Feasting on the Gospels--Luke, Volume 2: A Feasting on the Word Commentary

By Westminster John Knox Press

Feasting on the Gospels is a new seven-volume series that follows up on the success of the Feasting on the Word series to provide another trusted preaching resource, this time on the most prominent and preached upon most preached upon books in the Bible: the four Gospels. With contributions from a diverse and respected group of scholars and pastors, Feasting on the Gospels includes completely new material that covers every single passage in the Gospels, making it suitable for both pastors who preach from the lectionary and pastors who do not. Moreover, these volumes incorporate the unique format of Feasting on the Word, giving preachers four perspectives to choose from for each Gospel passage: theological, pastoral, exegetical, and homiletical. Feasting on the Gospels offers a unique resource for all who preach, either continuously or occasionally, on the Gospels.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Westminster John Knox Press
• Release date: Nov 19, 2014
• ISBN: 9781611645385

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Johnson

Luke 12:1–12

¹Meanwhile, when the crowd gathered by the thousands, so that they trampled on one another, he began to speak first to his disciples, "Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees, that is, their hypocrisy. ²Nothing is covered up that will not be uncovered, and nothing secret that will not become known. ³Therefore whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered behind closed doors will be proclaimed from the housetops.

⁴"I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that can do nothing more. ⁵But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him! ⁶Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten in God’s sight. ⁷But even the hairs of your head are all counted. Do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows.

⁸And I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before others, the Son of Man also will acknowledge before the angels of God; ⁹but whoever denies me before others will be denied before the angels of God. ¹⁰And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven; but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. ¹¹When they bring you before the synagogues, the rulers, and the authorities, do not worry about how you are to defend yourselves or what you are to say; ¹²for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that very hour what you ought to say.

Theological Perspective

This is a particularly vexing text, both because verses 1–12 seem to pull in several different directions and because they describe a context that is alien to many Christians today, especially those living in a North American context. Throughout this chapter Jesus is preparing his listeners for the coming of God to judge and redeem, and instructing them on how to live in the light of that coming. In verses 1–12, directed to his disciples, he warns that everything is coming to light: the hidden will be revealed, whispers will become shouts; so the disciples should live forthrightly and not succumb to hypocrisy. He cautions them not to fear persecution, but rather to fear God’s judgment—all the while trusting that the judge is also the redeemer who fusses lovingly over even the hairs on their heads. Lastly he warns them not to close themselves off to the redeeming activity of God in the world and in their lives, lest they end up trapped in a hell of their own artifice.

It is important to acknowledge the significant contextual difficulties with this text. The presupposition of the presence of the Holy Spirit in the lives of the disciples suggests that this is a post-Easter text. Presumably it is written to a threatened community, a community sorely tempted to whisper in the darkness rather than shout from the rooftops, to fear persecution from secular and religious authorities, and to be wobbly in the face of the demand for public testimony to their faith. The parallels to the North American context, where Christianity remains a largely established (although arguably waning) element of the dominant culture, are difficult to maintain.

If anything, the temptations in our context are precisely the opposite of those described in verses 1–12. It is still culturally advantageous in many quarters to claim a Christian identity, so the threat of hypocrisy mutates; it is not that many who are in fact Christians will claim not to be, in order to evade persecution (as in Luke’s context), but rather that many who are not in fact Christians will claim to be, in order to enjoy the cultural benefits such an affirmation brings. Put another way, the threat of persecution is not a defining reality for many North American Christians—although it certainly is for some, as it clearly is for Christians in many other parts of the world. Perhaps, then, these are verses that relatively comfortable North American Christians need to overhear, as it were, calling us not only to reflect on our own (rather different) temptations to hypocrisy, but also to stand in solidarity with Christians whose contexts more directly reflect that of this passage.

Nevertheless, verses 4–7 certainly have relevance in a fear-stoked and fear-soaked culture. There may be little to fear in terms of state-sanctioned religious persecution in North America (annual screeds about the secularization of our culture notwithstanding). Nevertheless, surely our addictive consumer culture is a symptom of deep-seated fears: fear of loss—of vitality, power, opportunity—fear of aging, fear of failure, fear of missing out on the good life, fear of the other (variously defined according to political expediency), fear of death. It is significant that in this text Jesus does not exhort us to cast out fear altogether, but rather cautions us that our fear is misdirected.

It is tempting to succumb to an implicit dualism in the text: many things can kill the body, but it is the soul that ultimately matters, and only God can dispense with the soul. This reading can easily drift toward a gnostic dualism that denigrates the life of the body (and matter: an especially dangerous development, given our destructive relation to creation). Certainly many things can destroy the body, just as many things can warp the mind and fracture the psyche and unmake the personhood of a person. Here Jesus is affirming that there is a deeper kind of identity that only God can make, and that therefore only God can unmake.

In a world of increasing dehumanization, the fact that our identity is somehow tied up with God in a way that is inaccessible to (and therefore indestructible by) the world is itself good news. Thus God is the ultimate object of fear, because only God can ultimately make and unmake us. However, this same God cares for sparrows and counts the hairs on our heads, so fear in this case shades into reverence and awe rather than dread.

Verse 10 also presents a challenge in certain contexts. For Luke’s community this appears to be an admonition to those who are Christians—those who have received the Holy Spirit—to be true to that calling and not fall into apostasy in the face of persecution. It is significant that blasphemy against the Son of Man is forgivable, but blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is not (v. 10). If we take the Holy Spirit to be the judging and redeeming presence of God in the world and in our lives, then this makes sense. Certainly we can be forgiven for tangled theologies and misconceptions with regard to the person and work of Christ. Certainly we can be forgiven for any number of missteps and backslidings and exhibitions of the human propensity to sin and self-destruction.

