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Warnings

12 (A) As thousands of people crowded around Jesus and were stepping on each other, he told his disciples:

Be sure to guard against the dishonest teaching[a] of the Pharisees! It is their way of fooling people. (B) Everything that is hidden will be found out, and every secret will be known. Whatever you say in the dark will be heard when it is day. Whatever you whisper in a closed room will be shouted from the housetops.

The One To Fear

(Matthew 10.28-31)

(C) My friends, don't be afraid of people. They can kill you, but after that, there is nothing else they can do. God is the one you must fear. Not only can he take your life, but he can throw you into hell. God is certainly the one you should fear!

Five sparrows are sold for only a few cents, but God doesn't forget a single one of them. Even the hairs on your head are counted. So don't be afraid! You are worth much more than many sparrows.

Telling Others about Christ

(Matthew 10.32,33; 12.32; 10.19,20)

If you tell others that you belong to me, the Son of Man will tell God's angels that you are my followers. But if you reject me, you will be rejected in front of them. 10 (D) If you speak against the Son of Man, you can be forgiven, but if you speak against the Holy Spirit, you cannot be forgiven.

11 (E) When you are brought to trial in the synagogues or before rulers or officials, don't worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say. 12 At that time the Holy Spirit will tell you what to say.

A Rich Fool

13 A man in a crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, tell my brother to give me my share of what our father left us when he died.”

14 Jesus answered, “Who gave me the right to settle arguments between you and your brother?”

15 Then he said to the crowd, “Don't be greedy! Owning a lot of things won't make your life safe.”

16 So Jesus told them this story:

A rich man's farm produced a big crop, 17 and he said to himself, “What can I do? I don't have a place large enough to store everything.”

18 Later, he said, “Now I know what I'll do. I'll tear down my barns and build bigger ones, where I can store all my grain and other goods. 19 (F) Then I'll say to myself, ‘You have stored up enough good things to last for years to come. Live it up! Eat, drink, and enjoy yourself.’ ”

20 But God said to him, “You fool! Tonight you will die. Then who will get what you have stored up?”

21 “This is what happens to people who store up everything for themselves, but are poor in the sight of God.”

Worry

(Matthew 6.25-34)

22 Jesus said to his disciples:

I tell you not to worry about your life! Don't worry about having something to eat or wear. 23 Life is more than food or clothing. 24 Look at the crows! They don't plant or harvest, and they don't have storehouses or barns. But God takes care of them. You are much more important than any birds. 25 Can worry make you live longer?[b] 26 If you don't have power over small things, why worry about everything else?

27 (G) Look how the wild flowers grow! They don't work hard to make their clothes. But I tell you Solomon with all his wealth[c] wasn't as well clothed as one of these flowers. 28 God gives such beauty to everything that grows in the fields, even though it is here today and thrown into a fire tomorrow. Won't he do even more for you? You have such little faith!

29 Don't keep worrying about having something to eat or drink. 30 Only people who don't know God are always worrying about such things. Your Father knows what you need. 31 But put God's work first, and these things will be yours as well.

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Footnotes

  1. 12.1 dishonest teaching: The Greek text has “yeast,” which is used here of a teaching that is not true (see Matthew 16.6,12).
  2. 12.25 live longer: Or “grow taller.”
  3. 12.27 Solomon with all his wealth: The Jewish people thought that Solomon was the richest person who had ever lived.

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