From: Over 50 Interpreters Explain the Gospel of
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By
Roland H. Worth, Jr. © 2015
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CHAPTER TWELVE
Verses
1-59
Books Utilized
Codes at End of Chapter
12:1 Translations
Weymouth: Meanwhile the
people had come streaming towards Him by tens of thousands, so that they were
trampling one another under foot. And now He proceeded to say to His disciples
first, "Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees, that is to say, beware of
hypocrisy.
WEB: Meanwhile,
when a multitude of many thousands had gathered together, so much so that they
trampled on each other, he began to tell his disciples first of all,
"Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.
Young’s: At which time the myriads of the
multitude having been gathered together, so as to tread upon one another, he
began to say unto his disciples, first, 'Take heed to yourselves of the leaven
of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy;
Conte (RC): Then, as great
crowds were standing so close that they were stepping on one another, he began
to say to his disciples: "Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is
hypocrisy.
12:1 In the meantime. While He was discoursing with the scribes and Pharisees as recorded
in the last chapter. [11]
when there were
gathered together an innumerable multitude of people. Literally,
myraids--that is, ten thousands;
meaning here, vast multitudes--such a throng and press of people as to
trample on one another. [8]
It is evident that the
noise [= report?] of this disgraceful attack on our Lord had been heard. This scene was as it were the watershed of
our Lord’s ministry in Galilee. At this
period He had excited intense opposition among the religious authorities, but
was still beloved and revered by the people.
They therefore flocked together for His protection, and their arrival
hushed the unseemly and hostile vehemence of the Pharisees. [56]
Or: Since there was no way to know that the fatal
attack on Him was going to occur when it did, it seems far more likely
that the intent of the text is to show that even the attacks of the
“professionally religious” was not impeding the willingness of the masses to
hear Him. Which surely
drove His critics to utter distraction!
[rw]
insomuch that they trode one upon another. Too many people; too small a space. They want to hear Jesus and to
hear Him best, they wish to be close physically. The result is a log jam of bodies. But the alternative would be not to
hear or to leave. Faced with the
alternatives, they bear with the pressure of the crowd. [rw]
He began to say unto His disciples first of all. This
does not mean that His disciples were, before all others, to avoid hypocrisy;
but that this was the first or chief thing of which they were to
beware. [11]
Many prefer to connect “first of all” with what
follows: first of all beware, etc.; but
as this speech is interrupted by address to others (verse 13 ff.), we may as
well refer the phrase to them in this place:
to the disciples first, to others afterward. [52]
Beware of. Be on guard against. However easy it is to act this way, avoid
it. Even when it might
make your own life easier. [rw]
the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. Hypocrisy is like leaven, or yeast, because
(1) it may exist without being immediately detected. Leaven mixed in flour is not known unto it
produces its effects. (2) It will soon pervade the whole mass. So hypocrisy will, if undetected and unremoved, soon pervade all our exercises and
feelings. (3) It is swelling. It puffs us up and fills us with pride and
vanity. [11]
These
mistaken men dreamed that they possessed a holiness which was never theirs;
unconscious hypocrites they doubtless were, without possibly even suspecting it
themselves. [18]
12:2 Translations
Weymouth: There is nothing
that is covered up which will not be uncovered, nor hidden which will not
become known.
WEB: But there
is nothing covered up, that will not be revealed, nor
hidden, that will not be known.
Young’s: and there is nothing covered, that shall
not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known;
Conte (RC): For there is nothing
covered, which will not be revealed, nor anything hidden, which will not be
known.
12:2 For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed. The day would come when his estimate of this now popular teaching of the Pharisees would be found to have been correct. Its real nature, now hid, would be revealed and fully known and discredited; while, on the other hand, the words and teaching of His disciples, now listened to but by few, and those of seemingly little account, would become widely and generally known and listened to. [18]
neither hid, that
shall not be known. “Truth
wins out.” No matter how well disguised
the false piety, the hidden evils, and the unjust treatment of others enough of
it leaks out to others to warn them of the true motives and what is actually
going on. Of course this is based upon
the assumption that one is willing to see what is in front of them. Unfortunately, there are those who will let
absolutely nothing stand in the way of what “must” be the truth. [rw]
12:3 Translations
Weymouth: Whatever
therefore you have said in the dark, will be heard in
the light; and what you have whispered within closed doors will be proclaimed
from the house-tops.
WEB: Therefore
whatever you have said in the darkness will be heard in the light. What you
have spoken in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops.
Young’s: because whatever in the darkness ye said,
in the light shall be heard: and what to the ear ye spake
in the inner-chambers, shall be proclaimed upon the house-tops.
Conte (RC): For the things that
you have spoken in darkness will be declared in the light. And what you have
said in the ear in bedrooms will be proclaimed from the housetops.
12:3 Therefore whatsoever ye have spoken in
darkness shall be heard in the light. Just as
the weaknesses of some—the religious specialists Jesus had condemned—would be
widely accepted, the truth the disciples had spoken of in secret because of
danger would circulate openly where all could see and hear it in the “light of
day.” [rw]
and that which ye have spoken in the ear in
closets. Many fearing the storm of persecution which
was soon to come upon the disciples would attempt to conceal their faith, but
the attempt would be vain, for one could not even trust his own family (Luke
12:51-53) to keep silent about what was said even in the inner chambers of the
home. Bold speech would be best. [53]
closets. ταμείοις -- The word means an apartment where supplies
are divided and apportioned: a treasury, magazine, and therefore a secret and
well-guarded place. There the steward (ταμίας), the
distributor, has his seat. [2]
shall be proclaimed
upon the housetops. These were flat, terrace-like roofs, and,
the houses generally being low, one who spoke from them would easily be heard
in the street beneath. "These words
have a strong Syrian colouring. The Syrian house-top (in Matthew 10:27 and
here) presents an image which has no sense in Asia Minor, or Greece, or Italy,
or even at Antioch. The flat roofs cease
at the mouth of the Orontes; Antioch itself has
sloping roofs." [18]
12:4 Translations
Weymouth: "But to
you who are my friends I say, "'Be not afraid of those who kill the body
and after that can do nothing further.
WEB: "I
tell you, my friends, don't be afraid of those who kill the body, and after
that have no more that they can do.
Young’s: 'And I say to you, my friends, be not
afraid of those killing the body, and after these things are not having
anything over to do;
Conte (RC): So I say to you, my
friends: Do not be fearful of those who kill the body, and afterwards have no
more that they can do.
12:4 And I say unto you. The disciples are still addressed; but a new
and important branch of the discourse opens.
[52]
my friends. [The
expression] must have had a touching significance to Him and to them, after the
treatment He had just received from the Pharisees. [52]
Be not afraid of them that kill the body. Men may, in their displeasure at your fidelity to the truth, put you to death. (So they did afterward to James, Peter, Paul, and many such.) But their rage cannot go beyond the bounds of natural life, readiness to lose which, for Christ’s sake, is one of the known conditions of discipleship (9:23-25). [52]
and after that
have no more that they can do. The same
truth was an encouragement to the partially illuminated fortitude of
Stoicism. Hence it constantly occurs in
the Manual of Epictetus. [56]
12:5 Translations
Weymouth: I will warn
you whom to fear: fear him who after killing has power to throw into Gehenna: yes, I say to you, fear
him.
WEB: But I
will warn you whom you should fear. Fear him, who after he has killed, has
power to cast into Gehenna. Yes, I tell you, fear
him.
Young’s: but I will show to you, whom ye may fear;
Fear him who, after the killing, is having authority to cast to the gehenna; yes, I say to you, Fear
ye Him.
Conte (RC): But I will reveal to
you whom you should fear. Fear him who, after he will have killed, has the
power to cast into Hell. So I say to you: Fear him.
12:5 But I will
forewarn you whom ye shall fear. The Saviour seems
to say, Ye are indeed in peril; fear is an inevitable
incident of thoughtful human experience; whichever course ye take, ye will
excite displeasure. But much depends on whose
fear ye cherish and whose hatred ye brave.
[52]
Fear
him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell. Even the
friends of God are commanded to fear God as a being who has authority to
send both body and soul into hell.
Therefore it is proper even for the most
holy persons to maintain a fear of God as the punisher of all unrighteousness. A man has but one life to lose, and one soul
to save; and it is madness to sacrifice the salvation of the soul to the
preservation of the life. [1]
Several modern
expositors, among them even Stier and Van Oosterzee, have strangely understood that Jesus here
inculcates on His disciples the fear of Satan. If any one needs argument that--after God has
“delivered us from the power of darkness, and translated us into the kingdom of
His dear Son” (Colossians 1:13), we need more in order to avoid all harm, than
to fear God, he may read the words of Alford on Matthew 10:28, which is
quoted also by the American editor of Lange on our passage. [52]
hell. Hell is represented by Sheol in the Old, and by Hades in the New Testament. The word is used by the sacred writers in several senses. which it is important to distinguish. The Hebrew word, translated hell in our Bible, sometimes means simply the grave, the receptacle of the dead, or the place of departed spirits, as in Job xi. 7-9; Ps. xvi. 10, xcccic. 8; Isa. v. 14, xiv. 9; Amos ix. 2-3; Acts. ii. 31; Rev. xx. 14. In other passages it denotes the place of future punishment, as in Ps. ix. 17; Prov. v. 5, ix. 18, xxiii. 14, which punishment consists, in part at least, in the eternal separation of the soul from God and from the presence of His glory, and in the suffering of inconceivable anguish and remorse forever and ever.
In the New Testament, hell, as the place of final
punishment for sinners, is more distinctively indicated by the term Gehenna, or valley of Hinnom
(2 Chron. xxxiii. 6), which is the word translated
"hell" in the verse now before us; also in Matt. v. 22, 29-30, x. 28,
xviii. 9, xxiii. 15, 33; Mark ix.
43, 45, 47; James iii. 6. It is also distinctively indicated by
such phrases as "the place of
torment" (Luke xvi. 28);" everlasting fire" (Matt. xxv. 41);
"the hell of fire," is not quenched." (Mark ix. 44.) [9]
yea, I say unto
you, Fear him. Because He can punish in ways and to a degree far beyond any mere
mortal. The worst earthly punishment ends, even if
only by death. With God, His
punishments never end. “It
is a fearful thing to fall into the
hands of the living God” (Hebrews 10:31). [rw]
In depth: The appropriateness of the name “Gehenna” to describe a place of permanent, ongoing
punishment [52]. A
particular portion of the valley was specially polluted by this pagan
worship. King Josiah and others took
great pains to defile the spot, so as to prevent a repetition of the
wickedness, by depositing there the carcasses of beasts, and bodies of executed
criminals, and making it the dumping-ground of all refuse and filthy of the
city. It thus became an abomination to
all pious Jews, and is reported, in Talmudic traditions to have been still
further horrible by the presence of perpetual fires, which were necessary to
consume the pestiferous offal. Although
this last statement is denied by Dr. Edward Robinson and others, the traditions
seem to fall in with the necessities of the case, as some such consumption of
the refuse must have been necessary to the health of the city, and to its
ceremonial purity.
To it Isaiah
probably refers (66:24), when he speaks of the carcasses of transgressors
there, and says, “their worm shall not die; neither
shall their fire be quenched.” He
expressly names the place (30:33), when he says, symbolically, that the Lord
hath widened and deepened it, to make it capable of holding all that should be
buried there (compare Jeremiah 7:31-33),
and adds, “the breath of the Lord, like a stream of brimstone, doth kindle it.” Thus early was the natural conception of this
horrid place becoming fit to represent the scene of future punishment to God’s enemies. The idea of
such punishment was not yet distinctly revealed; but it became clearer with the
progress of revelation in the Old Testament.
