Chapter 12 Luke 12
Jesus Warns against Hypocrisy (vv. 1-12)
As thousands of people crowded together, so that they were stepping on each other, Jesus said first to his disciples, “Be on guard against the yeast a of the Pharisees – I mean their hypocrisy. b 2 Whatever is covered up will be uncovered, c and every secret will be made known. 3 So then, whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in broad daylight, and whatever you have whispered in private in a closed room d will be shouted from the housetops.
4 “I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot afterward do anything worse. 5 I will show you whom to fear: fear e God, who, after killing, has the authority to throw into hell. f Believe me, he is the one you must fear!
6 “Aren’t five sparrows sold for two pennies? g Yet not one sparrow is forgotten by God. 7 Even the hairs of your head have all been counted. So do not be afraid; you are worth much more than many sparrows!
8 “I assure you that whoever declares publicly that he belongs to me, the Son of Man will do the same for him before the angels of God. 9 But whoever rejects me publicly, the Son of Man will also reject him before the angels of God.
10 “Anyone who says a word against the Son of Man can be forgiven; but whoever says evil things h against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.
11 “When they bring you to be tried in the synagogues or before governors or rulers, do not be worried about how you will defend yourself or what you will say. 12 For the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say.”
Interesting Stuff:
a Generally in the NT, yeast is used as a symbol of evil or corruption. The metaphor or picture here includes the idea that a tiny amount of yeast is enough to ferment a large lump of dough. It works slowly and insidiously as it penetrates through the whole lump of dough.
b In chap 11, we see Jesus rebuking the Pharisees for their hypocrisy, their placing emphasis only on the outward forms of their religion without having a real heart for God. Here Jesus warned his disciples against this hypocrisy of the Pharisees which could, like yeast, slowly spread and influence others to take the same attitudes.
c The meaning is that nothing hidden through hypocrisy will fail to be made known.
d Other versions translate it as ‘inner room’. This refers to the storeroom in the house that is surrounded by other rooms so that no one could dig in from the outside.
e To fear God means to respect His authority, to stand in awe of His majesty and to trust Him. In vv. 6-7, Jesus gave the basis for this trust in God.
f ‘Hell’ here is ‘Gehenna’ which is not to be confused with Hades, also translated ‘hell’. The NT distinguishes between Hades as a general name for the place of the dead, and Gehenna as the place of final punishment of the wicked (see also chap 16, note w).
g In the Bible, three Roman coins are mentioned: denarius (equivalent to a working man’s daily wage), as (Greek is assarion; 16 asses were equivalent to one denarius) and quadran (four quadrans were equivalent to one as). The quadran was the smallest Roman coin, the equivalent perhaps of one cent. The coin mentioned here is the as. Jesus’ point was that if God takes notice of even the commonest and cheapest of the birds, how much more would He be concerned for His people?
h Most translations have the word ‘blaspheme’. Jesus was saying here that there is a sin so serious that it cannot be forgiven. Sin against Jesus himself can be forgiven because as the Son of Man, his glory was not fully revealed.
They could have seen him as a human being only and failed to understand his divinity. Blaspheming against the Holy Spirit is not just the uttering of any form of evil words but it concerns the person’s attitudes towards what is of God, calling it evil and from Satan, e.g., the Beelzebul conflict. People who commit such blasphemy are those who have already hardened their hearts against God. Such a continuing attitude without the desire to repent is the ultimate sin in God’s eyes.
Questions:
- What did Jesus warn his disciples about (v. 1)?
What was his reason for saying this (vv. 2-3)?
2. Why did Jesus tell his disciples to fear God (vv. 4-5)?
3. At the same time, what did Jesus tell his disciples to reassure them about God (vv. 6-7)?
4. What will happen to those who publicly declare that they belong to Jesus and to those who reject him (vv. 8-9)?
5. What was Jesus’ promise to them when they have to stand trial for their faith (vv. 11-12)?
Summary of Section:
- As thousands of people crowded together, Jesus told his disciples to be on guard against the yeast of the Pharisees, i.e., their hypocrisy. He said that whatever is covered up and kept secret or whispered in private would be uncovered in the end.
- He told them that they were not to be afraid of men like the Pharisees because they could only kill the physical body. They were to fear God because He alone has the authority to throw a person into hell.
- At the same time, they were to trust that God, who knows all the sparrows, the most insignificant of birds and who has counted all the hairs on their heads, considers them of more worth than the sparrows.