However, if we cut ourselves off from the very source of forgiveness itself, how can there be forgiveness for that? If we finally close the door to the possibility of grace, then it may be that no redemption is possible, not because God withholds it, but because the only possible source of healing has been foreclosed. Of course this raises a host of thorny theological issues regarding election and predestination—protracted discussions of which do not a fine sermon make—but this text at least intimates the possibility that, as C. S. Lewis once put it, the doors of hell are locked on the inside.¹

RICHARD FLOYD

Footnote

1. C. S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain (New York: Macmillan, 1944), 115.

Pastoral Perspective

How are the disciples of Christ to live, move, and have their being in a chaotic culture? The Gospel writer invites us to listen to the chaos of the crowd, of the thousands (literally ten thousand) as they yell, groan, and fight to eavesdrop on the words that Jesus is sharing with his disciples. Unfortunately, images of people seeking and desiring something so much that they trample one another come to mind too easily. Midnight sales on Black Friday, sports victories, concert halls, and blocked fire exits are all tragic locations or situations where people have trampled upon others in order to live.

If we are to surmise that the trampling crowd of thousands is present in the text for the sole purpose of seeing and hearing Jesus, it is an amazing irony. This irony is too often witnessed in our own congregations; for example, the perfectly abled congregant who has been seen parking in the handicapped location because it is closest to the sanctuary door; the rudely treated visitor who has mistakenly chosen to sit in someone’s sacred pew; or the frowning look on the parent who is trying to keep an infant silent during the worship service. Church members often step on one another in their effort to listen in on God’s word. Luke’s account of a mob trampling one another is a dramatic setup of Jesus’ warning to his disciples not to live a life that is hypocritical to the word of God. One cannot say, I believe in Jesus Christ, and then live a life that has little resemblance to life found in Jesus.

Historically, Luke may be addressing a congregation that is afraid to speak about Jesus because they might face punishment or death. In the face of persecution, it is easy to see how Luke’s congregation could have easily brought their testimony down to a sequestered whisper. Luke’s world seems a far cry from ours, where we are protected by freedoms of speech and religion. Even so, there are many pastors and church members who have suffered because they spoke of peace in a climate that was hell-bent on war. Churches have incurred great pain because they have stood up to a climate of fear with the message of the radical inclusiveness of God’s grace. Members have been excommunicated because they have chosen to love the wrong people. Because the bold proclamation of Christ comes with a cross to bear, it is much more comfortable to succumb to the temptation of hypocrisy and, like Peter, deny that you have ever met him (22:54–60).

Hypocrisy despite hearing the gospel will, according to the text, meet judgment. The covered will be uncovered. The secret will be made known. The whispered will be proclaimed. While there is a threat to the hypocrite—whoever denies me before others will be denied before the angels of God (v. 9)—the disciples of Jesus should take comfort in a God who takes a full account of their well-being: But even the hairs of your head are all counted. Do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows (v. 7). Luke provides a hopeful account of the future. When you know your future, you can live your life in confidence.

Katherine, a young woman in my congregation, was diagnosed with cancer at a very young age. She fought the cancer with all the strength she could muster. She was one of the most honest people I have ever met. She openly struggled with trying to understand why she suffered. Katherine was not afraid to share her fears about life and death. There were times when she shared her anger about God. She shrank down to skin and bones; but what I found remarkable and most memorable is that she often greeted each day with the words, This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it (Ps. 118:24). Even though there was not a hair on her head to be counted, it was a bold testimony to a God who is sovereign over all things.

Jesus is quite clear that the disciples should not be afraid to speak. Evident in this text is the desire of Luke’s Jesus to have his disciples testify. They are to acknowledge and speak about the one whom they follow. Is this possible in a culture that often hires a professional to do work that we once did for ourselves? We hire lawn services, painters, pet groomers, and anyone else who is far more talented in an area where we lack the gift. While hiring a professional may have a place in the culture, it does not have a place in the church. It is not uncommon for the pastor to be the only one who is called upon to pray. The pastor is called upon to teach. The pastor is called on to be the voice of the church in the community. This text invites everyone to be a voice or hand for God. Everyone is to have a voice in acknowledging the risen Lord. The pastor should seek the opportunity to persuade people to begin finding their voice in the proclamation of the gospel.

I remember the manager of a mission camp, hustling to get ready for the arrival of the next church mission team. He ordered plywood and shingles, pipes, wood, and wallboard. I had seen him prepare for other groups, and this seemed excessive. But he knew this congregation that was coming. They were up for the task. I figured that what made this mission team stand out was its skill, but he shook his head. He said that this is a group that prepares devotionals, and shares their joys, struggles, and sorrows. They are not afraid to love the people with whom they work, and somehow or other it transfers into building houses better than any other group that comes up here. Testimony to Jesus before others is far more than being a follower in name only; it is following him through word and deed.

DONOVAN ALLAN DRAKE

Exegetical Perspective

A Few Words of Caution. This Gospel lesson serves as a hinge text in the Lukan narrative. Not only does it indicate a new beginning in the travel narrative, but it also reflects back and continues Jesus’ tense relationship with the Pharisees; hence, the text begins with the temporal term meanwhile (v. 1). Jesus’ attacks on the Pharisees in Luke and the other Gospels have traditionally been misunderstood as Christian attacks on Judaism. When one fully recognizes the Judaism of Jesus and his first followers, however, one realizes that these attacks represent divisions within ancient Judaism itself and have no anti-Jewish intent. The reader is encouraged to keep this in mind when reading Jesus’ stark criticism of the Pharisees, which he made plain to the Pharisees and the lawyers in the previous pericope (11:37–54), and which he continues with his identification of them as hypocrites (v. 1).

