Luke chapter eleven ended with a very contentious scene. Jesus was being angrily cross-examined by the religious leaders He had just condemned as hypocrites. They were trying to get Him to trip over His words and say something they could use against Him, but their plan didn’t work.
Chapter twelve opens with an interesting verse. At the same time that the Pharisees and scribes are pelting Jesus with questions a mob has formed. This whole scene happens at the home of a Pharisee who invited Jesus to share a meal. What I suspect is that the end of chapter eleven is happening inside the Pharisee’s home and chapter twelve is happening just outside the door. Chaos ensues as people knock each other over and crawl on top of one another, some probably to hear Jesus speak while others want to shut Him up. Things have gotten out of hand.
What piques my interest is that Jesus doesn’t address either mob. He’s not answering the barrage of interrogating questions from the Pharisees and scribes, neither is He concerned with those being trampled outside. Instead, He turns His attention to His disciples. Despite the dangers they will face as they go out to minister, Jesus assures them that they have nothing to fear because God is with them.
What I hope you will discover in these verses, is the confidence to talk to others about your faith in Jesus no matter what it may cost you, no matter what dangers you might face. The Word of God regularly comes with caution, but it also comes with comfort and the assurance of God’s presence and provision for those who follow Him.
Grab your Bibles and go with me to Luke 12.
Leaven (Lk. 12:1)
Luke 12:1 NKJV
1 In the meantime, when an innumerable multitude of people had gathered together, so that they trampled one another, He began to say to His disciples first of all, “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.
Leaven, or yeast, is a common baking term in the Bible. Yeast helps dough rise, reducing its density and giving bread a lighter, airier texture. Without leaven, bread becomes dense and hard, like a cracker.
With the exception of Luke 13:20-21, where Jesus says that “the kingdom of God is like leaven,” leaven is almost always mentioned as something to be avoided.
In preparation for their journey out of Egyptian slavery, the Hebrews were instructed with these words,
Exodus 12:15 NKJV
15 Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. On the first day you shall remove leaven from your houses. For whoever eats leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that person shall be cut off from Israel.
Till this day, in preparation for Passover, traditional Jews take time to go through their homes with a fine-tooth comb in order to get rid of any signs of leaven.
In the NT, leaven is often allegorized as a life lived in sin, false doctrine or hypocrisy. Paul addresses this with the sexually immoral church in Corinth.
1 Corinthians 5:7–8 NKJV
7 Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. 8 Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
Jesus also warned His disciples about the leaven of the Pharisees in Matthew 16. The disciples thought Jesus was upset because they forgot to bring bread for the trip, but that wasn’t Jesus’ concern at all as He reminded them of how He multiplied the fish and the loaves.
Matthew 16:12 NKJV
12 Then they understood that He did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
Why does the Bible present leaven so negatively? It’s because it only takes a trace amount to find its way into the entire loaf. So it is with hypocrisy, false doctrine and sin. The least amount can have an enormous effect on the entire spiritual life.
Let me paint a picture for you of how serious the issue of leaven is to our spiritual lives. I know that a few of you have food allergies and therefore you are careful about what you eat because you know the harm that it can cause you. We have a nut and shrimp allergy in my family. I recently heard about a kid who had a severe cinnamon allergy. The allergy was so serious that the child didn't even have to eat cinnamon to become sick. Simply breathing air that contained cinnamon particles was enough to trigger a reaction.
Galatians 5:9 NKJV
9 A little leaven leavens the whole lump.
A little compromise of God’s Word here or there; a little indulgence in sin from time to time, a little neglect of obedience, a little hypocrisy can affect your entire spiritual life and the lives of those around you. And listen, you don’t build up immunities to this kind of spiritual leaven by micro-dosing. That is why Scripture repeatedly warns us not to tolerate such things. We are not called to manage them, excuse them, or play around with them. We are called to flee from it before it has the opportunity to spread.
Show Yourself (Lk. 12:2-3)
So then, how are they (we) to avoid the leaven of the Pharisees? Through the outward focused and honest expression of the truth of God.
Luke 12:2–3 NKJV
2 For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be known. 3 Therefore whatever you have spoken in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have spoken in the ear in inner rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops.
Jesus uses several contrasting examples in this section (Lk. 12:2-12). He juxtaposes what is covered up with what is revealed, what is hidden with what is known, dark with light, and inner rooms with housetops. Let’s compare this to His warning against leaven.
Yeast is subtle. When it’s placed inside a lump of dough it’s impossible to detect. The effects of yeast become evident after it has quietly worked its way through the entire loaf and brought to fruition by the heat of the oven. In like manner, the leaven of hypocrisy, false doctrine, and sin are also revealed in the crucible of life—the heat of persecution for Christ’s sake—which Jesus assures His followers is coming. And when that happens we then discover what has already taken root in the heart.
