Luke 12:4

Luk_12:4-5

Be not afraid of them that kill the body

The fear of God

I.

WHAT IS THAT FEAR OF GOD WHICH THE FRIENDS AND DISCIPLES OF CHRIST ARE EXPECTED TO CHERISH?

1. We are sure that this fear is not, as some would have us believe, inconsistent with the enjoyment of the hopes and consolations of the gospel.

2. This fear blends itself with the other emotions of our mind, and gives a chastened character to them all.

(1) Solemnity to our prayers.

(2) Sobriety to our hopes.

(3) Consistency to our conduct,

(4) Intensity to our love.

II. WHAT CONSIDERATIONS TEND TO PROMOTE THIS FEAR.

1. The greatness of His power.

2. The immaculateness of His purity and justice.

3. The constancy and greatness, of His love. (Anon.)

Religious fear

I. CONSIDER ON WHAT THE FEAR OF GOD. AS IT IS A DUTY AND A GOOD DISPOSITION, IS FOUNDED.

1. On a due sense of out own imperfections.

(1) In practice.

(2) In belief.

2. On a due sense of the perfections of God. God is most holy, and abhors iniquity as entirely opposite to His pure and undefiled nature. He is everywhere present, and from Him nothing can be hid. He is all-wise, and cannot be deceived. He is the just governor of the world, and as such He cannot but observe the actions of men, and will certainly render to every one according to his works. He is almighty, and can punish the rebellious many ways, by turning them out of being, or by making that being a pain to them for as long a time as He sees proper. He is also supremely good; and though this of all His perfections may seem the least suited to make us dread Him, yet whosoever judgeth so is much mistaken; for indeed there is not any one quality of the Divine nature so adapted to strike us with an ingenuous fear, with the fear of a child towards a parent, as this, and of such efficacy to deter us from sin, and to make us avoid incurring His just displeasure. Sin against God, as He is almighty, is the excess of madness and folly; but, as He is most kind and merciful, it is the basest ingratitude.

II. THE SEVERAL DEGREES OF THIS RELIGIOUS FEAR. A person is sensible that his practice is not at all suitable to his knowledge and judgment; that he deliberately and continually offends God; that he is not in His favour; that, according to the doctrine of the gospel, he shall be condemned at the last day, unless he amend; and yet he goes on in his evil ways. One who is in this situation and disposition, and who seriously reflects upon it, cannot help fearing God. He fears Him as his worst enemy; he fears Him as a righteous and inflexible judge who will not spare the guilty. This fear is indeed well-grounded and rational and natural; yet, producing no good effects, it hath no virtue in it, it is no act of religion. But, if it deter him from sin, it is then to him the beginning of wisdom, and it becomes another kind of fear, and truly religious, as will appear from a second instance. A wicked person becomes sensible of his dangerous state, resolves to deliver himself from it without delay, and begins a new course. He knows that this repentance, these good resolutions, and this change for the better, are things which God requires, which He approves, and which He hath promised to accept when they bring forth the fruits of a regular obedience. He hath, therefore, hopes of pardon, without which it is not possible for any one to amend: but these hopes are mixed with many and great fears lest he should relapse into his former vices, lest he should not accomplish all that is necessary for his salvation, lest he should be called out of this world before he has finished his important and difficult task. This is a religious fear, because it is mixed with hope, and honourable notions of God, and because it produces good actions. There is, further, a religious fear, which, bringing forth a regular obedience, and not being accompanied with so much dread and terror as that last mentioned, shows that the mind in which it is lodged is advanced to a higher degree of goodness. The fear of God, therefore, is a disposition of mind, different in degree, according as our state is with relation to God and to religion. There is a fear that God is offended at us, and will punish us; which is the fear of a wicked person. There is a fear arising from a sense of our guilt, mixed and allayed with hopes that God will accept our amendment. This is the fear of a penitent sinner. There is a fear lest we ever should forfeit the favour of God, and fall short of that future reward which at present we may reasonably expect. This is the fear of a good man, and it is capable of increase or of diminution according to his behaviour. There is an awe and reverence which a due sense of Gods perfections, and of the infinite distance between Him and His creatures, would excite in our minds, though we were secure of His favour, and had no fear of losing it. This is the happy state of those who have arrived as near to perfection as a good person can whilst he is on this side of heaven, and who are sensible that their course is nearly ended, and the time of their departure is at hand. (J. Jortin, D. D.)

