Publication by the successors of A.P. Lopukhin. Explanatory Bible. Interpretation of the Gospel of Luke

As we see, Jesus’ disciples received more information from him than the rest of the people who were crowding around waiting to listen to Jesus. Jesus had a closer relationship with his disciples: in a literal sense, they were always closer than others, next to him, closer to him than anyone else, and therefore could understand his words more than anyone else.

Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.

aqua
is not a type of religion, but a character trait of hypocritical worshipers of God.
Hypocrisy is behavior that covers up insincerity and maliciousness - with feigned sincerity (the kiss of Judas Iscariot) and ostentatious virtue, when in front of observers they necessarily act righteously, but when alone with themselves and when there are no spectators, they act unrighteously. That is, it is a righteous exterior with an unrighteous interior. Hypocrites are public people, often they do good “loudly”, with noise around it - with the specific purpose of being seen

as doers of good and paid attention to how virtuous they were (Matt. 23:28).

Why should a hypocrite pretend and pretend that he is a righteous man and a kind-hearted person? In order to use this reputation for selfish purposes: having a reputation as a righteous person, it is much easier to use people who trust such “worshippers” of God for their own purposes and manipulate their gullibility. Jesus warned about the dangers of this leaven—for Christians.

12:2 There is nothing hidden that will not be revealed, and nothing secret that will not be known.

However, even the most skillful disguise of a hypocrite as a righteous person cannot hide his essence forever: the most secret hypocrisy will be exposed by those to whom it is revealed.
12:3 Therefore what you have spoken in the darkness will be heard in the light;
and what was spoken in the ear within the house will be proclaimed on the housetops. This same principle of revealing the secret should also encourage the disciples of Jesus, who at that moment were forced to hide from the watchful eye of Christ’s opponents. Jesus assured them that everything concerning God's purpose, about which they were now cautiously discussing with Christ and among themselves, would be widely and universally spread, despite all the efforts of the hypocrites to block the light of God's truth. This principle also imposes responsibility on the Christian for his actions and words, since those who observe Christians will judge them and their God precisely by their secret actions and words that ever become apparent.

12:4 I say to you, My friends: do not be afraid of those who kill the body and then are unable to do anything more;

Realizing that his disciples are afraid of persecution by religious leaders and therefore are afraid to openly and loudly shine the light of truth, Jesus explains to them that, of course, these hypocrites will be able to harm the disciples and even kill them for openly and loudly spreading the truth about Christ. But they should not worry so much about this: they cannot do more harm to the disciples than to kill them in this century for the truth. However, there is much greater harm for a Christian than to die for the word of God.

12:5 but I will tell you whom to fear: fear the one who, after killing, can throw you into Gehenna: I tell you, fear him.

If they die for the word of God, this is not harm, it will serve them well in the future, they will be able to resurrect and live forever. But if they perish at the hand of Him who has the power to destroy forever without hope of resurrection, this is real harm. We are talking about God, on whom the future of every person on earth depends.

Geneva:

It is significant that the word “gehenna” is used here... and not “hades”, which was generally used to call the “underworld”. "Gehenna" in Hebrew means "Valley of Hinnom." In this valley, stretching beyond the southern wall of Jerusalem, child sacrifices were performed in ancient times, and since then it has been known as a cursed place (Jer. 7:31-33). In New Testament times, a city dump was set up in it, where garbage was burned day and night. That is, it was not subject to restoration.

12:6,7 Are not five small birds sold for two assars? and not one of them is forgotten by God.

In the eyes of people, the life of five small birds is worth nothing at all, so insignificant are these creations for humans. However, God values ​​even their lives. All the more does he value the lives of his son’s disciples:

7 But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. So do not be afraid: you are worth more than many small birds.

Jesus understands that the fear of the disciples will not disappear in one second, they must be sure that God will not forget about them; that their work as ambassadors of Christ will be fully rewarded by Him whose will they begin to fulfill, if He values ​​​​every hair of them.

12:8 But I say to you, everyone who confesses Me before men, the Son of Man will also confess it before the angels of God;

And if the disciples still cope with the fear of people who do not accept Christ, and are not afraid to openly preach about Jesus Christ, the messenger of God, then Jesus Christ will speak a word about them before the heavenly angels so that they will help the disciples.
Matthew speaks here not about Angels, but about the Father: before the Father, Jesus will speak a word for the disciples (Matt. 10:28-32). But the difference in the messages of Luke and Matthew is not significant: Jesus here speaks of support from above for his disciples, which will be sent to them to help them fulfill the will of God: Are not all of them
(angels)
ministering spirits sent to serve those who have to inherit salvation? (Heb. 1:14 ) This is the main point of his words.
12:9 But whoever denies Me before men will be rejected before the angels of God.

Well, it is clear that if the disciples do the opposite and for the sake of preserving their reputation, well-being or life in trials from people - they refuse to talk about Christ in front of them, do not act according to Christ, or pretend that they have nothing in common with Christ, then they will also all those on high will turn away. What will this mean for students? And the fact that there is no future for such disciples of Christ who abandoned him for personal gain.

Disciples of Christ must know that no "invisible Christian" will be approved of God. If we are in our social circles, we are practically no different from those around us, and the fact that “I am a Christian” is known only to me, well, maybe a couple of other people; and if I haven’t even tried to introduce anyone to the good news in my life; and if I easily make concessions to public opinion in order not to stand out unfavorably against the background of society, then I have no future and my faith is in vain.

