Open and fearless speech
1 Meanwhile, such a numer ous crowd had gathered that they crushed one another. Then Jesus spoke to his disciples in this way,
“Beware of the yeast of the Pha risees which is hypocrisy.
2 Nothing is covered that will not be uncovered, or hidden that will not be made known.
3 Whatever you have said in the darkness will be heard in daylight, and what you have whispered in hidden places, will be proclaimed from the housetops.
4 I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who put to death the body and af ter that can do no more.
5 But I will tell you whom to fear: Fear the One who after killing you is able to throw you into hell. This one you must fear.
6 Don’t you get five sparrows for two pennies? Yet not one of them has been forgotten by God.
7 Even the hairs of your head have been numbered. So do not fear: are you not worth more than a flock of sparrows?
8 I tell you, whoever acknowledges me before people, the Son of Man will also acknowledge before the angels of God.
9 But the one who denies me before others will be denied before the angels of God.
10 There will be pardon for the one who criticizes the Son of Man, but there will be no pardon for the one who slanders the Holy Spirit.
11 When you are brought before the synagogues, governors and ru lers, don’t worry about how you will defend yourself or what to say.
12 For the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you have to say.”
The rich fool
13 Someone in the crowd spoke to Je sus, “Master, tell my brother to share with me the family inheritance.”
14 He replied, “My friend, who has appointed me as your judge or your attorney?”
15 Then Jesus said to the people, “Be on your guard and avoid every kind of greed, for even though you have many possessions, it is not that which gives you life.”
16 And Jesus continued with this story, “There was a rich man and his land had produced a good harvest.
17 He thought: ‘What shall I do? For I am short of room to store my harvest.’
18 So this is what he planned: ‘I will pull down my barns and build bigger ones to store all this grain, which is my wealth.
19 Then I may say to myself: My friend, you have a lot of good things put by for many years. Rest, eat, drink and enjoy yourself.’
20 But God said to him: ‘You fool! This very night your life will be taken from you; tell me who shall get all you have put aside?’
21 This is the lot of the one who stores up riches instead of amassing for God.”
Do not worry!
22 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “I tell you not to worry about your life: What are we to eat? Or about your body: What are we to wear?
23 For life is more than food and the body more than clothing.
24 Look at the crows: they neither sow nor reap; they have no storehouses and no barns; yet God feeds them. How much more important are you than birds!
25 Which of you for all your worrying can add a moment to your span of life?
26 And if you are not able to control such a small thing, why do you worry about the rest?
27 Look at the wild flowers: they do not spin or weave; but I tell you, even Solomon with all his wealth was not clothed as one of these.
28 If God so clothes the grass in the fields, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, peo ple of little faith.
29 Do not set your heart on what you are to eat and drink; stop worrying.
30 Let all the nations of the world run after these things; your Father knows that you need them.
31 Seek rather the Kingdom and these things will be given to you as well.
32 Do not be afraid, little flock, for it has pleased your Father to give you the kingdom.
33 Sell what you have and give alms. Get yourselves purses that do not wear out, and make safe investments with God, where no thief comes and no moth destroys.
34 For where your investments are, there will your heart be also.
Be ready
35 Be ready, dressed for service, and keep your lamps lit,
36 like people waiting for their master to return from the wed ding. As soon as he comes and knocks, they will open to him.
37 Happy are those servants whom the master finds wide-awake when he comes.
38 Truly, I tell you, he will put on an apron and have them sit at table and he will wait on them. Happy are those servants if he finds them awake when he comes at midnight or daybreak!
39 Pay attention to this: If the master of the house had known at what time the thief would come, he would not have let his house be broken into.
40 You also must be ready, for the Son of Man will come at an hour you do not expect.”
41 Peter said, “Lord, did you tell this parable only for us, or for everyone?”
42 And the Lord replied, “Ima gine, then, the wise and faithful steward whom the master sets over his other servants to give them food rations at the proper time.
43 Fortu nate is this servant if his master on coming home finds him doing his work.
44 Truly, I say to you, the master will put him in charge of all his property.
45 But it may be that the steward thinks: ‘My Lord delays in coming,’ and he begins to abuse the menservants and the servant girls, eating and drinking and getting drunk.
