A Word to the Wise
Luke 12:32-40
Tony’s Overview Video
How to Use
Preparing to teach
- Read the Bible Lesson by Tony Cartledge in this month’s issue of the Nurturing Faith Journal
- Watch Tony’s Video for this session
- Select either the Adult or Youth teaching guide and follow the directions
Click to read the Bible Lesson by Tony Cartledge
Key Text: Luke 12:32
“Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”
Do you often feel anxious? We all experience anxiety in relation to specific things: the arrival of a baby, the learning curve of a new job, or the uncertainty associated with political elections. We may feel anxiety over our relationships, our future, or our finances – not to mention climate change, international conflicts, and mass shootings in public places.
What worries you the most? For some people, anxiety is a constant companion, a persistent prick that makes peace seem impossible.
Today’s text begins with words of assurance designed to allay anxiety for those who follow Jesus – but they are followed by instructions that may leave some of us feeling even less comfortable.
That is by design. If we can read Luke’s gospel without feeling some discomfort, we’re not reading it carefully enough.
Permanent purses (vv. 32-34)
As we continue our three-month focus on Luke, and on Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem, the three short teachings in Luke 12:32-40 may seem to be an odd fit. They belong, for the most part, to material that is found in both Matthew and Luke, but in different places. [DD]
Luke has set the teachings in the context of Jesus’ final journey to Jerusalem, where every step and story was fraught with significance as Jesus grew ever closer to the shadow of the cross.
Much of Luke 12 is concerned with the tension between living for Jesus and living for oneself. Most of us should be quite familiar with the friction of walking between idealism and practicality. We want to serve Jesus, but our families have needs, too. Where is the proper balance?
Jesus was at the height of his popularity, surrounded by a crowd of thousands who “trampled one another” in the effort to listen in on Jesus’ conversation with his disciples (v. 1).
But how serious were these listeners? The message began with warnings against hypocrisy and covetousness (vv. 1-12) before Jesus was interrupted by a man who sought his help in getting his brother to distribute his inheritance (vv. 12-15), leading to the parable of the rich fool (vv. 13-21).
Jesus then encouraged his followers not to worry about having abundant food or fancy clothing, reminding them that the same God who fed scavenging ravens and clothed beautiful wildflowers could certainly care for them, too (vv. 22-30). “Instead,” Jesus said, “strive for his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well” (v. 31).
When Jesus spoke of the kingdom of God, he was not talking about God’s heavenly abode, as we sometimes imagine, but of the rule of God breaking into the earth through the life and ministry – and coming death and resurrection – of Jesus.
There is a sense in which we “strive for the kingdom” in seeking to live by kingdom ideals, but Jesus stressed that our place in the kingdom is a gift: “Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom” (v. 32).
Jesus’ reference to his followers as a “little flock” recalled the common image of God as a shepherd and Israel as God’s flock. [DD] Rather than thinking of God as an angry judge who is out to get sinners, Jesus here pictured God as taking delight in extending the gift of kingdom living to those who would accept it.
Jesus pictured participation in the kingdom as such a rich experience that earthly goods would come to have little meaning beyond the joy of giving them away. “Sell your possessions, and give alms,” Jesus said (v. 33).
Wait. What?
A verse like this makes us more anxious, not less.
Did Jesus expect his followers to immediately go, sell all they had, and give it away, trusting God to care for them like birds of the air or flowers in the field?
If we can’t skip over this verse, how can we best understand it?
See “The Hardest Question” online for a fuller discussion, but at the very least, Jesus calls us to be more generous than acquisitive, more inclined to give than to hoard. Our most important investments are not those we put in our mutual funds, but those that build “an unfailing treasure in heaven,” where “where no thief comes near and no moth destroys” (v. 33). Today we might add “and which is not subject to a stock market crash.”
The bottom line is found in the familiar words of v. 34: “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” What holds first place in our hearts? Is our first loyalty to Christ, or to our bank account? If we are truly kingdom people, we will be generous people, too. [DD]
Vigilant servants (vv. 35-38)
As Luke relates it, Jesus then switched from possessions to preparations. Jesus often spoke of the end times as being imminent, calling believers to be alert and ready. This is one of those times.