12:10 And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven; If Christ himself was not perceived as a person, making false accusations against him or considering him, for example, a scoundrel, this is forgivable, because Jesus, even in the guise of a perfect man, is NOT GOD, but only a man sent by God.

and whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.
But if someone blasphemes God, bad luck will come to him.
What does this mean? Attribute what was done in God's truth and in accordance with His spirit to Satan. As in the case of Jesus, for example, they believed that his works were from Satan. And vice versa: to attribute to God deeds that are contrary to Him and not in agreement with His spirit and word - done. For example, to believe that the success and prosperity of all businessmen of this age are from God, knowing for sure that only those living in evil will prosper in this world, and all the godly will be persecuted (2 Tim. 3:12,13) ​​12:11,12 When and they will bring you to the synagogues, to the principalities and powers...

Here Jesus, firstly, warns that the disciples of Christ will encounter resistance from authorities of various kinds: wherever their preaching and actions go against what the rulers of this age teach, clashes of opposition cannot be avoided. Jesus didn't say "IF" but said "WHEN". That is, Christians certainly had to face both the rulers of God’s people because of disagreements in the teaching about Christ, and the secular rulers because of laws that were unusual for secular society.

Secondly, he explains that they do not need to worry too much about answering to those in authority for their actions, the holy spirit will take care of this: do not worry about how or what to answer, or what to say,
12 for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that hour what you should speak.
But in what sense should they not prepare in advance and let the holy spirit help? Let’s not forget that here we are not just talking about “showdowns” with the authorities, for example, for drunkenness or theft - for violating public order or the laws of the country. And specifically - for the word of God . If a Christian is brought to the “showdown” by the authorities for the word of God, it means that he has already absorbed this word of God so much that he was able to feed it from his own womb and others so that it became known to the authorities.

And whoever is already able to feed others, God will help him find the answer in his hope - and before those in charge: as a rule, if you cannot yet give an account of your trust in God and His plan, then you will not be able . And if you were already able to speak and act so “loudly” that even your superiors found out, then God will help you hold the answer to them with the help of the Holy Spirit: at the right moment He will certainly help you remember what and to whom to say.

When we, giving an account of our hope and understanding of the Bible to those in authority of any kind, to the point and at the right time , using logic and showing examples from life, then it is clear that this matter cannot be done without the help of the Holy Spirit.

12:13 One of the people said to Him: Teacher! tell my brother to share the inheritance with me.

This Jew, in theory, should have known that in Judea issues of inheritance had to be resolved in accordance with the requirements of the law (Deut. 21:15-17). However, he does not ask Christ to explain how to deal fairly with the inheritance. He demands that Christ resolve the issue in his favor. It is not known whether his brother treated him unfairly, or whether this Jew did not like the legal solution to the issue of division of property that went to his brother. But judging by Christ's further words about greed, this man was motivated by greed, and did not thirst for justice.

12:14 He said to the man, “Who made Me a judge or a divider between you?”

Jesus
did not rush to please this Jew: even if the Jew was treated unfairly regarding the inheritance, Jesus did not plan to exceed his authority.
The Law of Moses provided for all procedures for the fair division of inheritance; it was necessary to turn to lawyers; it did not then come to earth to resolve civil litigation. 12:15 At this he said unto them, Take heed, beware of covetousness, for a man's life does not depend on the abundance of his possessions.

Instead of sympathizing with the Jew, Jesus warned that greed, which leads its owner to disregard God's wisdom, could end badly for him.

12:16-21 Parable of the Folly of the Greedy Rich Man: And he told them a parable: A certain rich man had a good harvest in his field; 17 And he reasoned with himself: What should I do? I have nowhere to gather my fruits? 18 And he said, This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and I will gather there all my grain and all my goods, 19 and I will say to my soul: soul! you have a lot of good things lying around for many years: rest, eat, drink, be merry. 20 But God said to him: You fool! this night your soul will be taken from you; who will get what you have prepared? What is wrong with the actions of the rich? Only one thing: he fussed a lot for himself personally, for the pleasures of his own soul. And he did not care at all about the things of God: 21 So [happens to those] who lay up treasures for themselves, and are not rich in God.

Jesus did not say that taking care of your possessions is wrong. But he showed that it is wrong to devote your life to expanding ONLY your estate: no matter how large it is, and if God does not allow you to live in it, then there is no point in expanding it. Therefore, getting rich for yourself is good, but not enough: just until you die. But filling God’s granaries and collecting spiritual bread is better, for it gives eternal life.

12:22-24 And he said to his disciples, “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will wear. 23 Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing.” 24 Look at the ravens: they neither sow nor reap; They have neither storehouses nor granaries, and God feeds them; How much better are you than the birds?

sow
or reap, as if they don’t care about their property, but God feeds them.
If you think about it, you can, of course, eat carrion, but even for this you will have to work hard, at least to reach the carrion. That is, in this example, God's care is not manifested in the fact that He personally finds food for the crows and puts it in their beaks. No. But the fact is that God equipped the birds with the ability to work and made sure that food could always be found for them. But the bird itself must obtain food for every day. And she does this successfully; the crows do not need to have barns and drag tons of carrion into them. In the same way, God took care of man: even if the crows do not work in vain and from their labors have everything they need for life, then even more so a person who works for God will have everything they need.