Because the hostility regarding Jesus and his teachings is ever increasing, Jesus finds it necessary to provide some instruction about how the disciples are to prepare themselves for times of confrontation, public defamation, and perhaps even death. This text is the first of three strict warnings that Jesus gives to his disciples (12:1–12), and then to the large crowd (12:13–34, 35–48). What adds to the chaos of the scene is the fact that this crowd now includes those who question and deny Jesus’ authority and attribute his ability to perform miracles and healings to power he receives from Beelzebul (11:14–15). Yet Jesus persists. In the midst of, and in spite of, such a tension-filled environment, Jesus insists that they are to be fearless, vigilant, and, most of all, faithful.

A Private Warning against Hypocrisy (vv. 1–3). The crowd gathers with intention around Jesus so much that they trample on one another. Jesus takes a moment privately to caution his disciples about hypocrisy—that is, the hypocrisy of the Pharisees, as well as what could potentially be their own. Jesus refers to the Pharisees’ hypocrisy as yeast, a sour fermenting substance (actually fungi) used to make dough rise. In essence, Jesus is metaphorically stating that the Pharisees’ hypocrisy is so potent that it can even infect the disciples and incite the growth of hypocrisy within them. It is malignant and should be avoided at all costs. Additionally, Jesus advises them that this hypocrisy, although perhaps initially hidden, will nonetheless eventually be revealed (vv. 2–3; cf. Matt. 10:26–27). Another way to interpret this is that Jesus is referring to a person’s inner character; despite efforts to keep aloof and reserved, it will ultimately be revealed. Jesus implicitly states that they are to align themselves with God’s purposes, because their true nature, especially in the context of persecution, will in due course be disclosed.

Fear Not the Wrong Person (vv. 4–7). The hostility of the crowds is steadily increasing against Jesus and those who follow him; thus Jesus issues a warning regarding their possible harm. What is important to note is that Jesus is not concerned with such matters of human death as the how or the when (the why for them is their belief in Jesus), questions that plague the human psyche today. He does not offer any security or suggest any ways to protect oneself from bodily harm or death; that is the reality of their situation (cf. John 16:33).

Instead, what Jesus suggests is that they concern themselves with fearing God, the one who controls their fate after death. Death of the human body pales in comparison to death of the soul. God has the power to cast them into hell, the home of eternal damnation and punishment. This is certainly an important aspect of the text for those teaching or preaching about dealing with life’s tragedies.

Jesus ends his speech about whom to fear in a compounding manner that can lead to an ambiguous interpretation. On the one hand, he compares human life to that of a sparrow, in order to suggest that the former is of more value than the latter. Humans are to be comforted because, despite the low market value of a sparrow (five sparrows for two pennies [v. 6]), not one of them is forgotten in God’s sight. On the other hand, Jesus’ use of the phrase in God’s sight, coupled with the notion that God knows the quantity of hairs on a human’s head (God is detail oriented), can also be understood as a threat. More value means more valuation. Jesus’ mixed message of comfort and caution is used strongly to encourage his followers to remain faithful to his teachings.

Acknowledge Me and Confess Me, No Matter What (vv. 8–12). After affirming the reality of their possible persecution and death, and naming God as the only one they truly have cause to fear, Jesus moves on to a couple of specific, clear-cut rules with which they are to comply. The first is that if they acknowledge Jesus before others, that is, in a public confession of faith, especially in the midst of persecution, the Son of Man will acknowledge them before the angels, namely, in heaven (v. 8).

Jesus then draws a line between giving offense to the Son of Man, which is forgivable (see 22:32 and the inclusion of Peter in 24:36–49 after 22:54–62), and performing the same transgression against the Holy Spirit, which is not (v. 10). Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit—the one who will provide them with the words to utter when on trial (v. 12)—is both inexcusable and unpardonable. This is so because the Holy Spirit in Luke–Acts is not simply God’s instrumental agent, but is intimately bound up with Jesus (see, e.g., Acts 16:7, in which the Spirit is referred to as the Spirit of Jesus).

In these twelve verses, Jesus confirms that coming face to face with persecution is to be expected, while protection against it is not. Nevertheless, those wishing to follow him are to be tenacious and steadfast.

SHANELL T. SMITH

Homiletical Perspective

Jewish scholar Amy-Jill Levine reminds Christians that if we are to understand the New Testament we need to remember that Jesus was Jewish.¹ This Jewish teacher, like many teachers in his culture, knew the importance of humor, especially when the lesson was challenging. Jesus might have told his followers, You are very precious in God’s eyes; you are loved. Instead, the teacher told his listeners to consider how insignificant the sparrow is. A house sparrow weighs less than one ounce! We get the picture, Jesus, this is one tiny bird; what is your point? Imagine the teacher proclaiming (with a perfectly straight face), You are worth more than many sparrows! The crowd would likely howl with laughter. A wise teacher knows that when people have a hearty laugh they can relax, let down their defenses, and attend to the message.

The followers of Jesus needed to hear this very hard saying from the teacher; they will face opposition because of their faith. Jesus speaks here about opposition from certain Pharisees who are hypocritical in their religious practices. The young church that first heard this word also knew about opposition from within their own ranks in the persons of some church officials. Contemporary believers might find it helpful to hear that we share this characteristic with the earliest believers. Like them, we face opposition from a culture that does not honor our beliefs; and we sometimes struggle within our own faith communities. Jesus tells us that these are times to rely on the Holy Spirit.

