ルカによる福音書12:1-7 Luke 12:1-7,

「体を殺しても、その後、それ以上何もできない者どもを恐れてはならない。だれを恐れるべきか、教えよう。それは、殺した後で、地獄に投げ込む権威を持っている方だ。」　　　（ルカ11:4-5）

まず4節では、人を恐れてはならないということが「友人であるあなたがたに言っておく。体を殺しても、その後、それ以上何もできない者どもを恐れてはならない」と述べられています。つまり、人は体を殺す以上のことは何もできないから恐れる必要はないが、神様は体を殺す以上のことができるから恐れなければならないということです。それはどういうことかと言えば、5節にありますように「だれを恐れるべきか、教えよう。それは、殺した後で、地獄に投げ込む権威を持っている方だ」ということです。マタイによる福音書の10章28節によれば、キリストは「体は殺しても、魂を殺すことのできない者どもを恐れるな。むしろ、魂も体も地獄で滅ぼすことのできる方を恐れなさい」とおっしゃっておられます。つまり、神様は魂を地獄に投げ込んで滅ぼすことができるということです。この箇所については、マタイが記している「体は殺しても、魂を殺すことのできない者どもを恐れるな」という言葉のほうが、キリストの元の言葉により近いかもしれません。おそらく、ルカは何らかの理由で「魂」という言葉を用いるのを控えているのでしょう。

しかし、ルカによる福音書も人間には死後の状態があるということを別のところではっきりと教えています。その代表的な話は、ルカによる福音書の16章に記されている貧しいラザロと金持ちの話です。あるところに、毎日贅沢に遊び暮らしている金持ちとその門前に住んで金持ちの残飯で飢えをしのいでいるラザロという人がいました。死んだ後、ラザロは天国に連れて行かれましたが、金持ちは地獄に落とされました。金持ちは地獄の火の炎に苦しめられながら、遥かかなたの天国に貧しいラザロと先祖のアブラハムがいる様子を見ました。そして、「父アブラハムよ、わたしを憐れんでください。ラザロをよこして、指先を水に浸し、わたしの舌を冷やさせてください。わたしはこの炎の中でもだえ苦しんでいます」（ルカ16:24）と訴えました。ところが、アブラハムは天国から次のように答えました。「子よ、思い出してみるがよい。お前は生きている間に良いものをもらっていたが、ラザロは反対に悪いものをもらっていた。今は、ここで彼は慰められ、お前はもだえ苦しむのだ。そればかりか、わたしたちとお前たちの間には大きな淵があって、ここからお前たちの方へ渡ろうとしてもできないし、そこからわたしたちの方に越えて来ることもできない。」（ルカ16:25-26）本日の箇所でキリストが「だれを恐れるべきか、教えよう。それは、殺した後で、地獄に投げ込む権威を持っている方だ」と述べておられるのは、このような地獄の苦しみに投げ込む権威をもっておられる神様のことです。（8月17日の説教より）

We human beings are often concerned about how others perceive us from the outside. We often go to great lengths to present a certain image of ourselves. In the time of the New Testament, the Pharisees of Judaism appeared to live a devout life of faith in God. However, in reality, they were people who went to great lengths to present a certain image of themselves in order to gain popularity among others. In the preceding passage, 11:37–54, Jesus Christ harshly accuses the hypocrisy of such people.

And isn’t it true that even people living in the modern age, while living their lives with a certain degree of sincerity and diligence, have actually become hypocrites? For example, someone who appears to be serious and quiet may suddenly commit a bad deed like shoplifting or sexual harassment. This is likely because, despite their outward appearance, their hearts are filled with greedy and lustful thoughts. Similarly, someone who appears kind and considerate may actually harbour hostile feelings toward their neighbours. This too stems from the hatred toward others that harbours within their heart. Even Christians are not completely free from such evil within their hearts, so if we let our guard down, there is a risk of unexpected wrongdoing occurring within the church. Therefore, we must constantly be aware of the evil within our hearts and strive to overcome hypocrisy.

