Meanwhile, with the crowd swelling into the thousands — so many that people were trampling one another — he began speaking first to his disciples. “Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees. It’s hypocrisy. 2 Nothing is covered up that won’t be uncovered, and nothing hidden that won’t be made known. 3 So whatever you’ve said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you whispered behind closed doors will be shouted from the rooftops.
4 “I tell you, my friends, don’t be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do nothing more. 5 I’ll show you who to fear: fear the one who, after killing, has authority to throw you into Gehenna. Yes, I tell you — fear him.[1] 6 Aren’t five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten before God.[2] 7 Why, even the hairs on your head are all counted. Don’t be afraid. You’re worth more than a flock of sparrows.
8 “I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before people — the Son of Man will also acknowledge that one before the angels of God. 9 But whoever denies me before people will be denied before the angels of God. 10 And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man — it will be forgiven. But the one who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.
11 “When they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, don’t worry about how you’ll defend yourselves or what you’ll say. 12 The Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you need to say.”
13 Someone from the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”
14 But he said to him, “Man, who appointed me a judge or arbitrator over you?” 15 Then he said to them, “Watch out and guard yourselves against every kind of greed. A person’s life doesn’t consist in having more and more stuff.”
16 Then he told them a parable. “A certain rich man’s land produced a bumper crop. 17 He thought to himself, ‘What should I do? I don’t have room to store my harvest.’ 18 Then he said, ‘Here’s what I’ll do: I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and I’ll store all my grain and my goods there. 19 And I’ll say to my soul, Soul, you’ve got plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take it easy — eat, drink, enjoy yourself.’
20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool. This very night your soul is demanded from you. And all this you’ve prepared — who will it belong to?’ 21 That’s how it is with the one who hoards treasure for himself and isn’t rich toward God.”
22 Then he said to his disciples, “That’s why I tell you, don’t worry about your life — what you’ll eat — or about your body — what you’ll wear. 23 Life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. 24 Look at the ravens: they don’t plant or harvest, they have no storeroom or barn, and God feeds them. How much more valuable you are than the birds! 25 And which of you, by worrying, can add a single hour to your life?[3] 26 If you can’t do even this small thing, why worry about the rest?
27 “Look at the lilies, how they grow. They don’t labor or spin. But I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor dressed like one of these. 28 If God clothes the grass of the field like that — here today, thrown into the oven tomorrow — how much more will he clothe you, you of little faith? 29 And don’t chase after what you’ll eat or drink, and don’t be anxious. 30 The nations of the world chase after all these things, but your Father knows you need them. 31 Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.
32 “Don’t be afraid, little flock. Your Father is delighted to give you the kingdom. 33 Sell what you have and give to the poor. Make yourselves purses that don’t wear out — a treasure in the heavens that never runs out, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. 34 Because where your treasure is, there your heart will be too.”
35 “Keep your belts fastened and your lamps burning. 36 Be like people waiting for their master to return from the wedding feast, so that when he comes and knocks they can open the door for him at once. 37 How good it will be for those slaves — the ones the master finds awake when he arrives. Amen, I tell you, he’ll fasten his belt, have them sit down at the table, and come and serve them himself. 38 Whether he comes in the middle of the night or just before dawn and finds them ready — how good it will be for them.[4]
39 “But understand this: if the homeowner had known what hour the thief was coming, he wouldn’t have let his house be broken into. 40 You too, be ready — because the Son of Man comes at an hour you don’t expect.”
41 Peter said, “Lord, are you telling this parable just for us, or for everyone?”
42 And the Lord said, “Who then is the faithful and wise manager, the one the master will put in charge of his household to give them their food allowance at the right time? 43 How good it will be for that slave when his master comes and finds him doing just that. 44 Truly, I tell you, he’ll put him in charge of everything he owns.
45 “But suppose that slave says in his heart, ‘My master is taking his time coming,’ and he starts beating the servants, both the men and the women, eating and drinking and getting drunk. 46 The master of that slave will come on a day he doesn’t expect and at an hour he doesn’t know. He’ll cut him in pieces and assign him a place with the unfaithful.
47 “That slave who knew his master’s will and didn’t get ready or do what his master wanted will be beaten with many blows. 48 But the one who didn’t know, yet did things deserving a beating, will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded. And from the one entrusted with much, even more will be asked.”
49 “I came to throw fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! 50 But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it’s finished. 51 Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you — division. 52 From now on, five in one household will be divided: three against two and two against three. 53 Father will be divided against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”
54 He also said to the crowds, “When you see a cloud rising in the west, you say right away, ‘A rainstorm is coming’ — and it happens.[5] 55 And when the south wind blows, you say, ‘It’s going to be scorching hot’ — and it happens. 56 You hypocrites! You know how to read the face of the earth and the sky, so why can’t you read this present time?
57 “And why don’t you judge for yourselves what’s right? 58 When you’re on your way to court with your accuser, make every effort to settle with him on the road. Otherwise he might drag you before the judge, and the judge will hand you over to the officer, and the officer will throw you into prison. 59 I tell you, you won’t get out of there until you’ve paid the very last penny.”[6]
Notes
Note 1. Gehenna is the Valley of Hinnom, a ravine just south of Jerusalem. In earlier centuries it was remembered as a site of child sacrifice, and by Jesus’ day the name had become shorthand for the place of divine judgment. ↩
Note 2. The coin here is the assarion, a small bronze coin worth only a fraction of a day’s wage. Five sparrows for two of them points to just how cheap these birds were — the food of the poor. ↩
Note 3. The Greek is literally “add a cubit to your hēlikia.” A cubit is a measure of length (about a forearm), and hēlikia can mean either bodily stature or span of life — so the sentence can be read as “add a cubit to your height” or “add a moment to your lifetime.” We’ve followed the sense of lifespan, which is why translations vary here. ↩
Note 4. The Greek names the “second” and “third” watch. Nights were divided into set watches for keeping guard — the second running roughly to midnight and the third through the small hours before dawn. ↩
Note 5. In Israel the Mediterranean lies to the west, so clouds rising from that direction carry the sea’s moisture inland and reliably mean rain. The same sign appears in 1 Kings 18:44, where Elijah’s servant sees a small cloud rising from the sea. ↩
Note 6. The word here is lepton, the smallest and least valuable coin in circulation — worth far less than the assarion mentioned earlier with the sparrows. “Down to the last lepton” means every last scrap of the debt, with nothing left over. ↩