Many Christians in the early days experienced torture and death for their faith. In a few parts of the world today, similar persecution continues. We preachers can remind our congregations to remain in prayerful solidarity with our brothers and sisters who face violent opposition. Although the United States guarantees freedom to practice (or not practice) our faith, we continue to face the opposition that Jesus speaks about, at least in more subtle forms. Our congregations are likely familiar with those voices in our culture who accuse us of naive and out-of-touch ideas. They may be less familiar with a growing number of Americans who call themselves the Nones. The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life reported in 2012 that one in five Americans now consider themselves to have no religious affiliation. When asked about church membership, they check none of the above.² Many of these individuals may well believe in God and may consider themselves to be spiritual, but they do not belong to a church. Perhaps they have been discouraged by power struggles within the community. Jesus warns in this Gospel to expect that kind of opposition, once we follow him. Jesus also tells his followers not to walk away, but to rely on the Holy Spirit for strength when we face opposition.

We would do well to address the unforgivable sin in any preaching from this part of Luke. Even if we do not consider it to be the heart of the matter in this passage, the congregation’s ears will perk up when they hear Jesus speak about the one sin that will never be forgiven. We have likely counseled many members of our congregations who feared their sins were too great to be forgiven. We gently encouraged them to trust in a merciful God who is eager to forgive all sinners. Perhaps we reminded these individuals of the forgiving father in the story usually named the prodigal son. The story is not about the son, who may or may not have repented in his heart. The story is about the father, who is reckless, scandalous in his generous love. Just when our worried believers grow in confidence that they can be forgiven no matter what, here is Jesus saying that one sin will never be forgiven, no matter what.

We might emphasize that this sin is unforgivable because those who commit it do not want to be forgiven by a God who respects our freedom. In the context of the entire passage it is evident that the Holy Spirit is the presence of God strengthening a church that faces trials. If people blaspheme against this Spirit, they are saying that they prefer to find their own source of strength. These misguided folks do not need salvation, since they are engaged full-time in the unending search to fulfill themselves. Some believe that amassing wealth no matter what it takes will fill the emptiness. Others may bury themselves in their careers.

We who preach the gospel know well that the love of money, power, and status cannot bring joy. However, we might do a bit of soul-searching to see if there are more subtle ways in which we look for fulfillment. Some of us may have messiah complexes that lead us to believe we are the ones healing our congregations. We fall into the trap of thinking, If I can just find that moving turn of phrase or that vivid image that will help the Scriptures come alive next Sunday. The Lord does the healing; we do not. If this part of Luke’s Gospel leads us to warn others about looking for fulfillment in the wrong places, it would be wise for us to look at our own lives first.

The passage concludes with Jesus encouraging his disciples to give public witness to their faith. The Spirit will teach believers what they need to say. Preachers are supposed to be carrying out that part of the gospel, are they not? Is Jesus talking here to the CEO, to the doctor, the school teacher, the salesperson, the grade-school student? A parish church in St. Louis has this sign at the exit of the parking lot: You are now entering mission territory. As people leave church each Sunday, they are reminded that we all have the call to live our faith openly for the sake of others. The sermon or homily from this passage might offer our own congregations a few suggestions that fit our local situations. How might all members of the church carry out the mission?

DANIEL E. HARRIS

Footnotes

1. Amy-Jill Levine, The Misunderstood Jew: The Church and the Scandal of the Jewish Jesus (New York: HarperCollins, 2006).

2. http://www.pewforum.org/Unaffiliated/nones-on-the-rise.aspx; accessed April 29, 2013.

Luke 12:13–34

¹³Someone in the crowd said to him, Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me. ¹⁴But he said to him, Friend, who set me to be a judge or arbitrator over you? ¹⁵And he said to them, Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions. ¹⁶Then he told them a parable: The land of a rich man produced abundantly. ¹⁷And he thought to himself, ‘What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?’ ¹⁸Then he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. ¹⁹And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.’ ²⁰But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ ²¹So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God.

²²He said to his disciples, "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat, or about your body, what you will wear. ²³For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. ²⁴Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! ²⁵And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? ²⁶If then you are not able to do so small a thing as that, why do you worry about the rest? ²⁷Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. ²⁸But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith! ²⁹And do not keep striving for what you are to eat and what you are to drink, and do not keep worrying. ³⁰For it is the nations of the world that strive after all these things, and your Father knows that you need them. ³¹Instead, strive for his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.

³²Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. ³³Sell your possessions, and give alms. Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. ³⁴For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Theological Perspective

The twelfth chapter of Luke may be viewed as a series of admonitions, Jesus drawing our attention to the various threats to the kingdom life to which he calls us. In verses 1–12 these threats revolve around failing to live faithfully in the light of God’s coming to judge and redeem. In verses 35–48 Jesus again urges his followers to be watchful servants, faithfully engaged in the master’s work in anticipation of his return (v. 43). In between these two exhortations we have verses 13–34. Here the threats to the kingdom life take the form of greed and worry—perennial pitfalls for the human creature, made all the more perilous in their apocalyptic context.

On the one hand, the success of the rich man in verse 16 could be applauded as the faithful application of his God-given capabilities. He has benefited from both the provision of God and his own skillful means; surely he may be permitted to save up a bit for himself and celebrate with a feast? Jesus, though, is not telling this story to criticize prudent resource management or celebration of the goods of life. (We often get into trouble when we try to overread parables, forcing them to answer questions they were never intended to answer.) Instead, Jesus offers the rich man of the parable as a type, a person who chooses inordinate self-concern over kingdom living.