However, it is not easy to become aware of one’s own hypocrisy. And it is even more difficult to overcome that hypocrisy once one becomes aware of it. For example, if someone who appeared kind on the outside but secretly spoke ill of others began to openly speak ill of others, does that person overcome the hypocrisy? No! While the hypocrisy of appearing kind on the outside may have disappeared, the fact remains that they are still doing something wrong. Even if one stops doing bad things in secret and starts doing them openly, that does not mean that one has overcome hypocrisy. What kind of mindset is necessary to do good that is not hypocritical? Today’s Bible passage teaches us the mindset necessary to do good that is not hypocritical.

In today’s Bible passage, Jesus Christ criticises the Pharisees for focusing solely on outward appearances. As stated in verse 1, he says, “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.” The metaphor of “leaven” signifies that when you accept hypocritical behaviour into your life, it will spread throughout your entire life, just as “leaven” causes bread to rise. Following this, Christ teaches three things necessary to overcome hypocrisy. The first is that everything is made known before God. The second is to fear God and not man. The third is that you are remembered by God.

First, the fact that everything is made known before God is stated in verses 2 and 3. In other words, hypocrisy will inevitably be exposed. In verse 2, Christ says, “Nothing is covered up that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known,” meaning that the deeds and thoughts that hypocrites hide under a respectable appearance will inevitably be made known someday. In other words, even the things we do thinking that no one is watching will eventually be made known.

The evil deeds of King David recorded in the Old Testament bring to mind these words of Christ. King David, while his warrior Uriah was away fighting the Ammonites, was captivated by the beauty of Uriah’s wife Bathsheba and had an love affair with her, and Bathsheba became pregnant. However, fearing that his adultery would be exposed, King David sent Uriah to the front lines of the fiercest battle, ordered the other soldiers to retreat, and had Uriah killed in battle. After the mourning period for Uriah had ended, King David brought Bathsheba, Uriah’s widow, into the palace and made her one of his wives. Thus, it seemed as though King David’s evil deeds had been buried in darkness, unknown to the people.

However, God saw everything and sent the prophet Nathan to David. The prophet Nathan then conveyed God’s words of judgment to King David as follows.

“Why have you despised the word of the LORD, to do what is evil in his sight? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and have taken his wife to be your wife and have killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. Now therefore the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife. Thus says the LORD, ‘Behold, I will raise up evil against you out of your own house. And I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun’” (2 Samuel 12:9–11).

In this way, God revealed the hidden evil deeds of King David. And the words of God’s judgment, “The sword shall never depart from your house” and “I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor,” were fulfilled in the terrible events when Absalom, the son of King David, rebelled against his father and took his concubines.

Christ also says in verse 3 of today’s passage, “Therefore whatever you have said in the dark shall be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in private rooms shall be proclaimed on the housetops.” People often preface their words with “This is just between us,” when they want to share something they don’t want others to hear. Some people may even go around saying, “This is just between us,” and spread rumours about others. And politicians, may make statements that they do not want recorded or reported, which are called “off-the-record remarks.” However, such statements do not hold any weight before God. Speaking responsibly before God means speaking with the mindset that what you say is appropriate to be heard by anyone.

Second, verses 4 and 5 teach us to fear God and not people. First, in verse 4 Christ says, “I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do.” That is, there is no need to fear people because they cannot do anything beyond killing the body, but we must fear God because he can do more than that. In verse 5 Christ explains, “But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell.” In Matthew 10:28, Christ says, “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” This means that God has the power to cast the soul into hell and destroy it. Regarding this passage, the words recorded by Matthew, “Do not fear those who can kill the body but cannot kill the soul,” may be closer to Christ’s original words. Perhaps Luke refrained from using the word “soul” for some reason.

However, Luke’s Gospel also clearly teaches in other passage that there is a state after death for human beings. The most representative passage is the parable of the poor man Lazarus and the rich man, recorded in Luke 16:19-31. According to the parable, there was a rich man who lived in luxury every day, and a poor man named Lazarus who lived at his gate, feeding himself on the scraps from the rich man’s table. After they died, Lazarus was carried to heaven, but the rich man was thrown into hell. The rich man, tormented by the flames of hell, saw Lazarus and his ancestor Abraham in heaven far above him. He cried out, “Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame” (Luke 16:24). But Abraham replied from heaven, “Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us” (Luke 16:25-26). In today’s passage, when Christ says, “I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell,” he is referring to God, who has the authority to cast people into the torments of hell.

The Westminster Confession of Faith, composed in England in the 17th century, teaches the state of humans after death in Chapter 32 as follows.