When, therefore, our Saviour
needed a term to denote His view of the future condition of those who died
disobedient to God, the name of that [horrible] valley was ready to His
hand. Gehenna,
suggestive of the fires of shameful and cruel idolatry, of reeking corruption,
and, probably also, of perpetual flames and smoke, and offensive odors, would
be as expressive a symbol of the place of eternal punishment, as would be the
banquet with Abraham, the thrones of honor, the Father’s house with its many
mansions, of the scene and circumstances of the eternal felicity of the
saints. [52]
12:6 Translations
Weymouth: Are not five
sparrows sold for a penny? and yet not one of them is
a thing forgotten in God's sight.
WEB: "Aren't
five sparrows sold for two assaria coins? Not one of
them is forgotten by God.
Young’s: 'Are not five sparrows sold for two assars? and one of them is not
forgotten before God,
Conte (RC): Are not five
sparrows sold for two small coins? And yet not one of these is forgotten in the
sight of God.
12:6 Are not
five sparrows sold for two
farthings. See
Matthew 10:29, from which place we learn that two sparrows were sold for one farthing, and here that five were sold for two farthings:
thus we find a certain proportion--for one farthing you could get but two,
while for two farthings you could get five.
[1]
and not one of
them is forgotten before God?
These are “poor folks’
offerings,” but God was still just as aware of them as the rich sacrifices the
well-to-do were able to bring to the Temple. [rw]
12:7 Translations
Weymouth: But the very
hairs on your heads are all counted. Away with fear: you are more precious than
a multitude of sparrows.'
WEB: But the
very hairs of your head are all numbered. Therefore don't be afraid. You are of
more value than many sparrows.
Young’s: but even the hairs of your head have been
all numbered; therefore fear ye not, than many
sparrows ye are of more value.
Conte (RC): But even the very
hairs of your head have all been numbered. Therefore, do not be afraid. You are
worth more than many sparrows.
12:7 But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Bengel: "Hairs--of which ye yourselves are heedless. A hair is a proverbial expression for an utter trifle." [30]
See
21:18; Acts 27:34; and in the Old Testament 1 Samuel 14:45; 1 Kings 1:52. [56]
God knows
everything about you—even the things you yourself don’t know (like the number
of hairs on the head). Hence nothing
about you is unimportant to your God. [rw]
Fear not. The timid heart oft needs reassurance. [7]
ye are of more
value than many sparrows. The computation of how far they excel
sparrows in value, is left to the disciples. [7]
The point is that even Temple sacrifices fade into comparative insignificance compared to the value of His disciples. Perhaps we have here the root of the idea of being “a living sacrifice, holy acceptable unto God” (Romans 12:1). [rw]
12:8 Translations
Weymouth: "And I
tell you that every man who shall have acknowledged me before men, the Son of
Man will also acknowledge before the angels of God.
WEB: "I
tell you, everyone who confesses me before men, him will the Son of Man also
confess before the angels of God;
Young’s: 'And I say to you, Every one -- whoever
may confess with me before men, the Son of Man also shall confess with him
before the messengers of God,
Conte (RC): But I say to you:
Everyone who will have confessed me before men, the Son of man will also
confess him before the Angels of God.
12:8 Also I say unto
you, Whosoever shall confess me before men. [This]
is to avow one’s faith in Him as being that which He claims to be, Messiah and Saviour, and to render to Him in practice
that religious recognition which is due.
This involves self-denial always, generally something of sacrifice, and
sometimes the hazard of life; but not for naught. The recompense is to be ample. [52]
him shall the Son
of man also confess before the angels of God. Compared
to angels, mere mortals are—well, nothing. Yet Jesus will speak well of us to them if we
but uphold Him while we are on earth. [rw]
12:9 Translations
Weymouth: But he who
disowns me before men will be disowned before the angels of God.
WEB: but he
who denies me in the presence of men will be denied in the presence of the
angels of God.
Young’s: and he who hath denied me before men,
shall be denied before the messengers of God,
Conte (RC): But everyone who
will have denied me before men, he will be denied before the Angels of God.
12:9 But he
that denieth me before men shall be denied before the
angels of God. The
contrast is between “confess” (= accept, embrace, encourage others to follow
[verse 9]) and “denying” (= rejecting, disparaging, discouraging others
from following). Either way the “angels
of God” know about it. Might an overtone
of protection (verse 8) and punishment (verse 9) be intended since angels are
pictured Biblically as intervening for or against people who are still alive? Even if the intent be strictly on them
knowing—rather than reacting earthside to it—the
difference is still profound: Would you
rather be known in heavenly places as a friend of Christ or as a foe? [rw]
12:10 Translations
Weymouth: "Moreover
every one who shall speak against the Son of Man, may obtain forgiveness; but
he who blasphemes the Holy Spirit will never obtain forgiveness.
WEB: Everyone
who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but those who
blaspheme against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.
Young’s: and every one whoever shall say a word to
the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven to him, but to him who to the Holy Spirit
did speak evil, it shall not be forgiven.
Conte (RC): And everyone who
speaks a word against the Son of man, it will be forgiven of him. But of him
who will have blasphemed against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven.
12:10 And
whosoever shall speak a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him. If it is asked for, of
course. God imposes salvation on no one. When contrasted with an unforgivable sin
against the Holy Spirit the idea probably is to contrast a sin that one might
well change one’s mind about (repudiating Christ) versus sin where one has
become so hard hearted that one has destroyed one’s own capacity to
change. [rw]
but unto him that blasphemeth against the Holy Ghost it shall not be forgiven.
Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit appeared, in the only case of which we
have a description [resulted] in a state of mind which by speech confounded [= confused]
God and the devil, ascribing the work of the former to the latter, His opposite
and His arch-enemy (11:15 and parallels [Matthew 12:24; Mark 12:22]). What
repentance could there be for a mind to which the clearest manifestations of
God’s holiness and kindness appeared to be diabolical conduct? [52]
On the exact nature of the “unpardonable sin”
theologians have speculated in vain, and all that we can see is that it must be
the most flagrant degree of sin against the fullest light and knowledge. [56]
12:11 Translations
Weymouth: And when they are bringing you before synagogues and
magistrates and governors, do not anxiously ponder the manner or matter of your
defence, nor what you are to say;
WEB: When they
bring you before the synagogues, the rulers, and the authorities, don't be
anxious how or what you will answer, or what you will say;
Young’s: 'And when they bring you before the
synagogues, and the rulers, and the authorities, be not anxious how or what ye
may reply, or what ye may say,
Conte (RC): And when they will
lead you to the synagogues, and to magistrates and authorities, do not choose
to be worried about how or what you will answer, or about what you might say.
12:11 And when they
bring you unto the synagogues. This had a certain jurisdiction, with power
to inflict minor penalties, in religious cases.
[52]
and unto
magistrates and powers. Terms which cover all sorts of government,
civil and religious, Jewish or heathen. [52]
take ye no thought
how or what thing ye shall answer, or what ye shall say. Your capacity to defend yourself well should
be taken as a “given.” There is no need
to torment yourself in any manner over it. [rw]
This does not prohibit the exercise of their
faculties in the way of preparation to meet charges, so far as this was
practicable without [anxiety] and loss of peace; but does forbid whatever would
unfit them for calm and clear subserviency to the
Holy Spirit. [52]
12:12 Translations
Weymouth: for the Holy
Spirit shall teach you at that very moment what you must say."
WEB: for the
Holy Spirit will teach you in that same hour what you must say."
Young’s: for the Holy Spirit shall teach you in
that hour what it behoveth you to say.'
Conte (RC): For the Holy Spirit
will teach you, in the same hour, what you must say."
12:12 For the Holy
Ghost shall teach you in the same hour [in that very hour, NKJV]. You’ll have the right words to say when you
need it. Accept that and don’t worry
about it. [rw]
what ye ought to
say. They are not assured of deliverance from
their peril, but “what they shall say” for the honor of the cause will not fail
them. In the accounts of persecution in
the Acts and Epistles—and in reading the testimony of Christian confessors and
martyrs in subsequent ages--we can see how wonderfully common men and women
were enabled to answer their accusers, whether they were saved from harm or
not. [52]
12:13 Translations
Weymouth: Just then a
man in the crowd appealed to Him. "Rabbi," he said, "tell my
brother to give me a share of the inheritance."
WEB: One of
the multitude said to him, "Teacher, tell my
brother to divide the inheritance with me."
Young’s: And a certain one said
to him, out of the multitude, 'Teacher, say to my brother to divide with me the
inheritance.'
Conte (RC): And someone from the
crowd said to him, "Teacher, tell my brother to share the inheritance with
me."
12:13 And one
of the company. One of the multitude. [11]
said unto him, Master, speak to my brother. Command my brother. [11]
This
was the most foolish and unwarrantable [intervention] ever made to our
Lord. The few words at once reveal to us
an egotist incapable of caring for anything but his own selfishness. [56]
About the only good
thing one can think to say about this needless interruption is that it
indicates that his brother was, apparently, one who would accept Jesus’
intervention. However great an
importance the domestic issue was to the particular man, of what value was it
to the crowd that had come to hear Jesus speak on spiritual matters rather than
act as a referee on family ones? [rw]
that he divide the
inheritance with me. By the law, a double
portion belonged to the firstborn. Deut. xxi. 17. The
property was then equally divided among the rest. [4]
In depth: Which of the two brothers was in the wrong [32]? 1. Some think that his brother did him wrong, and that he appealed to Christ to right him, because he knew the law was costly. His brother was such a one as the Jews called Ben-hamesen -- "a son of violence," that took not only his own part of the estate, but his brother's too, and forcibly detained it from him. Such brethren there are in the world, who have no sense at all either of natural equity or natural affection.
2. Others think that he had a mind to do his brother wrong, and would have Christ to assist him; that, whereas the law gave the elder brother a double portion of the estate, and the father himself could not dispose of what he had but by that rule (Deuteronomy 21:16-17), he would have Christ to alter that law and oblige his brother, who perhaps was a follower of Christ, to divide the inheritance equally with him, share and share alike, and to allot him as much as his elder brother.
I suspect that this was the case, because Christ
takes occasion from it to warn against covetousness--a desire of having more
than God in His providence has allotted us.
It was not a lawful desire of getting his own, but a sinful desire of
getting more than his own.
12:14 Translations
Weymouth: "Man,"
He replied, "who has constituted me a judge or arbitrator over you?"
WEB: But he
said to him, "Man, who made me a judge or an arbitrator over you?"
Young’s: And he said to him,
'Man, who set me a judge or a divider over you?'
Conte (RC): But he said to him,
"Man, who has appointed me as judge or arbitrator over you?"
12:14 And he said unto him, Man, who made me a judge or a divider over you? It is not My business to settle controversies of this kind. They are to be settled by the magistrate. Jesus came for another purpose--to preach the gospel and so to bring men to a willingness to do right. [11]
An
allusion is made here to the language (almost the very same) of the Hebrew at
the interference of Moses (Exodus 2:14) thus suggesting to His hearers that He
was the "prophet like unto Moses" whom God would raise up (Deuteronomy
18:15; Acts 3:22-23). [8]
judge. Without
some judgment given in the case, no division could be made; therefore Jesus
added the word "judge." [1]
12:15 Translations
Weymouth: And to the
people He said, "Take care, be on your guard
against all covetousness, for no one's life consists in the superabundance of
his possessions."
