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The Gospel of Luke Chapter 12:1-34 Open Witness 12:1 Meanwhile, when many thousands of the crowd had gathered so that they were trampling on one another, Jesus began to speak first to his disciples, "Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. A very large crowd had gathered to hear Jesus and so large was the crowd that the people were in danger of being crushed. Even so, Jesus attention was on matters of a more spiritual nature. He was intent on teaching his disciples to ‘Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy’. He wanted his disciples faith and religion to be heartfelt and genuine – not a pretense. Much later, there would be those among the professing early Christians who would in fact only pretend to believe in order to cause trouble and problems for the young church (Gal. 2:4; Jude 1:4). 12:2-3 Nothing is hidden that will not be revealed, and nothing is secret that will not be made known. So then whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in private rooms will be proclaimed from the housetops. Yet Christ is confident that truth will always prevail. The reality of what is in the hearts of men cannot be hidden forever. Even what is said and done in secret will not be covered forever. Matthew’s version of this Jesus saying reads: ‘Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops’ (Matt. 10:27 NKJVTM). It may be that Christ used the parable in different ways to emphasise two different things which actually go together. The reality of sin and hypocrisy is disclosed to the human heart by the sincere proclamation of truth. So Jesus tells his disciples to persist in making known publicly those things which he had revealed to them and said to them. It is only through the thorough preaching of the gospel that people can be brought out of darkness into light (John 20:19 and Acts 2:1-14). 12:4-7 I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more they can do. But I will warn you whom you should fear: Fear the one who, after the killing, has authority to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him! Aren't five sparrows sold for two pennies?