Commentary on the Four Gospel Books
The Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ
G096 The Lord Jesus Instructs The Disciples – Part 1
Luke 12:1-12

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All New Testament verses quoted in this article are from the English Majority Text Version, and Old Testament verses are from the King James Version, unless otherwise noted.

Luke 12:1-12

1 Now in the meantime, as an innumerable crowd had gathered together so that they were stepping on one another, He began to say to His disciples first of all, “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.

2 For there is nothing covered that shall not be unveiled, and nothing secret that shall not be made known.

3 Therefore whatever you have spoken in the dark shall be heard in the light, and what you have spoken in the ear in behind closed doors shall be proclaimed on the housetops.

4 “And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have nothing further they can do.

5 But I will show you whom you should fear: fear Him who after He kills, has authority to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him!

6 Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins? And not one of them is forgotten before *God.

7 But the very hairs of your head have all been numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.

8 “Also I say to you, whoever confesses Me before men, him the Son of Man also will confess before the angels of *God.

9 But he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of *God.

10 And anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but to him who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven.

11 Now whenever they bring you to the synagogues and rulers and authorities, do not worry about how or what you should answer, or what you should say.

12 For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you must say.”

Luke, from chapter 12:1 to chapter 18:34, records the teachings and actions of the Lord Jesus on the east side of the Jordan River after He participated in the Dedication of the Temple at the end of the year 26. This period lasted about three months before He returned to Judea, went up to Jerusalem for the Passover in 27, and was arrested and crucified during the Passover.

In this article, we will learn together the first part of the Lord Jesus’ teachings to His disciples during that time.

Luke 12:1

1 Now in the meantime, as an innumerable crowd had gathered together so that they were stepping on one another, He began to say to His disciples first of all, “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.

The location of the events recorded in Luke chapter 12 likely took place near the village of Bethany, on the eastern bank of the Jordan River, where John the Baptist once preached and baptized many people. This village of Bethany is about 45 km from Jerusalem, which is different from the Bethany in Judea, located only about 3 km from Jerusalem.

At that time, the number of people gathering to hear the Lord Jesus preach and be healed by Him, as well as to be freed from demons, reached tens of thousands. These were not only locals but also people from all parts of the land of Canaan. Before teaching or healing and casting out demons for the crowd, the Lord Jesus privately taught His disciples many important things.

At that point, the number of disciples following Him may have reached hundreds, and many of them had never directly heard Him teach these important matters. The Lord Jesus knew that He would soon have to fulfill the atoning death for humanity, so He spent the remaining time to remind His disciples of the important teachings. The first thing He reminded them of was that they needed to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, meaning to beware of their hypocrisy.

Earlier, the Lord Jesus had already spoken about the leaven of the Pharisees, the Sadducees, and Herod, as we learned in Matthew 16:6 and Mark 8:15.

In the Bible, leaven is often used as a symbol of influence, whether good or bad. When the Lord Jesus warned about the leaven of the Pharisees, the Sadducees, and Herod, He was referring to their wrong thoughts, attitudes, and actions that could spread and negatively influence others. The leaven of the Pharisees represents hypocrisy and outward appearance. The leaven of the Sadducees symbolizes skepticism and the denial of supernatural power. The leaven of Herod signifies love for the world, compromise with the world, and political ambition.

Luke 12:2-3

2 For there is nothing covered that shall not be unveiled, and nothing secret that shall not be made known.

3 Therefore whatever you have spoken in the dark shall be heard in the light, and what you have spoken in the ear in behind closed doors shall be proclaimed on the housetops.

Next, the Lord Jesus reiterated the warning He had given, which we have learned in Matthew 10:26-27 and Mark 4:22. He spoke about the truth that will always be revealed. Even secret words will be disclosed when the time comes.

Every action done in secret, whether evil, wicked, contrary to the Word of God, or good and in line with the Word of God, will be proclaimed—either in the afterlife, on the final day of judgment, or in this life and the life to come.

Every word spoken in secret, whether a lie, slander, malice, or a good word, will be revealed—either in the afterlife, on the final day of judgment, or in this life and the life to come.

The truth is that even if secret words and deeds are not revealed in this life, on the day of judgment, every word and every action of each person will be judged. The God has a book that records every word and action of every person.

“And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and they opened the books. And another Book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged by the things having been written in the books, according to their works.” (Revelation 20:12).

Good deeds and good words can help lessen the punishment for evil actions and evil words. But they are not enough to save those who do not accept the salvation of the God from the eternal punishment for violating His commandments. The number of sins of each person is already too serious and too many.

However, God’s people will not be judged for their sins because they have accepted the atoning death of Christ. All their sins have been judged, and the punishment has been placed on the Lord Jesus Christ.

“There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set me free from the law of sin and of death.” (Romans 8:1-2).

