Worthy.Bible » STRONG » Luke » Chapter 12 » Verse 28

Luke 12:28 King James Version with Strong's Concordance (STRONG)

28 If G1487 then G1161 God G2316 so G3779 clothe G294 the grass, G5528 which G5607 is to day G4594 in G1722 the field, G68 and G2532 to morrow G839 is cast G906 into G1519 the oven; G2823 how much G4214 more G3123 will he clothe you, G5209 O ye of little faith? G3640

Cross Reference

Matthew 14:31 STRONG

And G1161 immediately G2112 Jesus G2424 stretched forth G1614 his hand, G5495 and caught G1949 him, G846 and G2532 said G3004 unto him, G846 O thou of little faith, G3640 wherefore G1519 G5101 didst thou doubt? G1365

Matthew 17:20 STRONG

And G1161 Jesus G2424 said G2036 unto them, G846 Because G1223 of your G5216 unbelief: G570 for G1063 verily G281 I say G3004 unto you, G5213 If G1437 ye have G2192 faith G4102 as G5613 a grain G2848 of mustard seed, G4615 ye shall say G2046 unto this G5129 mountain, G3735 Remove G3327 hence G1782 to yonder place; G1563 and G2532 it shall remove; G3327 and G2532 nothing G3762 shall be impossible G101 unto you. G5213

Matthew 8:26 STRONG

And G2532 he saith G3004 unto them, G846 Why G5101 are ye G2075 fearful, G1169 O ye of little faith? G3640 Then G5119 he arose, G1453 and rebuked G2008 the winds G417 and G2532 the sea; G2281 and G2532 there was G1096 a great G3173 calm. G1055

Matthew 16:8 STRONG

Which when G1161 Jesus G2424 perceived, G1097 he said G2036 unto them, G846 O ye of little faith, G3640 why G5101 reason ye G1260 among G1722 yourselves, G1438 because G3754 ye have brought G2983 no G3756 bread? G740

Matthew 17:17 STRONG

Then G1161 Jesus G2424 answered G611 and said, G2036 O G5599 faithless G571 and G2532 perverse G1294 generation, G1074 how long G2193 G4219 shall I be G2071 with G3326 you? G5216 how long G2193 G4219 shall I suffer G430 you? G5216 bring G5342 him G846 hither G5602 to me. G3427

Luke 8:25 STRONG

And G1161 he said G2036 unto them, G846 Where G4226 is G2076 your G5216 faith? G4102 And G1161 they being afraid G5399 wondered, G2296 saying G3004 one to another, G4314 G240 What manner of man G5101 G686 is G2076 this! G3778 for G3754 he commandeth G2004 even G2532 the winds G417 and G2532 water, G5204 and G2532 they obey G5219 him. G846

1 Peter 1:24 STRONG

For G1360 all G3956 flesh G4561 is as G5613 grass, G5528 and G2532 all G3956 the glory G1391 of man G444 as G5613 the flower G438 of grass. G5528 The grass G5528 withereth, G3583 and G2532 the flower G438 thereof G846 falleth away: G1601

Isaiah 40:6 STRONG

The voice H6963 said, H559 Cry. H7121 And he said, H559 What shall I cry? H7121 All flesh H1320 is grass, H2682 and all the goodliness H2617 thereof is as the flower H6731 of the field: H7704

Matthew 6:30 STRONG

Wherefore, G1161 if G1487 God G2316 so G3779 clothe G294 the grass G5528 of the field, G68 which to day G4594 is, G5607 and G2532 to morrow G839 is cast G906 into G1519 the oven, G2823 shall he not G3756 much G4183 more G3123 clothe you, G5209 O ye of little faith? G3640

Commentary on Luke 12 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible


CHAPTER 12

Lu 12:1-12. Warning against Hypocrisy.

1-3. meantime—in close connection, probably, with the foregoing scene. Our Lord had been speaking out more plainly than ever before, as matters were coming to a head between Him and His enemies, and this seems to have suggested to His own mind the warning here. He had just Himself illustriously exemplified His own precepts.

his disciples first of all—afterwards to "the multitudes" (Lu 12:54).

covered—from the view.

2. hid—from knowledge. "Tis no use concealing anything, for all will one day come out. Give free and fearless utterance then to all the truth." (Compare 1Co 4:3, 5).

4, 5. I say, &c.—You will say, That may cost us our life. Be it so; but, "My friends, there their power ends." He calls them "my friends" here, not in any loose sense, but, as we think, from the feeling He then had that in this "killing of the body" He and they were going to be affectingly one with each other.

