What is the meaning of Luke 12:5? But I will show you whom you should fear Jesus has just said, “Do not fear those who kill the body and after that can do no more” (Luke 12:4). Now He turns the spotlight onto the right object of fear. • The contrast is sharp: people can only end earthly life; God oversees both life and eternity (Psalm 56:4; Proverbs 29:25). • Scripture calls this the “fear of the LORD,” the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 1:7; Psalm 111:10). • This fear is not a nervous dread of an unpredictable deity; it is the sober recognition that God’s judgment is final and absolute (Isaiah 8:13). Fear the One who, after you have been killed Jesus moves past the grave, reminding us that physical death is not the finish line. • He is speaking of God, the Creator who “forms the spirit of man within him” (Zechariah 12:1). • The body may lie in a tomb, yet every soul will stand before the Lord (Hebrews 9:27). • Because God rules beyond death, our priorities must be set with eternity in view (Colossians 3:1–2). • Matthew 10:28 presents the same truth, underscoring that discipleship must weigh eternal realities over momentary threats. Has authority to throw you into hell Here Jesus affirms the reality of hell—Gehenna, the place of everlasting punishment. • God alone “has fixed a day when He will judge the world in righteousness” (Acts 17:31). • Final judgment is pictured in Revelation 20:11-15, where anyone not found in the Book of Life is cast into the lake of fire. • Passages like Mark 9:43-48 and 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9 stress the horror of eternal separation from God. • This authority highlights God’s holiness; sin is no trivial matter (Habakkuk 1:13). • For the believer, Christ has borne this judgment (1 Peter 2:24); for the unrepentant, the warning stands. Yes, I tell you, fear Him! Jesus repeats the command for emphasis, urging a wholehearted, reverent response. • Healthy fear produces obedience (Deuteronomy 10:12-13) and keeps hearts tender to God’s Word (Isaiah 66:2). • It goes hand-in-hand with love and trust. The early church “walked in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 9:31). • Practical outworkings: – Turn from sin quickly (Philippians 2:12-13). – Speak truth courageously, knowing only God’s verdict lasts (2 Corinthians 5:10-11). – Worship with awe, yet with confidence in His mercy (Psalm 147:11; Hebrews 12:28-29). • This fear liberates from lesser fears, because “The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?” (Psalm 27:1). summary Luke 12:5 shifts our gaze from human intimidation to the ultimate authority of God. Jesus insists we fear Him because He alone governs life, death, and eternity. Such fear is not paralyzing terror but a reverent awareness that fuels repentance, obedience, and bold witness. When we honor God first, every other fear loses its grip, and we discover the secure embrace of the One who both judges righteously and counts every hair on our heads (Luke 12:6-7). |
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