12:25 And which of you, by caring, can add even one cubit to his height? Geneva:

Another reading of this passage is possible: “Which of you can add at least an hour to your life?” That is, there is no point in fussing too much about something that does not bring true benefit to a person, that cannot prolong his life, but life is the most valuable acquisition of all possible acquisitions of this century.

12:26 So, if you can’t do even the slightest thing, why are you worrying about the rest?

That is, if a person cannot do even the smallest things for himself without the help of God, then what is the point of trying to work on great achievements without God? Jesus brings to mind that if you are with God and, first of all, begin to work for Him, then He Himself will take care of both small and great things for you. And if not, then no matter how much you acquire, you will not gain anything in the end: everything will go to dust.

12:27,28 Look at the lilies, how they grow: they do not toil, they do not spin; but I tell you that Solomon in all his glory did not dress like any of them. 28 But if God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and thrown into the oven tomorrow, how much more so than you, O you of little faith!

As for Christians’ concerns about clothing, using the example of the lily, which is short-lived and of little importance for God’s benefit, Jesus showed how good God’s creations are in this: even King Solomon could not achieve what God’s creation, the lily, has.

The same applies to man: if he works to become God’s creation with all His spiritual qualities, and not to accumulate material things for himself and only receive pleasure for himself personally, then he will certainly have everything. the most necessary things he may need to live in this century.

12:29
So, do not look for what to eat or what to drink, and do not worry, a Christian does not need to devote his life to acquisitiveness and filling “bins”, worrying too much about supplies for the future: if God gives the day, he will give and come up with, how to get the most necessary things in it.
And if we don’t live to see tomorrow, then the problem of hunger will not arise. 12:30 For all these things the people of this world seek;

The path of accumulating material wealth is the path of all people of this world who are far from God and understanding the meaning of true life. There is no one else to take care of them, so they are satisfied solely from their own efforts.

but your Father knows that you have need;

And worshipers of God have a faithful helper, therefore, with less effort compared to pagans, Christians will enjoy life much more than pagans, even if they have little: their joy does not come from the thickness of the “bag” and not from the size of the “bins” depends, but on a good relationship with God.

12:31
Seek above all the kingdom of God, and all these things will be added to you. Therefore, if a Christian is worried about God’s things, then God has the opportunity to add to these Christian worries the rest of what is necessary (if a Christian has “God’s purse,” then He will find what to put in the “purse”).
And if a Christian is not concerned about God’s things, then God simply has NOTHING to add the rest for him, even if He wanted: there is no “God’s bag”, where should He “put” the rest? Acquire and do not lose God’s “purse”: acquire spiritual treasures, to which God will add material ones. 12:32 Fear not, little flock! for your Father has been pleased to give you the Kingdom.

What comes to mind is Daniel's prophetic promise to the saints of God:
and... will... oppress the saints of the Most High;... 27 And a kingdom and dominion and royal majesty in all the heavenly places will be given to the people of the saints of the Most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all rulers will serve and obey Him
(Dan.7:25-27)

Jesus said that all this was promised for the little flock. This means that the “little flock” and the “saints of the Most High” are one and the same group of people. Who are they? The Bible calls saints only the resurrected co-rulers of Christ, participants in the FIRST resurrection: Blessed and HOLY is he who has part in the first resurrection: the second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years.

(Rev. 20:6)

It turns out that when speaking about the “little flock,” Jesus is talking about his future co-rulers - while they are still living on earth. Who will be among them? Christians who are faithful in everything, like the Apostle Paul, for example, who have the hope of reigning with Christ in heaven (Rom. 8:17, Phil. 3:20)

But Christ has another group - “other sheep”, not only the small flock ( see analysis

John 10:16)

12:33 Sell your goods and give alms. Jesus' appeal to the small flock with the offer to sell their possessions and distribute them to the poor in the form of alms. Note that Jesus does not suggest that they exchange their property for money and then, for example, give it to the bank at interest. But he proposes to completely get rid of his estates, completely distributing them to the poor. Why?

Jesus makes it clear to his future co-rulers that the main thing in their lives should now be the desire to acquire everything that is possible for God, and to devote their lives to expanding God’s possessions, and not their own. If you have your own property, then worrying about it will lead the disciples of Christ away from the main goal and distract them from completing the main task.

The acquisition for God is living people who want to serve God, and they will not be worn out by moth, and rust will not distort them, if God accepts them from the hands of Christians - into His own as a true treasure: Prepare for yourselves vaginas that do not wear out, a treasure that does not fail in heaven, where the thief does not approach and where the moth does not eat,

12:34
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. If we paraphrase Jesus’ question and try to determine where our heart is (what we strive for, what we are interested in, what we do every day), then we will easily find out WHERE our treasures are, what is valuable to us and what is of secondary importance.
Here we are not talking about the fact that, besides God, there can be no more values ​​in life for us, no: after all, in our hearts there is also a place for brothers and sisters, for relatives and friends, as well as for all distant ones, no matter who The Lord will call, our heart contains many “values”. The point here is that a close relationship with God is the most important value for a Christian, giving him the opportunity to acquire all the other treasures given by God.

