Luke 12:22–13:21

THE CURE FOR ANXIETY

22 Then he said to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you,m don’t worry about your life, what you will eat; or about the body, what you will wear.n 23 For life is more than food and the body more than clothing. 24 Consider the ravens:o They don’t sow or reap; they don’t have a storeroom or a barn; yet God feeds them.p Aren’t you worth much more than the birds? 25 Can any of you add one moment to his life spanB by worrying?q 26 If then you’re not able to do even a little thing, why worry about the rest?

27 “Consider how the wildflowers grow: They don’t labor or spin thread. Yet I tell you, not even Solomonr in all his splendor was adorned like one of these. 28 If that’s how God clothes the grass, which is in the field today and is thrown into the furnace tomorrow, how much more will he do for you—you of little faith?s 29 Don’t strive for what you should eat and what you should drink, and don’t be anxious. 30 For the Gentile world eagerly seekst all these things, and your Fatheru knows that you need them.

31 “But seek his kingdom,v and these things will be provided for you.w 32 Don’t be afraid,x little flock,y because your Father delightsz to give you the kingdom.aa 33 Sellab your possessions and give to the poor.ac Make money-bagsad for yourselves that won’t grow old, an inexhaustible treasureae in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. 34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.af

READY FOR THE MASTER’S RETURN

35 “Be ready for service* and have your lamps lit.ag 36 You are to be like people waiting for their masterah to return from the wedding banquetai so that when he comes and knocks, they can open the door for him at once.aj 37 Blessed will be those servants the master finds alertak when he comes. Truly I tell you, he will get ready,B have them recline at the table, then come and serve them.al 38 If he comes in the middle of the night, or even near dawn,C and finds them alert, blessed are those servants. 39 But know this: If the homeowner had known at what hour the thief was coming,am he would not have let his house be broken into. 40 You also be ready,an because the Son of Manao is coming at an hour you do not expect.”ap

REWARDS AND PUNISHMENT

41 “Lord,” Peter asked, “are you telling this parable to us or to everyone?”

42 The Lord said, “Who then is the faithful and sensible manageraq his master will put in charge of his household servants to give them their allotted foodar at the proper time? 43 Blessed is that servant whom the master finds doing his job when he comes. 44 Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 45 But if that servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming,’as and starts to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and get drunk, 46 that servant’s master will come on a day he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know. He will cut him to piecesD and assign him a place with the unfaithful.E 47 And that servant who knew his master’s will and didn’t prepare himself or do itF will be severely beaten.at 48 But the one who did not know and did what deservedau punishment will receive a light beating. From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, even more will be expected.G,a

NOT PEACE BUT DIVISION

49 “I cameb to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already set ablaze! 50 But I have a baptism to undergo,c and how it consumesd me until it is finished!e 51 Do you think that I came here to bring peace on the earth?f No, I tell you, but rather division. 52 From now on, five in one household will be divided: three against two, and two against three.

53 They will be divided, father against son,

son against father,

mother against daughter,

daughter against mother,

mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law,

and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”H,g

INTERPRETING THE TIME

54 He also said to the crowds,h “When you see a cloud rising in the west, right away you say, ‘A storm is coming,’ and so it does.i 55 And when the south wind is blowing, you say, ‘It’s going to be hot,’ and it is. 56 Hypocrites!j You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky, but why don’t you know how to interpret this present time?k

SETTLING ACCOUNTS

57 “Why don’t you judge for yourselves what is right?l 58 As you are going with your adversarym to the ruler, make an effort to settle with him on the way. Then he won’t drag you before the judge,n the judge hand you over to the bailiff, and the bailiff throw you into prison.o 59 I tell you, you will never get out of there until you have paid the last penny.”A,p

REPENT OR PERISH

13 At that time,q some people came and reported to him about the Galileansr whose blood Pilates had mixed with their sacrifices. 2 And heB responded to them, “Do you think that these Galileans were more sinful than all the other Galileans because they suffered these things?t 3 No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as well. 4 Or those eighteen that the tower in Siloamu fell on and killed—do you think they were more sinful than all the other people who live in Jerusalem? 5 No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as well.”

THE PARABLE OF THE BARREN FIG TREE

6 And he told this parable:v “A man had a fig tree that was planted in his vineyard. He came looking for fruit on it and found none.w 7 He told the vineyard worker, ‘Listen, for three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down!x Why should it even waste the soil?’y

8 “But he replied to him, ‘Sir,C leave it this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it.z 9 Perhaps it will produce fruit next year, but if not, you can cut it down.’ ”

HEALING A DAUGHTER OF ABRAHAM

10 As he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath,aa 11 a woman was there who had been disabled by a spiritD,ab for over eighteen years. She was bent over and could not straighten up at all.E 12 When Jesus saw her, he called out to her,F “Woman, you are free of your disability.” 13 Then he laid his hands on her,ac and instantly she was restoredad and began to glorify God.ae

14 But the leader of the synagogue, indignantaf because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, responded by telling the crowd, “There are six days when work should be done;ag therefore come on those days and be healed and not on the Sabbath day.”

15 But the Lord answered him and said, “Hypocrites!ah Doesn’t each one of you untie his oxai or donkey from the feeding troughaj on the Sabbath and lead it to water?ak 16 Satanal has boundam this woman, a daughter of Abraham,an for eighteen years—shouldn’t she be untied from this bondageA on the Sabbath day?”

17 When he had said these things, all his adversariesao were humiliated,ap but the whole crowd was rejoicing over all the glorious things he was doing.aq

THE PARABLES OF THE MUSTARD SEED AND OF THE LEAVEN

18 He said, therefore, “What is the kingdom of God like,ar and what can I compare it to? 19 It’s like a mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his garden. It grew and became a tree, and the birds of the sky nested in its branches.”

20 Again he said, “What can I compare the kingdom of Goda to? 21 It’s like leavenB,b that a woman took and mixed into fifty poundsC of flour until all of it was leavened.”