The reasonableness of fearing God mare than man

I. CONSIDER THE POWER OF MAN, AND WHAT IS HE CAN DO.

1. He can kill the body, and take away our lives, which includes a power of doing whatever is less.

2. He can do not even this, however, without the Divine permission.

3. If permitted to do his worst, he can do but this. After that they have no more that they can do.

(1) They can but kill the body, that is, they can only injure the worst and least considerable part of us.

(2) When they have killed the body, by doing this, they do but prevent nature a little, they do but antedate an evil a few moments, and bring our fears upon us a little sooner; the:; kill that which must die within a few days, though they should let it alone; they do but cut asunder that thread which would shortly break of itself by its own weakness and rottenness.

(3) They can but kill the body; and what argument of power is this, to be able to kill that which is mortal? as if you should say, They can break a glass; they can throw down that which is falling.

(4) The killing of the body does not necessarily signify any great mischief or harm in the issue and event. They can kill the body, that is, they can knock off our fetters, and open the prison doors, and set us at liberty; they can put us out of pain, thrust us out of an uneasy world, put an end to our sins and sorrows, to our misery and fears; they can give the weary rest, and send us thither where we would be, but are loath to venture to go.

(5) They can but kill the body; when they have done that, they may give over, here their proud waves must stop; here their cruelty and malice, their power and wit, must terminate, for they can reach no farther.

(6) They can but kill the body, they cannot do the least harm to the soul, much less can they annihilate it, and make it cease to be.

(7) And lastly, They can but kill the body, that is, they can but inflict temporal misery upon us; their power, as it is but small, so it is of a short continuance, it reacheth no farther than this life, it is confined to this world.

II. CONSIDER HOW MUCH THE POWER OF GOD EXCEEDS THE POWER OF MAN; which our Saviour declares in these words, Who, after He hath killed, hath power to cast into hell. Which in general signifies, that His power is infinite and unlimited.

1. Gods power is absolute, and independent upon any other.

2. His power reaches to the soul as well as the body.

3. In the other world He can raise our bodies again, and reunite them to our souls, and cast them into hell, and torment them there.

4. God can punish for ever. I proceed now to apply this serious and weighty argument, and to draw some useful inferences from it.

I. That religion doth not design to annihilate and to root out our passions, but regulate and govern them; it does not wholly forbid and condemn them, but determines them to their proper objects, and appoints them their measures and proportions; it does not intend to extirpate our affections, but to exercise and employ them aright, and to keep them within bounds.

II. We may infer likewise from hence, that it is not against the genius of true religion, to urge men with arguments of fear. No man can imagine there would have been so many fearful threatenings in Scripture, and especially in the gospel, if it had not been intended they should have some effect and influence upon us. Fear is deeply rooted in our nature, and immediately flows from that principle of self-preservation which is planted in every man; it is the most wakeful passion in the soul of man, and so soon as anything that is dreadful and terrible is presented to us, it alarms us to flee from it; and this passion doth naturally spring up in our minds from the apprehension of a Deity, because the notion of a God doth include in it power and justice, both which are terrible to guilty creatures; so that fear is intimate to our being, and God hath hid in every mans conscience a secret awe and dread of His presence, of His infinite power and eternal justice. Now fear being one of the first things that is imprinted upon us from the apprehension of a Deity, it is that passion, which, above all other, gives the greatest advantage to religion, and is the easiest to be wrought upon.

III. THE FEAR OF GOD IS THE BEST ANTIDOTE AGAINST THE FEAR OF MEN.

IV. IF GOD BE INFINITELY MORE TO BE DREADED THAN MEN, THEN, WHO IS TO BE OBEYED, GOD OR MEN? JUDGE YE. I speak not this to diminish our reverence to magistrates and their authority; for by persuading men to fear God, who commands obedience to magistrates, we secure their reverence and authority; but when the commands of men are contrary to Gods, and come in competition with them, shall we not hearken to Him who is supreme, the greatest and most powerful? Shall we not obey Him who hath the most unquestionable authority over us, and right to command us? Shall we not dread Him most who is to be feared above all, who can be the best friend and the sorest enemy, is able to give the greatest rewards to our obedience, and to revenge Himself upon us for our disobedience by the most dreadful and severe punishments?