WEB: He said
to them, "Beware! Keep yourselves from covetousness, for a man's life
doesn't consist of the abundance of the things which he possesses."
Young’s: And he said unto them, 'Observe, and
beware of the covetousness, because not in the abundance of one's goods is his
life.'
Conte (RC): So he said to them:
"Be cautious and wary of all avarice. For a person's life is not found in
the abundance of the things that he possesses."
12:15 And he said unto
them. Turning the unwarranted interjection into an opportunity to give a
moral lesson. [rw]
Take heed, and beware of covetousness. One of
these brothers, no doubt, was guilty of this sin; and our Savior took occasion
to warn His disciples of its danger. [11]
covetousness. An unlawful desire of the property of another; also, a desire of gain and riches beyond what is necessary for our wants. It is a violation of the tenth commandment (Exodus 20:17) and is expressly called idolatry (Colossians 3:5). Compare also Ephesians 5:3 and Hebrews 13:5. [11]
The better reading is “of all covetousness,” i.e. not only beware of avarice, but also of selfish possession. Both the Old and New Testament abound with repetitions of this warning. Balaam, Achan, Gehazi are awful examples of this sin in the Old Testament; Judas Iscariot, the Pharisees and Ananias in the New. See 1 Timothy 6:10-17. [56]
for a man's life. The word "life" is sometimes taken
in the sense of happiness. Some have
supposed this to be the meaning here; and that Jesus meant to say that a man's
comfort does not depend on affluence; that is, on more than is necessary for
his daily wants. But this meaning does
not suit the parable following, which is designed to show that property will
not lengthen out a man's life. The word
"life," therefore, is to be taken literally. [11]
consisteth not in the abundance of the things which
he possesseth. i.e., a man’s true life—his zoe: his earthly natural life—his bios, is
supported by what he has, but his zoe
is what he is. Such phrases as
that a man “is worth” so many thousands a year, revealing the current of
worldly thought, shew how much this warning is
needed. The order of words in this
paragraph is curious. It is literally,
“For not in any man’s abundance is his life (derived) from his possessions,” or
(as De Wette takes it) “is his life a part of
his possessions.” [56]
12:16 Translations
Weymouth: And He spoke a
parable to them. "A certain rich man's lands," He said, "yielded
abundant crops,
WEB: He spoke
a parable to them, saying, "The ground of a certain rich man brought forth
abundantly.
Young’s: And he spake a
simile unto them, saying, 'Of a certain rich man the field brought forth well;
Conte (RC): Then he spoke to
them using a comparison, saying: "The fertile land of a certain wealthy
man produced crops.
12:16 And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man. We have the portrait of a landowner whose farms do not seem to have been acquired by any unjust means. This man, after years of successful industry, having acquired great wealth, wholly devotes himself to it and to its further increase. He does not give himself up to excess or profligacy, but simply, body and soul, becomes the slave of his wealth; utterly, hopelessly selfish, he forgets alike God and his neighbor. [18]
In this parable (peculiar to St. Luke) our Lord evidently referred mentally to the story of Nabal, whose name means “Fool” or “Churl” (1 Samuel 25). Observe that his riches, like those of Nabal, were acquired, not by fraud or oppression, but in the most innocent way. His crime was his greedy and callous selfishness. He cares not for generous use, but for self-admiring acquisition. Being “a fool” his “prosperity destroyed him.” Proverbs 1:32. [56]
brought forth plentifully. His
land was fertile and produced even beyond his expectations, and beyond what he
had provided for. [11]
12:17 Translations
Weymouth: and he debated
within himself, saying, "'What am I to do? for I
have no place in which to store my crops.'
WEB: He
reasoned within himself, saying, 'What will I do, because I don't have room to
store my crops?'
Young’s: and he was reasoning within himself,
saying, What shall I do, because I have not where I
shall gather together my fruits?
Conte (RC): And he thought
within himself, saying: 'What should I do? For I have nowhere
to gather together my crops.'
12:17 And he
thought within himself. The expression, that this
man thought within himself, implies mental excitement and
anxiety. He was perplexed, not as other
men, to get wealth, but to dispose of it. [9]
saying, I have no room.
Everything was full. [11]
where to bestow my fruits. Our word "fruits" is not applied
to grain. But the Greek word is applied
to all the produce of the earth, not fruit but also grain. This is likewise the old meaning of the
English word, especially in the plural number.
[11]
In depth: The story
as a parable on self-centeredness [9]. "What shall I do?" How well is it said that this question was
proposed after he had "thought within himself!" Surely it was in himself, of
himself and to himself. Self was
its source; self was its end; self was its centre, and self was its
circumference. "What shall I
do?" How many answers to this
inquiry might have come back, if only time had been given, from many an object
of compassion, many an orphan, many a widow, many an ignorant family, many an
avenue for doing good!
But no such answer was wanted by him, and hence he soon reached the
foregone conclusion--as certain to rise in such a heart with its ruling
selfishness as a spark is to fly upward or a stone cast into the air to fall
back upon the ground: "This will I
do: I will pull down my barns, and build
greater, and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods."
12:18 Translations
Weymouth: "And he
said to himself, "'This is what I will do: I will
pull down my barns and build larger ones, and in them I will store up all my
harvest and my wealth;
WEB: He said,
'This is what I will do. I will pull down my barns, and build bigger ones, and
there I will store all my grain and my goods.
Young’s: and he said, This I will do, I will take
down my storehouses, and greater ones I will build, and I will gather together
there all my products and my good things,
Conte (RC): And he said: 'This
is what I will do. I will tear down my barns and build larger ones. And into
these, I will gather all the things that have been grown for me, as well as my
goods.
12:18 And he said, This
I will do.
It is a short speech, but it reveals character. The man's selfishness is shown in that he
uses the pronoun "I" six times, and says nothing of anyone else. His covetous love of possessions is shown by
the word "my", which he uses five times. Compare his words with those of Nabal at 1 Samuel 25:11.
[53]
I will pull down my barns. His barns then are not, as they often were among the Jews, caves of the earth or rocks. They are tall buildings; but he must have still more spacious ones. [14]
He
had no occasion to conceal his grain. He
could look forward to no danger that was threatening him. [4]
barns. The Greek word rendered "barns"
( ἀποθήκας—whence
our word "apothecary") has a broader signification than merely
barns; it signifies store or warehouses of all kinds, thus suggesting that the
hero of the story was more than a mere wealthy farmer—he was probably also a
trader. [18]
and build greater
[larger, ESV, NASB]. Not
build more barns, but build bigger barns. More barns indicates
needing space; larger barns argues that it is a form of bragging just
how big and important he now is. Utilitarianism
yields to blatant showmanship and ego. [rw]
and there will I
bestow all my fruits and my goods. “All:” None of it for the
poor and less fortunate. His words
absolutely exclude the possibility.
He is going to keep every single ounce for himself! He was under no obligation to give everything
to the poor, but how does that justify giving nothing at all when he
overflowed in abundance? [rw]
12:19 Translations
Weymouth: and I will say
to my life, "'Life, you have ample possessions laid up for many years to
come: take your ease, eat, drink, enjoy yourself.'
WEB: I will
tell my soul, "Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years. Take your ease, eat, drink, be merry."'
Young’s: and I will say to my soul, Soul, thou
hast many good things laid up for many years, be resting, eat, drink, be merry.
Conte (RC): And I will say to my
soul: Soul, you have many goods, stored up for many years. Relax, eat, drink,
and be cheerful.'
12:19 And
I will say to my soul, Soul, for many years. How little did that poor fool, so wise in
all matters of earthly business, suspect the awful doom was so close to
him! He forgot Solomon's words,
"Boast not thyself of to-morrow" (Proverbs 27:1). [18]
take thine ease. Be free
from care about the future. Have no
anxiety about provision for want. [11]
There
is a passage much like this in the book of Ecclesiasticus
(9:18-19), "There is that waxeth rich by his
wariness and pinching, and this is the portion of his reward: Whereas he saith, I
have found rest, and now will eat continually of my goods . . . ." [1]
eat, drink, and be merry. This was the doctrine of the ancient Epicureans. And it is, alas, too often the doctrine of those who are rich. They think that all that is valuable in life is to eat, and to drink, and be cheerful or merry. Hence their chief anxiety is to obtain the luxuries of the world; to secure the productions of every clime at any expense; and to be distinguished for splendid and luxurious living. What folly to forget that he has an intellect to be cultivated, a heart to be purified, a soul to be saved from eternal death! [11]
They
snatch pleasure “for tomorrow we die” (1 Corinthians 15:32); he hopes to be
“happy” for “many years.” For similar
warnings see James 4:13-17, 5:1-3; Ecclesiastes 11:9. [56]
12:20 Translations
Weymouth: "But God
said to him, "'Foolish man, this night your life is demanded from you; and
these preparations--for whom shall they be?'
WEB: "But
God said to him, 'You foolish one, tonight your soul is required of you. The
things which you have prepared--whose will they be?'
Young’s: 'And God said to him, Unthinking
one! this night thy soul they shall require from thee,
and what things thou didst prepare -- to whom shall they be?
Conte (RC): But God said to him:
'Foolish one, this very night they require your soul of you. To
whom, then, will those things belong, which you have prepared?'
12:20 But God said unto him. God may
be represented as saying what he does. [53]
Thou fool. “Thou fool” to imagine that a man's
comfort and peace can depend upon temporal things; or to suppose that these can
satisfy the wishes of an immortal spirit!
[1]
this night. In
the very night in which he had finally settled all his plans, his soul
was called into the eternal world! What
a dreadful awakening of a soul, long asleep in sin! He is now hurried into the presence of his
Maker; none of his worldly goods can accompany him, and he has not a particle
of heavenly treasure! There is a passage
much like this in the book of Ecclesiasticus, 11:18,
19, “There is that waxeth rich by his wariness and
pinching, and this is the portion of his reward: Whereas he saith, I
have found rest, and now will eat continually of my goods; and yet he knoweth not what time shall come upon him; and that he must
leave those things to others, and die.” We may easily see whence the above is
borrowed. [1]
thy soul shall be
required of thee. The literal rendering of the Greek here
is more solemn and impressive in its awful vagueness: This night they
require thy soul of thee. Who are
meant by they? Most likely the angels: not necessarily "avenging," as
Trench would suggest; simply those angels whose special function it was to
conduct the souls of the departed to their own place. So we read in the parable of Lazarus and
Dives how angels carried the soul of Lazarus into Abraham's bosom. [18]
then whose shall
those things be, which thou hast provided? Our Lord here reproduced the thought
contained in passages with which no doubt he had been familiar from his
boyhood. "Yea, I hated all my labor
which I had taken under the sun: because I should leave it unto the man that
shall be after me. And who knoweth whether he shall be a wise man or a fool?"
(Ecclesiastes 2:18-19). "He heapeth up riches, and knoweth
not who shall gather them" (Psalms 39:6).
[18]
12:21 Translations
Weymouth: "So is it
with him who amasses treasure for himself, but has no riches in God."
WEB: So is he
who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God."
Young’s: so is he who is treasuring up to himself,
and is not rich toward God.'
Conte (RC): So it is with him
who stores up for himself, and is not wealthy with God."
