Luke 12:47 (WEB)

Passage

That servant, who knew his lord’s will, and didn’t prepare, nor do what he wanted, will be beaten with many stripes,

Nearby Context

Luke 12:45 But if that servant says in his heart, ‘My lord delays his coming,’ and begins to beat the menservants and the maidservants, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken,

Luke 12:46 then the lord of that servant will come in a day when he isn’t expecting him, and in an hour that he doesn’t know, and will cut him in two, and place his portion with the unfaithful.

Luke 12:47 That servant, who knew his lord’s will, and didn’t prepare, nor do what he wanted, will be beaten with many stripes,

Luke 12:48 but he who didn’t know, and did things worthy of stripes, will be beaten with few stripes. To whomever much is given, of him will much be required; and to whom much was entrusted, of him more will be asked.

Luke 12:49 “I came to throw fire on the earth. I wish it were already kindled.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "stripes", "servant", "knew", "lord", "didn", "prepare", "wanted", and "beaten". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "stripes" and "servant", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 46's "then the lord of that servant will..." into verse 48's "but he who didn t know and...", so "stripes" and "servant" belong inside that flow. In Luke context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "stripes" and "servant" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.