Luke 12:47-49 - Beaten with many blows

12:47,48

The directness of Jesus’ words continues. If we know what God’s will is and don’t do it we will be beaten with many blows. Tough to those of you who don’t believe in corporal punishment! Leaving that aside, these are most sobering words indeed. If we are given knowledge or insight then we are expected to act upon it.

The one who does not know, but still does the wrong thing will be beaten with fewer blows. Now some will immediately start looking at the question of those who have not heard the gospel, but that is not the question or the issue that Jesus is dealing with. His message here is for those who have heard, and it is that we need to be diligent in following Jesus, not wallowing in any sense of self-satisfaction that we have received revelation! The more we are given, the more is expected of us.

12:49

“Gentle Jesus, meek and mild” - well that is not quite the whole story as even the most cursory reading of the gospels will show, and here we have a prime example. Most of the talk in the church is about unity, and indeed there should be unity in Christ between believers. Those who cause division are usually troublemakers and the Bible has firm words to say about them. But here we get a very different side to the story, indeed to the mission of Christ. Jesus has come to sort the wheat from the chaff, to separate what needs to be separated. Between things that are of God and things that are not, and between those who are of God and those who are not. Moreover, Jesus is zealous for this,”how I wish it were already kindled!” We need to grasp this side of His ministry otherwise we are missing part of the truth.