12:21 So is he that layeth up treasure for himself. This is the characteristic of the covetous man. He lives only for himself and acts only with regard to his own interest. [11]
Does not a man lay up for himself who spends two, three, five thousand dollars on his pleasure or his "style" and perhaps a hundred, perhaps less, in charity? [4]
and is not rich toward God. Rich with treasure laid up with God. Other interpretations are: rich in a way that pleases God, or rich in honorem Dei, for the advancement of God's glory. The last sense implies that the riches are literal, the first implies that they are spiritual. [12]
To be “rich toward God” is to do the things that please Him, so as to stand high in His gracious favor; which is “the treasure in heaven,” “the fruit that increaseth to your account” (Philippians 4:17; Romans 10:12). [52]
"In
vain he amassed wealth who knows not how to use it."--St. Ambrose. [4]
We are often taught elsewhere in Scripture in
what way we can be rich toward God.
Matthew 6:19-21; 1 Timothy 6:17-19; James
2:5. There is a close parallel to this
passage in Ecclus 11:18, 19. This would seem to shew
that our Lord was not unfamiliar with some of the Apocryphal writings. [56]
12:22 Translations
Weymouth: Then turning
to His disciples He said, "For this reason I say to you, 'Dismiss all
anxious care for your lives, inquiring what you are to eat, and for your
bodies, what you are to put on.'
WEB: He said
to his disciples, "Therefore I tell you, don't be anxious for your life,
what you will eat, nor yet for your body, what you will wear.
Young’s: And he said unto his disciples, 'Because
of this, to you I say, Be not anxious for your life, what ye may eat; nor for
the body, what ye may put on;
Conte (RC): And he said to his
disciples: "And so I say to you: Do not choose to be anxious about your
life, as to what you may eat, nor about your body, as to what you will wear.
12:22 And He said unto His disciples. As
distinguished from the general public addressed in the previous section. [26]
Therefore I say
unto you, Take no thought. In older English, “thought” meant care,
anxiety, trouble of mind: “Lest he take
thought and kill himself.” --[Shakespeare], Julius
Caesar. [52]
for your life. The word translated “life” is ambiguous. Meaning originally breath, then the principle
of life, or the condition of being alive, it passed naturally into that of the
“soul,” as the basis of sense and all animal functions. It might with equal propriety be translated
here “soul,” as it is in verses 19, 20, regarded as the principle of the
natural life. [52]
what ye shall eat. The contrast is likely between the food that
must be consumed to maintain physical “life” and, what comes next, the clothes
that are needed to cover the body not just for modesty but for work purposes as
well. [rw]
neither for the body what
ye shall put on. The material tenement in which the soul is housed, or organ through which the life acts and manifests
itself. [52]
12:23 Translations
Weymouth: For life is a greater gift than food, and the body is a
greater gift than clothing.
WEB: Life is
more than food, and the body is more than clothing.
Young’s: the life is more than the nourishment, and the body than the clothing.
Conte (RC): Life is more than
food, and the body is more than clothing.
12:23 The life is more
than meat, and the body is more
than raiment. Jesus
does not deny that either is important, just that in comparison there is
something even “more” important than those things that may first come to
mind. By their very nature food and
clothing are self-centered but there are also things beyond these and,
actually, of even higher value for they shape our relationship with God and our
preparation for eternity. [rw]
12:24 Translations
Weymouth: Observe the
ravens. They neither sow nor reap, and have neither store-chamber nor barn. And
yet God feeds them. How far more precious are you than the birds!
WEB: Consider
the ravens: they don't sow, they don't reap, they have no warehouse or barn,
and God feeds them. How much more valuable are you than birds!
Young’s: 'Consider the ravens, that they sow not,
nor reap, to which there is no barn nor storehouse,
and God doth nourish them; how much better are ye than the fowls?
Conte (RC): Consider the ravens.
For they neither sow nor reap; there is no storehouse or barn for them. And yet
God pastures them. How much more are you, compared to them?
12:24 Consider the
ravens: for they neither sow nor reap; which neither
have storehouse nor barn; and God feedeth them: how
much more are ye better than the fowls? Animals
don’t plant crops nor reap them yet somehow they manage to get by. Except for a few very strange people, humans always
think of themselves as better than such things, but even small ravens somehow
land up having food to eat. If such
“insignificant” parts of creation are so blessed, surely we humans are even
more so! [rw]
12:25 Translations
Weymouth: And which of
you is able by anxious thought to add a moment to his life?
WEB: Which of
you by being anxious can add a cubit to his height?
Young’s: and who of you, being anxious, is able to
add to his age one cubit?
Conte (RC): But which of you, by
thinking, is able to add one cubit to his stature?
12:25 And
which of you with taking thought [by worrying, NKJV] can add to his stature one
cubit? Worry comes
easy but what does it accomplish? For
that matter what can it accomplish?
It doesn’t make us taller. It
doesn’t put food on the table. So what
are we benefited by it? [rw]
12:26 Translations
Weymouth: If then you
are unable to do even a very little thing, why be over-anxious about other
matters?
WEB: If then
you aren't able to do even the least things, why are you anxious about the
rest?
Young’s: If, then, ye are not able for the least
-- why for the rest are ye anxious?
Conte (RC): Therefore, if you
are not capable, in what is so little, why be anxious about the rest?
12:26 If ye then be
not able to do that thing which is least, why take ye thought for the rest? These
things are comparatively small. If you
can’t independently do such “little” things, of what value is it to torment
your hearts about even greater challenges?
Let God do the “worrying;” be content with the obedience and assurance
that God’s hand is working to help you. [rw]
12:27 Translations
Weymouth: Observe the
lilies, how they grow. They neither labour nor spin.
And yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendour
was as beautifully dressed as one of these.
WEB: Consider
the lilies, how they grow. They don't toil, neither do they spin; yet I tell
you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
Young’s: 'Consider the lilies, how do they grow?
they labour not, nor do they spin, and I say to you,
not even Solomon in all his glory was arrayed as one of these;
Conte (RC): Consider the lilies,
how they grow. They neither work nor weave. But I say to you, not even Solomon,
in all his glory, was clothed like one of these.
12:27 Consider the lilies how
they grow. There is no
good reason to doubt that the word translated “lilies” was used to denote some
species of the flower which we so name.
We cannot tell which species of the liliaceous blossoms found in
Palestine is intended, some of them exceedingly gorgeous in colors, and some of
exquisite fragrance. These flowers,
without care on their part, but by the Creator, just because He desires them
so, are clothed in beauty and splendor. [52]
they toil not, they
spin not. To provide for future needs; they take no
thought for the morrow, but simply live as they were made to live. [52]
and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Solomon on state days was accustomed to sit upon an ivory throne arrayed in a white robe, and bearing in his hand an ivory sceptre; yet though invested in dazzling brightness, resembling the magnificent lily in its color [yet] "I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these." [7]
Solomon’s “glory”/beauty was one
accomplished by conscious effort; that of the lilies without effort, by
the mere fact of their existence. Hence their’s could be said to exceed that of even mighty Solomon
though they themselves have no real power at all. [rw]
12:28 Translations
Weymouth: But if God so
clothes the vegetation in the fields, that blooms to-day and to-morrow will be
thrown into the oven, how much more certainly will He clothe you, you men of
feeble faith!
WEB: But if
this is how God clothes the grass in the field, which today exists, and
tomorrow is cast into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you of
little faith?
Young’s: and if the herbage in the field, that
to-day is, and to-morrow into an oven is cast, God doth so clothe, how much
more you -- ye of little faith?
Conte (RC): Therefore, if God so
clothes the grass, which is in the field today and thrown into the furnace
tomorrow, how much more you, O little in faith?
12:28 If
then God so clothe the grass, which is to day in the field. Even if the grass is clothed
with the lilies of the field that provide it great beauty (verse 27), it is
still transitory and passing. Far more
so than that of even mortals because the death is faster and the “remains” are
used as mere fuel and not treated with the respect that is expected of mortal
remains. [rw]
and tomorrow is cast into the oven. In the absence of wood this is the usual
method of heating ovens in the East [even in the 19th century]. [56]
how
much more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith? To be concerned was natural, especially for
the poor. But there is a point where
justified concern because obsession that does nothing to make the situation
better and only makes us feel more miserable.
[rw]
Did our Lord
speak in pity or in anger? Perhaps in something of both. He probably saw them slow to accept the
instruction which He was the more patiently trying to impress upon them; but He
knew too well how hard it is to rise above our natural concern for the future
welfare of our natural life, not to mingle sympathy with His displeasure. [52]
12:29 Translations
Weymouth: "Therefore,
do not be asking what you are to eat nor what you are
to drink; and do not waver between hope and fear.
WEB: Don't
seek what you will eat or what you will drink; neither be
anxious.
Young’s: 'And ye -- seek not what ye may eat, or
what ye may drink, and be not in suspense,
Conte (RC): And so, do not
choose to inquire as to what you will eat, or what you will drink. And do not
choose to be lifted up on high.
12:29 And seek not ye
what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink. Don’t
make it the center of your life.
Important and vital as it is, there is always more to be concerned with
as well—family, friends, God. Too great
a concern with one part of life can land up destroying the relationship with
the others. [rw]
neither be ye of doubtful [anxious, NKJV] mind. [Doubtful:] μετεωρίζεσθε --
Only here in New Testament. The verb primarily means to raise to a height; buoy up, as with false hopes; and so to
unsettle, or excite, or keep in fluctuation. Thus Thucydides says of the war
between Athens and Sparta: "All Hellas was excited (μετέωρος)
by the coming conflict between the two chief cities" (ii.,
8). [2]
12:30 Translations
Weymouth: For though the nations of the world pursue these things, as
for you, your Father knows that you need them.
WEB: For the
nations of the world seek after all of these things, but your Father knows that
you need these things.
Young’s: for all these things do the nations of
the world seek after, and your Father hath known that ye have need of these
things;
Conte (RC): For all these things
are sought by the Gentiles of the world. And your Father knows that you have
need of these things.
12:30 For all
these things do the nations of the world seek after. These things are matters of universal
concern. No matter where you go, people
will be just as occupied with such matters as you. So don’t fall into the trap that you—at least
the collective “you” of the people you live among—are in any way different than
every other nation. [rw]
and
your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things. Whatever God does or does not do is not
decided by ignorance on His part. He is
fully aware of your needs and wants. He
can give you bodily strength to provide them for yourselves. He can “open the door” of opportunity—but you
have to be wise enough to walk through it.
What He won’t do is let you sit there and have a “pity party”
while ignoring whatever is within your own power to handle the situation. Even at creation, we read that “the Lord God
took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to
dress [tend, NKJV] it and to keep it” (Genesis 2:15)
12:31 Translations
Weymouth: But make His
Kingdom the object of your pursuit, and these things shall be given you in
addition.
WEB: But seek
God's Kingdom, and all these things will be added to you.
Young’s: but, seek ye the reign of God, and all these things shall be added to you.
Conte (RC): Yet truly, seek
first the kingdom of God, and his justice, and all these things shall be added
to you.
12:31 But rather seek
ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you. Note that God’s assistance is conditional
upon your sitting your priorities right:
have no spiritual concern, why should God “pull your hide out of the
fire” when you have no interest in the things He regards as most
important. But if you do have the
right priorities, then God will act to assure that you have what you need. Not necessarily what you “want” but what you
“need.” Maybe even the former as
well—but of that we are given no guarantee.
[rw]
12:32 Translations
Weymouth: "Dismiss
your fears, little flock: your Father finds a pleasure in giving you the
Kingdom.
WEB: Don't be
afraid, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the
Kingdom.
Young’s: 'Fear not, little flock, because your
Father did delight to give you the reign;
Conte (RC): Do not be afraid,
little flock; for it has pleased your Father to give you the kingdom.
