12:54 {14} And he said also to the people, When ye see a cloud {n} rise out of the west, straightway ye say, There cometh a shower; and so it is.(14) Men who are very quick to see with regard to earthly things are blind with regard to those things which pertain to the heavenly life, and this through their own malice.(n) Which appears, and gathers itself together in that part of the air. read more
THE PEOPLE WARNED AGAINST FALSE LEADERS (vs.1-12) At a time when the crowd was extremely large, the Lord addressed His disciples "first of all," warning them to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. We have seen that their meticulous formality was only a coverup of inward evil. Why? Because their object was to impress the crowd. How great a danger this is even for true disciples! We like the recognition of others and forget to seek only the approval of God. Let us not be... read more
WARNINGS This chapter, almost entirely original with Luke, consists of four warnings against hypocrisy (Luke 12:1-12 ), covetousness (Luke 12:13-24 ), carelessness (Luke 12:25-48 ), and ignorance (Luke 12:49-59 ). HYPOCRISY (Luke 12:1-12 ) Note the fearlessness of Christ (Luke 12:1 ), and in the same verse the typical use of “leaven” in the sense of evil, which is never used otherwise in the Bible. Hypocrisy will not avail in the day of judgment (Luke 12:2-3 ), and one of its causes, the... read more
The Rich Fool Luk 12:16-20 Let us find out where this man, called a "fool," got wrong. There seem to be some points of common-sense in the man. One is, therefore, curious to know where he breaks away from good thinking into foolish planning, and where he proves himself to be an atheist. "The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully" ( Luk 12:16 ). There is nothing wrong in that. There is no harm in having good crops, fields beautiful with the produce of nature. You cannot... read more
(54) And he said also to the people, When ye see a cloud rise out of the west, straightway ye say, There cometh a shower: and so it is. (55) And when ye see the south wind blow, ye say, There will be heat; and it cometh to pass. (56) Ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky, and of the earth; but how is it that ye do not discern this time? (57) Yea, and why, even of yourselves, judge ye not what is right? (58) When thou goest with thine adversary to the magistrate, as thou art in the... read more
In these words he reproaches them, that they knew well enough how to judge of the weather by the appearance of the heavens; but were ignorant how to distinguish the times: i.e. could not discern that the time marked by the prophets, for the coming of the Messias, was accomplished. In Palestine, the Mediterranean Sea, which was to the west, was accustomed to send clouds and rain; and the south winds, which came from Arabia and Egypt, very warm countries, caused dryness and heat. (Calmet) read more
54-59 Christ would have the people to be as wise in the concerns of their souls as they are in outward affairs. Let them hasten to obtain peace with God before it is too late. If any man has found that God has set himself against him concerning his sins, let him apply to him as God in Christ reconciling the world to himself. While we are alive, we are in the way, and now is our time. read more
Luke 12 INSTEAD OF BEING provoked by the vehement opposition of the scribes and Pharisees, the Lord improved the occasion by calmly instructing His disciples in the presence of the enormous crowd, that the controversy had drawn together. He had just been fuming the searchlight of truth on the religious leaders: He now turned the same light on the disciples and their path. In the first place He warned them against the hypocrisy, which He had just been unmasking in the Pharisees. It is indeed a... read more
A last word to the people: v. 54. And He said also to the people, When ye see a cloud rise out of the west, straightway ye say, There cometh a shower; and so it is. v. 55. And when ye see the south wind blow, ye say, There will be heat; and it cometh to pass. v. 56. Ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky and of the earth; but how is it that ye do not discern this time? v. 57. Yea, and why even of yourselves judge ye not what is right? v. 58. When thou goest with thine... read more
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Arno Gaebelein's Annotated Bible - Luke 12:1-59
CHAPTER 12 1. Warning Against Hypocrisy. (Luke 12:1-3 ) 2. Encouragements. (Luke 12:4-14 ) 3. Warning Against Covetousness. (Luke 12:15-21 ) 4. Warning Against Anxiety. (Luke 12:22-31 ) 5. The Disciples Comfort and Hope. (Luke 12:32-40 ) 6. The Parable of the Steward. (Luke 12:41-48 ) 7. The Purpose of God and the Resulting Division. (Luke 12:49-53 ) 8. Concerning signs. (Luke 12:54-57 ) 9. The Failure of Israel. (Luke 12:58-59 .) Luke 12:1-31 Nearly all of the entire twelfth chapter... read more