Inordinate self-concern has often been called concupiscence (see Rom. 7). Concupiscence is a rich concept, one that at times has been reduced to sexual desire, but more properly refers to inordinate desire of any kind—the desire to center the world on oneself, the desire infinitely to consume the finite. As Paul Tillich put it, concupiscence is the desire to cram the world into one’s own mouth.¹ In verses 13–34 Jesus is offering us the choice between concupiscence and kingdom living.

Kingdom living would demand from the rich man, first, the acknowledgment that it is only by divine provision that he has any crop to speak of—not to mention life and breath. Acknowledgment of this provision is the source of richness toward God (v. 21) and, concomitantly, richness toward others. The rich man fails in this most basic covenantal responsibility (see the Great Commandment in Luke 10:27). So in verse 20 God disabuses the rich man of his notion that he is an autonomous, self-created entity, and reminds him that life and breath are given (and taken) by divine dispensation.

Kingdom living would also demand from the rich man that, recognizing that his abundance is given at the behest of a gracious God, he too is called to be gracious. No man is an island; he exists as part of an interconnected community and is responsible to that community before God. As the rich man celebrates the fecundity of his land, nowhere does he make mention of others: his family, his friends, his neighbors, his workers, aliens and strangers, the soil and the entire ecosystem that makes such fecundity possible. He is supremely isolated. He refuses to participate gratefully and graciously in the economy/ecology of God. Thus, when judgment falls in verse 20, God asks rhetorically, And the things you have prepared, whose will they be? It is ironic that, by isolating himself from others in a bid for absolute control, he has in fact lost control and has no one to whom to pass on his abundance.

In verses 22–34 Jesus points to a second threat to kingdom living: anxiety. If concupiscence is a symptom, anxiety may be the disease. Paul Tillich talked of anxiety as the threat of nonbeing and interpreted anxiety in three categories: the anxiety of fate and death, the anxiety of guilt and condemnation, and the anxiety of emptiness and meaninglessness.² Tillich thought that the last category of anxiety (emptiness and meaninglessness) was particularly prevalent in our (his) time, but all are universally present, as they are a part of finite existence as such. Perhaps it is anxiety that causes the rich man to build bigger barns, to try to secure himself against any perceived threat to his being. Of course, by doing so, he cuts himself off from the source of his own being and from the only source of faithful courage in the midst of a vulnerable world.

Do not worry about your life, what you will eat, or about your body, what you will wear, Jesus advises us (v. 22). Perhaps easier said than done. It may be true, as Jesus notes, that the ravens are fed by God and the lilies are clothed in beauty by God without the slightest bit of worry, but they are not possessed of the burden of self-consciousness, as are we. We know that we know, and that means we know that we exist and will some day cease to exist, and thus we live with anxiety.

In the end our hope may be found in verse 32: Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. One might hear in this verse echoes of Calvin’s famous definition of faith: Faith is a firm and certain knowledge of God’s benevolence towards us, founded upon the truth of the freely-given promise in Christ, both revealed to our minds and sealed upon our hearts through the Holy Spirit.³ In the end, it is trust in God’s benevolence toward us, trust that it is God’s good pleasure to give [us] the kingdom that grounds our otherwise ungrounded existence. Grounded in that faith, grounded in the divine benevolence, we can live, not without anxiety, but with faithful courage in the midst of anxiety. We can choose kingdom over concupiscence, to the glory of the Father.

RICHARD FLOYD

Footnotes

1. Quoted in Langdon Gilkey, Gilkey on Tillich (Eugene: Wipf & Stock, 1990), 129.

2. Paul Tillich, The Courage to Be (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1952), 40–54.

3. John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion (Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1960), 3.2.7.

Pastoral Perspective

When the economy falters, congregants lose jobs, budgets tighten, and the church has to make cutbacks, it becomes quite evident that money is a source of anxiety in the church. Luke presents us with a Jesus whose attitude toward money is deeply disturbing. It is even more disturbing when members are out of work, businesses are struggling, the facility needs a new boiler, and the pastor would certainly enjoy a raise. It seems that we can never have enough money.

Those teaching on this text may want to illustrate how money can turn the ugly into the beautiful and provide a few stories, personal or otherwise, where the hungry are fed, the homeless receive shelter, and the hopeless receive some hope. Luke shares some beautiful examples by lifting up the good Samaritan who poured oil and wine and told an innkeeper, I will repay you whatever more you spend (10:35), and a friend who gives another friend whatever he needs (11:8). Money makes some lovely cameo appearances in Luke’s Gospel, but there are also some ugly appearances, as in this text: Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me (v. 13).

There is nothing uglier than a family that fights over an inheritance. I have seen families around the deathbed of a grandma. There they gather, remember, and tell wonderful stories about her: She was an amazing cook. I’m going to miss her apple pies. Grandma knew how to turn a rainy day into sunshine! At her deathbed are marvelous stories that detail a woman of faith. Then a month later at the lawyer’s office, when the will is read, for some the grandma has suddenly grown horns and tossed a pitchfork into the heart of those who thought they should have received more. There are indeed situations where shameful greed is seen to dissolve family bonds. By rhetorically contrasting the beauty of sharing with the ugliness of greed, those teaching on this text need not fill the air with words like should and must, but can, like a good shepherd, lead the congregation to experience a greener pasture.