12:32 Fear not, little flock. Another term of tender endearment addressed to His own who were grouped near Him. In the earlier part of this discourse (vet. 4) He had called them "my friends." [18]
Our
Savior often represents Himself as a shepherd and His followers as a flock or
as sheep. In Judea, it was a common
employment to attend flocks. The
shepherd was with them, defended them, provided for
them. [Jesus'] flock was small. Few really followed Him, compared with the
multitude who refused.
[11]
1650s: Among the best Churches, the most [= largest]
are the worst, as Philippians 3:18. Chrysostom could not find a hundred in Antioch that he
could be well persuaded that they should be saved. [54]
for it is your Father's good pleasure. Though
small in number, they were not to fear. God
was their Friend. He would
provide for them. [11]
to give you the
kingdom. Now
outsiders may attempt to destroy it by force or gain power in it by coercion
(Matthew 11:12), but the only way God will consider you part of it is if
you have submitted your heart to His Son, in which case He will happily give
you entrance into it and the salvation that goes hand-in-hand. [rw]
12:33 Translations
Weymouth: Sell your
possessions and give alms. Provide yourselves with purses that will never wear
out, a treasure inexhaustible in Heaven, where no thief can come nor moth consume.
WEB: Sell that
which you have, and give gifts to the needy. Make for yourselves purses which
don't grow old, a treasure in the heavens that doesn't fail, where no thief
approaches, neither moth destroys.
Young’s: sell your goods, and give alms, make to
yourselves bags that become not old, a treasure unfailing in the heavens, where
thief doth not come near, nor moth destroy;
Conte (RC): Sell what you
possess, and give alms. Make for yourselves purses that will not wear out, a
treasure that will not fall short, in heaven, where no thief approaches, and no
moth corrupts.
12:33 Sell that ye have, and give alms. Instead of thought about what you are to get,
rid yourselves of what you have of those things that distract your minds. By giving them as alms, they become not only
no incumbrance, but a positive source of divine favor
and eternal fruition. [52]
provide yourselves
bags. “Money bags” (NKJV). Today we would probably speak of a wallet or
a purse. [rw0]
which wax
not old. All our
garments wear out, even our wallets sooner or later. What we need are money “containers” that
never wear out and through charity we can obtain them. Note the paradox: By giving away, we get to keep. [rw]
a
treasure in the heavens that faileth not. Since God keeps track of it, the “treasure”
has to be where He is—in heaven. [rw]
where no
thief approacheth. For no thief will be permitted to dwell
there. “Know ye not that the unrighteous
shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be
not deceived: neither
. . thieves, nor covetous . . . shall inherit
the kingdom of God” (1 Corinthians 6:9-10).
[rw]
neither
moth corrupteth. Heaven is pictured as a place of endless
life where we do not have to go through death again. Hence whatever causes decay will not
be present, including the equivalent of moths that would destroy clothing. [rw]
12:34 Translations
Weymouth: For where your
wealth is stored, there also will your heart be.
WEB: For where
your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
Young’s: for where your treasure is, there also
your heart will be.
Conte (RC): For where your
treasure is, there will your heart be also.
12:34 For
where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. If all you want is on earth, that will be as
far as you look for happiness. If what
you value and wish for is found in heaven, then the “treasure” that brings full
happiness is there as well. And because
it is there, doing the things that prepare you for a life in those sacred
precincts are the things that will bring peace and joy to your heart. [rw]
12:35 Translations
Weymouth: "Have
your girdles on, and let your lamps be alight;
WEB: "Let
your waist be dressed and your lamps burning.
Young’s: 'Let your loins be girded, and the lamps
burning,
Conte (RC): Let your waists be
girded, and let lamps be burning in your hands.
12:35 Let your loins be girded about. This alludes to the ancient manner of dress. They wore a long flowing robe as their outer garment. When they labored or walked or ran, it was necessary to "gird" or tie this up by a sash or girdle about the body, that it might not impede their progress. Hence to gird up the loins means to be ready, be active, be diligent. Compare 2 Kings 4:29; 9:1; Jeremiah 1:17; Acts 12:8. [11]
To
gird the loins was a sign of preparation for labor or a journey. [4]
and your lights burning. This expresses the same meaning. Be ready at all times to leave the world and enter into rest, when your Lord shall call you. Servants were expected to be ready for the coming of their lord. If in the night, they were expected to keep their lights trimmed and burning. This expression refers to the duty of servants when their master was away. [11]
Servants
were expected to have their lights burning on the return of the master of the
house, no matter at what hour he might come.
So the Christian who was thus
prepared for the coming of Christ, either at his individual death or at the end
of all things, should be honored anew by the Lord for his fidelity. [4]
12:36 Translations
Weymouth: and be
yourselves like men waiting for their master--on the look-out till he shall
return from the wedding feast--that, when he comes and knocks, they may open
the door instantly.
WEB: Be like
men watching for their lord, when he returns from the marriage feast; that,
when he comes and knocks, they may immediately open to him.
Young’s: and ye like to men waiting for their
lord, when he shall return out of the wedding feasts, that he having come and knocked,
immediately they may open to him.
Conte (RC): And let you
yourselves be like men awaiting their lord, when he will return from the
wedding; so that, when he arrives and knocks, they may open to him promptly.
12:36 And ye
yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the
wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may
open unto him immediately. Presumably
this man had been a guest and since such wedding parties could run late,
indeed, he might arrive back home at virtually any hour. Hence at least all the normal quota of
servants that would be expected would need to be prepared to greet him until he
was confirmed as safely back and home and in bed. All before they themselves
could have any realistic hope of doing the same. [rw]
return from the wedding. Not come to it, as the parable of the
Virgins. [16]
they may open unto
him immediately. Their
joy is to serve—“immediately.” Someone
with a large staff would have specialized individuals for narrowly defined
duties. One of these would be to greet
him at the door. [rw]
12:37 Translations
Weymouth: Blessed are
those servants, whom their Master when He comes shall find on the watch. I tell
you in solemn truth, that He will tie an apron round Him, and will bid them
recline at table while He comes and waits on them.
WEB: Blessed
are those servants, whom the lord will find watching when he comes. Most
certainly I tell you, that he will dress himself, and make them recline, and
will come and serve them.
Young’s: 'Happy those servants, whom the lord,
having come, shall find watching; verily I say to you, that he will gird
himself, and will cause them to recline (at meat), and having come near, will
minister to them;
Conte (RC): Blessed are those
servants whom the Lord, when he returns, will find being vigilant. Amen I say
to you, that he will gird himself and have them sit down to eat, while he,
continuing on, will minister to them.
12:37 Blessed are those servants, whom the lord
when he cometh shall find watching. He is
going to give them a reward they did not expect and at a time when they would
not expect it. (Returning from a wedding
feast would surely be the last imaginable occasion for it!) The parallel to
Jesus is this: The return of Jesus will
be the public vindication of every claim to respect and authority He ever
presented. Yet at this time, He will not
be engaged in gloating and bragging (as mere mortals would)—but in rewarding
those who had obeyed Him. [rw]
verily I say unto you, he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them. Shall take the place of the servant himself. [11]
At
the Roman Saturnalia the masters put on the servile dress and waited on and
served their servants. As our Lord bases
this parable upon the ancient relation of master and servant, so he uses this
custom for an image to express the great honor he will confer upon his servants
at the judgment day. [14]
12:38 Translations
Weymouth: And whether it
be in the second watch or in the third that He comes
and finds them so, blessed are they.
WEB: They will
be blessed if he comes in the second or third watch, and finds them so.
Young’s: and if he may come in the second watch,
and in the third watch he may come, and may find it so, happy are those
servants.
Conte (RC): And if he will
return in the second watch, or if in the third watch, and if he will find them
to be so: then blessed are those servants.
12:38 And if He shall come in the second watch, or come in the third watch. Among the Jews at the time of our Lord, the old division of the night into three watches had given place to the ordinary Roman division into four. They were reckoned thus: from six to nine, from nine to midnight, from midnight to three, and from three to six. In this parable the second and third watches are mentioned as necessary for the completeness of the picture; for the banquet would certainly not be over before the end of the first watch, and in the fourth the day would be breaking.
The second and third watches, then, represent the
still and weary hours of the night, when to watch is indeed a task of
difficulty and painfulness; and here again the Lord repeats his high encomium
on such devoted conduct in his second "blessed are those
servants." It is perfectly clear
that in this parable the master's return signifies the coming of Christ. The whole tone, then, is a grave reminder to
us, to all impatient ones, that the great event may be long delayed,
much longer than most Christian thinkers dream; but it tells us, too that this
long delay involves a test of their loyalty.
[18]
and find them so. I.e., ready and prepared for their Lord’s
return though He has come at a time when they would least expect it. [rw]
blessed are
those servants. For they shall receive their honorable reward for their steadfast
readiness to serve regardless of what hour of day or night it might be. [rw]
12:39 Translations
Weymouth: Of this be
sure, that if the master of the house had known what time the robber was
coming, he would have kept awake and not have allowed his house to be broken
into.
WEB: But know
this, that if the master of the house had known in what hour the thief was
coming, he would have watched, and not allowed his house to be broken into.
Young’s: 'And this know, that if the master of the
house had known what hour the thief doth come, he would have watched, and would
not have suffered his house to be broken through;
Conte (RC): But know this: that
if the father of the family knew at what hour the thief would arrive, he would
certainly stand watch, and he would not permit his house to be broken into.
12:39 And this know,
that if the goodman [master, NKJV] of the house. The
“good man” is not any definite, known one, but the one who stands for the whole
class of careless, plundered people. The
lesson of the implied parable is that, as the precise time of Christ’s advent
cannot be known, unremitting vigilance and perpetual
preparation are required. [52]
had known what hour the thief would come. It is
noticeable how frequently the coming of the day of the Lord is compared, in all
manner of forms, with the coming of the thief.
(1 Thess. v. 2, 6-8; 2 Peter iii. 10; Rev. iii. 3, xvi. 15.) [9]
he would have
watched, and not have suffered his house to be broken through. He
would have been prepared and kept it from happening. [rw]
12:40 Translations
Weymouth: Be you also
ready, for at an hour when you are not expecting Him the Son of Man will
come."
WEB: Therefore
be ready also, for the Son of Man is coming in an hour that you don't expect
him."
Young’s: and ye, then, become ye ready, because at
the hour ye think not, the Son of Man doth come.'
Conte (RC): You also must be
prepared. For the Son of man will return at an hour that you will not
realize."
12:40 Be ye
therefore ready also. Two
different examples show the reasonableness of the admonition: so will they be willing to heed what logic
tells them they should? [rw]
for the
Son of man cometh at an hour
when ye think not. Lange says, "The point of comparison is the
perfect surprise; and the figure has its application not only to the end of the
world, but also to the hour of death, and to those tragical
catastrophes which occur in the history of nations, as well as in the lives of
individuals." [30]
12:41 Translations
Weymouth: "Master,"
said Peter, "are you addressing this parable to us, or to all alike?"
WEB: Peter
said to him, "Lord, are you telling this parable to us, or to
everybody?"
Young’s: And Peter said to him,
'Sir, unto us this simile dost thou speak, or also unto all?'
Conte (RC): Then Peter said to
him, "Lord, are you telling this parable to us, or also to everyone?"
12:41 Then Peter said unto Him. Peter’s [conversations] with his Lord seems
to have been peculiarly frank and fearless, in accordance with his
character. In the immaturity of the
disciples we may suppose that the blessing on the faithful servants mainly
prompted his question. But if so the
lesson of our Lord was by no means lost on him, 1 Peter 5:3. [56]
Lord, speakest Thou this parable unto us, or even to all? The
parable was probably that which was spoken (verses 35-38), rather than the
half-expressed comparison in verse 39.