- Whoever declared publicly that he belonged to Jesus would have Jesus declaring the same for him before his angels. But whoever rejected him would be rejected before the angels as well.
- Anyone who said a word against Jesus could be forgiven but he who said evil things against the Holy Spirit would not be forgiven.
- Lastly, Jesus told them not to be fearful about what to say when they were brought to trial because the Holy Spirit would teach them what to say before their accusers.
Nuggets of Wisdom
- The crowds had now grown to thousands of people and Luke presents them as self-seeking, stepping on each other.
- In the presence of such a crowd, Jesus spoke to his disciples and warned them to guard against the ‘yeast’ of the Pharisees. He saw the mindset of the Pharisees as an evil influence, with the potential to corrupt even the company of his followers. Their hypocrisy, their misunderstanding of God’s purposes and inability to discern the true meaning of Scripture and thus their focus only on outward piety, must be avoided because nothing would remain hidden and all would be revealed in the end.
- Jesus did not warn his followers that persecution was coming as much as he warned them regarding proper and improper responses to persecution. Persecution for him and his followers was inevitable but they were to remember to be faithful because public acknowledgment of Jesus would lead to heavenly acknowledgment but public denial would lead to heavenly denial.
- Jesus reminded them that in hostile situations where their life was in danger, they were not to fear human beings but God. Yet at the same time, they were to trust that they were worth much more than the birds in God’s eyes and He will never forget them.
- When they face persecution they were to rest in the assurance that the Holy Spirit will be with them to teach them what to say.
The Parable of the Rich Fool (vv. 13-21)
13 A man in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide with me the property i our father left us.”
14 Jesus answered him, “Man, who gave me the right to judge or to divide the property between you two?” 15 And he went on to say to them all, “Watch out and guard yourselves from every kind of greed; because a person’s true life is not made up of the things he owns, no matter how rich he may be.”
16 Then Jesus told them this parable: “There was once a rich man who had land which bore good crops. 17 He began to think to himself, ‘I don’t have a place to keep all my crops. What can I do? 18 This is what I will do,’ he told himself; ‘I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, where I will store the grain and all my other goods. 19 Then I will say to myself, Lucky man! You have all the good things you need for many years. Take life easy, eat, drink, and enjoy yourself!’ 20 But God said to him, ‘You fool! j This very night you will have to give up your life; then who will get all these things you have kept for yourself?’ ”
21 And Jesus concluded, “This is how it is with those who pile up riches for themselves but are not rich in God’s sight.”
Interesting Stuff:
i According to the Law (Dt 21:17), an elder son receives double the portion of the younger one. Rabbis would be called upon to give decisions on points of law where there was disagreement. Here the man was asking Jesus to intervene on his behalf. Jesus, however, refused to have anything to do with it. He was more concerned about the attitudes of the people involved, and not with who got what. Jesus thus replied with a parable about the consequences of greed.
j This is a strong word used in the OT sense of one who rejects the knowledge and the ways of God as a basis for life.
Questions:
- What did the man want Jesus to do for him (v. 13)?
2. What was Jesus’ reply to him (vv. 14-15)?
3. What led Jesus to tell the parable of the rich fool (vv. 13-15)?
4. Relate the parable of the rich fool (vv. 16-20).
5. What conclusions were reached by Jesus in this parable (v. 21)?
Summary of Section:
- A man in the crowd asked Jesus to tell his brother to divide the property left by their father with him.
- Jesus did not answer his request. Instead Jesus went on to warn him and the crowd to guard themselves against greed because a person’s true life is not made up of what he owns, no matter how rich he is.
- Jesus then told them the following parable:
a. There was once a rich man who had land which bore good crops. So he began to think about what he should do with all his riches.
b. He decided he would tear down all his barns and build bigger ones to store all his goods. He was so pleased with himself that he had all that he needed for many years. So he told himself to take life easy, to eat, drink and enjoy himself.
c. However, that night, God called him a fool and told him that he would have to die that very night. Who, God, asked him, would now get all these things that he had kept for himself? - Jesus ended by saying that this was how it is with those who store riches for themselves and are not rich in God’s sight.
Nuggets of Wisdom
- Presumably the brother who came to Jesus was the younger one, who because of his lesser position in the household, required outside assistance to help him achieve a settlement. Jesus refused to give him a decision but went on to speak about the attitudes which brought about the dispute, namely greed.