5. Fear Him … Fear Him—how striking the repetition here! Only the one fear would effectually expel the other.

after he hath killed, &c.—Learn here—(1) To play false with one's convictions to save one's life, may fail of its end after all, for God can inflict a violent death in some other and equally formidable way. (2) There is a hell, it seems, for the body as well as the soul; consequently, sufferings adapted to the one as well as the other. (3) Fear of hell is a divinely authorized and needed motive of action even to Christ's "friends." (4) As Christ's meekness and gentleness were not compromised by such harsh notes as these, so those servants of Christ lack their Master's spirit who soften down all such language to please ears "polite." (See on Mr 9:43-48).

6, 7. five … for two farthings—In Mt 10:29 it is "two for one farthing"; so if one took two farthings' worth, he got one in addition—of such small value were they.

than many sparrows—not "than millions of sparrows"; the charm and power of our Lord's teaching is very much in this simplicity.

8, 9. confess … deny—The point lies in doing it "before men," because one has to do it "despising the shame." But when done, the Lord holds Himself bound to repay it in kind by confessing such "before the angels of God." For the rest, see on Lu 9:26.

10. Son of man … Holy Ghost—(See on Mt 12:31, 32).

Lu 12:13-53. CovetousnessWatchfulnessSuperiority to Earthly Ties.

13. Master, &c.—that is, "Great Preacher of righteousness, help; there is need of Thee in this rapacious world; here am I the victim of injustice, and that from my own brother, who withholds from me my rightful share of the inheritance that has fallen to us." In this most inopportune intrusion upon the solemnities of our Lord's teaching, there is a mixture of the absurd and the irreverent, the one, however, occasioning the other. The man had not the least idea that his case was not of as urgent a nature, and as worthy the attention of our Lord, as anything else He could deal with.

14. Man, &c.—Contrast this style of address with "my friends," (Lu 12:4).

who, &c.—a question literally repudiating the office which Moses assumed (Ex 2:14). The influence of religious teachers in the external relations of life has ever been immense, when only the INDIRECT effect of their teaching; but whenever they intermeddle DIRECTLY with secular and political matters, the spell of that influence is broken.

15. unto them—the multitude around Him (Lu 12:1).

of covetousness—The best copies have "all," that is, "every kind of covetousness"; because as this was one of the more plausible forms of it, so He would strike at once at the root of the evil.

a man's life, &c.—a singularly weighty maxim, and not less so because its meaning and its truth are equally evident.

16-19. a certain rich man, &c.—Why is this man called a "fool?" (Lu 12:20) (1) Because he deemed a life of secure and abundant earthly enjoyment the summit of human felicity. (2) Because, possessing the means of this, through prosperity in his calling, he flattered himself that he had a long lease of such enjoyment, and nothing to do but give himself up to it. Nothing else is laid to his charge.

20, 21. this night, &c.—This sudden cutting short of his career is designed to express not only the folly of building securely upon the future, but of throwing one's whole soul into what may at any moment be gone. "Thy soul shall be required of thee" is put in opposition to his own treatment of it, "I will say to my soul, Soul," &c.

whose shall those things be, &c.—Compare Ps 39:6, "He heapeth up riches and knoweth not who shall gather them."

21. So is he, &c.—Such is a picture of his folly here, and of its awful issue.

and is not rich toward God—lives to amass and enjoy riches which terminate on self, but as to the riches of God's favor, which is life (Ps 30:5), of "precious" faith (2Pe 1:1; Jas 2:5), of good works (1Ti 6:18), of wisdom which is better than rubies (Pr 8:11)—lives and dies a beggar!

22-31. (See on Mt 6:25-33).

25, 26. which of you, &c.—Corroding solicitude will not bring you the least of the things ye fret about, though it may double the evil of wanting them. And if not the least, why vex yourselves about things of more consequence?

29. of doubtful, &c.—unsettled mind; put off your balance.

32. little flock, &c.—How sublime and touching a contrast between this tender and pitying appellation, "Little flock" (in the original a double diminutive, which in German can be expressed, but not in English)—and the "good pleasure" of the Father to give them the Kingdom; the one recalling the insignificance and helplessness of that then literal handful of disciples, the other holding up to their view the eternal love that encircled them, the everlasting arms that were underneath them, and the high inheritance awaiting them!—"the kingdom"; grand word; then why not "bread" (Lu 12:31 [Bengel]). Well might He say, "Fear not!"

33, 34. Sell, &c.—This is but a more vivid expression of Mt 6:19-21 (see on Mt 6:19-21).

35-40. loins … girded—to fasten up the long outer garment, always done before travel and work (2Ki 4:29; Ac 12:8). The meaning is, Be in readiness.

lights, &c.—(See on Mt 25:1).