As for the good works that God’s people do in this life, they will be rewarded by Christ accordingly. These rewards may be given in this life, or they may be given both in this life and in the life to come. What is certain is that every good deed of God’s people will be rewarded in the life to come. According to the prophecy of the Lord Jesus Himself, the good works done by God’s people in this life, also called righteous deeds, will be their glory in the life to come (Revelation 19:8).

Luke 12:4-5

4 “And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have nothing further they can do.

5 But I will show you whom you should fear: fear Him who after He kills, has authority to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him!

This is the first time that the Lord Jesus called His disciples His friends. The next time He calls them friends is recorded in John 15:14-15, on the night He was arrested.

The event where Jesus calls His disciples friends helps us understand that He transcended the relationship of Savior and sinner, teacher and student, to establish a friendship with those who love, trust, and obey Him. He viewed them as close friends, sharing everything from His Father with them. He always listens, understands, and walks with them in every circumstance. He made the greatest sacrifice a friend could make, which is to die in their place.

“Greater love has no one than this, that one should lay down his life on behalf of his friends.” (John 15:13).

In the Old Testament, the Self-Existing and Eternal One called Abraham His friend (Isaiah 41:8). Abraham became a friend of God because he obeyed His voice and kept His commandments, including His laws, regulations, and decrees (Genesis 26:5).

Today, anyone who fully trusts and obeys Christ is a friend of Christ and a friend of God, for Christ is also God.

The Lord Jesus reminded His disciples of the advice not to fear those who can only kill their physical bodies, but to fear the God who can destroy both soul and body in hell. This advice had been given earlier when He sent the 12 apostles throughout the villages and towns of Canaan to preach the Gospel, as we studied in Matthew 10:28.

All those who can kill our physical bodies cannot kill our souls. When the body is killed, the spirit and soul are separated from the body. When the soul is killed, the soul is separated from God. Only God is the one who can kill both the body and the soul. Only God is the one who can raise the body from the dead, reunite it with the soul, and endure eternal suffering in hell. This is the destruction of the body and soul in hell.

Luke 12:6-7

6 Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins? And not one of them is forgotten before *God.

7 But the very hairs of your head have all been numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.

The Lord Jesus repeated His teaching, as recorded in Matthew 10:29-31. In Matthew 10:29, the Lord Jesus said, “…two sparrows are sold for a copper coin.” Here, He says, “…five sparrows are sold for two copper coins.” This implies that when four sparrows are bought, the fifth one is given for free. Since ancient times, it has been common in trade to offer a lower price when purchasing in bulk.

We will now quote the commentary on Matthew 10:29-31 as follows:

The term “sparrow” (G4765) can refer to a sparrow or any small bird. A coin (penny) had the lowest value in currency at the time. Although the life of a sparrow was worth very little in monetary terms, not a single bird could fall to the ground without the permission of the God. The life of each person, especially the life of God’s people, is far more valuable than the life of a sparrow. If the God cares for the life of a sparrow, how much more does He care for the life of a person?

On average, red-haired people have about 90,000 hairs, black-haired people have about 100,000 hairs, brown-haired people have about 110,000 hairs, and blonde-haired people have about 150,000 hairs. The meaning of “even the hairs on your head are all numbered” is that the God knows every little detail in the life of each person. And everything that happens to each person is within the permission of the God. Therefore, God’s people should simply trust and entrust their lives into the hands of the Lord, without worrying or fearing anyone or anything. God’s people only need to be faithful, hold firm to their faith, live according to the Word of God, and complete every good work that the God has prepared for them.

We need to distinguish between the things the God allows to happen and those that occur according to His will. The will of the God is for everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. And He has given salvation and truth to humanity. Salvation comes through the atoning death of the Lord Jesus Christ. Truth comes through the Eternal Word of the God, the Bible. However, the God allows anyone to refuse to accept His salvation, to refuse to come to the truth, and to continue living in sin.

Looking at society, we see so much wickedness and injustice happening, with countless victims of these wrongs, especially innocent children. It is truly difficult for us to understand why a loving and righteous God would allow such things to happen. However, without the allowance of free choice and the freedom to act in order to express that choice, there would be no genuine expression of human faith and love toward God. The God knows who truly has faith and love for Him, but He wants both angels and humans to know this as well, through the freedom He gives them to choose and act. Above all, each of us needs to experience the freedom to choose and act, to be certain that we trust and love God above all things, even if it means paying the price with suffering in our flesh and losing our lives.

As God’s people, we are loved and protected by the God as the apple of His eye. However, when necessary, He will allow injustice, wickedness, disasters, troubles, and sicknesses to happen to us so that we may demonstrate our faith and love for Him. Let us always remember the story of Job and the heartfelt words of the Apostle Paul, which he recorded in 2 Corinthians 11:23-28.

Luke 12:8-9

8 “Also I say to you, whoever confesses Me before men, him the Son of Man also will confess before the angels of *God.