Considering that Jesus had been long speaking, sometimes to Pharisees,
to lawyers, to the multitude, to His disciples, Peter might naturally be at a
loss whether this portion of it was addressed specially to all actual or
possible disciples, or to the doubly chosen twelve. The question may have expressed some
curiosity—not without a shade of assumption—whether the apostles would really
be distinguished “in the regeneration” (Matthew 19:28), above the mass of
believers, according to verse 37. [52]
12:42 Translations
Weymouth: "Who,
then," replied the Lord, "is the faithful and intelligent steward
whom his Master will put in charge of His household to serve out their rations
at the proper times?
WEB: The Lord
said, "Who then is the faithful and wise steward, whom his lord will set
over his household, to give them their portion of food at the right times?
Young’s: And the Lord said, 'Who, then, is the
faithful and prudent steward whom the lord shall set over his household, to
give in season the wheat measure?
Conte (RC): So the Lord said:
"Who do you think is the faithful and prudent steward, whom his Lord has
appointed over his family, in order to give them their measure of wheat in due
time?
12:42 And the Lord
said, Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom
his lord shall make ruler over his household. The Saviour answers
not directly, but by a certain question sets Peter and all to consider what was
becoming to His servants of apostolic rank; and especially to one to whom, as
to Peter, a certain pre-eminence had been already assigned. [52]
whom his lord shall make ruler over his household. [The] master is here supposed to be absent
for a prolonged stay, and to be testing certain servants, by placing them in
charge over fellow-servants during this period; that, on his return, he may be
able to give all his affairs into the hands of the one who has proved himself
worthy. The question, therefore, says,
in effect, to Peter: Instead of asking
whether that parable is spoken to you, ask yourselves, rather, what qualities
each of you apostles should exhibit in his position as a steward over my
household; and especially thou, Peter, in order to meet with honor at my
return. [52]
household. θεραπείας --
From its original meaning of waiting on, attendance (Luke 9:11), it
comes to mean the retinue of attendants; the body of household servants. [2]
to give them
their portion of meat in due season?
At the appointed time for distributing rations. [2]
To do this punctually and well required the steward
to be “faithful,” and the faithfulness supposes prudence. He must be “wise” to see what is needed and
to have ready in supply the requirement for constantly recurring needs, and
dispense everything so equitably that all concerned shall be satisfied, and the
work of the place go forward efficiently.
[52]
12:43 Translations
Weymouth: Blessed is
that servant whom his Master when He comes shall find so doing.
WEB: Blessed
is that servant whom his lord will find doing so when he comes.
Young’s: Happy that servant, whom his lord, having
come, shall find doing so;
Conte (RC): Blessed is that
servant if, when his Lord will return, he will find him acting in this manner.
12:43 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when
he cometh shall find so doing. That is, prudently and faithfully
administering the important business entrusted to him. [52]
12:44 Translations
Weymouth: I tell you
truly that He will put him in authority over all His possessions.
WEB: Truly I
tell you, that he will set him over all that he has.
Young’s: truly I say to you, that over all his
goods he will set him.
Conte (RC): Truly I say to you,
that he will appoint him over all that he possesses.
12:44 Of a
truth I say unto you. I.e., undoubtedly this is what will
happen. [rw]
that he will make
him ruler over all that he hath. The talent which he has manifested and
cultivated shall have scope for its eternal exercise in a nobler, happier
sphere. [52]
12:45 Translations
Weymouth: But if that
servant should say in his heart, 'My Master is a long time in coming,' and
should begin to beat the menservants and the maids, and to eat and drink,
drinking even to excess;
WEB: But if
that servant says in his heart, 'My lord delays his coming,' and begins to beat
the menservants and the maidservants, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken,
Young’s: 'And if that servant may say in his
heart, My lord doth delay to come, and may begin to beat the men-servants and
the maid-servants, to eat also, and to drink, and to be drunken;
Conte (RC): But if that servant
will have said in his heart, 'My Lord has made a delay in his return,' and if
he has begun to strike the men and women servants, and to eat and drink, and to
be inebriated,
12:45 But and if that servant say in
his heart.
The disgrace and
punishment of the servant who, in his place as a
steward, is neither faithful nor wise, will be as conspicuous and miserable as
the reward of the other is blessed and glorious. [52]
My lord delayeth his coming. Another intimation
that Jesus may tarry long—so long that His apostle, or other minister,
may forget that he is himself only a steward, and act as if he were master of
the place. [52]
and shall begin to
beat the menservants and maidens, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken. Shall mistreat those beneath
his authority and to abuse his leadership position by such things as using free
access to the liquor stocks to get drunk. In short, to
abuse both others and his own position.
[rw]
12:46 Translations
Weymouth: that servant's
Master will come on a day when he is not expecting Him and at an hour that he
knows not of, and will punish him severely, and make him share the lot of the
unfaithful.
WEB: then the lord of that servant will
come in a day when he isn't expecting him, and in an hour that he doesn't know,
and will cut him in two, and place his portion with the unfaithful.
Young’s: the lord of that servant will come in a
day in which he doth not look for him, and in an hour that he doth not know,
and will cut him off, and his portion with the unfaithful he will appoint.
Conte (RC): then the Lord of
that servant will return on a day which he hoped not, and at an hour which he
knew not. And he will separate him, and he will place his portion with that of
the unfaithful.
12:46 The
lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh
not for him, and at an hour
when he is not aware. He is
taken completely unaware. There have
been no forewarnings for he appears on a day when he’s unexpected. Furthermore, even the specific hour is
unknown to the servant until it actually arrives. If this is a powerful individual, then one
would expect word to reach his destination in advance of his arrival. To the horror of the servant, it
doesn’t. He has been negligent and he
has been caught. It does not require a
genius to realize that wrath is about to pour out on his back. Wrath fully earned and deserved. [rw]
cut him in sunder. A punishment not unknown in
the East. Cf. Hebrews 11:37,
"sawn asunder;" 1 Samuel 15:33; Daniel 2:5. [16]
and will appoint
him his portion with the unbelievers. The
mention of “unbelievers” tells us that the “household” he was over was one of
believers and that he has thorough abused his position among them. As the result, his destiny is with those who
make no pretense of belief in any form. An ominous warning for abusive church leaders. [rw]
12:47 Translations
Weymouth: And that servant who has been told his Master's will and yet
made no preparation and did not obey His will, will receive many lashes.
WEB: That
servant, who knew his lord's will, and didn't prepare, nor do what he wanted,
will be beaten with many stripes,
Young’s: 'And that servant, who having known his
lord's will, and not having prepared, nor having gone according to his will,
shall be beaten with many stripes,
Conte (RC): And that servant,
who knew the will of his Lord, and who did not prepare and did not act
according to his will, will be beaten many times over.
12:47 And that
servant. In Luke only, and serving as an apology [=
defense] for the severity of the punishment as described in verse 46. That punishment presupposes anger. The statement now made is to the effect: penalty inflicted not as passion dictates but,
as principle demands. [12]
which knew his lord's will. Who knew what his master wished him to do. He that knows what God commands and
requires. [11]
and prepared not
himself. A case of negligence and not ignorance. [rw]
neither did according
to His will. For
emphasis, his knowledge of the right thing to do is repeated. In short, there is no question but that he is
a knowledgeable believer who thought he could somehow be acceptable even if he
ignored his unquestionable obligations and responsibilities. [rw]
shall be beaten with many stripes. Shall be severely
and justly punished. They who
have many privileges, who are often warned, shall be far more severely punished
than others. [11]
Exceptional privileges if rejected involve
exceptional punishment, 10:13; James 4:17; 2 Peter 2:21. [56]
12:48 Translations
Weymouth: But he who had not been told it and yet did what deserved the
scourge, will receive but few lashes. To whomsoever much has been given, from
him much will be required; and to whom much has been entrusted, of him a larger
amount will be demanded.
WEB: but he
who didn't know, and did things worthy of stripes, will be beaten with few
stripes. To whoever much is given, of him will much be required; and to whom
much was entrusted, of him more will be asked.
Young’s: and he who, not having known, and having
done things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few; and to every one to
whom much was given, much shall be required from him; and to whom they did
commit much, more abundantly they will ask of him.
Conte (RC): Yet he who did not
know, and who acted in a way that deserves a beating, will be beaten fewer
times. So then, of all to whom much has been given, much will be required. And
of those to whom much has been entrusted, even more will be asked.
12:48 But he that knew not. i.e. that knew not fully (Jon 4:11; 1 Timothy 1:13) for there is no such thing as absolute moral ignorance (Romans 1:20, 2:14, 15). [56]
Ignorance of the law [is] part of the guilt of those
violating it. Though
he knew it not, yet he is guilty (Leviticus 5:17). All ignorance of that which a man is
[supposed] to know, and may know, is willful and will be punished. Conscience in the heathen leaves them without
excuse (Romans 1:19-20). [7]
and did
commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. The Jews
did not inflict more than forty stripes for one offense (Deuteronomy
25:3). For smaller offences they inflicted
only four, five, six, etc., according to the nature of the crime. In allusion to this, our Lord says that he
"that knew not"--that is, he who had comparatively little
knowledge--shall suffer a punishment proportionally light. He refers, doubtless, to those who have fewer
opportunities, smaller gifts, or more ignorant or fewer teachers. [11]
Theophylact says, "Here some object, saying, He is
deservedly punished, who knowing the will of his Lord, pursues it not; but why
is the ignorant punished? Because, when
he might have known, he would not, but being himself
slothful, was the cause of his own ignorance." [30]
Or: A
most important passage as alone clearly stating that punishment shall be only
proportional to sin, and that there shall be a righteous relation between the amount of the two. They who knew not will not of course be punished for any involuntary
ignorance, but only for actual misdoing.
[56]
For
unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men
have committed much, of him they will ask the more. The
first century Jewish religious leadership as we have it depicted in the New
Testament, viewed their (alleged) greater knowledge and piety as a “gravy
ticket” to get their way and to be arrogant.
Jesus warns against such among His own people: If they are “given” much--knowledge or
responsibility--they are obligated to take pains to use it constructively. Or to say the same thing in different words: whoever had had much knowledge or
responsibility “committed” to them, they have the obligation to use it for both
their own benefit and every one else’s.
In the kingdom there are no sinecures; only positions of working
authority. [rw]
12:49 Translations
Weymouth: "I came
to throw fire upon the earth, and what is my desire? Oh that it were even now
kindled!
WEB: "I
came to throw fire on the earth. I wish it were already kindled.
Young’s: 'Fire I came to cast to the earth, and
what will I if already it was kindled?
Conte (RC): I have come to cast
a fire upon the earth. And what should I desire, except that it may be kindled?
12:49 I am come. He does
not mean that He sought and desired it; but that, such was the state of the
human heart, such the opposition to the truth, that
that would be the effect of His coming.