This also works in contrast. The crucible of life also reveals our faithful commitment to Christ.
Jesus' concern for the apostles' missional integrity comes alive in the remaining verses. Jesus warns His disciples against behaving like the religious leaders who were
Romans 1:18 NKJV
18 suppress[ing] the truth in unrighteousness,
They didn't want people to see Jesus for who He really was, so they accused Him of demonic influence and false teaching to drive people away and preserve their own power. The religious leaders were forming cliques of elite religious thinkers who held esoteric knowledge about the things of God. Instead of sharing that truth with the common people, they reserved those discoveries for the men within their circles and
Romans 1:25 NKJV
25 [they] exchanged the truth of God for the lie,
Jesus doesn’t want his followers to behave like the religious leaders of their day.
As a former Pharisee himself, Paul knew firsthand the dangers of a life contaminated with leaven and that is what he confronted Peter over.
Galatians 2:12–13 NKJV
12 for before certain men came from James, [Peter] would eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing those who were of the circumcision. 13 And the rest of the Jews also played the hypocrite with him, so that even Barnabas was carried away with their hypocrisy.
The leaven in your life not only affects you, but it also affects the people around you. The Gospel must not be restricted to the halls of Christian academia, private small group discussions, or personal devotions. It may start there, but what we learn of God in this sanctuary, in Sunday School, in our Lighthouse groups, on Wednesday nights, in the privacy of our own homes, serves as a launching pad with the ends of the world as the intended target. To disobey this commission would be equivalent to putting our lights in a secret place or hiding them under a basket (Lk. 11:33). There is never a wrong time to share the Gospel. It is always to be on public display—set on a lampstand, in the way we live and love. This is how we give a reason for the hope we have in Christ. But, this can be costly and that’s why Jesus encourages them not to let fear hinder their preaching of the Gospel.
Fear God (Lk. 12:4-7)
In these verses, Jesus draws away the disciples’ attention from what happens now in God’s kingdom, to what happens at the end of the age in God’s kingdom. By doing so, He assures the apostles that they have nothing to worry about even though their lives will be placed in harm’s way for the sake of the Gospel.
Luke 12:4–7 NKJV
4 “And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. 5 But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him! 6 “Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins? And not one of them is forgotten before God. 7 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.
I love what Jesus says here. He anticipates that these disciples will face terrifying situations as they go out and minister. What He wants them to know is that they should be more concerned about the power God possesses than the power the religious leaders possess.
Let me say this before moving on. Do not shy away from the Bible's instruction to fear God. Several people have worked hard to reduce the fear of God to mere respectability, often contrasting it with the idea that fearing God is like the terror felt toward an abusive parent.
Let me ask you this: is abuse the only reason someone might fear another person? Is fear only appropriate when someone might misuse their power and position to cause you harm? Absolutely not. Can we not fear someone simply because they possess great power at all?
I know, we don’t even like to think of this as an option in relation to God, but I agree with what NT commentator, Joel B. Green says about this fear Jesus mentions in Luke 12.
Fear, in this case, is not awe in the face of divine splendor but the trepidation indigenous to situations of life imperilment. [1]
What Jesus wants His followers to know, is that He is sending them and us into harm’s way with the message of God’s saving grace. Not everyone will receive our message and some will be quite hostile toward us because of it.
Matthew 10:16 NKJV
16 “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.
I’m convinced that Jesus actually intends for His disciples to endanger themselves for the advancement of the Gospel and the building of His kingdom in the hearts of men and women around the globe, but if we are more afraid of what our bosses are going to do to us, or our friends, or our government, or our denomination, or what have you, then we are focused on the wrong power source. Earthly authority and power are limited to the grave. Jesus is the Omnipotent God over all creation. The Almighty and Everlasting God. His power has no boundaries. He is the One that we must fear!
But watch this, Jesus tells these guys, if God takes care of birds and if He knows how many hairs you have (don’t have) on your head, and you are more valuable to Him than any bird—Do not live in fear!
I think A.W. Tozer is so helpful on this subject:
“[F]ear is the painful emotion that arises at the thought that we may be harmed or made to suffer. This fear persists while we are subject to the will of someone who does not desire our well-being. The moment we come under the protection of one of goodwill, fear is cast out.” [2]
Listen to me, if you fear God, you have nothing to be afraid of. If you do not fear God, there is much for you to be afraid of. So preach Christ crucified! Shout it throughout the school hallways that Jesus is risen from the dead! Post your testimonies of how He saved your life! Tell somebody about His great love for them and don’t worry about whatever opposition comes because the Lord is with you.