9 But he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of *God.

The Lord Jesus continued to repeat His teachings, as we have learned in Matthew 10:32-33. But in this passage, He says, “before My Father, who is in heaven,” while here He says, “before the angels of the God.” We can understand that being before the God also means being before the angels of the God, since the angels are frequently present before the God.

The phrase “before My Father, who is in heaven” emphasizes whether or not one is granted the privilege of being a child of the God. The phrase “before the angels of the God” implies whether or not one is granted the authority to rule over the inheritance of the God, which includes the governance and judgment of the angels.

We will now quote the commentary on Matthew 10:32-33 as follows:

Confessing in Christ means confessing that we belong to Christ. When Christ confesses in us, He confesses that He belongs to us. If we openly confess that we belong to Christ before men, then He will also confess that He belongs to us before the God.

However, if we deny or fail to confess that we belong to Christ before men for any reason, then He will also not confess that He belongs to us before the God.

Luke 12:10

10 And anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but to him who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven.

The Lord Jesus continues to reiterate His teaching about blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, as we learned in Matthew 12:31-32 and Mark 3:28-29.

“Speaks a word against the Son of Man” refers to speaking against, slandering, or cursing the Lord Jesus. All sins of mankind, including blasphemy against the Lord Jesus, will be forgiven if the sinner truly repents.

“Blasphemes against the Holy Spirit” refers to speaking words that claim the work of the Holy Spirit is from the power of the devil or denying that He is God. The sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit cannot be forgiven because the sinner’s heart has become hardened, and they have firmly rejected the salvation of the God, thus uttering blasphemous words against the Holy Spirit.

In the time of the Lord Jesus, many Pharisees blasphemed the Holy Spirit when they claimed that His power was the power of a demon. Today, many also blaspheme against the Holy Spirit when they deny His personhood and divinity, refusing to acknowledge Him as God.

Luke 12:11-12

11 Now whenever they bring you to the synagogues and rulers and authorities, do not worry about how or what you should answer, or what you should say.

12 For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you must say.”

The Lord Jesus repeated His teaching that we have learned in Matthew 10:19-20. Before He was arrested, He also reminded them once more, as recorded in Mark 13:11.

We would like to quote the commentary on Matthew 10:19-20 below:

There are two things that God’s people do not need to prepare beforehand when speaking. These are when preaching the Gospel and when brought before authorities because of the Gospel.

The Gospel is the most marvelous thing that happens to a person. That person does not need to prepare or be trained to speak about the Gospel. Suppose we are trapped in a burning house, and firemen rush in, rescue us, and bring us out of the sea of flames. Then, do we need to prepare or be trained to tell others how we were saved?

When brought before authorities for preaching the Gospel, it is an opportunity to preach the Gospel to them. Therefore, God’s people should take advantage of the opportunity to preach the Gospel to the authorities. Afterwards, if there are questions or accusations, the Holy Spirit will grant the wisdom to respond. In fact, it is the Holy Spirit who responds through the mouths of God’s people. Therefore, when God’s people are arrested for preaching the Gospel, they only need to pray and ask the Holy Spirit to help them preach the Gospel to the authorities and respond to their questions on their behalf.

In reality, true believers of the Lord are always granted by the Lord the understanding to know His Word and the wisdom to apply His Word in their lives. Wisdom only comes when there is understanding. Understanding only comes when there is a love for God’s Word and a zealous desire to read and meditate on His Word day and night in order to carefully follow it. A person with understanding and wisdom in the Lord is also the one who has the wisdom to do everything and behave appropriately in every circumstance.

It is very important that when we have a heart seeking to understand the Lord and His Word by reading and meditating on His Word, He grants us countless blessings. Among these blessings are material blessings, which ensure that we have enough and more than enough in our physical lives. Many people think they must dedicate time to earn a living or find ways to get rich, so they don’t have time to read and meditate on God’s Word. But in reality, when we dedicate time to read and meditate on God’s Word, He will provide us with all the material needs in our lives.

We conclude this lesson here.

May the Holy Spirit guide us into all the truths of God’s Word (John 16:13). May the Word of God sanctify us (John 17:17). May the Faithful *God of Peace Himself sanctify our spirit, soul, and body entirely, without blame (1 Thessalonians 5:23), at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, our Beloved Savior. Amen!

Timothy Christian Huynh
Priscilla Christian Huynh
01/25/2025

Note:

About Using “*God”, “the God” and “holy spirit”

Wherever the Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek texts of the Bible use a definite article with a noun to denote GOD, we translate it into English as *God or “the God” to refer to God the Father. We understand that “God,” without a definite article, was used as a collective noun for all and any of the three Persons of the Godhead. And “God,” with a definite article, was used to refer to God the Father.

In the Greek manuscripts of the New Testament, the term “holy spirit” (πνευματι αγιω) without the definite article “the” (το) is used to denote the power of God, which is given by God the Holy Spirit. “The Holy Spirit” (το πνευματι το αγιω) is God, and “holy spirit” (πνευματι αγιω) is the power that comes from God.