Luke 12:3–21

3What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight. What you have whispered to someone behind closed doors will be shouted from the rooftops.

4“My friends, listen to me. Don’t be afraid of those who kill the body but can’t do any more than that. 5I will show you whom you should be afraid of. Be afraid of the One who can kill the body and also has the power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, be afraid of him.

6“Aren’t five sparrows sold for two pennies? But God does not forget even one of them. 7In fact, he even counts every hair on your head! So don’t be afraid. You are worth more than many sparrows.

8“What about someone who says in front of others that he knows me? I tell you, the Son of Man will say that he knows that person in front of God’s angels. 9But what about someone who says in front of others that he doesn’t know me? I, the Son of Man, will say that I don’t know him in front of God’s angels.

10“Everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven. But anyone who speaks evil things against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.

11“You will be brought before synagogues, rulers and authorities. But do not worry about how to stand up for yourselves or what to say. 12The Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say.”

The Story of the Rich Man

13Someone in the crowd spoke to Jesus. “Teacher,” he said, “tell my brother to divide the family property with me.”

14Jesus replied, “Friend, who made me a judge or umpire between you?”

15Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against wanting to have more and more things. Life is not made up of how much a person has.”

16Then Jesus told them a story. He said, “A certain rich man’s land produced a good crop. 17He thought to himself, ‘What should I do? I don’t have any place to store my crops.’

18“Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my storerooms and build bigger ones. I will store all my grain and my other things in them. 19I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of good things stored away for many years. Take life easy. Eat, drink and have a good time.” ’

20“But God said to him, ‘You foolish man! This very night I will take your life away from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’

21“That is how it will be for anyone who stores things away for himself but is not rich in God’s eyes.”