Luke 12 contains a large wealth of knowledge that Jesus shared with his disciples. This chapter brings forth 7 important ideas that I would like to emphasize.
- Kevin Thomas
- Hypocrites will be confronted and their hypocrisy will eventually be revealed. We think our sinful secrets are safe with us, but we often forget that we serve an omniscient God. In Luke 12, Jesus says that all of those hypocritical secrets will be revealed and shouted from the rooftops. He warns us to never follow the Pharisees in their hypocritical practices.
- Do not be afraid of men, or anything of this world, for it can only kill the body. After the body is dead, nothing in this world can do anything more to you. Instead, be afraid of God Almighty, who after the killing of the body, can throw you into hell fire for eternity. Something we fail to realize completely is that eternity is copiously longer than our time on Earth. So let us learn to delay the gratifications that this World has to offer, reject the temptations thrown at us, and march bravely towards an eternity in which we will be one with our Savior. As Romans 12:12 reminds us, “Be Joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in prayer.”
- Being greedy is very foolish. Jesus takes the time to explain to a man that our lives are much more than the abundance of our possessions. Take a moment right now and think about how far into the future you have planned for yourself. Most of us desire to join a profession with a six figure salary, some of us have already planned the type of cars and houses we want to own. Almost every one of us are constantly striving for financial and materialistic gains. Jesus call this an act of foolishness. Now, imagine what would happen if you achieved every single of your goals, and possessed everything you wanted, but your life is taken soon after. You will not be able to take any of your Worldly treasures with you to heaven. So instead of storing up treasures in this world for ourselves, let us start storing up treasures in heaven, which will be given to us in due time. Because Jesus reminds us that in Heaven “… no thief comes near, and no moth destroys” (Luke 12:33).
- Worrying is illogical. This is a very vital message given by Jesus in this chapter. Why do we worry so much? Worrying is by far the most un-productive activity we indulge in within our lives. Many of us like to believe that we are logical thinkers, but where is the logic when we find ourselves worrying over an issue that did not go as we planned it to go. Jesus asks, “Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?” Jesus gives us examples on how the Lilies grow without doing any labor and how the ravens are healthy and well fed without going through any stress. If God takes care of a flower, which is here today and gone tomorrow, and birds, he will surely give us an ample amount of care and provisions to fulfill our needs. Jesus wants us to realize that we are worth much more than the birds or the flowers, so let us stop worrying and have faith in Jesus to provide for us everything we need. Because in the root of all of this, worrying is a sign of ones lack of faith in his creator.
- Being alert is very crucial. Jesus Cautions us to be alert at all times for his coming. His return will be when we least expect it to be. A good way to be watchful is by constantly asking ourselves whether we are ready to meet Jesus at this very moment, if He was to make his return right now. If the answer is not a resounding “Yes!” then start bringing the changes required to make the answer a resounding “Yes!” Do not take this time for granted, use it to reconcile your differences with God and start doing his Will as soon as possible. Because Jesus (Our master) has commanded us (His servants) to do His will. When he comes down and sees you doing His will, he will surely reward you.
- Is Jesus a man of peace? Yes, Jesus was a man of peace, but in Luke 12 Jesus says that he has come to bring division instead of peace. The meaning behind this is that Jesus’s principles were completely opposite of the principles that were/is practiced on Earth. Whenever we have two opposing ideas trying to co-exist at the same time in the same place, there is likely to be a disruption of peace and an increase in division. We can never follow the World and Jesus at the same time. We have to choose one or the other. If we choose to follow Jesus, we will encounter many tribulations. Many times these hardships are thrown at us from our own family members, and loved ones. These are the divisions that Jesus is hinting towards in this passage.
- Jesus wants us to interpret the times accurately. With the help of technology, we are able to evade disasters such as Earthquakes and Hurricanes quite accurately. But on the other hand, our ability to discern spiritual problems seem to be lacking adequate skill. God reveals himself to us in many ways, if we truly seek him with all of our heart and soul, he will give us everything we need to do his will. Jesus also gives us a vivid illustration to point out how urgent it is to get right with him. If you knew you did something wrong and were about to get penalized for it, would not you rather settle the issue outside of the court? We are at God’s mercy at all times, His call to us is urgent, so in this Lenten season, let us be reconciled with our heavenly father.
- Kevin Thomas
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