- Greed here could mean both the hunger for social status as well as the desire for wealth. Jesus did not say it is wrong to have worldly goods or riches. He only spoke against being greedy for riches and position and thinking that life is all about having an abundance of such things.
- The farmer in the parable sought to acquire what he needed for himself and his future without reference to God in his life at all. Thus God called him a ‘fool’ because his life was ultimately in God’s hands, and not his own as he so foolishly assumed.
- The listeners were thus told not to store up riches for themselves but to be rich towards God, to place their security in Him and to live lives following after His ways as taught by Jesus.
Jesus Teaches about Seeking after God (vv. 22-34)
22 Then Jesus said to the disciples, “And so I tell you not to worry about the food you need to stay alive or about the clothes you need for your body. 23 Life is much more important than food, and the body much more important than clothes. 24 Look at the crows: k they don’t plant seeds or gather a harvest; they don’t have storage rooms or barns; God feeds them! You are worth so much more than birds! 25 Can any of you live a bit longer by worrying about it? 26 If you can’t manage even such a small thing, why worry about the other things? 27 Look how the wild flowers grow: they don’t work or make clothes for themselves. But I tell you that not even King Solomon with all his wealth had clothes as beautiful as one of these flowers. 28 It is God who clothes the wild grass – grass that is here today and gone tomorrow, burned up in the oven. Won’t he be all the more sure to clothe you? What little faith you have!
29 “So don’t be all upset, always concerned about what you will eat and drink. 30 (For the pagans l of this world are always concerned about all these things.) Your Father knows that you need these things. 31 Instead, be concerned with his Kingdom, and he will provide you with these things.
32 “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father is pleased to give you the Kingdom. 33 Sell all your belongings and give the money to the poor. Provide for yourselves purses that don’t wear out, and save your riches in heaven, where they will never decrease, because no thief can get to them, and no moth can destroy them. 34 For your heart will always be where your riches are.
Interesting Stuff:
k Here the crows or ravens may represent birds that are unclean and presumably unworthy of God’s care. They are not even capable of taking precautions to store up food for themselves. But Jesus said that God cares even for such birds which man would not care for. His point was that if God could care for such birds as these, He would definitely take care of them since they are worth more than these birds to Him.
l This refers to the Gentile world which does not know God.
Questions:
- What reasons did Jesus give to his disciples to assure them that they need not be anxious about life (vv. 22-31)?
2. Give an example from nature that Jesus used to illustrate his teaching.
3. Instead of worrying, what did Jesus ask them to seek after (vv. 29-34)?
Summary of Section:
- Jesus told his disciples that they were not to worry about the food or clothes they needed because life was more important than such needs.
- He said that if they could not manage a small thing like increasing their life span by worrying about it, then they should not bother worrying about other things.
- He told them that if God could take care of the crows and the wild flowers and grass which were so much less important than they, surely He would provide for them.
- He added that the pagans of the world are always concerned about their physical needs but they were not to be like them because they have a heavenly Father who knew their needs.
- Instead, they were to be concerned about God’s Kingdom first and He would provide them with what they needed.
- God was pleased to give His Kingdom to them if they sought after what was important in God’s eyes.
- He called them to sell all their belongings and to give the money to the poor. They would thus provide for themselves purses that do not wear out. They would save their riches in heaven where they would never decrease because no thieves could ever get to them nor could they be destroyed by moths.
- Jesus ended by saying that their heart would always be where their riches were.
Nuggets of Wisdom
- After addressing the crowds, Jesus now turned to his disciples. His previous warnings against being covetous are linked with his warnings here about not being anxious concerning their physical needs. In the parable, the farmer’s preoccupation with his own needs led him to lose everything in the end.
- He called them instead to seek after the things that please God first and to trust in God’s fatherly goodness and love. If God could take care of such unimportant things like birds and grass, surely He would take infinitely greater care over the people He made and loved. It is only those who do not know God as their Father who will be consumed with the need to provide for themselves. Those who know God as Father will know God as the one capable of and committed to providing for His people.
- Jesus assured his disciples that in spite of their being insignificant (‘little flock’), they were nevertheless the recipients of God’s Kingdom. Therefore they should not be consumed with fear and anxiety about their needs. They were to set their hearts on seeking His Kingdom, on living a life that would ensure that they possess treasures in heaven.