See Matthew 10:34. [11]
to send fire on the earth. Fire, here, is the emblem of discord and contention, and consequently of calamities. Thus it is used in Psalms 66:12; Isaiah 43:2. [11]
This
element is used frequently in Scripture as the emblem of trouble and confusion. Is. ix. 5; Ps. lxvi. 12. [4]
and
what will I, if it be already kindled [and how I wish it were already kindled,
NKJV]? However
much it was necessary for this to happen, He wishes it were already done and
over with. In other words, He looked
forward to it out of obligation and duty and not out of joy and happiness. [rw]
In depth: the meaning of “fire on the earth” [3]. The meaning of this verse is quite obscure. In the first place, the translation of the original is difficult. Some of the various renderings which have been proposed are:
“I came to put fire in the earth; and what wish I more, since it is already kindled?” (Wakefield)
“I am come to send fire to this land; and what do I wish—that it were already kindled?” (Alford)
“How much do I wish that it were already kindled!” (Shedd)
“What do I wish? Would that it were already kindled!” (Van Oosterzee)
By comparing these renderings it will be seen, disregarding minor differences, that one class of them represents the fire as already kindled and the Savior as asking what He wishes more since this object of His coming is accomplished. The other, that the fire was not yet kindled, and what he wished was that it might be. The common version and the Bible Union, which agree substantially with it, represent the kindling as hypothetically accomplished—“what will I, if it be already kindled?”—meaning, I suppose, “If this object of my coming has been attained, what will I do next?” “What remains to be done?” Or, as Wakefield, “what wish I more?”
It appears, then, that the weight of authority is about balanced, and that the original will bear either rendering; and from this, that we can not determine from the structure of the sentence whether the fire was yet kindled or not.
Can
we now determine this from the subject matter?
Unfortunately the difficulties here are also very great. The word “fire,” which must control the
meaning, is of course metaphorical, and we are left in uncertainty as to which
of its properties is referred to. Fire illuminates,
warms, consumes, and, as a consequence of its consuming power, it purifies. But which of these properties are we to
understand as alluded to in the text?
Bengel answers: “A fire to be desired, a fire of spiritual warmth.” Alford: “The fire is the gift of the Holy Spirit.” Barnes: “Fire here is the emblem of discord and contention, and consequently of calamities.” Scott: “Bitter and furious persecution.”
Van Oosterzee: “The extraordinary movement of mind which Christ should bring to pass when His Gospel should everywhere be proclaimed. As fire has on the one hand, a warming and purifying, but on the other a dissolving and destroying force, not otherwise is it with the manifestation of Christ, of which the Gospel bears testimony. It is, however, by no means to be denied that the Savior has in mind the latter rather than the former side of the fact.”
For myself, I do not think “the gift of the Holy Spirit” is meant, because (1) that was to be the result, not of Christ’s coming, but of His returning (John 16:7); (2) the phrase “on the earth” seems to include all classes and characters, whereas the gift of the Spirit was limited to one class. I think, therefore, that the view of Van Oosterzee, given above, is substantially correct.
The influence of the Savior’s teaching and works had already kindled a fire in the public mind, which would yet blaze out and burn with increasing intensity. At any rate, it seemed to be sufficiently kindled, and if so—if the appearances were not deceptive—if the truth had really taken hold of the popular heart, then that part of His mission was accomplished. [3]
12:50 Translations
Weymouth: But I have a
baptism to undergo; and how am I pent up till it is accomplished!
WEB: But I
have a baptism to be baptized with, and how distressed I am until it is
accomplished!
Young’s: but I have a baptism to be baptized with,
and how am I pressed till it may be completed!
Conte (RC): And I have a
baptism, with which I am to be baptized. And how I am constrained, even until
it may be accomplished!
12:50 But I have a
baptism to be baptized with. An experience of sufferings to be endured, comparable to nothing so
well as to immersion in a flood of distress. [52]
and how am I
straitened [distressed, NKJV] till it be accomplished! Jesus
would do His duty but He recognized how painful and humiliating the coming
events of His betrayal and death would be and wish it were already
accomplished. [rw]
12:51 Translations
Weymouth: Do you suppose
that I came to give peace on earth? No, I tell you that I came to bring
dissension.
WEB: Do you
think that I have come to give peace in the earth? I tell you, no, but rather
division.
Young’s: 'Think ye that
peace I came to give in the earth? no, I say to you,
but rather division;
Conte (RC): Do you think that I
have come to give peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but division.
12:51 Suppose ye that
I am come to give peace on earth?
Are ye so mistaken as to think that all will be quietness and
harmony among men, as the result of My mission? Yet the end was to be peace (Luke 1:79; 2:14). [52]
I tell you, Nay; but rather division. Not the object, but [the] necessary consequence of Christ's coming. [7]
12:52 Translations
Weymouth: For from this
time there will be in one house five persons split into parties. Three will
form a party against two and two will form a party against three;
WEB: For from
now on, there will be five in one house divided, three against two, and two
against three.
Young’s: for there shall be henceforth five in one
house divided -- three against two, and two against three;
Conte (RC): For from this time
on, there will be five in one house: divided as three against two, and as two
against three.
12:52 For from
henceforth. From
the date of His resurrection, which is just at hand. For ages after Christ, this prediction was a
literal description of facts; and not a year has elapsed until now, in which it
did not apply to certain instances of hatred on the part of relatives toward
followers of Christ. Yet while He is the
occasion of all this, it is not His spirit which hates and contends, but which
rather suffers hatred and opposition, for His name’s sake, at the hands of
those otherwise nearest and dearest. [52]
there shall be five
in one house divided, three against two, and two against three. Which argues that the
proportion of believers in a given household might actually be substantial, but
that having it accepted by all would be the exception rather than the
rule. [rw]
12:53 Translations
Weymouth: father against
son and son against father; mother attacking daughter and daughter her mother,
mother-in-law her daughter-in-law, and daughter-in-law her mother-in-law."
WEB: They will
be divided, father against son, and son against father; mother against
daughter, and daughter against her mother; mother-in-law against her
daughter-in-law, and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law."
Young’s: a father shall be divided against a son,
and a son against a father, a mother against a daughter, and a daughter against
a mother, a mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law, and a daughter-in-law
against her mother-in-law.'
Conte (RC): A father will be
divided against a son, and a son against his father; a mother against a
daughter and a daughter against a mother; a mother-in-law against her
daughter-in-law, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law."
12:53 The father
shall be divided against the son, and the son against the father;
the mother against the daughter, and the daughter against the mother; the
mother in law against her daughter in law, and the daughter in law against her
mother in law. Jesus here shows the hard plight of the
disciple. If he were the young son he
would find his father against him, and if he were the aged father he would be
persecuted by the boy whom he had raised.
[53]
The verse seems to be a distinct allusion to
Micah 7:6. There is in the Greek a
delicate change of phrase which can hardly be reproduced in English. It is “father against son,” where the
preposition takes the dative; but in “mother-in-law against her
daughter-in-law” the preposition takes the accusative;--perhaps to
indicate the difference in the relationships, the one natural, the other
legal. [56]
12:54 Translations
Weymouth: Then He said
to the people also, "When you see a cloud rising in the west, you
immediately say, 'There is to be a shower;' and it comes to pass.
WEB: He said
to the multitudes also, "When you see a cloud rising from the west,
immediately you say, 'A shower is coming,' and so it happens.
Young’s: And he said also to the multitudes, 'When
ye may see the cloud rising from the west, immediately ye say, A shower doth
come, and it is so;
Conte (RC): And he also said to
the crowds: "When you see a cloud rising from the setting of the sun,
immediately you say, 'A rain cloud is coming.' And so it does.
12:54 And he said also to the people, When ye see a cloud rise out of the west, straightway ye say, There cometh a shower; and so it is. The cloud which rose out of the west, on the side of the Mediterranean Sea lying on the west of the whole Jewish territory, was regarded as a sign of approaching rain (1 Kings xviii. 44). [9]
They were quick to note the indications of coming weather, and to interpret them, so as to regulate their conduct prudently. [52]
12:55 Translations
Weymouth: And when you see a south wind blowing, you say, 'It will be
burning hot;' and it comes to pass.
WEB: When a
south wind blows, you say, 'There will be a scorching heat,' and it happens.
Young’s: and when -- a south wind blowing, ye say,
that there will be heat, and it is;
Conte (RC): And when a south
wind is blowing, you say, 'It will be hot.' And so it is.
12:55 And when
ye see the south wind blow, ye
say, There will be heat; and it cometh to pass. The
south wind from
the great wilderness of Sinai and hot deserts of Arabia, lying to the south
of the Jewish territory, was considered
as a sign of heat to be expected (Job 37:17), and the people accordingly either
housed their hay and corn or threw it abroad, and equipped themselves for a
journey, according as they foresaw the weather would be. [9]
12:56 Translations
Weymouth: Vain
pretenders! You know how to read the aspect of earth and sky. How is it you
cannot read this present time?
WEB: You
hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky,
but how is it that you don't interpret this time?
Young’s: hypocrites! the
face of the earth and of the heaven ye have known to make proof of, but this
time -- how do ye not make proof of it?
Conte (RC): You hypocrites! You
discern the face of the heavens, and of the earth, yet how is it that you do
not discern this time?
12:56 Ye hypocrites, ye
can discern the face of the sky and of the earth; but how is it that ye do not
discern this time?
You see My miracles; you hear My preaching; you
have the predictions of Me in the prophets.
Why do you not, in like manner, infer that this is the time when the
Messiah should appear? [11]
You can successfully
judge the world around you and get it right.
Yet the spiritual and moral matters--in which you claim to be
experts!—you get all wrong! How can that
possibly be? Jesus doesn’t bother to provide
an answer. Any that can be given will be
uncomplimentary and automatically rejected.
So if they are ever going to understand their problem, they are
going to have to come to the conclusion on their own. [rw]
12:57 Translations
Weymouth: "Why,
too, do you not of yourselves arrive at just conclusions?
WEB: Why don't
you judge for yourselves what is right?
Young’s: 'And why, also, of yourselves, judge ye
not what is righteous?
Conte (RC): And why do you not,
even among yourselves, judge what is just?
12:57 Yea, and why
even of yourselves judge ye not what is right? By consulting with your own consciences,
which would, if rightly dealt with, tell you, that I am that Messiah you have
so long looked for. [54]
The
frame of reference is even broader than Messianic matters for we have
repeatedly seen Jesus tangle with them on behavioral and moral matters as
well. Their fundamental problem was far
deeper than mere “anti-Jesus as Messiah” bias.
[rw]
12:58 Translations
Weymouth: For when, with your opponent, you are going before the
magistrate, on the way take pains to get out of his power; for fear that, if he
should drag you before the judge, the judge may hand you over to the officer of
the court, and the officer lodge you in prison.
WEB: For when
you are going with your adversary before the magistrate, try diligently on the
way to be released from him, lest perhaps he drag you to the judge, and the
judge deliver you to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison.
Young’s: for, as thou art going away with thy
opponent to the ruler, in the way give diligence to be released from him, lest
he may drag thee unto the judge, and the judge may deliver thee to the officer,
and the officer may cast thee into prison;
Conte (RC): So, when you are
going with your adversary to the ruler, while you are on the way, make an
effort to be freed from him, lest perhaps he may lead you to the judge, and the
judge may deliver you to the officer, and the officer may cast you into prison.
12:58 When
thou goest. Rather,
“For as thou goest.”
Our translators omitted the “for” probably because they could not see
the connexion.
It seems however to be this: “For
this is your clear duty—to reconcile yourself with God, as you would
with one whom you had alienated, before the otherwise inevitable consequences
ensue.” [56]
with thine adversary. Spiritual application: God, by our rebellion, has become our adversary. We owe Him a debt, which we can never pay: a debt of obedience and of punishment. [7]
The adversary stands for the law of God, under the condemnation of which we are, on account of our sins, a condemnation from which nothing but the intervention of the Saviour could deliver us; the way stands for the brief period of our probation; the judge is the Son of man, at His coming; the officer is the judicial agent (Matt. xxv. 31); the prison is hell. [9]
as thou art in the way, give diligence that thou mayest
be delivered from him. The trial has already been arranged
for. The only question is what will be
the outcome. Hence act to change the
outcome or the retribution will be inevitable.
