Chapter 12:32-59

Have no fear little flock. After all of the discussion about whom to fear, “fear him who can kill and has authority to cast into hell.” This however, is the one who has the number of hairs on your head counted and who does not allow a sparrow to fall without notice. This God is one who does not choose to cast into hell, but rather to love and gather and tend instead. This is the God that has “given his children the Kingdom of God” already. Verses 32-34 serve to transition from the discussion of God providing the lilies of the field and the for the birds of the air, and the prospect of God providing all that is necessary freeing up the people of God to do the work of the Kingdom of God and the necessity to put aside worry from ourselves. The important punchline brings this discussion to a close. “Make purses for ourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven . . . for where you treasure is there your heart will be also.”

Be Dressed for Action

The discussion of stewardship continues. When the master returns . . . leads us into the discussion about the absence of the master. The implication is that Jesus is not physically present to lead his church but is returning. Blessed are those who are found doing their job when he returns. In all discussions of stewardship, the point is that our possessions are not our own, they belong with all resources to someone else. We are merely the managers. Those who are found as good stewards will see the master care for them. Note the reversal of the parable from the previous citation. In discussing discipleship, Jesus taught that servants don’t come in from the field and expect to be served. In this instance Jesus teaches that the master who finds the servant doing as they ought, he will serve. This reflects perfectly the evening before his death in John’s gospel, when Jesus took off his outer clothing and washed the disciples’ feet. He taught that he came to serve not be served.

Jesus instructs two important things: 1) the master can return at any time of day or night; 2) there will be consequences for service or the lack of service. At the heart of the parables is the importance of not taking Jesus and ultimately God’s grace for granted. Grace is not to be taken lightly. God’s grace is meant to be transformative. Anything less is to cheapen it.

His parable of the servant who abuses the slaves in the master’s absence is chilling. In the conclusion, the consequences are dire. That steward he says will be “cut to pieces” for the misconduct of treating the stewardship without regard.

I Came to Bring Fire

The entrance of the Lord’s work in the world is not a gentle occurrence. Jesus’ work of redemption is the work of the cross. This was the baptism to which Jesus made reference. He was reflecting on the impending events of the crucifixion. There is a far reaching consequence for the sin of the world and therefore the remedy is to be far reaching. Peace did not provide the solution. Only through the cross of Christ did true peace come. The angels same of “peace on earth,” at the birth of the Messiah, however, peace came through him. Without the work of the cross peace on earth is not possible.

The person of Jesus often became a ridge in the relationship of people and families. In the early church where the first Christians were Jews and the second string Christians were of the gentile world, becoming a follower of Jesus was to step outside of the “norm.” This created divisions. Even today, where Christianity is not the “norm” of the family, the entrance of Christianity into the family configuration creates far more agitation than peace.

Interpretation of the Age

You may recall that Jesus often criticized the religious establishment for their inability to see the true events that were taking place, namely, the presence of God in human form living in the world and calling the lost back. This age is not predisposed to see that. This age is fixated on the old ways, the old cloth to which the patch is sewn as well as the old wineskins that the new will cause to explode. Interpretation of things that Jesus teaches about God’s work at the cross requires “eyes to see” and “ears to hear.” Jesus represents a way of God operating that hasn’t been done before and in many ways appears to represent a way runs contrary to old ways of understanding God through the law.