The Parable of the Watchful Servants (vv. 35-40)
35 “Be ready for whatever comes, dressed for action m and with your lamps lit, 36 like servants who are waiting for their master to come back from a wedding feast. When he comes and knocks, they will open the door for him at once. 37 How happy are those servants whose master finds them awake and ready when he returns! I tell you, he will take off his coat, have them sit down, and will wait on them. 38 How happy they are if he finds them ready, even if he should come at midnight n or even later! 39 And you can be sure that if the owner of a house knew the time when the thief would come, he would not let the thief break into his house. 40 And you, too, must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you are not expecting him.”
Interesting Stuff:
m This involves them tucking their long, flowing robe under their belt or sash worn at the waist. This was done to prepare for travel, work or fighting.
n The traditional translations have ‘second or third watch of the night’. Night was divided into four watches by the Romans and three watches by the Jews. The 12 night hours begin from sunset until sunrise the next day. Here Luke was following the Jewish system. The banquet would have started in the first watch. Jesus was speaking thus of servants who watched throughout the night for the coming of their master.
o Jesus taught the people in parables but used a more direct approach with his disciples. However, he did not intend these warnings of being watchful just for the disciples.
p Some versions translate it as ‘manager’ or ‘steward’. The steward was normally a slave who had been found responsible and was given the task of managing the estate of his master.
q This could mean that he would be punished severely or that he would be cut off from believers and sent to the place where unbelievers ended up.
Questions:
- What did Jesus use to illustrate his call to his disciples to be ready for his coming again (vv. 35-39)?
2. Why was it important that they be ready for his coming (vv. 39-40)?
3. Relate the parable of the faithful and the unfaithful servant (vv. 42-48).
4. What was Jesus trying to teach through this parable (vv. 47-48)?
Summary of Section:
- Jesus told his disciples to be ready for whatever comes and to be dressed for action. He used the parable of servants who have their lamps lit, waiting for their master to come back from a wedding feast.
a) When the master comes back and knocks, they will open the door for him at once. Happy would be those servants whom the master finds awake and ready, even if he comes back very late in the night.
b) He would take off his coat, have them sit down and wait on them. - Jesus added the illustration of a house owner who would not let the thief break into his house if he knew what time the thief would come.
- He told them that in the same way, they were to be ready and waiting for the Son of Man would come at an hour when they would not be expecting him.
- Peter then asked Jesus if the parable applied only to them or to everyone.
- Jesus answered by telling a parable about a wise and faithful servant:
a) Jesus said that a wise and faithful servant is one whom the master will put in charge, to run the household and give the other servants their share of the food at the proper time.
b) Happy would be that servant if his master comes back and finds him doing his duty. He would then put that servant in charge of all his property.
c) But if that servant says to himself that the master is taking a long time to come back and begins to beat the other servants and eats, drinks and gets drunk, then the master will come back one day when the servant does not expect him.
d) He will cut the servant in pieces and make him share the fate of the disobedient. - Jesus then said that the servant who knows what the master wants him to do but does not get ready and do it will be punished severely with a heavy whipping.
- But the servant who does not know what his master wants and yet does something for which he deserves a whipping, will be punished with a light whipping.
- For much is required from the person to whom much is given and much more from the person to whom much more is given.
Nuggets of Wisdom
- Jesus reinforced his teaching on the right attitudes towards wealth with the reminder that earthly things are temporary but the coming of the Son of Man is sure and they must be ready for it. His return was certain but the timing was not known. Therefore his followers need to be constantly alert and faithful as they wait.
- In the parable, the overall emphasis falls similarly on the certainty of the return of the master but the uncertainty of the timing, and thus on the importance of faithful behaviour on the part of the servants for the duration of the waiting period.
- Notice that the servants were punished (vv. 48-49) not simply for doing wrong, but also for failing to do what was right, although the punishment was lighter for the former. In both cases, there was personal responsibility involved and therefore judgment, because the servant should have made it his business to know his master’s will.
- Similarly, we are all accountable for making effort to find out God’s will and to do it. And the greater the privilege or the gifts given to us, the greater our responsibility.
