1 Meanwhile, thousands of people had gathered. They were so crowded that they stepped on each other. Jesus spoke to his disciples and said, “Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees. I’m talking about their hypocrisy. 2 Nothing has been covered that will not be exposed. Whatever is secret will be made known. 3 Whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight. Whatever you have whispered in private rooms will be shouted from the housetops.
4 “My friends, I can guarantee that you don’t need to be afraid of those who kill the body. After that they can’t do anything more. 5 I’ll show you the one you should be afraid of. Be afraid of the one who has the power to throw you into hell after killing you. I’m warning you to be afraid of him.
6 “Aren’t five sparrows sold for two cents? God doesn’t forget any of them. 7 Even every hair on your head has been counted. Don’t be afraid! You are worth more than many sparrows. 8 I can guarantee that the Son of Man will acknowledge in front of God’s angels every person who acknowledges him in front of others. 9 But God’s angels will be told that I don’t know those people who tell others that they don’t know me. 10 Everyone who says something against the Son of Man will be forgiven. But the person who dishonors the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.
11 “When you are put on trial in synagogues or in front of rulers and authorities, don’t worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say. 12 At that time the Holy Spirit will teach you what you must say.”
Read Luke 12:1-12 in context and/or in other translations on BibleGateway.com!
As I read the Bible, specifically the gospels, there are a number of places where Jesus shares some really challenging ideas; there are other places where He shows an extraordinary love for people who are in need; and there are a few places where Jesus gives a massive, perspective altering truth.
In our passage for this entry, we come across one of those perspective altering truths, and if we take only this truth into our hearts, we would be completely different people.
Luke 12 begins with Jesus warning and challenging people regarding hypocrisy, which means thinking/judging/doing something different than what one says. Immediately following this warning, Jesus shares verses 4 and 5 which say, “My friends, I can guarantee that you don’t need to be afraid of those who kill the body. After that they can’t do anything more. I’ll show you the one you should be afraid of. Be afraid of the one who has the power to throw you into hell after killing you. I’m warning you to be afraid of him.”
Jesus tells us clearly that if we are going to be afraid of anyone, we should fear God, who has the power and authority to completely destroy us. People might be able to cause pain, and they may be able to kill our bodies, but Jesus shares plainly that is all they can do. All the torture humans can think up can only go so far. All the pain that can be caused by others will end when our lives do.
But God has a much greater power: the power of resurrection. A skilled or lucky doctor can revive someone if they act quickly, but only God can bring someone back to life who has been dead for weeks, months, years, or even longer. And with the power of resurrection also comes the power to determine our ultimate destiny: enjoying life with God in the new earth, or being thrown into hell after death.
The most amazing part of Jesus’ truth and God’s love is that He would give us our own choice. God will not send anyone into hell who wants a genuine relationship with Him. Regardless of what others think of us, Jesus always wants us to remember that what God thinks of us is most important.
This thought was inspired by studying the Walking With Jesus “Reflective Bible Study” package. To discover insights like this in your own study time, click here and give Reflective Bible Study a try today!
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