Luke 12:13-34

The Pulpit Commentary - Luke 12:20

But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee. The literal rendering of the Greek here is more solemn and impressive in its awful vagueness: This night they require thy soul of thee. Who are meant by they ? Most likely the angels: not necessarily "avenging," as Trench would suggest; simply those angels whose special function it was to conduct the souls of the departed to their own place. So we read in the parable of Lazarus and Dives how angels... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Luke 12:20

Sudden death. The parable which Jesus Christ delivered in rebuke of covetousness puts in striking and even startling form the facts on which God's providence requires us to look. For we know— I. THAT SUDDEN DEATH IS AN EVENT WHICH MAY OCCUR TO ANY ONE OF US . Human science has done much for us; and much in the direction of preserving and prolonging life. It has given to us a considerable knowledge of disease, and therefore an increased sense of danger. But... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Luke 12:21

And is not rich toward God; better rendered, if he is not. And this slight change helps us, too, in drawing the right lesson. The being rich is never condemned by Jesus Christ; nor even the growing richer. Among the saints of God in both Testaments are many notable rich men, whose possessions seem to have helped rather than hindered their journey to the city of God. The lesson which lies on the forefront of this parable-story is the especial danger which riches ever bring of... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Luke 12:21

"Rich toward God." Jesus Christ is here drawing a contrast between the inward and the abiding on the one hand, and the outward and the perishing on the other hand. When he disparages the act of "laying up treasure for ourselves," he does not mean to say either I. A WEALTH OF RIGHT FEELING TOWARD GOD . There are certain thoughts and feelings which every intelligent being ought to cherish toward his Creator, in the absence of which he himself is poor, and in the presence of... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Luke 12:22

And he said unto his disciples, Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat; neither for the body, what ye shall put on. A better rendering for "Take no thought" is Be not anxious about. This, too, suggests a more practical lesson. "What ye shall eat." How repeatedly in the Master's sermons do we find the reminder against the being careful about eating! We know from pagan writers in this age how gluttony, in its coarser and more refined forms, was among the... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Luke 12:22-30

Anxiety or trustfulness? We read of "care-encumbered men;" and truly we see more than we could wish of them. As we look into the faces of those we meet daily, we are saddened with the thought that a great weight of care rests on our race as a heavy burden. And when we see, as we do, a few faces that wear the look of a sweet serenity born of holy trust in God, we ask—Is it necessary that such an oppressive burden should be borne by the children of men? Jesus Christ answers this question in... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Luke 12:22-40

Lessons from the fowls and lilies Our Lord, having related the parable against covetousness, or the selfish use of money, proceeds in the present section to show how foolish the anxious thought is about these temporal things. And here we have to— I. CONSIDER HOW POOR THE LIFE IS . WHICH LAKES EATING AND DRESSING THE CHIEF THOUGHT . ( Luke 12:22 , Luke 12:23 .) A man's life is intended to be much more assuredly than this; and yet are there not some who... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Luke 12:24-27

Consider the ravens: for they neither sow nor reap; which neither have storehouse nor barn; and God feedeth them … Consider the lilies … they toil not, they spin not: and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these . What a contrast between the life of the rich and prosperous landowner just related, whose whole heart and soul were concentrated on a toil which should procure him dainty food and costly raiment, and these fowls fed by God so abundantly,... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Luke 12:29

And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink . Again, after the moving, touching words we have been commenting on, does the Lord return to the pressing injunction with which he began his lessons to his disciples upon the parable of the "rich fool." Trouble not yourselves about your eating and drinking. This repeated insistence of the Master upon this point in the future lives of his disciples has evidently a deeper significance than a mere injunction to cast all their care on... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Luke 12:31

Service and sufficiency. It has been much debated whether God should be represented as the Sovereign or the Father of mankind. It has been but a foolish strife; it has been another case in which both disputants have been right and both wrong. God is the Sovereign of the world, and a great deal more than that; God is the Father of men, and a great deal beside. He is a royal Father, or a fatherly King. The Lord's Prayer might have taught us this: "Our Father … thy kingdom come." God is... read more

The Pulpit Commentary - Luke 12:20

The Pulpit Commentary - Luke 12:20

The Pulpit Commentary - Luke 12:21

The Pulpit Commentary - Luke 12:21

The Pulpit Commentary - Luke 12:22

The Pulpit Commentary - Luke 12:22-30

The Pulpit Commentary - Luke 12:22-40

The Pulpit Commentary - Luke 12:24-27

The Pulpit Commentary - Luke 12:29

The Pulpit Commentary - Luke 12:31

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