The Parable of the Faithful or the Unfaithful Servant (vv. 41-48)
41 Peter said, “Lord, does this parable apply to us, o or do you mean it for everyone?”
42 The Lord answered, “Who, then, is the faithful and wise servant? p He is the one that his master will put in charge, to run the household and give the other servants their share of the food at the proper time. 43 How happy that servant is if his master finds him doing this when he comes home! 44 Indeed, I tell you, the master will put that servant in charge of all his property. 45 But if that servant says to himself that his master is taking a long time to come back and if he begins to beat the other servants, both the men and the women, and eats and drinks and gets drunk, 46 then the master will come back one day when the servant does not expect him and at a time he does not know. The master will cut him in pieces q and make him share the fate of the disobedient.
47 “The servant who knows what his master wants him to do, but does not get himself ready and do it, will be punished with a heavy whipping. 48 But the servant who does not know what his master wants, and yet does something for which he deserves a whipping, will be punished with a light whipping. Much is required from the person to whom much is given; much more is required from the person to whom much more is given.
Interesting Stuff:
r The term ‘fire’ here probably stands for judgment. Jesus was saying that God’s plan for mankind is salvation that involves judgment. But it is a judgment that the Messiah would bear for others, not one that he would inflict on them. He longed for it to come because only then would God’s plan be accomplished for His people.
s This baptism refers to the suffering he would bear on the cross. The shadow of the cross and his death hung over him. It would be at great cost to him – that was why the thought of it distressed him greatly.
t There is a sense that Jesus does bring peace, that deep peace with God that leads to peace with men. But in another sense, Jesus’ message is divisive because the cross challenges people to make a decision. Those who choose to reject it would oppose those who do, leading to divisions which may run even through families.
Questions:
- What did Jesus use to illustrate his call to his disciples to be ready for his coming again (vv. 35-39)?
2. Why was it important that they be ready for his coming (vv. 39-40)?
3. Relate the parable of the faithful and the unfaithful servant (vv. 42-48).
4. What was Jesus trying to teach through this parable (vv. 47-48)?
Summary of Section:
- Jesus said that he came to set the earth on fire and how he wished that it had already started.
- He had a baptism to receive and how distressed he was until it was over.
- He then asked whether his disciples thought he had come to bring peace to the world.
- He told them that he had come to bring division in the sense that families would be divided in loyalty because of him.
- Jesus called the people hypocrites because they could predict the weather by looking at the signs in the sky but they could not interpret the signs of the present time.
- When they saw a cloud coming, they could tell it was going to rain, and when they felt the south wind blowing, they could tell that it was going to get hot.
- They could look at what Jesus was doing and yet not know how to interpret the meaning of what was happening.
- He asked them why they did not judge for themselves the right thing for them to do.
- He used the example of a lawsuit. He said that they should do their best to settle a lawsuit before it is brought to court. Otherwise they would be dragged before a judge and handed over to the police and end up in jail. He ended by saying that they would stay there until they paid the last penny of their fine.
Nuggets of Wisdom
- From the images of future judgment, Jesus now turned to the reality of judgment that was already at work in his ministry.
- Although Jesus’ role as the Messiah was to bring peace – the peace of God reconciling all human beings to Himself and to one another – it was not his only mission. His message and the way it would be received would bring division because the cross challenges people and those who accept the challenge would face the hostility of those who reject it. Both Simeon and John the Baptist had prophesied that Jesus’ role would be one which would divide Israel (2:34-35; 3:17).
- His disciples must be prepared for a break even in family relationships if family members did not agree with their decision to follow Christ.
- The people of his time were able to interpret the signs of the weather conditions native to Palestine but they failed to interpret what was happening in the ministry of Jesus. Jesus called them hypocrites, like the Pharisees.
- Jesus warned them to act now and learn to judge or interpret wisely the nature of Jesus’ ministry so that they could avoid the judgment that is to come (v. 57).
- He then used a parable which had Roman origins and borrowed from the debt system at that time to emphasise his point. Instead of being made into a slave to pay off his debts, the debtor here was thrown into prison until all his debts were paid off, probably through the sale of property. Jesus thus emphasised his point that they must act now to prevent the judgment that would fall on them and which would be very severe.
Jesus Comes to Divide (vv. 49-53)
49 “I came to set the earth on fire, r and how I wish it were already kindled! 50 I have a baptism s to receive, and how distressed I am until it is over! 51 Do you suppose that I came to bring peace to the world? No, not peace, but division. t 52 From now on a family of five will be divided, three against two and two against three. 53 Fathers will be against their sons, and sons against their fathers; mothers will be against their daughters, and daughters against their mothers; mothers-in-law will be against their daughters-in-law, and daughters-in-law against their mothers-in-law.”