The text also raises the question of our investments. Is life the sum total of our possessions, or is there something more valuable? Jesus provides a parable about a rich man who has his name changed to fool. Now on this earth the rich man is really no fool. Here the interpreter may recite any number of commercials that will resonate with the congregation, about how to invest wisely so as to gain a successful life and retirement. The rich man in the parable is doing what any wise investor does. He is no fool—except that God calls him one. The rich man misjudges the harvest at hand. He thinks it will bring much relaxing, eating, drinking, and merriment; but instead, the harvest at hand is the same one that John warns about in the wilderness, that every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down (3:9). The rich man lives a life solely on a horizontal plane, not aware that life has a vertical dimension as well. The man is well prepared for life, but in the end whose will they [his possessions] be? (12:20). It is a question that is answered by the will, the lawyers, and in the ugliness of family feuds.

The text also can remind the congregation of the richness of life—that we are all able to fill our résumés with items about the schools we have attended, the honors we have received, and the achievements we have earned. The same information is often reflected in our obituaries. When President Reagan’s daughter eulogized him, she did not bring up her father’s résumé, but told a story about his burying her pet goldfish.¹ Here was a life that was lived on a grand and global scale; yet what was recalled was a small sacrifice of time and love that a father shared with a daughter. Being rich toward God is a life of sacrifice. It seems we are measured by how we sacrifice ourselves for God’s creation, whether we be rich, poor, or as common as a brother or sister with whom we have a dispute.

The problem with sacrifice is that it is terribly frightening. It is a move from relying on inheritances and building up storehouses to a life that gives beyond measure, while relying on God. In our culture we often measure ourselves by the size of our storehouses. In the kingdom of God the storehouses are sold, and life is measured by what we do for others. Not long ago I heard about a woman who had to put up a tarp in her living room to keep her roof from leaking after a storm. I used the story in a sermon merely as an illustration. After the service was over, a member asked, What can we do to help this woman? I was totally caught off guard. I wanted to say, I don’t know; I was just preaching. Later a check for the price of a new roof showed up in an envelope. A barn was pulled down, so that the kingdom of God could be made manifest. How many more roofs could be fixed, mouths fed, wounds bandaged, if we were not afraid of the cost?

Jesus attempts to calm our fears by presenting a few illustrations that feature birds and lilies. If you think about it, they live fragile lives, and who knows how much fear courses through the life of a sparrow or lily? I suspect that Jesus was trying to convey the providence of God. Paul says it this way, Whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s (Rom. 14:8). The pastor may wish to harvest the memory of those people within the congregation, past and present, who seemed to live life beautifully, being not afraid, because they took comfort in the presence of a living God, in both this world and the next.

DONOVAN ALLAN DRAKE

Footnote

1. http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/washington/2004–06–12–children-eulogies_x.htm; accessed Feb, 18, 2013).

Exegetical Perspective

Earthly Goods with No Heavenly Gain. The second of three consecutive warnings in Luke 12 pertains to the issue of greed and the storing up of earthly resources that lack any heavenly worth. The proper use of material goods is a major theme in Luke–Acts. From the humble birth of Jesus to persons of low economic means (2:7), to Jesus’ assertion that he was anointed to bring good news to the poor (4:18), to the blessing of the poor (6:20) and the woe to the rich (6:24), and the unleashing of his stinging declaration that no one can become his disciple unless he or she gives up all possessions (14:33), Jesus’ opposition to amassing quantifiable possessions has been unwavering. Instead, his followers should strive for God’s kingdom by seeking heavenly rewards that can neither be taken away nor destroyed (12:33).

A Public Warning against Hoarding Material Goods (vv. 13–21). Jesus’ warning is prompted by a question from someone in the crowd. This person does not appear to be one of Jesus’ antagonists trying to test him, as indicated by Jesus’ calling him Friend (v. 14). In response to the person’s request that Jesus act as a negotiator or mediator between him and his brother with regard to their family inheritance (vv. 13–14), Jesus responds with a warning about all kinds of greed, which he then illustrates in a parable about a rich, foolish man.

In this parable, which is unique to Luke’s Gospel, Jesus tells of a rich man who determines that the only way to rectify his problem of inadequate storage for his abundance of crops is to destroy his barns and construct bigger ones (vv. 17–18). After such structural enhancement, the rich man states that he will be in a position to enjoy life for many years without a concern (v. 19). What immediately follows is God’s interjection of a rebuke: You fool! (v. 20). The many years that the rich man thinks he has is being interrupted by death on that very night. This refers back to Jesus’ statement in verse 15: one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions. One’s life is not measured by how much one has amassed to sustain her or him, but rather by God—a fact that makes it even more imperative to focus on attaining and storing up riches that are transferable to heaven. It is also important to note that here Jesus does not reject the rich but, rather, those who store up treasures for themselves, but are not rich toward God (v. 21). It can be inferred, therefore, that the rich who share their abundance with the poor are also being rich toward God (14:12–14; 19:1–10). This is a sign of faithfulness.

Do Not Worry; God Provides (vv. 22–31). One of the confusing aspects of this passage is determining Jesus’ audience (the disciples or the crowd). Immediately after the telling of the parable to the crowd, Jesus begins speaking to his disciples (yet the crowd remains within earshot). He expounds on his teaching regarding the storing up of wealth for a fleeting life by telling them about the uselessness of worrying. Once again, Jesus speaks of the superior value of human life to the lesser of God’s creations, such as the ravens (v. 24), lilies (v. 27), and the grass (v. 28). Jesus not only reiterates that like the rich, foolish man of the parable, they cannot extend their predetermined life span (v. 25), but he also reminds them that even much more than the other members of God’s creations God will provide for them. Followers of Jesus are not to strive, that is, struggle, or make every concerted effort like the nations of the world, for the things they need, such as clothes and food, because God knows that they need them (v. 30). Those not of the world will strive for God’s kingdom, and in so doing will be given all that they need (v. 31).

