Lukas 12:32-40

12:32 “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father is well pleased ¹  to give you the kingdom. 12:33 Sell your possessions ²  and give to the poor. ³  Provide yourselves purses that do not wear out – a treasure in heaven ⁴  that never decreases, ⁵  where no thief approaches and no moth ⁶  destroys. 12:34 For where your treasure ⁷  is, there your heart will be also.

Call to Faithful Stewardship

12:35 “Get dressed for service ⁸  and keep your lamps burning; ⁹  12:36 be like people ¹⁰  waiting for their master to come back from the wedding celebration, ¹¹  so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him. 12:37 Blessed are those slaves ¹²  whom their master finds alert ¹³  when he returns! I tell you the truth, ¹⁴  he will dress himself to serve, ¹⁵  have them take their place at the table, ¹⁶  and will come ¹⁷  and wait on them! ¹⁸  12:38 Even if he comes in the second or third watch of the night ¹⁹  and finds them alert, ²⁰  blessed are those slaves! ²¹  12:39 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief ²²  was coming, he would not have let ²³  his house be broken into. 12:40 You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.” ²⁴ 

[12:32]  ¹ tn Or perhaps, “your Father chooses.”

[12:33]  ² sn The call to sell your possessions is a call to a lack of attachment to the earth and a generosity as a result.

[12:33]  ³ tn Grk “give alms,” but this term is not in common use today.

[12:33]  ⁴ tn Grk “in the heavens.”

[12:33]  ⁵ tn Or “an unfailing treasure in heaven,” or “an inexhaustible treasure in heaven.”

[12:33]  ⁶ tn The term σής (shs) refers to moths in general. It is specifically the larvae of moths that destroy clothing by eating holes in it (L&N 4.49; BDAG 922 s.v.). See Jas 5:2, which mentions “moth-eaten” clothing.

[12:34]  ⁷ sn Seeking heavenly treasure means serving others and honoring God by doing so; see Luke 6:35-36.

[12:35]  ⁸ tn Grk “Let your loins be girded,” an idiom referring to the practice of tucking the ends of the long cloak (outer garment) into the belt to shorten it in preparation for activities like running, etc.

[12:35]  ⁹ sn Keep your lamps burning means to be ready at all times.

[12:36]  ¹⁰ tn That is, like slaves (who are mentioned later, vv. 37-38), although the term ἀνθρώποις (anqrwpoi") is used here. Since in this context it appears generic rather than gender-specific, the translation “people” is employed.

[12:36]  ¹¹ sn An ancient wedding celebration could last for days (Tob 11:18).

[12:37]  ¹² tn See the note on the word “slave” in 7:2.

[12:37]  ¹³ tn Or “watching”; Grk “awake,” but in context this is not just being awake but alert and looking out.

[12:37]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”

[12:37]  ¹⁵ tn See v. 35 (same verb).

[12:37]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “have them recline at table,” as 1st century middle eastern meals were not eaten while sitting at a table, but while reclining on one’s side on the floor with the head closest to the low table and the feet farthest away.

[12:37]  ¹⁷ tn The participle παρελθών (parelqwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[12:37]  ¹⁸ sn He…will come and wait on them is a reversal of expectation, but shows that what Jesus asks for he is willing to do as well; see John 13:5 and 15:18-27, although those instances merely foreshadow what is in view here.

[12:38]  ¹⁹ sn The second or third watch of the night would be between 9 p.m. and 3 a.m. on a Roman schedule and 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. on a Jewish schedule. Luke uses the four-watch schedule of the Romans in Acts 12:4, so that is more probable here. Regardless of the precise times of the watches, however, it is clear that the late-night watches when a person is least alert are in view here.

[12:38]  ²⁰ tn Grk “finds (them) thus”; but this has been clarified in the translation by referring to the status (“alert”) mentioned in v. 37.

[12:38]  ²¹ tn Grk “blessed are they”; the referent (the watchful slaves, v. 37) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[12:39]  ²² sn On Jesus pictured as a returning thief, see 1 Thess 5:2, 4; 2 Pet 3:10; Rev 3:3; 16:15.

[12:39]  ²³ tc Most mss (א¹ A B L Q W Θ Ψ 070 Ë^1,13 33 Ï lat sy^p,h sa^ms bo) read “he would have watched and not let” here, but this looks like an assimilation to Matt 24:43. The alliance of two important and early mss along with a few others (Ì⁷⁵ א* [D] e i sy^s,c sa^mss), coupled with much stronger internal evidence, suggests that the shorter reading is authentic.

[12:40]  ²⁴ sn Jesus made clear that his coming could not be timed, and suggested it might take some time – so long, in fact, that some would not be looking for him any longer (at an hour when you do not expect him).