Luke 12:1-32

God Knows and Cares

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. ²But there is nothing covered up that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known. ³Accordingly, 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 on the housetops.

⁴“Now I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do. ⁵But I will warn you whom to fear: fear the One who, after He has killed someone, has the power to throw that person into hell; yes, I tell you, fear Him! ⁶Are five sparrows not sold for two assaria? And yet not one of them has gone unnoticed in the sight of God. ⁷But even the hairs of your head are all counted. Do not fear; you are more valuable than a great number of sparrows.

⁸“Now I say to you, everyone who confesses Me before people, the Son of Man will also confess him before the angels of God; ⁹but the one who denies Me before people will be denied before the angels of God. ¹⁰And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but the one who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him. ¹¹Now when they bring you before the synagogues and the officials 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.”

Greed Denounced

¹³Now someone in the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.” ¹⁴But He said to him, “You there—who appointed Me a judge or arbitrator over the two of you?” ¹⁵But He said to them, “Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one is affluent does his life consist of his possessions.” ¹⁶And He told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man was very productive. ¹⁷And he began thinking to himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?’ ¹⁸And he said, ‘This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and I will store all my grain and my goods there. ¹⁹And I will say to myself, “You have many goods stored up for many years to come; relax, eat, drink, and enjoy yourself!” ’ ²⁰But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your soul is demanded of you; and as for all that you have prepared, who will own it now?’ ²¹Such is the one who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich in relation to God.”

²²And He said to His disciples, “For this reason I tell you, do not worry about your life, as to what you are to eat; nor for your body, as to what you are to wear. ²³For life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing. ²⁴Consider the ravens, that they neither sow nor reap; they have no storeroom nor barn, and yet God feeds them; how much more valuable you are than the birds! ²⁵And which of you by worrying can add a day to his life’s span? ²⁶Therefore if you cannot do even a very little thing, why do you worry about the other things? ²⁷Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither labor nor spin; but I tell you, not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. ²⁸Now if God so clothes the grass in the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, how much more will He clothe you? You of little faith! ²⁹And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, and do not keep worrying. ³⁰For all these things are what the nations of the world eagerly seek; and your Father knows that you need these things. ³¹But seek His kingdom, and these things will be provided to you. ³²Do not be afraid, little flock, because your Father has chosen to give you the kingdom.

Be in Readiness

Christ Divides People