v1: A crowd of people had gathered, perhaps hearing the commotion at the Pharisee's house (11.53).

Jesus had criticised the Pharisees, and now warned the Twelve against their doctrine and hypocrisy. Jesus did not address the crowd directly until v13. Here He spoke to the Twelve, and other disciples, in the presence of the multitude.

v2: All things will be made manifest; wrong thoughts, secret schemes, false doctrine. Those things which we naturally cover up will be exposed.

v3: Our secret thoughts will be made manifest. Therefore we should be more careful what we say and think.

v4: Jesus' disciples are "my friends". He urged them not to fear men. The Pharisees were powerful and influential; the followers of the itinerant Galilean preacher had begun to fear the Pharisees.

v5: Fear God, not man. Do not worry about man's powers, and do not worry about material things. It is God, not the devil, who will judge, and cast unbelievers into hell.

v6-7: Sparrows were sold for very little, given little value by men, but God cares for them. The lesson is clear; He cares for all who love Him too.

v8-9: A fresh challenge, after receiving encouragement, the disciples were now expected to identify with Christ. He would not fail them, and they must truly trust in Him. The command is to confess Christ, even in adversity. Christ will openly acknowledge those who belong to Him. Whatever the ungodly think, Christ will welcome them into His kingdom, Matt 25.34.

v10: Jesus Christ was empowered by the Holy Spirit. But there were those who, in rejecting Him, attributed His power to the devil, see 11.15.

v11-12: God's faithfulness in difficult times, whether under Roman or Jewish persecution. The same Holy Spirit who indwelt Jesus Christ will give words to His disciples. The Lord Jesus promised His friends the new comforter the Holy Spirit.

v13: The greedy brother did not really seek reconciliation, or even justice. He just wanted more for Himself. There is often a contradiction between our words and our real intentions.

v14: A dispute between two people must first be resolved privately. This man was "someone in the crowd", and therefore his problems were his own. Had the problem arisen between two disciples, then the Lord would have dealt with it differently, as in 1 Cor 5.12. Either way, the warning against covetousness remained true.

The Lord's address, "man," was cold. He was not called to sort out family disputes. In the culture of the day, a father would have made a will (in today's equivalent) but evidently failed to do so, leaving a younger brother seeking his share from the older brother.

v15: The main issue was covetousness. The Lord saw the man's heart, and perfectly diagnosed his attitude. He brought appropriate words for a materialistic society. Jesus exposes an insatiable attitude.

There are "all kinds of greed", such is man's commitment to gaining things for himself. Gambling and money making schemes are very common. We manifest the same greed in fiddling expenses, robbing our employer of our time, in spending on things that we don't really need.

v16: Jesus then told a parable, to illustrate the man's covetous attitud, and to expose human greed..

v17-19: The covetous man was selfish but foolish. He took no thought for spiritual things. His whole mode of thinking was "I" (6 times), "my" (5 times), and "I will (4 times), without any reference to God, or even to others, nor to his family. God gives riches, according to Ambrose for 'the bosoms of the needy, the houses of the widows, the mouths of orphans and children.'

v20: Jesus used the word "fool", as in Psalm 14. He had prepared himself for this world, but ignored the next. Luke gives a later parable about a rich man (16.19-31), which takes us to the next stage, indicating eternal torment and regret.

v21: Like Esau, he was a profane man. Jesus applied the parable to those around Him, 'Do not think that this will not happen to you.' The parable shows that our life does not consist in material things, however abundant, but in the spiritual.

Consumerism is looking for one’s identity in the things and products and services we buy.

v22: Jesus returned to addressing His disciples; He had warnings for the people, and promises for His disciples. The lesson is clear; we must learn to depend on God for all our needs, in contrast to the rich man. Unbelief brings anxiety. It is to the disciples that the assurance comes, "do not worry."

v23: Materially, food and clothing is all we need, see 1 Tim 6.8, illustrated in v24-29. Life is more than this, but not in the pursuit of luxury and abundance.

v24-29: Consider the ravens and consider the lilies. Two parables of God's faithfulness. God will feed and clothe us.

We are not to worry about our life or our body. We can add neither one hour nor one cubit.

v30: The unbeliever is different, having a love for material things. We are not to be like them.

v31: First things first. We must set our hearts and minds upon God, trusting Him for all other things.

v32: Do not be afraid, for God has much more to give us. But His blessings are beyond seeing and touching. This is a striking statement, since the religious rulers would have anticipated this blessing, but they were ignorant of the reality - see Matt 21.43. The kingdom comes to the followers of Jesus Christ.

v33-34: Giving to others is our grateful response as God prospers us. This is rewarded in Heaven. The Lord taught that worry is folly. Obedience here is a key foundation for godly living. Our giving shows where our heart is, and reveals our true attitudes.

v35: The Lord began to teach about His return. This key event is presented as a motivation for zealous service.

v36: Personal readiness; whenever He comes we must be ready.

v37: The watchful servants are rewarded by the master himself. Jesus used the plural; He expects all His servants to be ready. Mutual encouragement will promote such an attitude. The reward is that the master will serve them.

v38: The watchful servant is always ready. Just as the friend at midnight (11.5), no time is inconvenient. The Lord Jesus Himself maintained this attitude. We are here challenged to do the same.

The priests and Levites stood guard at night in the temple; 270 of them in total. There were three watches each night, which Jesus here refers to.

v39: The regret of complacency; a thief would not normally broadcast his arrival time, so the hearers would have smiled at the irony here.

v40: The simple application. So often the clear meaning of the Lord's words cannot be escaped. The Son of Man will come back.

v41: The parable was addressed to the disciples. The timing of the parable (during the journey to Jerusalem), and its wording, referring to servants, indicates that these words are directed at those who belong to Christ.

v42: The faithful and wise manager has responsibility for others. This is distinct from the previous section, v35-39. There are some servants who have a responsibility for others, to ensure they are fed, and therefore able to perform their duties.

v43: The manager already exercised authority, and he would be rewarded for doing so responsibly.

v44: A real reward, a greater responsibility.

v45-46: Severe judgment upon those who mistreat others. This is a test of our readiness. The disobedient manager would be caught out, for the master will return at an unexpected time.

v47-48: The fairness of God's judgment. The implication seems to be that the Jewish people will be judged more severely. Surely the servant must know the master's will.

v49: The fire of judgment to fall.

v50: Before the judgment, there was a baptism of suffering.

v51-53: The necessity of division, see 1 Cor 11.19. A sign of true faith in some, and unbelief in others. Peace from God is peace with God, rather than peace between nations or cultures. Reconciliation is between believers, not unbelievers. There remains antagonism between unbelievers and believers. The Lord Jesus and the disciples had already experienced this. Much of Jesus' teaching indicates a quite distinct set of values in the believer.

v54-56: The need to be spiritually alert, seeing signs, and understanding what is behind them. The Lord was critical of those who did not see the signs of His day, and did not "interpret this present time."

v57-59: Seek peace with God, lest He become your adversary. And seek peace with fellow believers.