AN UNUSUAL RESPONSE FROM JESUS
Luke 12:13-15
13 Then one from the crowd said to Him, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me." 14 But He said to him, "Man, who made Me a judge or an arbitrator over you?" 15 And He said to them, "Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses."
Jesus is in the middle of teaching and a man from the crowd yells out to Him. The man's request starts Jesus on the subject of material possessions that He continues for twenty verses.
The man wanted Jesus to tell his brother to divide the inheritance. It sounds as if a family fight had ensued over the will, and this man wanted Jesus to settle it. And Jesus answers the man. However, His answer is a bit unusual for Jesus. Jesus refuses to get involved in this family dispute. The wisest man who ever lived refused to be a judge in this case. An arbitrator was someone who divided. So Jesus was clearly stating that He had not come to be involved in family squabbles over money.
Then Jesus began a discourse on being covetous. The dictionary definition says that covetous is showing a great desire to possess something belonging to someone else. The biblical definition is greediness, the strong desire to have more. Both applications can apply, but someone can be greedy without wanting something that belongs to another.
Jesus then makes a strong statement that underscored why He corrected the man so strongly. "One's life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses." Jesus came to bring life, not get involved in the things with no life in them. He came to reveal the Kingdom of God. He would later say, seek the Kingdom of God, and all these things will be added to us. He was all about the Kingdom and Kingdom values. Jesus understood what produces life and satisfaction. In verse 34, Jesus said, "Where Your treasure is there your heart will be also."
Jesus did not shy away from talking about money. It's just that His perspective of money was different from the world's. He wanted His followers to pursue God's Kingdom, not money, and God would add the things that were needed.
APPLICATION
We still need to be on guard against covetousness. It's all around us and puts a strong pull on our flesh. The apostle John would later warn us not to love the world or the things in the world. John came to recognize what Jesus knew to be true: that the things of the world fade away. There is no life there. All of us can relate to buying something new and the enjoyment that comes with attaining it. We can also relate to the fact that the enjoyment fades with time. There is no life in material things.
But God's Word never changes. Spiritual things never diminish. God's Kingdom does not age or fade away. In Jesus, we find the life we are looking for. The accumulation of stuff will never satisfy.
PRAYER
Lord, help me to be aware of and root out covetousness in my life. Stuff will never satisfy the desire of my heart; only You and Your Kingdom give life.