V. IF GOD BE THE GREAT OBJECT OF OUR FEAR, LET ALL IMPENITENT SINNERS REPRESENT TO THEMSELVES THE TERRORS OF THE LORD AND THE POWER OF HIS ANGER. This consideration, if anything in the world will do it, will awaken them to a sense of the danger of their condition, and of the fatal issue of a wicked life, (Archbishop Tillotson.)

The use of fear in religion

1. In the first place, the emotion of fear ought to enter into the consciousness of the young, because youth is naturally light-hearted. The ordinary cares of this life, which do so much towards moderating our desires and aspirations, have not yet pressed upon the ardent and expectant soul, and therefore it needs, more than others, to fear and to stand in awe.

2. Secondly, youth is elastic, and readily recovers from undue depression. There is an elasticity in the earlier periods of human life that prevents long-continued depression. How rare it is to see a young person smitten with insanity! It is not until the pressure of anxiety has been long continued, and the impulsive spring of the soul has been destroyed, that reason is dethroned. The morning of our life may, therefore, be subjected to a subduing and repressing influence, with very great safety. It is well to bear the yoke in youth. The awe produced by a vivid impression from the eternal world may enter into the exuberant and gladsome experience of the young with very little danger of actually extinguishing it and rendering life permanently gloomy and unhappy.

3. Thirdly, youth is exposed to sudden temptations and suprisals into sin. The general traits that have been mentioned as belonging to the early period in human life render it peculiarly liable to solicitations. The whole being of a healthful hilarious youth, who feels life in every limb, thrills to temptation like the lyre to the plectrum. There are moments in the experience of the young when all power of resistance seems to be taken away by the very witchery and blandishment of the object. He has no heart, and no nerve, to resist the beautiful siren. And it is precisely in these emergencies in his experience--in these moments when this world comes up before him clothed in pomp and gold, and the other world is so entirely lost sight of, that it throws in upon him none of its solemn shadows and warnings--it is precisely now, when he is just upon the point of yielding to the mighty yet fascinating pressure, that he needs to feel an impression, bold and startling, from the wrath of God. Nothing but the most active remedies will have any effect in this tumult and uproar of the soul.

4. In the fourth place, the feeling and principle of fear ought to enter into the experience of both youth and manhood, because it relieves from all other fear. He who stands in awe of God can look down from a very great height upon all other perturbation. When we have seen Him from whose sight the heavens and the earth flee away, there is nothing in either the heavens or the earth that can produce a single ripple upon the surface of our souls.

5. The fifth and last reason which we assign for cherishing the feeling and principle of fear applies to youth, to manhood, and to old age, alike; the fear of God conducts to the love of God. Our Lord does not command us to fear Him who, after He hath killed, hath power to cast into hell because such a feeling as this is intrinsically desirable, and is an ultimate end in itself; it is in itself undesirable, and it is only a means to an end. By it our torpid souls are to be awakened from their torpor; our numbness and hardness of mind in respect to spiritual objects is to be removed. We are never for a moment to suppose that the fear of perdition is set before us as a model and permanent form of experience to be toiled after-a positive virtue and grace intended to be perpetuated through the whole future history of the soul. It is employed only as an antecedent to a higher and a happier emotion; and when the purpose for which it has been elicited has been answered, it then disappears. Perfect love casteth out fear; for fear hath torment (1Jn_4:18). But, at the same time, we desire to direct attention to the fact that he who has been exercised with this emotion, thoroughly and deeply, is conducted by it into the higher and happier form of religious experience. Religious fear and anxiety are the prelude to religious peace and joy. These are the discords that prepare for the concords. (W. T. G. Shedd, D. D.)

Lessons

1. An unwarrantable fear condemned, and that is, the sinful, servile, slavish fear of man--Fear not them that kill the body.

2. An holy, awful, and prudential fear of the omnipotent God commended--Fear Him that is able to kill both body and soul.