12:35
Let your loins be girded and your lamps burning. The lamps of the members of the small flock should not go out for a moment, and their loins should be girded: “combat” readiness “number one” is for the spiritual warrior of the Lord.
The anointed one of God is always on the alert, he is always vigilant over God’s things, for he has renounced his own, and therefore at any moment he is ready to go where the Lord may need him. And there are no such earthly “fetters” and attachments that could prevent him from fulfilling the will of the Lord at the first request and for the rest of his life. 12:36 The parable of the watchful servants waiting for their master from marriage: And you be like men who wait for their master to return from marriage, so that when he comes and knocks, you may immediately open the door to him.

Disciples of Christ must live in a state of waiting for their master. This means that they do not have the right to sleep through the signs of their master’s approach and his “knock” on the door. Why?

12:37 Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, finds awake; Truly I tell you, he will gird himself and make them sit down, and he will come and serve them.

Jesus calls such servants blessed, for they will be able to open the door to their master, and he will be able to come in to them, and it will be with them:
Behold, I stand at the door and knock: if anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he is with Me.
(Rev. 3:20)

That is, Jesus warns his disciples that he can help (serve for good) only those of his “servants” on earth who do not lose sight of him at any time, who do not close their eyes and are spiritually awake, being in fulfillment the will of God without being distracted by your personal needs. What is the advantage of a GROUP of waiting servants over single Christians? Because they have the opportunity to stay awake together and organize the mode of waiting for Christ in such a way that they at least take turns in being awake. This is why God established ASSEMBLY for his worshipers (Heb. 10:25)

12:38 And if he comes in the second watch, and in the third watch, and finds them like this, then blessed are those servants.

Jesus shows that the master's waiting regime is not limited to a certain time period: the servants must wait for him all night long, for you never know when the master decides to return home. He has the right to manage his time in his own way, and their duties include waiting for the master and letting him into the house. Here Jesus, by allegory, makes it clear that the time of his return to earth will not be known to anyone, therefore the main quality of Christ’s servants (members of the small flock) should be spiritual wakefulness over the truth of God and the fulfillment of His will.

12:39 You know that IF the owner of the house knew what time the thief would come, he would have been awake and would not have allowed his house to be broken into.

If the owner knew for sure that a thief planned to rob his house, he would make titanic efforts to fight sleep in order to protect his house from looting. But, as a rule, the thief does not report the date of the robbery, which is why it sometimes happens that the owner wakes up in the morning, and his wealth has evaporated.

In order for Christ’s disciples not to oversleep his second coming (he will come, unexpectedly, like a thief), they will have to make the same titanic efforts to stay awake - every day, they will have to LIVE in standby mode so as not to miss Christ, for they know for sure. That someday he will certainly come.

It’s interesting to think: let’s say someone guessed right, and was awake just at the time of the Master’s arrival, and the rest of the time he slept (got about his personal affairs). You could say he was just lucky. And the other was awake all the time, but at the moment of His arrival, he dozed off and missed the coming of Christ. Will the first have an advantage over the second? It’s unlikely: neither one nor the other fulfilled Christ’s command to stay awake throughout the entire period of Christ’s absence.

In order to hope for the approval of Christ, you need to become awake in your inner essence: to love the path of Christ and make this very path YOUR way of life. Then we will not oversleep (we will be approved by Christ), even if we do not wait for his second coming during our lifetime (we will die before his return).

12:40 Be ready, too, for at an hour you do not think, the Son of Man will come.

It is precisely
this thought - about the surprise of his coming for Christians and about the need to stay awake CONSTANTLY and throughout his life - that Jesus emphasized here.
It is not God's intention to announce a specific date for the second coming of Christ, so the "switch" of waiting for Christ should not be turned off for a second in the life of a Christian. A Christian cannot afford to relax for a moment and “sit on the sidelines” of the path to God for a break, getting carried away by things that are not God’s or wasting time. For, just at this moment, Christ may appear, and we are on the sidelines, outside of his field of vision and interest, since he will notice and approve only of those walking along the path to God. 12:41
Then Peter said to Him: Lord! Are you speaking this parable to us, or to everyone? The disciples did not seem to understand to whom did the need to watch every second in anticipation of Christ apply - only to the members of the small flock or in general to the entire Jewish people who had gathered to listen to Christ ( compare 12:1
)?

12:42 The Lord said: Who is the faithful and prudent steward, whom the master appointed over his servants to distribute to them in due season a measure of bread?

Instead of answering Peter, Jesus continued the idea that during his absence the master always has at his disposal a watchful steward who monitors the timely progress of affairs in the master’s estate. The duties of the housekeeper include ensuring that all the servants on the master’s estate can refresh themselves in time to be able to perform their service properly. That is, the standby mode for the servants of a master who has gone to marriage does not look like just incessant observation through the window. But while waiting for the master, each servant must attend to his duties in the master’s estate, and the chief steward over them must ensure that the general work is carried out and everyone is fed on time for this.

If we consider that with this parable Jesus showed the proper state of things on earth (in the estate of Christ) after his departure for marriage (in anticipation of the heavenly marriage with the spiritual bride, with his co-rulers), then Christians must understand that for the entire period of their absence - the earth Jesus will not be left unattended, there will always be someone to look after God's interests on earth.

12:43 Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, finds doing this.

