Written ~ 03-18-2024
Read Luke Chapter Twelve
Luke 12
Our entire chapter today is full of solid teaching from Jesus. It is up to each of us to read these words and really contemplate how they should be applied to our daily lives. For this Bible Study let’s break down verses 12:1-5…
Luke 12:1,
1 Meanwhile, the crowds grew until thousands were milling about and stepping on each other. Jesus turned first to His disciples and warned them,
“Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees – their hypocrisy.”
Even though Luke points out that there is a very large crowd surrounding Jesus and the disciples, it says in verse 12:1b, “…Jesus turned to His disciples first…” He doesn’t begin speaking to the crowd until we get down to verse 12:13.
So let’s listen to what Jesus is trying to instill into the hearts and minds of His disciples… and to us…
In warning to them, Jesus says in verse 12:1c,
“Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees – their hypocrisy.”
Think about the purpose of yeast. The most familiar function would be to put a little bit in bread dough to help it rise. But in this instance, Jesus is not talking about bread.
In the Kingdom of God, we as believers, spread the Good News of Jesus Christ, right? With the light of Jesus shining through us it permeates our entire lives and shines on everything we do. Just like yeast in a batch of dough, even a very small amount permeates the entire measure of flour and spreads very quickly (see Luke 13:20-21).
Same can happen with the “yeast” of the Pharisees, their hypocrisy or insincerity and false teaching spread very quickly as well, turning many away from the Lord. In Galatians 5:9-10a it says,
9 “This false teaching is like a little yeast that spreads through the whole batch of dough! 10a I am trusting the Lord to keep you from believing false teachings…”
This warning from Jesus should open our eyes and ears to the things we allow ourselves to get caught up in. What if we want to believe something is true, but it does not fall inline with what Scripture says, that “yeast” needs to be expelled immediately and be switched out with the “yeast” of God’s Word. As you go about your day, intentionally examine the things you listen to and the things you watch, compare those things to what you know about God’s Word. Are you allowing the “yeast” of false teachings or a negative attitude permeate your heart? Or do you make sure that what you fill your heart and mind with is pure and the permeation of its “yeast” yields to the production of Holy Spirit filled actions in your life?
Now let’s look at verses 12:2-3,
2 “The time is coming when everything that is covered up will be revealed, and all that is secret will be made known to all. 3 Whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered behind closed doors will be shouted from the housetops for all to hear!”
As believers, we carry the name of Jesus, we are Christians. What if we thought that how we behave on the outside was a good enough testimony to prove Christ lives within us? Does it make sense to you that believing our outward behavior is good enough is actually contrary to what verses 2-3 tell us? We may think we are fooling everyone by keeping our secrets locked away and that somehow those dark secrets won’t show up in our actions. Jesus is telling us that eventually all secrets will be revealed. You may think that a little gossip behind closed doors doesn’t hurt anyone, or secrets and lies don’t have any effect on anyone else when told under the cover of darkness. Well, Jesus is very upfront in letting us know, that everything we try to hide in our hearts will someday be exposed by the Light of His Word. We are to be the example of Christ living within us, we need to expect that in the world we live in today, our lives will be put under a different type of scrutiny, a magnifier will be placed on our actions. And with that kind of scrutiny it could bring persecution and ridicule. Do you want what you have said behind closed doors to be shouted from the rooftops for all to hear? If you don’t, that should be a huge indicator that it’s time to clear out the secrets, the whispers and seek to only hide God’s Word in your heart.
Jesus continues speaking to the disciples in verse 12:4, He starts out with, “Dear friends…” This indicates a compassionate, caring relationship with His disciples. He’s drawing them in, even though some of the things He needs to share will be difficult to hear, He wants them to know that He loves them deeply. The next few verses are extremely important for all of us to hear and understand…
Verses 12:4-5,
4 “Dear friends, don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot do any more to you after that. 5 But I’ll tell you whom to fear. Fear God, who has the power to kill you and then throw you into hell. Yes, He’s the one to fear.
In the New Living Translation, these verses can seem a little harsh. But essentially what it communicates is the power that man has over us and the power that God has over us…
Look at these same verses in The Message Version, see if it helps clarify the meaning of what Jesus is saying here…
4-5 “I’m speaking to you as dear friends. Don’t be bluffed into silence or insincerity by the threats of religious bullies. True, they can kill you, but then what can they do?
There’s nothing they can do to your soul, your core being. Save your fear for God, who holds your entire life—body and soul—in His Hands.”
We are not to live in fear of man. If we are living our lives with Christ by our sides and our actions and message reflect the truth of the Scriptures, there will be those who do not like what we represent. But even if the goal of their persecution leads to death, we are nestled in the full grasp of the Almighty God.
If we are not to fear man, why, then, are we to fear God? The Scriptures have given us the commands of the Lord. These are not just vague suggestions to live by and we cannot just pick and choose which to obey and which to ignore. The commands found in the Word of God are what God calls every human to know and to follow with accuracy. They are not to be placed in a gray area, but to be followed with black and white correctness.
To be saved we are to call upon the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, to accept and believe He is the Son of God. We are to acknowledge His death on the cross as the means to cover our sins with the shedding of His blood. We are to understand that by Christ rising from the dead gives us victory over death. None of these facts have a wishy washy explanation and none of these truths can be omitted. To gain the free gift of Salvation each part of who Jesus Christ is and what He has done for us must be accepted. If we decide not to accept what the Scriptures reveal to us about Christ and refuse Salvation, if we throw away our chance to obtain eternal life, we should fear God! It is very clear what will happen… verse 12:5 says, 5 “But I’ll tell you whom to fear. Fear God, who has the power to kill you and then throw you into hell. Yes, He’s the one to fear.”
Jesus goes on to say in verses 12:8-9,
8 “I tell you the truth, everyone who acknowledges Me publicly here on earth, the Son of Man will also acknowledge in the presence of God’s angels. 9 But anyone who denies Me here on earth will be denied before God’s angels.”
So let’s open our eyes, open our ears, prepare our hearts and minds for the things we learn in these precious Holy Scriptures, these are the powerful Words of God! Will you be the one to publicly acknowledge Christ while here on earth? No matter what persecution comes your way? Or will you be the one who publicly denies Christ?
Either way, each of us will stand before the Throne of the Almighty God on judgement day ( Revelation 20:11-15). It also says in John 12:48,
“…all who reject me and my message will be judged on the day of judgment by the truth I have spoken….”
Either you acknowledge and accept what you have read and learned from the Scriptures or you deny and refuse the invitation of Salvation.
You have to know me by now, if you have read any of my Bible Studies, that I want everyone who takes the time to read the Bible to understand its meaning and to have its truth permeate their entire being. Let’s stand in boldness for the message of Jesus Christ! Let’s acknowledge the Word of the Lord as the only truth to follow. Be strong, Be courageous (Joshua 1:7-9).
~AMEN~
- For further study on your own… look up the following verses and maybe write down what they mean to you and how they can be applied to your life…
- Luke 12:11b-12
- Luke 12:21
- Luke 12:25
- Luke 12:31
- Luke 12:34