3. The persons whom this duty of fear is recommended to, and bound upon; disciples, ministers, and ambassadors, all the friends of Christ; they not only may, but ought to fear Him, not only for His greatness and goodness, but upon the account of His punitive justice, as being able to cast both soul and body into hell. Such a fear is not only awful, but laudable; not only commendable, but commanded, and not misbecoming the friends of Christ. The ministers of God may use arguments from fear of judgments, both to dissuade from sin, and to persuade to duty. It is not unsuitable to the best of saints to keep in heavens way for fear of hell; it is good to bid a friend fear when that fear tendeth to his good. (W. Burkitt.)

Warning words

In Luk_12:5 our Lord guards against the error of the souls annihilation. Also against the notion that the body will escape the ruin of the soul. Perdition is not the destruction of the being of either, but of the well-being of both. Learn, that to play false with convictions to save life will fail of its end. God can inflict a violent death in some other and more awful way.

1. There is a hell for the body as well as for the soul; consequently sufferings adapted to the one as well as the other.

2. Fear of hell is a divinely authorized and needed motive of action even to Christs friends.

3. As Christs meekness and tenderness were not compromised by this language, those ministers want their Masters spirit who soften it to please ears polite. (Van Doren.)

How far is it to hell?

A young man met the deacon of a church one Sunday morning, and asked him the terrible question, How far is it to hell? Young man, was the reply, dont mock such a serious reality; you may be nearer to hell than you think. They had only just turned the corner of the road, and ridden a few yards, when his horse threw him, and he was picked up dead.

Sweetness of life

One of the martyrs, when being led to the stake, was urged to recant; and as a motive to induce him to do so it was said, Life is sweet, and death is bitter. True, said the good man; life is sweet, and death is bitter; but eternal life is sweeter, and eternal death is more bitter.

Death cannot destroy the soul

Methinks I hear an accursed spirit in the nether world crying after death, and saying, O death, pause, turn back and quench my wretched existence; in yonder world I dreaded thee, I struggled hard against thee--I now invoke thy stroke, a stroke that shall annihilate me for ever! And methinks I hear death, heartless as ever, saying, I cannot destroy thee; I never had any power over thine existence; I could wither landscapes, breathe destruction into the face of every green field and forest; I could quench animal life, and have reduced all past generations of men to dust; but I could never touch the soul. The soul, secured in her existence, smiled at my dagger and defied the point. I cannot paralyze memory, I cannot extinguish the fires of conscience, I cannot destroy a soul. (The Homilist.)

The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Luk 12:4. Φίλοις, my friends) A faithful counsel, and a spur to strength of resolution, and a conciliatory appellation, which is intended to temper the severity (sternness) of His language respecting a difficult and hard matter. In war, a General addresses his soldiers whilst doing battle by the kindly title, Brothers [in arms, fellow-soldiers], etc.—[μὴ φοβηθῆτε, Be not afraid of) in your confession of the truth.—V. g.]—τὸ σῶμα, κ.τ.λ.) Μείωσις.—μετὰ, after) The after [He hath killed], in Luk 12:5, corresponds to this after.

Bengel's Gnomon of the New Testament — English translation (T&T Clark, Edinburgh, 1860) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Luk 12:4 . λέγω δὲ , introducing a very important statement, not a mere phrase of Lk.’s to help out the connection of thought (Ws [114] , Mt.- Evang., 279). τοῖς φίλοις μου , not a mere conventional designation for an audience, but spoken with emphasis to distinguish disciples from hostile Pharisees = my comrades, companions in tribulation. μὴ φοβηθῆτε , etc., down to end of Luk 12:5 = Mat 10:28 , with variations. For Mt.’s distinction between body and soul Lk. has one between now and hereafter ( μετὰ ταῦτα ). The positive side of the counsel is introduced not with a simple “fear,” but with the more emphatic “I will show ye whom ye shall fear”. Then at the end, to give still more emphasis, comes: “Yea, I say unto you, fear him”. Who is the unnamed object of fear? Surely he who tempts to unfaithfulness, the god of this world!

[114]s. Weiss (Dr. Bernhard).