The phrase you of little faith! (v. 28) causes one to reconsider Jesus’ audience. This is the first and only time in the Gospel of Luke that a reference to having little faith is used when referring to the disciples. The fact that Jesus’ private teaching with his disciples is complexly interspersed with his speaking to the crowd, however, does not unduly affect the task of interpretation, especially for contemporary audiences, when the you of the passage becomes the reader.

A Treasure in Heaven (vv. 32–34). Jesus concludes by telling his audience—his little flock (v. 32), meaning either his disciples or his followers in the large crowd—not to fear. This can be a reference to the persecution they will face, and it can denote the uneasiness the listeners may feel regarding a strict reliance on God for the bare necessities of life (food and clothes). Jesus concludes his teaching on the hoarding of wealth by telling them to sell their possessions and give alms (v. 33), that is, assistance and charity to others, without the expectation of anything in return—a stark contrast to the standard Greco-Roman expectation of reciprocity in such matters. Jesus provides them with an image to illustrate his teaching: a purse that does not wear out (v. 33). In other words, instead of gathering and storing up their riches (which will weigh down and wear out the material of their purses), they are to get into the practice of sharing what they gather, so that their purses never get ruined. In addition, if one does not stockpile riches, the chances of a thief stealing or a moth damaging the property dwindles (v. 33).

Luke explicates numerous times that God will inaugurate a complete reversal of the social order by uplifting the poor and casting down the rich (1:52–53; 6:20, 24; and later, 16:19–26). It is in the listeners’ best interest, then, to begin acquiring the things of heaven. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also (v. 34). If their heart is focused on helping those in need—even their enemies (6:35)—then they will store up treasures in heaven.

SHANELL T. SMITH

Homiletical Perspective

Enter the question, How often is money mentioned in the Bible? in an Internet search engine, and you will discover some interesting observations about how frequently God’s Word deals with money, gold, silver, and other forms of finance. Nearly one-third of Jesus’ parables deal with money in one way or another. If there is one thing we humans need and care about, it is money. Jesus, who embraced all aspects of our human life except sin, could hardly sidestep such a fundamental issue as money. It is such a part of who we are.

In this section of Luke, it sounds as if Jesus is telling us that money ought to have no importance for us at all. God, who takes care of the ravens, the lilies, and the grass, will certainly take care of us; so why worry? We can all quit our jobs, spend our children’s college funds, and stop passing the collection basket in church. God will provide. It is obvious that this Gospel passage is not asking disciples to live as if money had no importance in our lives. Jesus gets to the heart of the matter in the final verse, where he tells us, For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Jesus illustrates this central teaching through the story featuring the sad fellow who heaped up riches even to the extent that he needed to build a bigger warehouse. This man loved his wealth; he could have done a great deal of good with it, but it sat and rotted in storage. Actually, there was no time for it to rot, since the man died suddenly, so who knows where the wealth went?

In this section of Luke, more than anything else, Jesus wants us to hear that our heart will point out our true treasure. Do we get it? Do we understand where our real happiness lies? At the end of this parable, when the rich person is told that he is about to die and leave all his stuff to others, Jesus says, So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God. Scientists talk about the way our brains are wired for certain behavior. They theorize that we are wired to survive, to flee from danger, to love our children. In the spirit of that paradigm we might well conclude that the Lord has wired our hearts to find our real happiness in loving God and God’s people. If we look for fulfillment in money or any other place, it is just not going to work. We are not wired to find real fulfillment apart from the Lord.

The story of the foolish miser goes beyond warning us against having money as our treasure. Jesus also tells us that our lives can take a sudden turn at any moment. For the man in Jesus’ parable, the sudden turn was his death. Yet there are other ways that our lives can take dramatic turns. There is that phone call in the middle of the night telling us that a family member or beloved friend has suddenly passed away. There is that unexpected pink slip attached to our paycheck. There is the spouse who suddenly walks away from a marriage after many years. Any tragedy like that is difficult enough to bear; it becomes doubly devastating if our lives are not rooted in the Lord. If we have the Lord as our strength, the Lord will help us keep our heads on straight. We can continue on if we know God is still with us, even in the very tough times.

The funny thing about money is that although it can become the treasure that runs our lives, how we use it can also be one of the most telling indicators of how serious we are as disciples. Our checkbooks, whether on paper or on the computer, provide an objective picture of what we value. Among the records of necessary expenses, what else do the figures show us? Have we used money to help feed and clothe the poor—you know, those things that Jesus says he will ask us about, once we meet him face to face (Matt. 25:31–46)?

What do our personal calendars tell us about how we invest our time? Most of us will probably squirm a bit if we realize how much time we spend on activities that are not all that important. People facing terminal illness sometimes talk of regretting how they had spent too much precious time caring about unimportant things. Impending death usually gives one the wisdom to see what is truly valuable in life. What a great gift it would be if that wisdom were given to us when we were hale and hearty and full of life.

