Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Luke 12:8-9
Another special preface indicated the certainty and importance of what followed (cf. Luke 12:4-5). Confessing the Son of Man (i.e., Jesus as the divine Messiah) publicly or denying Him publicly were the disciples’ options (cf. Luke 9:26). Confessing (Gr. homolgesei) and denying (Gr. arnesetai) are polar expressions. In polarization extreme terms stress the alternatives. The disciples had to make a choice. Their choice would determine God’s acknowledgment or lack of acknowledgment of them before... read more
Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Luke 12:6-7
The point of these two illustrations was that God is aware of more insignificant things than the disciples, yet He has concern for these things. It is an argument from the lesser to the greater (cf. Luke 11:13). Since God knows about and has concern for these less important things, He will surely care for the disciples. The cent (Gr. assarion) was a Roman coin worth about one sixteenth of a denarius, a day’s wage (cf. Matthew 10:29). These illustrations balance Jesus’ singular warning to fear... read more