The Expositor's Greek Testament, edited by W. Robertson Nicoll (1897–1910) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Although hypocrites have princes to execute their cruelty, yet there is no cause why we could be afraid of them, the least iota that may be, seeing they can do nothing, but what pleaseth God, and God wills not anything that may be against the salvation of his elect.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

I say, &c.--You will say, That may cost us our life. Be it so; but, "My friends, there their power ends." He calls them "my friends" here, not in any loose sense, but, as we think, from the feeling He then had that in this "killing of the body" He and they were going to be affectingly one with each other.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Verse 4. Kill the body] See Clarke on Mt 10:28.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(4-9) I say unto you my friends.—See Notes on Mat_10:28-32. The opening words, however, in their tender sympathy, anticipating the language of Joh_15:14-15, may be noted as peculiar to St. Luke.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

4. my friends] Joh_15:14-15, “Henceforth I call you not servants but friends.” The term comes the more naturally and pathetically because Jesus had just been in the thick of enemies.

Be not afraid of] μὴ φοβηθῆτε ἀπό, i.e. afraid of anything which can come from them. This construction is only found in the LXX. and N.T., and is a Hebraism (v. Schleusner s.v). For similar thoughts see Jer_1:8; Isa_51:12-13.

after that have no more that they can do] The same truth was an encouragement to the partially illuminated fortitude of Stoicism. Hence it constantly occurs in the Manual of Epictetus.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And I say unto you, my friends,.... Whom he dearly loved, and had taken into the greatest intimacy and familiarity; making known to them whatever he had heard from his Father; giving them the best instructions, the most faithful and friendly advice, and proper precautions; all which, and more, showed them to be his friends, and for whom he after laid down his life:

be not afraid of them that kill the body; though he would have them beware of the Pharisees, he would not have them be afraid of them; he would have them know them, and avoid their hypocrisy, and guard against it; but not fear them, or the worst they could do unto them, which was to kill the body; and that they had no need to be afraid of, since at death, their souls would be immediately happy, in the enjoyment and vision of God; and their bodies would sleep in Jesus, and be raised in the resurrection morn, and be united to their souls, and be both for ever blessed:

and after that have no more that they can do; they have nothing more to kill, or which they can put to pain or misery; the soul is out of their reach, is an immortal spirit, and cannot be hurt or destroyed by them.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

4 And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.

Ver. 4. {See Trapp on "Mat 10:28"}

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

See Poole on "Mat 10:28", where we met with the same. In Luk 12:5-13 our Saviour arms his disciples to encounter those storms of persecution which he knew they would meet with after he should be taken up into heaven. Here are two arguments in this verse:

1. The one drawn from the impotency, or limited power, of the most malicious enemies; they can kill the body, but can do no more.

2. From the mighty power of God, who can cast us into hell. Matthew saith, who can cast body and soul into hell fire:

whence is evident:

1. That there are punishments beyond this life; all men’s punishments will not end with the killing of their bodies.

2. That men have souls as well as bodies, and both souls and bodies of sinners will in the resurrection be made capable of eternal punishment.

3. That the ready way to bring us under that misery, is to be more afraid of the wrath of men than of the wrath of God.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

II. To the myriads. Fear not them, but God who is able to judge and destroy the soul, 4-12. Mat_10:28-31.

4. Unto you my friends—My friends includes both disciples (that is apostles and followers) and the myriads. They were not only to beware of the deceit, but to be fearless of the menaces and hostilities, of the hierarchy.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. All this the Master knew was true and would shortly happen, His words were verified before fifty years had passed. The triumphant success of the great Christian preachers and the discredited condition of the old rabbinic schools is testified to by snell words as we find in St. Paul"s letters. "Where is the wise? where is the scribe?". (1Co_1:20) But this success the Master well knew would be accompanied with many a suffering on the part of the heralds of his message. Persecution in its many dreary forms would dog their footsteps; a death of agony and shame not unfrequently would be their guerdon. It was, for instance, we know, the earthly recognition of that devoted servant of the Lord (Paul) who, we believe, guided the pen of Luke here. This painful way, which his disciples must surely tread, had already been indicated in no obscure language by the Master. ("some of them my apostles shall slay and persecute," Luk_11:49) A triumph, greater than any which had ever been given to the sons of men, would surely be theirs, but the Master would not conceal the earthly price which his chosen servants must pay for this splendid success. There was a point, however, beyond which human malice and enmity were utterly powerless; he would have his servants turn their thoughts on that serene region where men as men would have no power.

