Luke 12:35

Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning; LET YOUR LOINS BE GIRDED ABOUT - to fasten up the long outer garment, which was always done before travel and before work (See ; ; and compare, for the sense, ; .) The meaning is, Be prepared. AND YOUR LIGHTS BURNING;...

22-40 Christ largely insisted upon this caution not to give way to disquieting, perplexing cares, Matthew 6:25. The arguments here used are for our encouragement to cast our care upon God, which is the right way to get ease. As in our stature, so in our state, it is our wisdom to take it as it is. An eager, anxious pursuit of the things of this world, even necessary things, ill becomes the disciples of Christ. Fears must not prevail; when we frighten ourselves with thoughts of evil to come, and put ourselves upon needless cares how to avoid it. If we value the beauty of holiness, we shall not crave the luxuries of life. Let us then examine whether we belong to this little flock. Christ is our Master, and we are his servants; not only working servants, but waiting servants. We must be as men that wait for their lord, that sit up while he stays out late, to be ready to receive him. In thi...

Verse 35. _LET YOUR LOINS_] Be active, diligent, determined ready; let all hinderances be removed out of the way; and let the candle of the Lord be always found burning brightly in your hand. Luke 12:37, Luke 12:37....

LET YOUR LOINS ... - This alludes to the ancient manner of dress. They wore a long flowing robe as their outer garment. See the notes at Matthew 5:38. When they labored, or walked, or ran, it was necessary to “gird” or tie this up by a “sash” or girdle about the body, that it might not impede their progress. Hence, to gird up the loins means to be “ready,” to be active, to be diligent. Compare 2 Kings 4:29; 2 Kings 9:1; Jeremiah 1:17; Acts 12:8. YOUR LIGHTS BURNING - This expresses the same

EXPOSITION LUKE 12:1 _The Lord_,_ after leaving the Pharisee_'_s house_,_ speaks at great length to a numerous crowd waiting for him_,_ addressing his words principally to his own disciples. _The foregoing scene (Luke 11:1.), when the Master addressed his bitter reproaches to the learned and cultivated of the great Pharisee party, took place in a private house belonging to an apparently wealthy member of this, the dominant class. The name of the large village or provincial town where all this happened is unknown. The crowd who had been listening to the great Teacher before he accepted the Pharisee's invitation still lingered around the house. Many from the adjoining villages, hearing that Jesus was in this place and was publicly teaching, had

LET YOUR LOINS BE GIRDED ABOUT,.... With the girdle of truth, Ephesians 6:14 keeping close to the doctrines of the Gospel, abiding faithfully by them, even unto death: the allusion is either to the eating of the first passover, Exodus 12:11 or rather to servants, who, in these eastern countries, wore long garments; and therefore, when in business, used to gather them up, and gird them about them, that they might perform their service with greater strength, more ease, quicker dispatch, and less hinderance: the phrase denotes readiness for business: AND YOUR LIGHTS BURNING. The Vulgate Latin version adds, "in your hands"; meaning torches that were held in the hand: and may design either the Scriptures of truth, which were to be a light or lamp unto them, guiding and directing them in the

In this chapter, our Saviour dispels the fears of his disciples concerning temporal things, and especially their fear of persecution and their fear of want. Luke 12:1. _In the mean time, when there were gathered together an innumerable multitude of people, insomuch that they trode one upon another, he began to say unto his disciples first of all, Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid; that shall not be known._ What, therefore, can be the use of hypocrisy? Hypocrisy leads a man to pretend to be what he is not. His only hope lies in not being discovered; but, as Christ declares that «there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known;» hypocrisy becomes insanity as well as iniquity. Therefore, keep clear of it in every shape and form....

CHAPTER 12 _ 1. Warning Against Hypocrisy. (Luke 12:1)_ 2. Encouragements. (Luke 12:4) 3. Warning Against Covetousness. (Luke 12:15) 4. Warning Against Anxiety. (Luke 12:22) 5. The Disciples Comfort and Hope. (Luke 12:32) 6. The Parable of the Steward. (Luke 12:41) 7. The Purpose of God and the Resulting Division. (Luke 12:49) 8. Concerning signs.

LUKE 12:35 THREE REFERENCES TO THE PAROUSIA. Luke 12:35 (with Luke 12:47 F.). THE NEED OF WATCHFULNESS. These verses, like Luke 13:25, are clearly akin in thought to Mt.'s parable of the Ten Bridesmaids (_cf._ also Mark 13:33)* Loisy thinks we have here reminiscences and echoes of that parable; Wellhausen thinks Lk.'s form the earlier; the fermentation in Lk. has in Mt. settled down and disappeared. But it is quite possible that Mt. and Lk. are independent of each other here, especially if we disregard the return from the marriage feast in

THE CREED OF COURAGE AND OF TRUST (Luke 12:1-12)...