There are many on earth now who distribute spiritual food (hence the great variety of religions), and each of them is a “slave,” regardless of whether he considers himself a “slave” or not.
But not every “breadwinner” is a servant of Christ and serves him. The final assessment of each “breadwinner” will be given by the Master during his second coming, that is, when he appears with an inspection of all “slaves”-breadwinners before Armageddon. And his assessment will depend on the quality of the food, and on how timely the “breadwinner” fed, and on what example he showed with his lifestyle, whether he could say, like, for example, Paul: “ imitate me, as I did.” Christ
" or not (1 Cor. 4:16)

The housekeeper who, by the time the master returns, will be actively involved in the preservation and well-being of all employees in the master’s house will be especially noted:

12:44 Truly I say to you, he will put him over all his possessions.

Jesus only now told Peter that he was telling this parable to those who were closest to him - the members of the small flock.
The rest he later told not only to them, but to all the people - 12:54.
That is, those anointed Christians who will find themselves on earth as God's stewards at the time of the second coming of Christ, and who will conscientiously carry out their service as a watchful and caring servant of the master, feeding with spiritual bread all who serve in the master's house, according to Jesus will become a steward over all the master's property, not only over his household.

Here we are talking about those who will be entrusted with the government of the earth as assistants to Christ and his heavenly co-rulers. If they have coped with the small task, with the correct spiritual organization of the master’s house, then they will also cope with the big task: with the management of the ENTIRE estate, when not only believers (“household”), but also unbelievers will be resurrected to life, for he who is faithful in small things is faithful and in many ways.

12:45 If that servant says in his heart: My master will not come soon, and begins to beat his servants and maidservants, and eat and drink and get drunk, Not all the slaves who serve Christ, as they think, will turn out to be faithful and prudent in his eyes. moment of Armageddon. The signs of a slave's stupidity are the simplest: he does not care at all about people, but cares personally about himself and his pleasures. And he extracts self-interest from the “duty” of the slave, and does not serve the sheep of God living in his house.

12:46 then the master of that servant will come on a day on which he does not expect, and at an hour on which he does not think, and will cut him in pieces, and subject him to the same fate as the infidels.

All slaves who considered themselves servants of Christ, but during the test in reality and in fact did not turn out to be such - the fate is the same as the fate of those “spared” for death at Armageddon (2 Peter 2:9)

12:47 The servant who knew the will of his master, and was not ready, and did not do according to his will, will be beaten a lot;

here - about those slaves who believed that they served Christ and worshiped God correctly, that is, about the "slaves" of true Christians: he should have known how to act correctly in the House of God

12:48 but whoever did not know and did something worthy of punishment will receive less punishment.

Here we are talking about all the other spiritual “breadwinners” who do not know how to properly worship God. Why they didn’t know - they couldn’t figure it out or didn’t want to - God himself will determine. For those who do not know, there will be less demand, but there will be demand, since ignorance does not relieve one from responsibility before God.

And from everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required, and to whom much has been entrusted, from him more will be required.

But the one who knows, the anointed one of God, will be asked in full for the fact that, knowing how correctly, he did not fulfill the will of God or did it carelessly, carelessly spending his life in pursuit of personal gain: after
all, it is one thing when someone does not I was able to figure out how to act correctly and fulfill the will of God.
And it’s a completely different matter when someone who has figured it out doesn’t want to do it. The demand from knowledgeable and ignorant “breadwinners” will be different, and for the same offenses, the demand from the anointed will be much higher than from the non-anointed. Just as the demand differs from, for example, a seven-year-old child and from a thirty-year-old child. 12:49 I have come to bring down fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!

It can also be understood as a prediction of fiery flames at the future Pentecost, but, judging by the context, Jesus still spoke here about the symbolic fire of the “ignition” of the passions of humanity regarding the acceptance or rejection of Jesus Christ: after his departure from this world, humanity should seethe, bubble up like the mouth of a volcano, splashing out your attitude towards God’s way of life.

12:50
I must be baptized with baptism; and how I languish until this is accomplished! Jesus talks about his death and resurrection, what is the meaning of the word “baptism” (immersion in water - death, emerging - resurrection to new life). The desire to quickly fulfill the will of God and complete one’s race is the strongest incentive for action.
However, even the right desire for God, but at the wrong time, can bring the wrong fruit. Christ clearly knew and understood this, and spoke directly about his experiences and fatigue from the regime of waiting for his death. As a man of flesh, he would like everything to end for him as soon as possible and he would fulfill his sacrificial mission. But as the son of God, Christ had perfect control of his spirit and knew how to wait for HIS hour, without rushing things. And God did not condemn him for this momentary desire to prematurely begin what he came to earth for: desires come and go, swarming in human heads like bees over a hive. However, for God’s servant it is important to drive away the desire of the flesh in time and act in accordance with the spirit of God, with how to do the right thing, “ not as I want, Father, but as You want.”

12:51 Do you think that I came to give peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but division;

The peacemaking mission of Jesus Christ was not to reconcile people among themselves, but to reconcile people with God (Rom. 5:10). People, on the contrary, will fight among themselves on the basis of DIFFERENT attitudes towards Christ: those who do not accept Christ will hate the followers of Christ.

12:52,53 for from now on five in one house will be divided, three against two, and two against three: 53 the father will be against the son, and the son against the father; mother against daughter, and daughter against mother; mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law, and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.