Confess Christ (Lk. 12:8-9)
These final two passages have often been misapplied to the Believer’s life and has caused many to live in fear of the Father’s disapproval instead of finding comfort in His promise of provision for those who have committed their lives to Him.
Luke 12:8–9 NKJV
8 “Also I say to you, whoever confesses Me before men, him the Son of Man also will confess before the angels of God. 9 But he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God.
The word “confess” in these verses comes from the original Greek term ὁμολογέω (homologeō) and it means basically “to say the same thing.” When a person “confesses” Jesus, they are saying the same thing about Him that He says about Himself. Furthermore, they are saying the same thing about themselves that He says about them and what He says is that we are sinners in need of a Savior and Jesus is our only hope.
These verses have often been used against new Christians as a way of calling them to a public life and faith in Jesus. We often use these verses to tell other Christians not to be ashamed of Jesus or He will be ashamed of you. While I do think that we can find encouragement for that in Jesus’ words here, I don’t think that is what He was stressing in these verses. I do not believe that those words are spoken against His disciples, but against the Pharisees and scribes. They are spoken against those intimidators of the Messiah’s messengers and those who would reject the message of the Gospel. If they, having witnessed Jesus’ power, having heard His Good News, will not acknowledge Him here as Jehovah’s provision for the sins of humanity, then they will have no advocate in the divine courtroom either.
John, speaking to the followers of Christ says this,
1 John 2:1 NKJV
1 My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.
Lest we confuse the purpose of confessing Jesus, Chuck Swindoll reminds us that,
Obedience to this command, however, is not a means of salvation; it is an indication of salvation. [3]
Rely on the Holy Spirit (Lk. 12:10-12)
Luke 12:10–12 NKJV
10 “And anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but to him who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven. 11 “Now when they bring you to the synagogues and magistrates and authorities, do not worry about how or what you should answer, or what you should say. 12 For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”
One of the most concerning passages in the entire Bible, a passage which has caused many faithful followers of Jesus to question their own salvation at times is found in Luke 12:10. Blaspheme against the Holy Spirit. I think that most Believers, at some point along their journey with Christ, question whether or not they have committed this unpardonable evil. If I may, allow me to attempt to offer you some comfort if you have found yourself wrestling with this scripture.
If we look at what Luke shares in the context of the entire section, what we should notice is that this is not spoken for His disciples. It is spoken to them, but Jesus does not have them in mind. The people to whom this caveat is directed are the religious leaders. Furthermore, this concerns those who are resistant to the message of the Gospel and who reject the grace of God proclaimed by the followers of Jesus. This is spoken against the spiritually obstinate, not the obedient.
The Apostle Paul is a comforting example of the grace that remains available for those who search for the Lord with all their heart and the forgiveness they receive for all their sins. Paul would send out bounty hunters to find anyone who confessed Jesus as Lord and then he would have them arrested and killed. By his own testimony, he was a staunch opponent of the grace of God provided through Jesus.
1 Corinthians 15:9 NKJV
9 I persecuted the church of God.
But one day, the arresting officer was himself arrested by the Lord and through physical blindness Paul gained spiritual vision as he surrendered to the grace he once rejected.
1 Timothy 1:14–15 NKJV
14 And the grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant, with faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. 15 This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.
If Paul, who did all he could to put an end to the saving message of God’s love for sinful humanity, could still be counted worthy of the grace of God that brings salvation to all men, then there is hope for you as well. So long as you have breathed in your lungs, the door of repentance is still open and His mercy still endures.
What Jesus wants His disciples to know is that they are not abandoned on the battlefield of kingdom wars.
John 16:33 NKJV
33 In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
Don’t let fear hinder you from sharing your hope in Christ. The abuse, rejection, and opposition that comes as a response to your faith in Christ is not about you in the first place. It’s all about Him! It’s what Yahweh spoke to Samuel when the people of God asked for a king.
1 Samuel 8:7 NKJV
7 for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them.
In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus prepares the apostles for the threats they will receive because of Him.
Matthew 10:17–18 NKJV
17 But beware of men, for they will deliver you up to councils and scourge you in their synagogues. 18 You will be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles.
At the end of the Gospels we find the apostles hiding out in fear of the Jews (Jn. 20:19-23). But when the Spirit comes, in the book of Acts, we see them boldly declaring the message of the Gospel before the same people who resisted the grace of God and the Apostles are actually brought before authorities and the Holy Spirit, as Jesus had promised, does indeed speak through and for them (Acts 4:5-12). He will do the same for you as you go out in Jesus’ Name.
Don’t be ashamed to tell the world about your Savior. Make no apologizes for being faithful to Him. You have nothing to fear but God alone.
Joel B. Green, The Gospel of Luke, p481
A.W. Tozer, The Knowledge of the Holy, p99
Charles Swindoll, Living Insights: Luke, p352
