1 Meanwhile, when a crowd of many thousands had gathered, so that they were trampling on one another, Jesus began to speak first to his disciples, saying: “Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. 2 There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. 3 What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the roofs. 4 “I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. 5 But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after your body has been killed, has authority to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him. 6 Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. 7 Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. ~ Luke 12:1-7
At the end of Luke 11, the Lord Jesus confronted the hypocrisy of false religion which is a system whereby people pretend to know God. The Judaism of Jesus' day was a perversion of true Old Testament worship. It had defected from the truth and it was hypocritical. It was so hypocritical the Lord Jesus pronounced six woes or six curses upon these religious hypocrites at the end of Luke 11. Through these woes, the Lord Jesus reminded us that religion is not useful in knowing God, it is a descent into satanic deception.
In Luke 12, the people are becoming fixed in their resentment and resistance to the Lord Jesus. In the early years of the ministry of the Lord Jesus, the people were interested in His message of grace and truth. Now, most of the crowd is siding with the hypocritical and skeptical religious leaders.
In v.1 we read, "Meanwhile, when a crowd of many thousands had gathered, so that they were trampling on one another, Jesus began to speak first to his disciples, saying: “Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy." A massive crowd is now framing up the scene after the Lord Jesus had a meal with this Pharisee. Most of the people in this crowd are entrenched in the false religion of the religious leaders. They aren't being taught to know the God of the Bible, they are being taught to be inauthentic and manipulative of God and others.
In v.2-3 we read, "There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. 3 What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the roofs."
The Lord Jesus is teaching His disciples that a key ingredient in our walk with the Lord is honesty which is the enemy of hypocrisy. He tells them that at the end of all time the truth of who we are is going to be revealed for all to see. God already knows everything there is to know about us, even the things we do not know quite yet. And, since He is God, and our primary audience, it is a good rule of thumb to be open and honest about who we are, especially since hypocrisy is known to thrive in these types of religious contexts.
In v.4 we read, "I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more." We must not be afraid of those who may want to kill us. The worst they can do is kill our bodies. But, this is not the worst that can happen to us. The worst thing is that we spend eternity in HELL.
The character of hypocrisy is it fears men. Its preoccupation is with what people think. The whole design of a hypocritical religious system is to train people to fear the leaders and to make them look good by putting on a show for the people.
In v.5 we read, “But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after your body has been killed, has authority to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him." Only God has the power to cast anyone into hell. Nowhere in Scriptures are we told to fear Satan. The Scriptures tell us "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." All of life is best lived by fearing God. He is best feared when we put Him at the center of our lives. This fear is not the cowering fear of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. This is the fear that causes us to bow in worship while in His presence.
In v.6 we read, "Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God." In that day, sparrows were tiny birds that were caught in nets and cooked and eaten. These sparrows were so cheap one could buy five for two cents. Matthew tells us these sparrows cost two for a penny. For two pennies you got an extra one thrown in, two for a penny, or five for two pennies. They were cheap and an abundant food source. And if God knows about sparrows, He knows about us. God has never acquired any knowledge. He has never been taught, He knows all at all times. Therefore, we can trust Him with our lives.
In v.7 we read, "Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows." God even knows the very number of hairs that are on our heads. We should fear God because He knows everything. And, the truth will be uncovered before all to see in the end. And, hell awaits the hypocrite. God knows everything and He knows you are His if you have trusted that the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ has paid the debt that you owe for your sin. If you are not His, it is time to fear God.
At the heart of a true and meaningful relationship with God is honesty. Perhaps this is in the top three list of God for us along with gratitude and faith. To foster honesty in our souls we must
first be honest with ourselves.
Honesty is truthfulness. An honest person has the habit of making accurate, trustworthy statements about life, self, others and God. An honest person represents himself just as he is and tells others the truth about themselves. Honesty is not the goal, knowing the God of the Bible is the goal. An essential element in knowing Him is being consistent with the truth. I guess this is why God values confession so much.