Where did the division first occur, brought about by the appearance of Christ and begun to some extent by John the Baptist?
In God's people. Note that Jesus came to God's people, that is, to the Jews. But even in the same family, in the closest and dearest circle of people who have the same religion, such serious disagreements can arise on the basis of different attitudes towards Christ that even the strongest ties of family love cannot extinguish them. And if families begin to “fight” because of Christ, then one can imagine what will happen in larger “families” - in any groups.
The fire that purifies humanity shows that any groups, simply by reaction to the gospel of the redemption of Christ, will be divided into the righteous and the wicked, into those who have accepted the path of God’s righteousness for themselves and those who reject it.

12:54-57 He also said to the people: when you see a cloud rising from the west, immediately say: it will rain, and so it happens; 55 And when the south wind blows, say: There will be heat, and it does happen. 56 Hypocrites! You know how to recognize the face of the earth and the sky, how can you not recognize this time? 57 Why don’t you judge for yourselves what should happen?

Now Jesus turned to all the people and immediately went on the “offensive”, because his time was running out, there was no time to stand on ceremony, Jesus was in a hurry to help the people see the essence of the absurdity of their attitude towards God and His messenger: after all, it’s absurd to be able to determine by signs the approach of natural elements, but do not want to determine the approach of spiritual elements by signs from Scripture and the works of Christ.

Why, however, did Jesus call such one-sided seers hypocrites? Because HE WHO CAN SEE THE SIGNS OF THE NATURAL ELEMENTS CANNOT NOT SEE the obvious signs of God's power - healing and revival carried out by Christ, for he has sight.

And if he doesn’t see it, it turns out he just doesn’t WANT to see it, it’s not profitable. A hypocrite differs precisely from a sincere child in that he sees and perceives only what is convenient and beneficial for him to see for his personal interests. And children (sincere and inexperienced Christians in evil) see reality as it is, without agreeing with their vision on whether it is beneficial for them to see this reality or not. Children do not take self-interest out of their sight. And hypocrites manage to extract self-interest even from the organs of vision and hearing.

12:58,59 When you go with your rival to the authorities, then on the road try to free yourself from him, so that he does not bring you to the judge, and the judge does not hand you over to the torturer, and the torturer does not throw you into prison; 59 I tell you: you won’t leave there until you give back your last half. .

In Kuznetsova’s translation, these verses sound like this: 57 Why can’t you decide for yourself what is right for you? 58 For when you go to court with a plaintiff, you had better make every effort to make peace with him along the way, otherwise he will take you to the judge, and the judge will hand you over to the jailer, and the jailer will throw you into prison.

Jesus wants to show them that with logical reasoning, all participants in any conflict are able to see the right solution for themselves. If you are guilty of anything, you should not hold out until you are forcibly dragged to court and someone wants to testify against you in court. But you should try to correct your mistakes and settle the matter peacefully, without waiting for the court to force you not only to do the right thing, but also to punish you: it may be too late to resolve the conflict. This is the sense in which you need to free yourself from your opponent if the matter takes such a turn that it could end up in court.

How is this example useful? All people throughout their lives are, as it were, on a journey to God’s judgment. And if on the way to the literal court a person, reflecting on his crime, tries to settle his disputes with the one to whom he is guilty of something or to whom he owes something and reconciles with him, then the same should be done in his relationship with God : You need to try to make peace with Him BEFORE the judgment begins.

Interpretation of the Gospel of Luke 12

Old Testament

New Testament

Gospel of Luke

Books of the Bible:

• Gospel of Matthew
• Gospel of Mark
• Gospel of Luke
• Gospel of John
• Acts of the Apostles
• Epistle of James
• 1 Peter
• 2 Peter

• 1 John
• 2 John
• 3 John
• Epistle of Jude
• Romans
• 1 Corinthians
• 2 Corinthians
• Epistle to the Galatians

• Epistle to the Ephesians
• Epistle to the Philippians
• Epistle to the Colossians
• 1 Thessalonians
• 2 Thessalonians
• 1 Timothy
• 2 Timothy
• Epistle to Titus

• Epistle to Philemon
• Hebrews
• Revelation of John

Chapter 12
Introduction

12

1. INSTRUCTIONS GIVEN TO A Narrow CIRCLE OF DISCIPLES (12:1-53)

A. Jesus Calls His Witnesses to Fearlessness (12:1-12)

Onion. 12:1-3

. First of all, the Lord points out that it is simply unreasonable to be a hypocrite, since sooner or later everything secret will become clear (compare 8:17). So, disciples should always remain open and straightforward and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, that is, when teaching, do not fall, like them, into hypocrisy. In the Scriptures, “leaven” often symbolizes evil (compare Mark 8:15).

Onion. 12:4-12

. (Matt. 10:28-31). Jesus calls His disciples, calling them friends, to be fearless (12:4,7; compare verse 32), remembering that God always cares for them. Therefore, they need to fear not people who can kill only the body (11:48-50), but God, who has the power to cast into hell. For nothing can be hidden from Him (verses 2-3).

He knows “everyone” and “everything,” and even the small birds are not forgotten by Him. However, those who follow His truth are incomparably more valuable in His eyes than the small birds, which are sold at five for two assarii (a copper Roman coin that was about a sixteenth of a denarius - the average daily wage of a worker. The word "assarion" is found only here and in Matt. 10:29). Taking care of even such small birds, God takes even more care of His children, knowing even how many hairs each of them has on their heads.

The point of verses 8-10 is that the disciples must make a choice. Whoever confesses Me before men (implied as the Messiah) will thereby take the path of salvation. Those who do not do this will deprive themselves of access to salvation. Next, Christ warns against blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, which cannot be forgiven.