Vers. 4, 5. The power to hurt and bless.

We are admonished of

I THE POWER WHICH MAN HAS TO HURT US.

1. He can wound our body. He can smite, can wound, can slay us. The sad story of human persecution contains only too many illustrations of this fact.

2. He can wound our spirit. This is a course he can, and still does very often take; he can mock, can sneer, can indulge in heartless ribaldry, can hold up our most sacred convictions to ridicule, and thus he can inflict on us a very deep wound. For words, though they may be the slightest, are yet the keenest of weapons, and "a wounded spirit who can bear?

3. He can tempt us to evil. This is the worst thing he can do; he can make the evil suggestion, can give the perilous invitation, can make the guilty overture, which leads down to sin and to spiritual failure. There is no measure of pain he can inflict, or loss he can cause us to suffer, which equals in shamefulness this act of dark temptation. That is the deadly thing to do.

II THE LIMITATION OF HIS POWER. Beyond these lines our worst enemies cannot go.

1. No man can follow us into the unseen realm. Beyond the veil we are safe from the questions of the inquisitor, the blows of the tyrant, the suggestions of the tempter. These may hunt us to very death, but "after that have no more that they can do." Truly, if this life were the sum of our existence, that would be much indeed it would be everything. But since we know that it is not so, but only its first short term, only its initial stage, only its brief introduction, we may console our hearts with the thought that it is no great harm that the strongest potentate, with the sharpest sword, can do us.

2. No man can compel us to sin. A sinful deed includes the consent of the agent; and all the forces of iniquity and error can never compel a true and brave soul to assent to an evil act. The only great harm that can be done us is that which we do ourselves when we "consent to sin" when men tempt us to sin, after that there is no more that they can do; if more is done, it" the line is crossed, it is of our own accord; the tempting is theirs, the sinning is ours.

III THE ONLY ONE OF WHOM WE HAVE TO BE AFRAID. "Fear him," etc.; i.e. shrink from the disfavour of that Divine Lord of the human spirit who can punish according to our desert. To shrink from the condemnation of God is not an unworthy act on our part. It is both right and wise; for his condemnation is that of the Righteous One, and of the Mighty One also. It is only the guilty that are lost to all sense of obligation, and the foolish that are dead to all sense of prudence, who will be indifferent to the anger of God. Fear God"s solemn displeasure, for if he rebukes it is certain that you are grievously in the wrong; fear it, for if he inflicts penalty there is none to deliver out of his hand, and, what is more, even death, that does deliver from the hand of man, is no shield from his power. Beyond the veil we are as much within his reach as we are on this side of it. There is every reason why we should seek and find his Divine favor, and live in the light of his countenance. We may go on in our thought, and be reminded by our Lord"s words of

IV THE ONE WHOSE FRIENDSHIP WE SHOULD SEEN. "I say unto you, my friends. " We do not simply want to escape the wrath of an offended Judge; we aspire to his favor and his love. Jesus Christ is offering us his friendship. (see Joh_15:14, Joh_15:15) If we will cordially accept him for all that he desires to be to us, we shall find in him the Friend in whom we shall implicitly confide, whom we shall gladly and happily love, by whose side and in the shelter of whose guardian care we shall walk all the way till the gates of home are reached. C.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

But I say to you, Fear not - Let not the fear of man make you act the hypocrite, or conceal any thing which I have commissioned you to publish.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

True fearlessness:

v. 4. And I say unto you, My friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.

v. 5. But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear Him which, after He hath killed, hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear Him.

v. 6. Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings? And not one of them is forgotten before God.

v. 7. But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore; ye are of more value than many sparrows.

