Fear Not, Little Flock

Passages: Luke 11:37-54; Luke 12:1-34; Luke 12:35-59

At the house of a Pharisee, Jesus is criticized for not washing before the meal, and answers with a series of woes against the Pharisees' obsession with outward cleanliness while their hearts stay full of greed, and against the lawyers who load people down with burdens they won't lift a finger to help carry. With so vast a crowd pressing in that people are trampling one another, Jesus turns first to his own disciples, warning them against hypocrisy and the fear of man, telling the parable of a rich fool who built bigger barns the same night his soul was required of him, and telling them not to worry about their lives, since the Father who feeds the ravens will not forget them. He turns next to watchfulness — servants who keep their lamps burning for a master's return — and tells them he came not to bring peace, but division.

We are in a Luke-John Harmony. Today's episode covers: Luke 11:37-54; Luke 12:1-34; Luke 12:35-59 (Six Woes to the Pharisees and Lawyers; Warnings, the Rich Fool, and Do Not Worry; Watchfulness and Division).