Interesting Stuff:
r The term ‘fire’ here probably stands for judgment. Jesus was saying that God’s plan for mankind is salvation that involves judgment. But it is a judgment that the Messiah would bear for others, not one that he would inflict on them. He longed for it to come because only then would God’s plan be accomplished for His people.
s This baptism refers to the suffering he would bear on the cross. The shadow of the cross and his death hung over him. It would be at great cost to him – that was why the thought of it distressed him greatly.
t There is a sense that Jesus does bring peace, that deep peace with God that leads to peace with men. But in another sense, Jesus’ message is divisive because the cross challenges people to make a decision. Those who choose to reject it would oppose those who do, leading to divisions which may run even through families.
Questions:
- According to Jesus, what did he come to this world to do (vv. 49-51)?
2. How would Jesus bring about divisions in the family (vv. 52-53)?
Summary of Section:
- Jesus said that he came to set the earth on fire and how he wished that it had already started.
- He had a baptism to receive and how distressed he was until it was over.
- He then asked whether his disciples thought he had come to bring peace to the world.
- He told them that he had come to bring division in the sense that families would be divided in loyalty because of him.
Nuggets of Wisdom
- From the images of future judgment, Jesus now turned to the reality of judgment that was already at work in his ministry.
- Although Jesus’ role as the Messiah was to bring peace – the peace of God reconciling all human beings to Himself and to one another – it was not his only mission. His message and the way it would be received would bring division because the cross challenges people and those who accept the challenge would face the hostility of those who reject it. Both Simeon and John the Baptist had prophesied that Jesus’ role would be one which would divide Israel (2:34-35; 3:17).
- His disciples must be prepared for a break even in family relationships if family members did not agree with their decision to follow Christ.
Understanding the Signs (vv. 54-59)
54 Jesus said also to the people, “When you see a cloud coming up in the west, u at once you say that it is going to rain – and it does. 55And when you feel the south wind blowing, you say that it is going to get hot – and it does. 56 Hypocrites! You can look at the earth and the sky and predict the weather; v why, then, don’t you know the meaning of this present time?
57 “Why do you not judge for yourselves the right thing to do? 58 If someone brings a lawsuit against you and takes you to court, do your best to settle the dispute with him before you get to court. If you don’t, he will drag you before the judge, who will hand you over to the police, and you will be put in jail. 59 There you will stay, I tell you, until you pay the last penny w of your fine.”
Interesting Stuff:
u The wind from the west was from the Mediterranean Sea. The wind from the south came from the desert.
v Although the people could predict the weather from indicators like the winds, they could not recognise the signs from God of the coming of the Messiah.
w This is the smallest Jewish coin, a lepton, two of which were equivalent to one Roman quadran.
Questions:
- Why did Jesus accuse the people of being hypocrites (vv. 54-56)?
2. What did Jesus ask the people to do when they were faced with lawsuits brought against them by others (vv. 57-59)?
Summary of Section:
- Jesus called the people hypocrites because they could predict the weather by looking at the signs in the sky but they could not interpret the signs of the present time.
- When they saw a cloud coming, they could tell it was going to rain, and when they felt the south wind blowing, they could tell that it was going to get hot.
- They could look at what Jesus was doing and yet not know how to interpret the meaning of what was happening.
- He asked them why they did not judge for themselves the right thing for them to do.
- He used the example of a lawsuit. He said that they should do their best to settle a lawsuit before it is brought to court. Otherwise they would be dragged before a judge and handed over to the police and end up in jail. He ended by saying that they would stay there until they paid the last penny of their fine.
Nuggets of Wisdom
- The people of his time were able to interpret the signs of the weather conditions native to Palestine but they failed to interpret what was happening in the ministry of Jesus. Jesus called them hypocrites, like the Pharisees.
- Jesus warned them to act now and learn to judge or interpret wisely the nature of Jesus’ ministry so that they could avoid the judgment that is to come (v. 57).
- He then used a parable which had Roman origins and borrowed from the debt system at that time to emphasise his point. Instead of being made into a slave to pay off his debts, the debtor here was thrown into prison until all his debts were paid off, probably through the sale of property. Jesus thus emphasised his point that they must act now to prevent the judgment that would fall on them and which would be very severe.
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