cf. Mark 10:38). “And how distressed I am...” To be distressed (συνέχεσθαι) means to have constant anxiety and anguish in one’s soul (cf. Luke 21:25; 2 Cor 2:4). Here Christ expresses the purely human feeling of despondency at the thought of the impending sufferings (cf. John 12:27; Matt 26:37). Thus, if Christ says that He came to “cast” (in Russian “cast down”—a weaker expression) fire upon the earth and desires that this fire were already kindled, and then continues that He must be baptized with suffering, the thought of which brings His soul to anguish, by this very thing He gives to understand not only that His suffering will precede the kindling of that fire, but also that it is necessary for this, that without His sufferings the fire will not be kindled. From this one can draw the conclusion that the fire which will be kindled only after His suffering and death, the Lord had in mind the preaching of the cross, which for those perishing proved to be a scandal, but for those being saved is the power of God (1 Cor 1:18) and which was bound to act indeed like fire to purify the world from all sin. The flame of this preaching will burn as long as sinners have not been finally consumed in the final fire of God’s judgment and as long as there does not appear a new heaven and new earth, in which righteousness dwells (2 Pet 3:7). As Christ through baptism, which He accepted at the very outset of His Messianic ministry, took upon Himself the guilt of all humanity, so through the baptism of sufferings He bore responsibility for this guilt and restored humanity in its righteousness, for taking on ourselves by faith His merits, we truly become righteous before God... In this consists the causal connection between Christ’s sufferings and death, on the one hand, and the kindling of fire on the other. In order to explain this figurative speech, the Lord now (verse 51 and following) tells the disciples that He came to earth not to bring “peace” but “division.” For an explanation, see the commentaries on Matt 10:34-36, where this saying has the significance of an exhortation to the disciples to the very greatest self-renunciation, whereas here it is presented as containing an exhortation to watchfulness in view of the expected coming of Christ for the revelation of His kingdom.

Luke 12:54. And He said to the crowd: When you see a cloud rising in the west, you say at once, A shower is coming; and so it happens. Luke 12:55. And when you see the south wind blowing, you say, There will be heat; and it happens. Luke 12:56. Hypocrites! You know how to discern the appearance of earth and sky; but why do you not know how to discern this time? Luke 12:57. And why do you not judge for yourselves what is right? Luke 12:58. When you go with your accuser before a magistrate, try to settle with him on the way, so that he may not drag you before the judge, and the judge hand you over to the officer, and the officer put you in prison. Luke 12:59. I tell you, you will not come out of there until you have paid the very last penny. The reason for those divisions of which Christ has just predicted the emergence, if we first of all take into account the listeners of Christ—the Jews—lay in the Jewish people themselves. This people did not want to acknowledge that with the coming of Christ the long-awaited Messianic time had come. Therefore the Lord reproaches the people for this unwillingness to understand the great significance of the events happening before them—the works of Christ. Christ reproaches the people with the same words with which He once addressed the Pharisees (see Matt 16:1-4). “A cloud rising in the west,” that is, from the Mediterranean Sea, a cloud full of moisture. “Hypocrites.” So with full justice they should have been called, because the people had not yet lost their common sense, only they did not want to understand the significance of what Christ was accomplishing before their eyes. “And why do you not judge for yourselves.” Here the force of the thought lies in the word ἀφ´ ἑαυτῶν, which is inexactly translated in the Russian text as “for yourselves.” The Lord reproaches the people for not wanting to understand, in the sense of the signs of the time being experienced, independently, “by themselves,” without being guided by the harmful suggestions of the Pharisees. “When you go.” The thought about the necessity of taking advantage of the signs of the time now happening is reinforced here by the Lord with a parable, the content of which is taken from everyday life. One acts well who, not allowing the matter to go to trial, hastens to reconcile with his opponent or creditor, because the court will not have mercy on one not paying his debt and will hand him over to the officer (πράκτωρ), whose duty it was among the Greeks to exact all debts. Thus the Lord advises His listeners by this parable to do quickly what is required of them by the present state of affairs, that is, to repent quickly of the stubbornness with which they have so far not wanted to acknowledge Christ as the Messiah sent by God, and thereby to free themselves from the judgment of God threatening them (the same instruction is found also in Matt 5:25-26, but here it is more appropriate than there). However, the Lord leaves it to the people themselves to apply this parable to themselves. To do so was easy enough, because the time in which this people lived was indeed like the business relations between a debtor and creditor. John the Baptist had already preached repentance and foretold the coming of the Lord in judgment, and then Christ Himself testified to the people about Himself as the Redeemer from sin and impressed the thought of the strict accountability to which all those disobedient to His exhortations would be subjected. If the people now neglect all the means offered to them to be free from their guilt before God, then God will deal with them as with the debtor in the parable.