The bodies of men, after death, return to dust, and see corruption: but their souls, which neither die nor sleep, having an immortal subsistence, immediately return to God who gave them: the souls of the righteous, being then made perfect in holiness, are received into the highest heavens, where they behold the face of God, in light and glory, waiting for the full redemption of their bodies.

After that, the Westminster Confession of Faith teaches the resurrection of the dead at the Last Day as follows.

The bodies of the unjust shall, by the power of Christ, be raised to dishonor: the bodies of the just, by his Spirit, unto honor; and be made conformable to his own glorious body.

Here, “the righteous” and “the just” refer to those who have been justified by faith in Christ and have come to follow him. Hell is a place where one is separated from God and suffers eternal torment. There is only eternal destruction there. The pain inflicted by people is only temporary. Of course, even though it is only temporary, it is still terrible. If you imagine being rejected by your friends, being materially poor, and suffering physically, you would want to avoid it at all costs. However, what is even more terrifying is being abandoned by God forever. What good would it do to prolong one’s life on earth by a mere moment if one were eternally abandoned by God? Therefore, rather than living as a hypocrite out of fear of people, gaining temporary stability in this world, and then being condemned to eternal destruction by God’s judgment, let us fear God, confess our sins continually, repent, and live with the cross of Christ as our support and eternal life as our goal.

Third, verses 6 and 7 of today’s passage teach us that you are remembered by God. This teaching is expressed through two striking concrete examples. The first example is found in verse 6: “Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten before God.” The Greek word “strūthion” (στρουθίον), translated as “sparrow,” may refer to the literal sparrow, but some scholars suggest it might refer to another small bird, as sparrows were not eaten at the time. In any case, it was likely the cheapest bird available in the market. In the original Greek text, “two pennies” are written as “two assariōn” (ἀσσαρίων δύο). One assarion (ἀσσάριον) is one-sixteenth of a denarius. Since one denarius was a day’s wage for a labourer, for simplicity’s sake, we will convert one denarius to 10,000 yen, making one assarion 625 yen. Incidentally, five sparrows for two assarions would be 0.4 assarions per bird, or 250 yen. That is, a small bird sold for 250 yen per bird in the market is considered of little value from a human perspective. However, even the life of such a bird of seemingly little value is not forgotten by God. In other words, even a small bird cannot be sold in the market without God’s permission.

The second example is found in verse 7: “Even the hairs of your head are all numbered.” Is there anyone among us who knows exactly how many hairs are on one’s own head? Probably not. Yet God knows the number of hairs on each one of us. This means that God knows us far better than we know ourselves. God fully understands each one of us and acts in the best way for us. Therefore, without God’s permission, no human being can do anything to us. Since our existence is completely remembered by God, there is no need to fear human beings.

In this way, what we can understand from being remembered by God is that we can overcome hypocrisy not only by fearing God, but also by actively trusting in God. And this means, in other words, trusting completely in the forgiveness of sins through the cross of Jesus Christ. When we abandon the desire to boast about our own works and simply trust in the cross of Jesus Christ, the way to do true good, not hypocrisy, is opened up. Though it may sound somewhat paradoxical, by acknowledging oneself as a hypocrite and believing in the cross of Christ, the path to overcoming hypocrisy and doing true good is opened.

There was a British missionary named William Carey who was active from the 18th to the 19th century. He was the first British missionary to preach in India and is known as the “father of modern overseas missions.” William Carey was born into a poor family and became an apprentice shoemaker as a boy. However, he was said to be a studious boy who loved reading and taught himself Latin, Greek, Hebrew, Dutch, French, and German. At a time when large churches in London were not interested in overseas missionary work, William Carey, with the support of a poor rural church, moved to India with his family. Despite losing all his possessions in a flood, he worked in a factory while translating the Bible into Bengali and publishing it. He taught at an university of Calcutta for 30 years and made significant contributions to the spread of Christianity in India.

It is said that during his time as an apprentice shoemaker, William Carey committed the sin of embezzling money entrusted to him by his master to buy books he wanted to read. This awareness of his sin led him to deep repentance and ultimately dedicated his life to proclaiming the Gospel of Christ. Before God, who knows all, it is by acknowledging that we are nothing but miserable hypocrites that we overcome hypocrisy and find the path to truly follow Christ.