In Matthew (Matthew 12:32), Jesus connects this with the activities of the scribes and Pharisees who rejected Him. Perhaps Jesus meant that the Holy Spirit testifies to them about Him as the Messiah, and by rejecting the testimony of the Spirit, they insult Him and thereby reject the only way of salvation offered by God Himself. (In a historical context, the teachers of the Law can be contrasted with the brothers of Jesus, who at first also did not accept Him (John 7:5), but then believed (Acts 1:14) and, of course, received forgiveness, although at one time they “spoke against Son of Man.")

Christ further warns the disciples (12:11-12) that when they are brought before the principalities and powers for preaching the Gospel (Acts 4:1-21), the Holy Spirit Himself will teach them at that hour what they should say. He will be their constant assistant.

b. Jesus on the sin of greed (12:13-21)

Onion. 12:13-21

. Here the Lord warns against covetousness, emphasizing that a person’s life does not depend on the abundance of his possessions. In confirmation, He cites the parable of a rich man who set out to build more spacious granaries than he had before, for the rich harvest gathered in his field. He proceeded from the fact that now an “easy life” awaits him - after all, he has everything in abundance.

But God, responding to his thoughts, called this man crazy, because he did not know that not only his days, but also his hours were already numbered (this night your soul will be taken from you. And all the wealth he has accumulated will go to someone else. This happens with those,” Jesus concluded, “who... are not rich in God (compare 1 Tim. 6:6-10; James 1:10) Luke will return to this topic in chapter 16.

V. Jesus - about the futility of worldly worries (12:22-34) (Matt. 6:25-34)

This theme reaches its climax in verse 31, where Jesus calls the disciples to seek first the kingdom of God. “On the way” He expresses three things regarding the worries of life.

Onion. 12:22-24

. The meaning of these verses is that it is unwise to indulge in worries about material wealth, first of all, because the soul and body of a person are more than food and ... clothing (compare verse 15); By comparison, Jesus again attracts birds (compare verses 6-7), this time ravens: if God feeds them, how much more will He provide for His children.

Onion. 12:25-28

. It is also unreasonable to worry about “material things” because at the cost of these worries, little can be changed in life. In this regard, Jesus again draws the disciples’ attention to the sphere of God’s creation, about which the Heavenly Father constantly cares (to the lilies, which He “dressed” in the same way that King Solomon... did not dress).

Onion. 12:29-31

. In conclusion, Jesus says that excessive passion for the “worldly” and “material” (it was the “enthusiasm” for all this, and not the natural human concerns about daily bread that the Lord had in mind - ed.) is inherent in the people of this world who do not have God. They are enslaved by material things, not knowing the highest value of spiritual life. Those who strive for the spiritual (seek the Kingdom of God) receive from God everything they need “materially.”

Onion. 12:32-34

. Jesus repeats His call to the disciples to “not be afraid” (compare verses 4:7). He compares them to a small flock; they really seemed to represent a small defenseless group. But the Heavenly Father, Jesus reminds, was pleased to give them...the Kingdom.

Sell ​​your possessions and give alms (Luke returns to this theme again in chapters 16 and 19). The early Christian Church did just that (Acts 2:44-45; 4:32-37). The meaning of this call of the Lord is that those who have earthly treasures are attached to them both in their thoughts and in their hearts. And Christians need to “prepare” for themselves an unfailing treasure in heaven, which cannot be destroyed by moths and cannot be stolen by a thief. This means “to grow rich in God” (verse 21) and, as a consequence of this, not to burden oneself with “the cares of this life.”

d. Jesus' Teaching on “Constant Readiness” (12:35-48) (Matt. 24:45-51)

Christ gives two parables (35-40 and 42-48), which are “united” by Peter’s question (verse 41). The second parable continues the first and explains it.

Onion. 12:35-40

. “Girded loins” and “burning lamps” (verse 35) are symbols of readiness. Followers of Christ must always be in a state of readiness, for at an hour when you think not, the Son of Man is coming (verse 40). The parable describes a scene of servants waiting for their master to return from a wedding feast. The idea here is that whenever he “knocks,” they should be ready to open the door to him. And if the master finds them awake (verse 37), then he himself will show the servants no less attention than they do to him. Blessed are those servants, for the Messiah will “serve” His faithful and reward those who have “watched.”

The allegory about the “thief” contains the same idea: followers of Christ must be prepared for the unexpected coming of the Son of Man.

Onion. 12:41

. Peter's question prompts Jesus to tell the next parable to develop and explain the first.

Onion. 12:42-48

. A direct answer to Peter’s question: are you speaking this parable to us, or to everyone? - The Lord did not give it. However, from His words it can be concluded that He was primarily addressing those who were in authority over Israel at that time. The religious leaders of the people were called upon to guide them graciously and “prudently” in anticipation of the coming of the Messiah. But they did not fulfill the task assigned to them and did not “keep watch” in anticipation of the Kingdom. (It should not be surprising that Matthew, in telling the same parable (Matt. 24:45-51), mentions “a servant set over others,” since stewards in the east were often appointed from among slaves. - Ed.)

Allowing for a more expansive interpretation, we can assume that in the second parable the Lord meant all the “slaves” who know the will of “their master”, but boldly and stubbornly do not fulfill it. Such “believers” will be subjected to the same fate as the infidels (i.e., non-believers).