As friends Jesus addresses His disciples, a title showing His love and trust in them, Joh 15:14. They should have no fear of those that can injure and destroy the body, if God should so permit. Only one fear can and should live in their hearts, a deep-seated fear, an awe and relevance which is not afraid of the punishment, but stands in holy dread of Him that judges and condemns both soul and body to everlasting destruction. For this is not a mere human tempter, who tries to harm his neighbor’s soul by leading him into sin, nor is it Satan, for he has no absolute power over body and soul. It is the great God, the divine Judge, Himself. Fear of human enemies, of their contempt and of their injury, implies lack of faith in Him, which may, in turn, lead to denial and thus to damnation. And again: Why fear? So little are sparrows valued by men that they were put up in packages of five or ten and sold on the market at the rate of five for two assaria, or less than a cent apiece; so insignificant is the loss of a single hair that it is not even noticed. And yet: Not a single one of these cheapest of birds is forgotten or neglected before God; all the hairs of our head are numbered by Him, and His accounts are always right. How foolish therefore is fear, since we have His assurance that we are preferred above many sparrows in His estimation.

Paul E. Kretzmann, Popular Commentary of the Bible (1921–1924) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

The second duty which our Saviour presses upon his disciples, is that of holy courage and resolution: as if Christ had said, the preaching of the gospel will stir up many enemies against you, which will malign and oppose you, vex and persecute you; but I say unto you, fear them not who can only kill the body; but fear him who, if you fail in your duty, can cast both body and soul into hell.

Here note,

1. An unwarrantable fear condemned, and that is, the sinful, servile, slavish fear of man: Fear not them that kill the body.

2. An holy, awful, and prudential fear of the omnipotent God commended: Fear him that is able to kill both body and soul.

3. The persons whom this duty of fear is recommended to and bound upon; disciples, ministers, and ambassadors, all the friends of Christ. They not only may, but ought to fear him; not only for his greatness and goodness, but upon the account of his punitive justice, as being able to cast both soul and body into hell. Such a fear is not only lawful, but laudable; not only commendable, but commanded, and not misbecoming the friends of Christ. The ministers of God may use arguments from fear of judgments, both to dissuade from sin, and to persuade to duty. It is not unsuitable to the best of saints to keep in heaven’s way for fear of hell: it is good to bid a friend fear, when that fear tends to his good.

William Burkitt's Expository Notes on the New Testament (1700–1703) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

I say to you my friends

Jesus readdresses his disciples to mark a shift in his speech to a new topic, in this case, to speak about not being afraid.

they have no more that they can do

"they cannot cause any more harm"

Fear the one who, after ... has authority

The phrase "the one" refers to God. This could be reworded. AT: "Fear God who, after ... has authority" or "Fear God, because after ... he has authority" (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)

after he has killed

"after he kills you"

has authority to throw you into hell

This is a general statement about God's authority to judge people. It does not mean this will happen to the disciples. AT: "has authority to throw people into hell"

translationWords

fear

authority

hell

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

4. ἀποκτεννόντων. Most MSS. La[248] Ti[249] See note.

[248] La. Lachmann.

[249] Ti. Tischendorf.

4. τοῖς φίλοις μου. Joh 15:14-15, “Henceforth I call you not servants … but friends.” The term comes the more naturally and pathetically because Jesus had just been in the thick of enemies.

μὴ φοβηθῆτε ἀπό. Be not afraid of anything which can come from them. This construction is only found in the LXX[262] and N. T., and is a Hebraism (v. Schleusner s. v.). For similar thoughts see Jer 1:8; Isa 51:12-13.

[262] LXX. Septuagint.

ἀποκτεννόντων. This is an Aeolic form which became common in Hellenistic Greek (Tob 1:18; Wis 16:14). So we find σπέῤῥω for σπείρω.

μετὰ ταῦτα μὴ ἐχόντων περισσότερόν τι ποιῆσαι. The same truth was an encouragement to the partially illuminated fortitude of Stoicism. Hence it constantly occurs in the Manual of Epictetus.

Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges (Cambridge University Press, 1896; 21 vols, various authors incl. Carr, Maclear, Plummer, Farrar, Lumby, Moule, M. R. James, Simcox) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

4. τοῖς φίλοις μου] See Joh 15:13-15.

Henry Alford, The Greek Testament (1849–1861) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

4. Λέγω δὲ ὑμῖν τοῖς φίλοῖ μου. “My friends are not likely to be hypocrites, although persecution will tempt them to become such”: comp. Joh 15:15.