The story of the rich man who loved his wealth has been retold countless times and in many creative ways. Charles Dickens was among the best to retell this story in A Christmas Carol.¹ Dickens writes about how three ghostly spirits allow the miser Ebenezer Scrooge to see himself past, present, and future. Scrooge is so horrified at what he sees that he undergoes a wonderful transformation into someone who uses his wealth to bring joy to others. This 1843 story has been repeated in several Hollywood films, television specials, and countless high school Christmas plays. Obviously this nearly-twohundred-year-old story touches the heart of the matter in many of us. If we take a serious look at how we use our time and treasure, most of us will see what Christ wants us to realize through this parable of the Miser. Perhaps the homily or sermon on this passage might invite the congregation to reread or view A Christmas Carol. The preacher might also ask people to look through their financial records and their calendars. However we invite others to respond to this text, we ought to let them know that we preachers too will do what we ask of them.

DANIEL E. HARRIS

Footnote

1. Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol (London: Chapman & Hall, 1843).

Luke 12:35–48

³⁵"Be dressed for action and have your lamps lit; ³⁶be like those who are waiting for their master to return from the wedding banquet, so that they may open the door for him as soon as he comes and knocks. ³⁷Blessed are those slaves whom the master finds alert when he comes; truly I tell you, he will fasten his belt and have them sit down to eat, and he will come and serve them. ³⁸If he comes during the middle of the night, or near dawn, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves.

³⁹But know this: if the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. ⁴⁰You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.

⁴¹Peter said, Lord, are you telling this parable for us or for everyone? ⁴²And the Lord said, Who then is the faithful and prudent manager whom his master will put in charge of his slaves, to give them their allowance of food at the proper time? ⁴³Blessed is that slave whom his master will find at work when he arrives. ⁴⁴Truly I tell you, he will put that one in charge of all his possessions. ⁴⁵But if that slave says to himself, ‘My master is delayed in coming,’ and if he begins to beat the other slaves, men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk, ⁴⁶the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour that he does not know, and will cut him in pieces, and put him with the unfaithful. ⁴⁷That slave who knew what his master wanted, but did not prepare himself or do what was wanted, will receive a severe beating. ⁴⁸But the one who did not know and did what deserved a beating will receive a light beating. From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required; and from the one to whom much has been entrusted, even more will be demanded.

Theological Perspective

Given the spurious proclamations of imminent destruction predicated upon a quirk in the Mayan calendar that captured the public imagination in 2012, we may be especially attuned to the perils and possibilities of apocalyptic waiting. For that is what this text from Luke seems to be about: apocalyptic waiting, waiting for the uncovering of the future, the unveiling of what matters ultimately. Of course, in the case of the Mayan calendar folly, this was little more than apocalyptic voyeurism, a bit of eschatological reality TV to pass the time. The voice of Jesus in Luke is summoning us to a different kind of apocalyptic waiting.

To make sense of this different kind of apocalyptic waiting, Paul Tillich’s discussion of the kairos may be helpful. A kairos is a moment in the historical process in which the absolute appears to the relative as judgment and creation, where the eternal breaks into the temporal, shaking and transforming it and creating a crisis in the depth of human existence.¹ While for Christian faith the kairos refers preeminently to the coming of Jesus as the Christ, in its general sense the kairos is every turning-point in history in which the eternal judges and transforms the temporal.²

Tillich thus invites us into a more capacious reading of this text. It is not only for a world- transforming Parousia that we wait. It is for the kairos—or better, the kairoi—the pregnant moments of possibility where history bends toward the kingdom of God. The crucial thing is discerning the kairos, knowing where and how the divine judging and redeeming activity is being made manifest.

Martin Luther is purported to have made a similar claim in a more bellicose voice: If I profess, with the loudest voice and the clearest exposition, every portion of the truth of God except precisely that little point which the world and the devil are at that moment attacking, I am not confessing Christ, however boldly I may be professing Christianity. Where the battle rages the loyalty of the soldier is proved.³ Where does the battle rage? What is the one little point being contested that demands faithful response? As the text suggests, what are the doors that need to be opened (v. 36)? Perhaps, the doors that need to be closed? It is through the faithful opening and closing of doors, the faithful discernment of the divine Yes-and-No, that the future comes.

Verses 41–48 add another dimension to Jesus’ summons to apocalyptic waiting. The slavery imagery from verses 35–40 is still present, but here the prospect of promotion to management is under consideration. We are awakened to the possibility of being faithful and prudent managers, who give them [our fellow slaves] their allowance of food at the proper time. This calls to mind Psalm 104, where it is God’s role to provide food for all creatures at the proper time. Thus we are invited to make two imaginative expansions of the text. First, we may see the image of the faithful and prudent manager as a kind of participation with God in the ongoing sustenance of creation—no mean calling. Second, we are invited to recognize that our fellow slaves include all creatures, all creation. In our kairos we can and must see the calling to faithful and prudent management as a calling inclusive of wise and compassionate care for the whole of creation.

Later in chapter 12 we find the paradigmatic statement of the need for discernment in apocalyptic waiting: He also said to the crowds, ‘When you see a cloud rising in the west, you immediately say, It is going to rain; and so it happens. And when you see the south wind blowing, you say, There will be scorching heat; and it happens. You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time?’ (12:54–56). How do we fail to read the signs of the times in our context? How do we miss the kairos, the opening door, the one little point being contested?

The answers are many, of course. Certainly the consumerist culture of North America has failed to read the signs of the times with regard to its deeply pathological relation to creation. We (I speak as a member of this culture) have demonstrated ourselves to be as the slave who knew what his master wanted, but did not prepare himself or do what was wanted (v. 47). The severe beating will come in the form of rising seas and failing crops and surging temperatures and droughts and floods and ever more violent storms—and it has already begun. To the extent that we mistreat our fellow slaves and overconsume (eat and drink and get drunk) at the expense of creation,