Christ says that this “fate” will be more severe than the fate of those who did things worthy of punishment out of ignorance (i.e., not knowing about the coming coming of the Son of Man - verse 48a).

Those who knew the revelations of God perfectly well, but lived as if they did not believe them, will be exacted more. (In broad terms, this may refer to those to whom God has given special spiritual and other advantages (to whom much has been given... to whom much has been entrusted), and who have not used them for His work. - Ed.).

d. Christ - that His disciples will not find understanding in the world (12:49-53) (Matt. 10:34-36)

Onion. 12:49-53

. To be a disciple of Christ means sometimes not to meet understanding in your own family. In this sense, He says that He came not to give peace to the earth... but division: after all, some will accept His teaching, and others will reject it. He likens his teaching to a “consuming fire” (I have come to bring down fire on the earth... - verse 49). Jesus ardently desired that His work should be carried out in this world in all its power, and how He desired that it should already be on fire!).

His life and death will be the basis of His judgment on Israel. And this judgment, like fire, will purify the people of Israel. By the baptism with which to be baptized, Jesus undoubtedly meant His suffering and death on the cross of Calvary (and how I languish until this is accomplished!).

Note that the “division” in families that Christ speaks of in verse 51 continues to this day. Jews who believe in Christ are subject to special “ostracism” from their relatives and friends. But anyone who wants to be His follower must accept this too.

2. JESUS' INSTRUCTIONS TO THE PEOPLE (12:54 - 13:21)

After giving instructions to a small circle of disciples, Jesus now addresses the people. This section reflects six events in which the main role is played by the people and the crowd. Jesus now focuses his attention on them.

A. Doctrine of Signs (12:54-56) (Matt. 16:2-3)

Onion. 12:54-56

. He reproaches the people for their inability or unwillingness to understand what they see. While they witnessed His ministry, these people were unable to realize that He was the Messiah they had been promised. While they easily recognize the signs of nature (a cloud in the west... the wind from the south), in other words, they know how to recognize the face of the earth and sky, they refuse to understand spiritual signs. That is why they “will not recognize” Him in their midst and at this time, when He came to offer them the Kingdom. They do not recognize and reject Him and His Kingdom.

b. Comparison with judicial litigation (12:57-59)

Onion. 12:57-59

. Using the example of a “life situation,” Jesus here speaks about the importance of reconciliation with God. After all, even in the face of a threat emanating from an “earthly judge,” it is better to try to reconcile with your rival at least at the last moment - otherwise you can fall into the hands of a bailiff collecting debts, who will throw the “debtor” into prison, from where he will not come out until won't give away even the last half-ruble.

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Interpretation of the Gospel of Luke

Luke 12:51. Do you think that I came to give peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but division;

Christ “is our peace” (Eph. 2:14), but he says: “he did not come to give peace.” This means His words are mysterious. So, we say that not every world is blameless and good, but it is often dangerous and removes us from Divine love, for example, when we make peace and agreement to refute the truth. Christ did not come to give such peace, but, on the contrary, wants us to be divided against each other because of goodness, which is what happened during the persecution. For in one house the pagan father was divided against the believing son, and the mother against the daughter, and vice versa.

Luke 12:52. for from now on five in one house will be divided, three against two, and two against three: Luke 12:53. the father will be against the son, and the son against the father; mother against daughter, and daughter against mother; mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law, and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.

How did He say that “five in one house will be divided,” and when counting He mentioned “six” persons? We answer: one person is taken twice, namely: daughter and daughter-in-law are one and the same person. In relation to her mother she is called a daughter, and in relation to her mother-in-law she is called a daughter-in-law. So, “three” - father, mother and mother-in-law - will become divided “against two” - son and daughter. For the daughter, as we said, being one person, but accepting a double relationship, namely: in relation to the mother and to the mother-in-law, therefore appears to be two persons.

By father and mother and mother-in-law, perhaps, we mean simply everything that is old, and by son and daughter, everything that is new. In this case, the Lord wants His new Divine commandments and teachings to overcome all our old ones - sinful morals and teachings.

Understand this too. The father is the mind, and the son is the intellect. Between them in a single house, that is, in a person, there was a division. I'll say it more clearly. The mind of Dionysius the Areopagate was illuminated and accepted the sermon. But his mind, which accepted faith without evidence, was opposed by the pagan mind, trying to prove and forcing him to follow dialectical methods. Do you see the division between father and son, fighting against each other for the sake of Christ and the preaching? You can call a mother and mother-in-law a thought, and a daughter and daughter-in-law a feeling. And between them there is a struggle for the sake of Christ. Thought has enmity against feeling, when thought convinces one to honor the imperishable over the transitory, the invisible over the visible, and has many strong proofs for this. It happens that from the side of feeling the struggle is directed against thought. For the feeling, guided in faith by miracles and visible signs, is not convinced by the arguments of thought, and does not want to follow pagan evidence, which encourages those who listen to them not to believe that God became man or that the Virgin gave birth. So crazy are the conclusions of the pagans who idolize nature. Meanwhile, feeling through visible miracles leads to knowledge of God better than any proof. So, not all peace and harmony are good, but it happens that enmity and division seem to some to be a divine matter. Therefore, let no one be in friendship with the evil ones, but at least the father and mother turned out to be opponents of the Law of Christ, and one must be at enmity with them, as enemies of the truth.