Jesus asked his hearers to imagine that they were slaves in a master’s household. Such language makes us uncomfortable at a time when the concept of slavery is distasteful and our history of slavery is shameful.
Yet, Jesus lived in a world where slavery was the status quo, and he taught within that context. We don’t have to endorse slavery to get the point of the teaching – which ultimately serves to undermine the difference between slaves and masters.
Jesus portrayed a situation in which a man who owned multiple slaves had gone out to attend a wedding banquet – probably not his own wedding, since he seems to be a person who is already settled in a substantial home rather than someone just starting out.
Wedding banquets typically ran late into the evening, and certainly well after dark. When the man returned from the banquet, no matter how late, he would expect one of his servants to answer the door and others to have lamps lighted and everything prepared for his arrival.
It wouldn’t be good for the staff if he returned to a dark house and slumbering slaves.
So, Jesus said, “Be dressed for action and have your lamps lit” (v. 35). The underlying idiom (“let your loins be girded”) related to the practice of getting ready to run or to work by tucking the loose ends of one’s robe into a wide cloth belt and cinching it tight.
The most surprising part of this little sermon illustration is this: “Blessed are those slaves whom the master finds alert when he comes; truly I tell you, he will fasten his belt and have them sit down to eat, and he will come and serve them” (v. 37).
The tables would be turned: the master would be so pleased that he would tighten up his own belt (party clothes and all), order the slaves to sit down for a meal, and then he would serve them! [DD]
Now we see the connection. Slaves are people who own no property – not even themselves – and yet these faithful slaves would find themselves being served by the master. Jesus’ followers, willing to follow as people who belong to Jesus and own no property, find themselves on the receiving end, as “it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom” (v. 32).
Prepared people (vv. 39-40)
The emphasis on being prepared continues in vv. 39-40, but from a different perspective. Jesus first asked his followers to think of themselves as slaves who own nothing, but now switches the image to that of homeowners who have property and goods they want to protect.
“If the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into” (v. 39).
The presumption is that thieves do not make appointments with their victims, who don’t suspect they are coming. A vigilant homeowner knows this and takes appropriate precautions.
The image of Jesus as thief would seem odd if it didn’t occur so often: Jesus’ return is compared to that of a thief in the night not only here and in the parallel text of Matt. 24:43, but also in 1 Thes. 5:2-4; 2 Pet. 3:10; and Rev. 3:3, 16:15.
Both stories emphasize the importance of being prepared for Jesus’ return. Even though the second story portrays Jesus’ coming as being like that of a thief, he is a thief we would gladly welcome into our homes – if we are ready for him. If we are not prepared to meet Jesus, we would prefer to keep him away. “You must also be ready,” Jesus said, “for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour” (v. 40).
Today’s text began with Jesus saying, “Don’t be afraid,” but ends with a warning to be prepared for Jesus to arrive as unexpectedly as a thief.
That could just raise our anxiety level again, unless we remember that the “thief” is not returning to steal or to harm, but to bless us. For God’s “little flock,” it is the Father’s good pleasure to grant the kingdom (v. 32). The late-returning master who finds his slaves alert and ready will happily serve them supper (v. 37).
Jesus’ return may be as surprising as an unexpected burglar, but he is not a thief: he is a caring shepherd. In another context, the Fourth Gospel reminds us of the difference: “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly” (John 10:10).
Abundant life is not found in preserving our possessions, but in serving the one who gave us life.
Adult Teaching Resources
Download the PDF of teaching resources for this lesson.
This PDF contains the Teaching Guide, Digging Deeper, and Hardest Question pages.
Read Scripture online: Luke 12:32-40
Youth Teaching Resources
Parent Prep
What are you afraid of? Are your biggest fears related to your students? How do you deal with your fear? Do you hold your students even tighter and not try and protect them from everything? Do you let your students go and pray for the best? Fear is a powerful motivator, but love wins in the end. How can you love your students more and fear for them less?
Additional Links/Resources
Read Scripture online: Luke 12:32-40
Download the PDF for youth teaching resources using the button below. This PDF contains the Teaching Guide for this lesson:
Video
Encourage youth to check out this video ahead of the lesson.
“I’m Afraid” from 2001: A Space Odyssey
via www.youtube.com
Need Help?
Learn how to better use Nurturing Faith teaching resources.