μὴ φοβηθῆτε ἀπὸ τῶν ἀποκτεινόντων. The use of ἀπό here is analogous to that in ver. 1, of that which one turns away from. It is Hebraistic (Lev 19:30, Lev 19:26:2; Deu 1:29, Deu 1:3:22, Deu 1:20:1; Jos 11:6; 1Sa 7:7; Jer 1:8, Jer 1:17; Jer_1 Mac. 2:62, 8:12, etc.). It is not used of fearing God.

μετὰ ταῦτα. The plural may refer to the details of a cruel death, or to different kinds of death. Not in Mat 10:28.

μὴ ἐχόντων. Lk. is fond of this classical use of ἔχειν: ver. 50, 7:40, 42, 14:14; Act 14:14, Act 14:23:17, Act 14:18, Act 14:19, Act 14:25:26, Act 14:28:19. Here (Mat 10:28) has μὴ δυναμένων.

International Critical Commentary — older volumes (1896–1929), various authors — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Unto you, my friends [υμιν τοις φιλοις μου] . See on Pharisees and lawyers, ch. 11 43, 46. Not an address, "O my friends," but, "unto you, the friends of me."

Be not afraid of [μη φοβηθητε απο] . Lit., "fear not from;" i e., from the hands of.

Marvin R. Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament (1887–1900) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Vers. 4-7. Personal Security.—“And I say unto you, my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. 5. But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear; fear Him which, after He hath killed, hath power to cast into hell: yea, I say unto you, fear Him. 6. Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings; and not one of them is forgotten before God? 7. But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows.”

The success of their cause is certain. But what of their personal future? After Luk 11:49 there was good cause for some disquiet on this point. Here the heart of Jesus softens: the thought of the lot which some of them will have to undergo seems to render His own more dear to Him. Hence the tender form of address, To you, my friends. Certainly Luke did not invent this word; and if Matthew, in whom it is not found (Luk 10:28 et seq.), had used the same document as Luke, he would not have omitted it. Olshausen has taken up the strange idea, that by him who can cast into hell we are to understand, not God, but the devil, as if Scripture taught us to fear the devil, and not rather to resist him to his face (1Pe 5:9; Jas 4:7).

The MSS. are divided between the forms ἀποκτεννόντων (Eolico-Doric, according to Bleek), ἀποκτενόντων (a corruption of the preceding), and ἀποκτεινόντων (the regular form). The term Gehenna (hell) properly signifies valley of Hinnom (ֵגיאּהִנֹּםַ, Jos 15:8, comp. Luk 18:16; 2Ki 23:10; Jer 7:31, etc.). It was a fresh and pleasant valley to the south of the hill of Zion, where were found in early times the king’s gardens. But as it was there that the worship of Moloch was celebrated under the idolatrous kings, Josiah converted it into a place for sewage. The valley thus became the type, and its name the designation, of hell. This saying of Jesus distinguishes soul from body as emphatically as modern spiritualism can do. What are we to think of M. Renan, who dares to assert that Jesus did not know the exact distinction between those two elements of our being!

Jesus does not promise His disciples that their life shall always be safe. But if they perish, it will not be without the consent of an all-powerful Being, who is called their Father. The sayings which follow express by the most forcible emblems the idea of a providence which extends to the smallest details of human life.

To make a more appreciable sum, Luke speaks of five birds of the value of about two farthings. Matthew, who speaks of two birds only, gives their value at one farthing; that is, a little dearer. Did five cost proportionally a little less than two? Can we imagine one of the two evangelists amusing himself by making such changes in the text of the other, or in that of a common document! The expression before God is Hebraistic; it means that there is not one of those small creatures which is not individually present to the view of divine omniscience. The knowledge of God extends not only to our persons, but even to the most insignificant parts of our being,—to those 140,000 hairs of which we lose some every day without paying the least attention. No fear, then; ye shall not fall without God’s consent; and if He consent, it is because it will be for His child’s good.

Frédéric Louis Godet — Commentaries on Luke, John, Romans, and 1 Corinthians — English translation (T&T Clark, Edinburgh, 1870s–1890s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.