Luke
Chapter 12.
Against Fear
of Adversaries. 12:1-12. The passage warns against cowardice. The concealed enmity of the Pharisees shall
become fully manifest. They are to fear
none but God, for fear of God would preserve them from cowardice. Also, God's constant care would give courage
and confidence. They must be bold in
their confession of the Son of Man. The
compensation is great. Those who
persecuted the disciples, were guilty of great sin. Jesus will forgive men because of their
hostility toward him, but the calumnies of men against the Holy Spirit, who
speaks in His faithful disciples, He will not condone. So when the disciples are brought before the
courts, then, they shall have consolation and confidence, for the Holy Spirit
will be their counsellor.
The foolish
rich man. 12:13-21. The parable shows the folly of greed for
abundance of goods:
* Cannot give, or
prolong life.
* Remove God's
demand for the soul.
* Are lost to a man
at death.
Freedom from
care. 12:22-31. Wealth is not the true answer to anxious
care. Greed is a symptom of man's
feeling of insecurity, but the only answer to anxious care is to trust God, for
the disciples are precious to God.
Poverty and
Parousia. 12:32-34. The heavenly character of the Kingdom. It is promised and is God's gift to His
people.
On
Watchfulness. 12:35-40. Two parables on watchfulness:
* The servants who await the return of their
master from a wedding feast.
* The householder who did not expect a
burglary had his house broken into.
There may be a long delay before the parousia, so they must rouse
themselves for a long period of waiting and watching. It is not the uncertainty of the fact, but
the uncertainty of the actual hour, that demands from us, constant vigilance.
The two
servants. 12:41-46. The writings of Luke take grips with the
problem of the Parousia. This event may
be long delayed. This will test their
faithfulness. It must not paralyse their
activities, rather, they are urged to greater diligence. The uncertainty of the hour, should curb any
misuse of authority. The faithful
steward shall show his expectation of his Lord's return, by tending to the
needs of others.
On the
responsibilty of knowledge.
12:47-48. Promotion depends on
faithfulness, responsibility on knowledge.
The thing that counts most to God, is not success, but devotedness to
our task.
The final
stress. 12:49-53.
* Fire:
This is the fire of judgment. He
wished (N.E.B) it were already kindled, for the fire is God's power in
judgment, bringing conflict among men that repentance may be produced in the
hearts of many.
* Baptism:
Jesus was hampered in his ministry, but when the ordeal of the Cross was
over, he should freely cast fire on the earth.
But until the baptism of the Cross had been accomplished, he could only
wish the fire of repentance was kindled upon earth.
* Division:
The Messianic era of peace must come through conflict and division. The reign of peace would not be an immediate
thing.
Signs of the
Times. 12:54-59.
He warns of the blindness of people.
* They are blind to
the obvious signs of the times. 12:54-57.
* They are normally
blind to the need of repentance. 12:58-59.
Even in the hour of emergency, they cannot realize the need
of repentance. When judgment has been
passed, it is too late to repent.
No comments:
Post a Comment