The spiritual application is:
Reconcile yourself with God while you are still alive because afterwards
it is going to be too late to change anything.
Your ultimate destiny is only decided when you become a “sealed book” by
dying--for then it is too late to change any of the evidence in your favor or
against you. [rw]
lest he hale [drag,
NKJV] thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and the
officer cast thee into prison.
According to the supposition of the parable, the creditor had the right
to seize his delinquent debtor where he might find him, take him before a
magistrate, and, on proving his case, have him condemned to imprisonment until
the claim was satisfied. The details of
the application may be variously filed out; but the lesson is perfectly
obvious. [52]
12:59 Translations
Weymouth: Never, I tell
you, will you get free till you have paid the last farthing."
WEB: I tell
you, you will by no means get out of there, until you have paid the very last
penny."
Young’s: I say to thee, thou mayest
not come forth thence till even the last mite thou mayest
give back.'
Conte (RC): I tell you, you will
not depart from there, until you have paid the very last coin."
12:59 I tell thee,
thou shalt not depart thence, till thou hast paid the
very last mite. Mite is lepton (minutum),
the smallest of all coins, Mark 12:42.
If it be asked, “Can this ever be paid?” the answer of course is, as far
as the parable is concerned, “it depends entirely on whether the debt be great or small.”
As far as the application of the parable is concerned, the answer
lies out of the contemplated horizon of the
illustration, nor is there any formal answer to it. But if it be asserted that no man’s
debt to God, which he has incurred by his sins, however “common to man,” can
ever be paid by him, we are at least permitted to find hope in the thought that
Christ has paid our debt for us (Matthew 20:28; 1 Timothy 2:6). The general lesson is that of which
Scripture is full, “Seek ye the Lord while He may be found,” Isaiah lv 6; Psalms 32:6; Hebrews 4:7. [56]
In depth: Efforts to deduce Purgtory or assured eternal life for all out of this verse [18]. Theologians in different ages and of varied schools have made much of the concluding sentence [verse 59]. Roman Catholic divines see in it a strong argument in favor of the doctrine of purgatory, arguing that after death condemnation would be followed by liberation, when a certain payment had been made by the guilty soul; strange ways of paying this debt by means of others we know have been devised by the school of divines who teach this doctrine of purgatory. But the Lord's words here are terribly plain, and utterly exclude any payment of the debt of the soul by others. The Master emphatically says, "till thou hast paid the very last mite."
The advocate who pleads for universal redemption, and
shrinks from a punishment to the duration of which he can see no term, thinks
that in the words, "till thou hast paid," he can discern the germ at
least of eternal hope. But the
impenetrable veil which hangs between us and the endless hereafter prevents us,
surely, from even suggesting that any suffering which the soul may endure in
the unseen world will ever pay "the very last mite," and
so lead to pardon and peace.
Books Utilized
(with
number code)
1 = Adam Clarke. The New
Testament . . . with a Commentary and
Critical Notes.
Volume I: Matthew to the Acts. Reprint, Nashville,
Tennessee: Abingdon Press.
2 = Marvin R. Vincent. Word Studies in the New Testament. Volume I:
The Synoptic Gospels, Acts of the Apostles, Epistles
of Peter, James,
and Jude. New
York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1887;
1911 printing.
3 = J. S. Lamar. Luke.
[Eugene S. Smith, Publisher; reprint, 1977 (?)]
4 = Charles H. Hall. Notes,
Practical and Expository on the Gospels;
volume two: Luke-John. New York:
Hurd and Houghton, 1856,
1871.
5 = John Kitto.
Daily Bible Illustrations. Volume II:
Evening Series:
The Life and Death of Our Lord. New
York: Robert Carter and
Brothers, 1881.
6 = Thomas M. Lindsay. The Gospel According to St. Luke. Two
volumes. New York: Scribner & Welford,
1887.
7 = W. H. van Doren. A Suggestive Commentary on the New
Testament:
Saint Luke. Two volumes. New
York: D. Appleton and Company,
1868.
8 = Melancthon W. Jacobus.
Notes on the Gospels, Critical and
Explanatory: Luke and John. New York:
Robert Carter &
Brothers, 1856; 1872 reprint.
9 = Alfred Nevin.
Popular Expositor of the Gospels and Acts: Luke.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania:
Ziegler & McCurdy, 1872.
10 = Alfred Nevin.
The Parables of Jesus. Philadelphia:
Presbyterian
Board of Publication, 1881.
11 = Albert Barnes.
"Luke." In Barnes' Notes on the New Testament.
Reprint, Kregel Publications,
1980.
12 = Alexander B. Bruce. The Synoptic Gospels.
In The Expositor's
Greek Testament, edited by W. Robertson Nicoll. Reprint, Grand
Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.
13 = F. Godet.
A Commentary on the Gospel of St. Luke. Translated
from the Second French Edition by E. W. Shalders
and M. D. Cusin.
New York: I. K. Funk &
Company, 1881.
14 = D.D. Whedon.
Commentary on the Gospels:
Luke-John. New
York: Carlton & Lanahan, 1866; 1870 reprint.
15 = Henry Alford. The
Greek Testament. Volume
I: The Four Gospels.
Fifth Edition. London: Rivingtons, 1863.
16 = David Brown. "Luke"
in Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset, and
David Brown, A
Commentary, Critical and Explanatory, on the
Old and New Testaments.
Volume II: New Testament. Hartford:
S. S. Scranton Company, no date.
17 = Dr. [no first name provided] MacEvilly. An Exposition of the Gospel
of St. Luke. New York: Benziger Brothers,
1886.
18 = H. D. M. Spence. “Luke.”
In the Pulpit Commentary, edited by H. D.
M. Spence. Reprinted by Wm. B. Eerdmans
Publishing Company,
1950.
19 = John Calvin. Commentary on a
Harmony of the Evangelists,
Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Translated by William Pringle. Reprint,
Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing
Company.
20 = Thomas Scott. The Holy Bible
...with Explanatory Notes (and)
Practical Observations. Boston: Crocker and Brewster.
21 = Henry T. Sell. Bible Studies
in the Life of Christ: Historical and
Constructive. New
York: Fleming H. Revell
Company, 1902.
22 = Philip Vollmer. The Modern Student's Life of Christ. New York:
Fleming H. Revell Company, 1912.
23 = Heinrich A. W. Meyer. Critical
and Exegetical Handbook to the
Gospels of Mark and Luke.
Translated from the Fifth German
Edition by Robert Ernest Wallis. N.
Y.: Funk and Wagnalls,
1884; 1893 printing.
24 = John Albert Bengel. Gnomon
of the New Testament. A New
Translation
by Charlton T. Lewis and Marvin R. Vincent.
Volume One. Philadelphia: Perkinpine & Higgins,
1860.
25 = John Cummings. Sabbath
Evening Readers on the New Testa-
ment:
St. Luke. London:Arthur Hall, Virtue & Co,1854.
26 = Walter F. Adeney, editor. The Century Bible: A Modern
Commentary--Luke. New
York: H. Frowdey,
1901. Title page
missing from copy.
27 = Pasquier Quesnel.
The Gospels with Reflections on Each Verse.
Volumes I and II. (Luke
is in part of both). New York: Anson
D. F. Randolph, 1855; 1867 reprint.
28 = Charles R. Erdman. The Gospel
of Luke: An Exposition.
Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1921; 1936 reprint.
29 = Elvira J. Slack. Jesus: The Man of Galilee. New York:
National
Board of the Young Womens
Christian Associations, 1911.
30 = Arthur Ritchie. Spiritual Studies in St. Luke's Gospel. Milwaukee:
The Young Churchman Company, 1906.
31 = Bernhard Weiss. A Commentary on the New Testament. Volume
Two: Luke-The Acts. New York:
Funk & Wagnalls Company,1906.
32 = Matthew Henry. Commentary on the Whole Bible. Volume V:
Matthew to John. 17--. Reprint, New
York: Fleming H. Revell
Company, no date.
33 = C. G. Barth.
The Bible Manual: An
Expository and Practical
Commentary on the Books of Scripture. Second Edition.
London: James Nisbet and Company, 1865.
34 = Nathaniel S. Folsom. The Four
Gospels: Translated . . . and with
Critical and Expository Notes. Third Edition.
Boston: Cupples,
Upham, and Company, 1871; 1885 reprint.
35 = Henry Burton. The Gospel
according to Luke. In the Expositor's
Bible series. New
York: A. C. Armstrong and Son,
1895.
36 = [Anonymous]. Choice Notes on
the Gospel of S. Luke, Drawn from
Old and New Sources.
London: Macmillan & Company, 1869.
37 = Marcus Dods.
The Parables of Our Lord. New York:
Fleming H.
Revell Company, 18--.
38 = Alfred
Edersheim. The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah.
Second Edition. New
York: Anson D. F. Randolph and Company,
1884.
39 = A. T. Robertson. Luke the Historian in the Light of Research.
New York:
Charles Scribner's Sons, 1920; 1930 reprint.
40 = James R. Gray. Christian
Workers' Commentary on the Old and
New Testaments. Chicago: Bible Institute Colportage Associat-
ion/Fleming H. Revell Company, 1915.
41 = W.
Sanday. Outlines of the Life of Christ. New York:
Charles
Scribner's Sons, 1905.
42 = Halford E. Luccock. Studies in the Parables
of Jesus. New York:
Methodist Book Concern, 1917.
43 = George
H. Hubbard. The
Teaching of Jesus in Parables.
New
York: Pilgrim Press, 1907.
44 = Charles S. Robinson. Studies in Luke's Gospel. Second Series.
New York:American
Tract Society, 1890.
45 = John
Laidlaw. The Miracles of Our Lord. New York:
Funk &
Wagnalls Company, 1892.
46 = William
M. Taylor. The
Miracles of Our Saviour. Fifth Edition.
New York:
A. C. Armstrong & Son, 1890; 1903 reprint.
47 = Alexander
Maclaren. Expositions
of Holy Scripture: St. Luke.
New York: George H. Doran
Company, [no date].
48 = George
MacDonald. The
Miracles of Our Lord. New
York:
George Routledge
& Sons, 1878.
49 = Joseph
Parker. The People's Bibles: Discourses upon Holy Scrip-
ture—Mark-Luke. New
York: Funk & Wagnalls
Company, 18--.
50 = Daniel
Whitby and Moses Lowman. A Critical Commentary and
Paraphrase on the New Testament:
The Four Gospels and the Acts
of the Apostles.
Philadelphia: Carey & Hart,
1846.
51 = Matthew
Poole. Annotations
on the Holy Bible. 1600s.
Computerized.
52 = George
R. Bliss. Luke. In An American Commentary on the New
Testament. Philadelphia: American Baptist Publication Society,
1884.
53 = J.
W. McGarvey and Philip Y. Pendleton. The Fourfold Gospel.
1914. Computerized.
54 = John Trapp. Commentary on the Old
and New Testaments. 1654.
Computerized.
55 = Ernest D. Burton and Shailer Matthews. The Life of Christ.
Chicago, Illinois: University of
Chicago Press, 1900; 5th reprint,
1904.
56 = Frederic W. Farrar. The Gospel According to
St. Luke. In “The
Cambridge
Bible for Schools and Colleges” series. Cambridge:
At
the
University Press, 1882.