36. return from the wedding—not come to it, as in the parable of the virgins. Both have their spiritual significance; but preparedness for Christ's coming is the prominent idea.

37. gird himself, &c.—"a promise the most august of all: Thus will the Bridegroom entertain his friends (nay, servants) on the solemn Nuptial Day" [Bengel].

38. second … third watch—To find them ready to receive Him at any hour of day or night, when one might least of all expect Him, is peculiarly blessed. A servant may be truly faithful, even though taken so far unawares that he has not everything in such order and readiness for his master's return as he thinks is due to him, and both could and would have had if he had had notice of the time of his coming, and so may not be willing to open to him "immediately," but fly to preparation, and let his master knock again ere he admit him, and even then not with full joy. A too common case this with Christians. But if the servant have himself and all under his charge in such a state that at any hour when his master knocks, he can open to him "immediately," and hail his "return"—that is the most enviable, "blessed" servant of all.

41-48. unto us or even to all?—us the Twelve, or all this vast audience?

42. Who then, &c.—answering the question indirectly by another question, from which they were left to gather what it would be:—To you certainly in the first instance, representing the "stewards" of the "household" I am about to collect, but generally to all "servants" in My house.

faithful and wise—Fidelity is the first requisite in a servant, wisdom (discretion and judgment in the exercise of his functions), the next.

steward—house steward, whose it was to distribute to the servants their allotted portion of food.

shall make—will deem fit to be made.

44. make him ruler over all he hath—will advance him to the highest post, referring to the world to come. (See Mt 25:21, 23).

45. begin to beat, &c.—In the confidence that his Lord's return will not be speedy, he throws off the role of servant and plays the master, maltreating those faithful servants who refuse to join him, seizing on and revelling in the fulness of his master's board; intending, when he has got his fill, to resume the mask of fidelity ere his master appear.

46. cut him in sunder—a punishment not unknown in the East; compare Heb 11:37, "sawn asunder" (1Sa 15:33; Da 2:5).

the unbelievers—the unfaithful, those unworthy of trust (Mt 24:51), "the hypocrites," falsely calling themselves "servants."

48. knew not—that is knew but partially; for some knowledge is presupposed both in the name "servant" of Christ, and his being liable to punishment at all.

many … few stripes—degrees of future punishment proportioned to the knowledge sinned against. Even heathens are not without knowledge enough for future judgment; but the reference here is not to such. It is a solemn truth, and though general, like all other revelations of the future world, discloses a tangible and momentous principle in its awards.

49-53. to send—cast.

fire—"the higher spiritual element of life which Jesus came to introduce into this earth (compare Mt 3:11), with reference to its mighty effects in quickening all that is akin to it and destroying all that is opposed. To cause this element of life to take up its abode on earth, and wholly to pervade human hearts with its warmth, was the lofty destiny of the Redeemer" [Olshausen: so Calvin, Stier, Alford, &c.].

what will I, &c.—an obscure expression, uttered under deep and half-smothered emotion. In its general import all are agreed; but the nearest to the precise meaning seems to be, "And what should I have to desire if it were once already kindled?" [Bengel and Bloomfield].

50. But … a baptism, &c.—clearly, His own bloody baptism, first to take place.

how … straitened—not, "how do I long for its accomplishment," as many understand it, thus making it but a repetition of Lu 12:49; but "what a pressure of spirit is upon Me."

till it be accomplished—till it be over. Before a promiscuous audience, such obscure language was fit on a theme like this; but oh, what surges of mysterious emotion in the view of what was now so near at hand does it reveal!

51. peace … ? Nay, &c.—the reverse of peace, in the first instance. (See on Mt 10:34-36.) The connection of all this with the foregoing warnings about hypocrisy, covetousness, and watchfulness, is deeply solemn: "My conflict hasten apace; Mine over, yours begins; and then, let the servants tread in their Master's steps, uttering their testimony entire and fearless, neither loving nor dreading the world, anticipating awful wrenches of the dearest ties in life, but looking forward, as I do, to the completion of their testimony, when, reaching the haven after the tempest, they shall enter into the joy of their Lord."

Lu 12:54-59. Not Discerning the Signs of the Time.

54. to the people—"the multitude," a word of special warning to the thoughtless crowd, before dismissing them. (See on Mt 16:2, 3).

56. how … not discern, &c.—unable to perceive what a critical period that was for the Jewish Church.

57. why even of yourselves, &c.—They might say, To do this requires more knowledge of Scripture and providence than we possess; but He sends them to their own conscience, as enough to show them who He was, and win them to immediate discipleship.

58. When thou goest, &c.—(See on Mt 5:25, 26). The urgency of the case with them, and the necessity, for their own safety, of immediate decision, was the object of these striking words.