46 Then the master will come on a day he does not expect him and at an hour he doesn’t know. He will cut him off and send him to the same fate as the unfaithful.
47 The servant who knew his mas ter’s will, but did not prepare to do what his master wanted, will be punished with sound blows;
48 but the one who did what deserved a punishment without know ing it shall receive fewer blows. Much will be required of the one who has been given much, and more will be asked of the one entrusted with more.
49 I have come to bring fire upon the earth and how I wish it were already kindled;
50 but I have a baptism to undergo and what anguish I feel until it is over!
51 Do you think that I have come to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division.
52 From now on, in one house five will be divided; three against two, and two against three.
53 They will be divided, father against son and son against father; mother against daughter and daughter against mother; mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law, and daugh ter-in-law against her mother-in-law.”
54 Jesus said to the crowds, “When you see a cloud rising in the west, you say at once: ‘A shower is coming.’ And so it happens.
55 And when the wind blows from the south, you say: ‘It will be hot’; and so it is.
56 You superficial people! You understand the signs of the earth and the sky, but you don’t understand the present times.
57 And why do you not judge for yourselves what is fit?
58 When you go with your accuser before the court, try to settle the case on the way, lest he drag you before the judge and the judge deliver you to the jailer, and the jailer throw you in prison.
59 I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the very last penny.”
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Comments Luke, Chapter 12
• 12.1 Nothing is hidden that will not be made known: this could be interpreted in different ways. In these paragraphs, Jesus refers to the courageous testimony of faith. We have to speak the truth without worrying about what people will think of us. Here hypocrisy is attributed to those who are always try ing to be diplomatic, and whose primary concern is not to lose friends.
Do not fear: see commentary on Matthew 10:28.
Do not fear (v. 4): see commentary on Matthew 10:28.
Everyone who criticizes the Son of Man (v. 10): see commentary on Mark 3:29.
GREED – PRODUCTIVITY
• 13. Who has appointed me as your judge? Jesus does not resolve legal differences as do the teachers of the Law since it was the Law that decided civil and religious questions. Jesus reserves his authority for what is essential: suppressing the greed ingrained in our hearts is more important than looking at every per son’s right with a magnifying glass.
Avoid every kind of greed (v. 15): Jesus does not say people should be resigned to mediocrity or destitution, satisfied to have ten people sleep in the same room, and without any opportunity for education. We know that all this prevents the growth of people in awareness of their dignity and their divine vocation. Jesus does not criticize our efforts to achieve a more just society, since the whole Bible requires it.
It is one thing to seek jus tice, knowing that without justice there is neither peace nor communion; it is quite another to look at what others have with the desire to share their greed. Today we clamor for justice, but tomorrow we may only seek more superfluous “necessities.” Such greed will never let us rest and, what is more, it will close the door of the Kingdom on us (Mk 10:23; 1 Tim 6:8).
Possessions do not give life (v. 15). Make sure that your concern to have what you lack does not make you neglect what could give you life now.
In this regard, we should allow the poor to speak, all those brothers and sisters of ours who, though immersed in poverty, continue to be persons who live, in the strongest sense of this word. Should we pity them, or should we count them among the few who already enjoy the Kingdom of God? One of the greatest obstacles preventing the liberation of people is their own greed. The day they agree to participate in powerful boycotts and not go their own way in the pursuit of advantages for one or other category, they shall begin to live as people.
What shall I do? The rich man in the parable planned for larger barns for his sole profit and Jesus condemned him. We too must consider what we should do to bring about a better distribution of the riches of the world.
The person who amasses for God (v. 21) knows how to find happiness in the present moment. Wherever she is, she tries to create a network of social relationships through which everyone gives to others and receives from them instead of wanting and getting things in a selfish way.
A CHURCH POOR LIKE JESUS
• 32. Do not be afraid little flock. Nowhere in the Gospel does Jesus lead us to believe that with time most people will be converted.
We know that the non-Christian world is numerically much more important than the “Christian” world and it grows more rapidly. When large numbers in the “Christian” world give up the practice of religion, we understand that the Church is both a sign and a little flock.
Jesus asks each one of us to be detached from earthly things and he also asks the same of the flock. What matters for the church is not the building of powerful institutions nor the holding of key posts in society “for the greater glory of God.” A Church which awaits the return of the Master is careful to be ready to pack their bags, wherever it may be, when the Lord will send them out and ask them to become missionary again.
