Luke 12:3 “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.”
In the age of Alexa and Echo, we are always being listened to whether we want to admit it or not. Our phones are in constant communication with cell towers telegraphing our location worldwide. The cell tower data from the Washington, DC area is helping track down both innocent and guilty people from the Capital incident.
But we have always been listened to by the LORD. No corner can escape His hearing ear. He is ready at a moment’s notice to listen to and answer prayers. We don’t have to wait for a specific place and time to connect. He is always on hold waiting for us to pick up.
If our text were written today, we would most certainly think of the alphabet agencies that work around the world, and I am not talking only about Alphabet Inc, the mother company of Google and other multinational corporations. The conspiracy leaning individuals don’t have it wrong, if it is actually happening.
When Jesus speaks these words, they are not pointed at modern surveillance, but at the fact that hypocrisy will be exposed by the LORD in time. We might be able to hide it temporarily, but it will come out into the open. Even if the individual facts remain hidden, the reality that you are hiding something will be seen by those around you. It can haunt you and change your behavior in your attempts to keep it hidden.
Now to set the scene of these words, Luke tells us that they are spoken to a crowd of thousands crushing in to hear Jesus and be part of the action. Jesus begins speaking specifically to His disciples, but knows that some in the crowd will listen in to what He is saying.
These words are specifically spoken against the hypocrisy of the Pharisees, their tendency to say one thing and do another. If you are a parent, you know this reality, that your kids see everything and know when you are being hypocritical. Ask any teenager about their parents. They will tell you.
It is those things that are said in the dark and whispered in the most secure rooms that will be revealed. Remember, these are days before electric lights, so darkness necessarily meant being home. No one would be outside listening to what you say in your home, unless they were there for nefarious purposes. The only ‘night life’ was sleeping!
Notice the contrasts: what is said and will be heard, dark and daylight, whispered and proclaimed, inner rooms and roofs. Just what fear would drive you to do, hide it and whisper it, ends up being the vehicle that brings it out into the open. Hypocrisy can’t be hidden. We notice the people of power demonstrating this principle every day.
I hope we also notice it when we do it! Everyone of us has the potential to be hypocritical, saying one thing and doing another. And hypocrisy is usually driven by fear. Jesus gives us three examples of things people fear in the following verses, in order to help us overcome our fear and trust in Him instead.
People often fear death, being labeled, being persecuted and money insecurity. And with each of these examples Jesus gives us a solution: God. He will be there to save us from Hell, He will acknowledge us at the judgement seat, He will guide us if we are persecuted and He will help us get our priorities straight. He will never leave us alone.
Hypocrisy is like yeast in bread dough. Once you allow a little bit in your life, it spreads to other areas. It might start in one small corner, but it seeps into adjacent and distant areas. It might start in finances, but end up taking over your relationships. There is no controlling where it will end up, because it has the potential to take over all of you.
The only way to combat this is to live an unleavened life, a life free from unconfessed sin and a dedication to living holy. Apart from this, hypocrisy will be frequent guest, eating more and more of you favorite junk food. And you can forget about those leftovers, they will be taken as well.
The Arnold Journey 