Luke 12:3 - Printer Friendly

ESV: 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.

NIV: What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the roofs.

NASB: Accordingly, whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in the inner rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops.

CSB: Therefore, whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in an ear in private rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops.

NLT: Whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered behind closed doors will be shouted from the housetops for all to hear!

KJV: Therefore whatsoever ye have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light; and that which ye have spoken in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon the housetops.

NKJV: Therefore whatever you have spoken in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have spoken in the ear in inner rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops.

As a traveling teacher, Jesus would have given the same teachings, in similar words, at different times. Here, His lesson is a warning to the disciples. They must watch what they say both in public and in private. Hypocrisy from any source will be made public on the day of judgment (Luke 12:1–2). Matthew's context is slightly different and the text reads, "What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops" (Matthew 10:27). That is, what Jesus tells the disciples in secret (Luke 8:10; 9:18–22), they will need to make public later. The active voice in Matthew means it is to be an act of the disciples. The passive voice in Luke indicates God's work.

In Matthew's introduction to the Lord's Prayer, Jesus says:

"And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you" (Matthew 6:5–6).

The "private rooms" in this verse are storerooms in the innermost part of the house. They may be the same as the "room" Jesus calls His followers to pray in, but they're used for a different purpose: to whisper blasphemies and consider how to destroy Jesus (Luke 11:53–54).

Scholars debate as to the proper application of Luke 12:2–3. Is it the Pharisees' words that will be made public or the disciples'? Will they be made known to other people or to God? In the next passage, Jesus tells the disciples that their words and their faithfulness to Him may result in their deaths, but God will keep them ultimately safe (Luke 12:4–7). In that context, the disciples should not act or speak hypocritically; they should not try to follow Jesus and placate the religious leaders. The religious leaders can only kill their bodies, while hypocrisy would reveal someone with no faith in Jesus at all, in which case God will not forgive them (Luke 12:8–10).

Luke 12:1–3 is the first of several warnings Jesus gives about living under God's kingdom, not under the authority of the Pharisees who have denied their Messiah. In the previous chapter, Luke described how the Pharisees and scribes rejected Jesus. Surrounded by thousands of people, Jesus tells the disciples to reject the Pharisees' hypocrisy (Luke 11:37–44). Next, Jesus will exhort the disciples to hold fast to His teaching even if their lives are in danger (Luke 12:4–12). Matthew 10:26 and 16:6, and Mark 4:22 and 8:15 cover the same topics.

Jesus teaches the disciples about proper priorities. This includes recognizing that God knows all things, even secrets. Believers should honor God more than they fear death, or than they worry about things like food and clothes. Christians are to remain ready for Christ's return, even as faith separates those who believe from those who do not. These ideas revolve around the central theme of verse 34: that a person's heart reflects what they value most.

Luke 12:1—13:9 compares the world with the kingdom of God. Jesus has condemned the hypocrisy of the Pharisees (Luke 11:14–54). He now instructs His disciples to reject the fame and security that Pharisees crave, and hold lightly to their lives, wealth, security, and even family. He then warns the crowd to be wise about their relationships with other people and with God. The next two units each include a miracle and teaching on God's kingdom and salvation (Luke 13:10—15:32). Then the final section in the "travelogue" repeats that three-unit pattern (Luke 16:1—19:27) before Jesus arrives in Jerusalem.

Luke was a traveling companion of Paul (Acts 16:10) and a physician (Colossians 4:14). Unlike Matthew, Mark, and John, Luke writes his gospel as an historian, rather than as a first-hand eyewitness. His extensive writings also include the book of Acts (Acts 1:1–3). These are deliberately organized, carefully researched accounts of those events. The gospel of Luke focuses on the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ. Luke's Gentile perspective presents Christ as a Savior for all people, offering both forgiveness and direction to those who follow Him.