Sell what you have and give alms (v. 33). Are ordinary people convinced that the Church has done this? Christians rejoice when their bishop and pastors condemn injustice and remind them of the rights of the working class and the marginalized. It is not enough for us to preach to others. God asks justice of the world and poverty of his Church. Our call for justice will not be heard as long as the Church does not accept for herself the whole Gospel.
It has pleased your Father to give you the kingdom: compare this with Luke 10:23 and Matthew 16:16. The Church is in the world, this little flock that seeks what is essential.
• 35. Jesus develops the parable of the servant expecting his master’s return. This servant is here contrasted with the rich of the preceding paragraph (12:13) who was only concerned about a long and comfortable life. The servant works for God.
Happy are those servants whom the master finds wide-awake (v. 37). Wide-awake, that is, concerned about tomorrow’s world. Wide-awake also means being aware of the truth; we do not consent to call ‘good’ evil, and ‘evil’ good; we do not forgive ourselves for allowing evil and we are not intimidated before injustice.
The Son of Man will come like a thief (v. 40). We should not think that this refers only to the day of death, nor should we be afraid of God’s judgment if we live in his grace. Jesus tells us about the master returning from the wedding, who is so happy that he reverses the usual order and begins to serve his servants. If we have been serving God for years, how could we not reach another phase of spiritual life in which it would seem that God is concerned only in giving and feasting with us?
Peter said to him: (v. 41). This new paragraph is aimed at those who hold responsible positions in the Church.
My Lord delays in coming (v. 45). Those in responsible positions may betray their mission. More often, they make the mistake of seeing only to the good functioning of the institution and they forget that Christ is coming.
God comes all the time through events that, unexpectedly, ruin our plans. Therefore, the Church must not rely too much on planning its activity: who knows what God has in store for us tomorrow? Instead the Church should see to its prayer and its availability so that the Lord will let her be in the best situation when he shakes up our little universe.
Be awake to admire, rejoice in and discover the presence of God and his blessings that enlighten our lives.
• 49. I have come to bring fire. Must we think of fire as referring to something precise such as love, the Gospel or the gift of the Holy Spirit? It is better to stay with the image of fire that purifies, burns all that is old, gives warmth and fosters life; fire of the judgment of God destroying all that is not surrendered to its reforming action.
Jesus comes to remake the world and to bring the jewels that will remain for eternity out of the rubble. Those who follow Jesus must participate in this work of salvation directed at a situation combining work, violence, suffering as well as great dreams wise or mad.
I have a baptism to undergo… (v. 50). Jesus is the leader and will be the first one to face death as a means of obtaining resurrection. This step, as ‘agonizing’ for Jesus as it is for us, is the baptism of fire (see Lk 3:16) that introduces us into a glorious and eternal life. It is the true baptism of which the others, baptisms of water and Spirit, are only a preparation (Rom 6:3-5).
I came to bring division. This is followed by words of Jesus that are so upsetting for those who expect of him a peaceful life. Jesus is a source of division among nations (see commentary on John 10:1-4) and social groups. Often people have tried to use religion as cement for national unity or family peace. It is true that faith is a factor in peace and understanding; but it also separates those who are truly alive from those others, be they relatives or friends, who cannot have all that is now the most important to these true believers. Many times, the wound and the scandal of this separation are so painful for them, that they turn into our persecutors.
The Gospel does not put this world on the road to an earthly paradise, but it challenges it to grow. The death of Jesus brings into full light what was hidden in hearts (Lk 2:35); likewise it reveals the lies and the violence underlying our societies, just as it revealed those which underlay the Jewish society of his time.
• 54. When you see a cloud. The signs which are seen around Jesus are enough for everyone to understand that now is the time announced by the prophets, when people must be converted and Israel must acknowledge its Savior: tomorrow will be too late (vv. 57-59).
When you go with your accuser before the court (v. 58). In Matthew’s Gospel this refers to reconciliation between brothers and sisters. Luke, instead, uses this phrase in reference to our conversion. We are on our way to God’s judgment and it is the same as going before the authorities; therefore we must take ad van tage of the time given to us to straighten out our situa tion. We must not waste this moment when we can be saved from Judgment by believing in Christ’s message.