Luke 12:13 (NKJV);13 Then one from the crowd said to Him, Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.

Introduction Jesus has been speaking to his faithful followers (vv.1-3) and friends about the dangers of hypocrisy (vv.1-12). Jesus told them to fear hypocrisy and fear God. The fear of God becomes the antidote to the fear of what others might think. Apparently one in the crowd heard Jesus speaking and asked Jesus to settle a dispute between he and his brother. The request triggered another prophecy and a parable. Prophecy isn t always a prediction about the future. It can be a warning in the present. Fear greed. Jesus tells a story about a rich farmer. He illustrates a dilemma what do you do when you have more than you need? What decisions will the rich man make? He then speaks about death. Fear Materialism (vv.13-14) Luke 12:13 (NKJV);13 Then one from the crowd said to Him, Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me. In the Jewish world of the first century it would not have been unusual for someone to ask a rabbi to help settle a dispute. The eldest son would always receive double what any of the other sons would receive. The proportion of inheritance was thus fixed, and the plaintiff in this case has every legal right to receive his share of the inheritance. 1 The man is asking Jesus to fix his problem. His brother had perhaps stolen some portion of the inheritance. Does this person want wealth, money, property, security, or just his rightful portion of his father s inheritance? More than likely the property was rightfully his it would have been an act of justice for Jesus to settle the matter. The man simply wants his fair share. After all he has needs right? He tells Jesus what he wants Jesus to do! Sound familiar? He was speaking, when he should have been listening. He applied the Word of God to others but not to himself. Luke 12:14 (NKJV);14 But He said to him, Man, who made Me a judge or an arbitrator over you? Jesus refuses rather strongly! Jesus refers to this person as Man rather than friend or follower. Why does Jesus refuse to help this man? Is it because Jesus is uninterested in the petty things of this world like property or money or family disputes? Could it be the man wanted Jesus to solve his problems but was unwilling to have Jesus change his heart? Did Jesus have the power and the wisdom to arrive at a fair and just decision concerning this person s problem? Of course. But the problem was deeper. Apparently this was not simply the division of an inheritance, but lying at the root of this 1 Keener, C. S., & InterVarsity Press. (1993). The IVP Bible background commentary : New Testament (Lk 12:13). Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press. 1

person s request was a heart deeply infected with covetousness! We often think that money will solve our problems. Money does solve problems but sometimes it creates problems. It is not a sin to be wealthy, but it is a sin to make wealth your god. Colossians 3:5 (NKJV); Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. Is it wrong to ask Jesus to solve our problems? It could be. If we are unwilling to ask Jesus to change our hearts. Jesus is interested in the root of the matter, not simply the symptoms. We so want Jesus to solve our problems. Fix my marriage! Solve my financial problems. Expunge my debt. Find me a man! Luke 12:15 (NKJV); 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 knew that any answer he gave would not solve the real problem which was covetousness in the hearts of the two brothers. The you in verse 14 is plural. As long as both men were greedy, no settlement would satisfactory. Their greatest need was to have their hearts changed. Like too many people today, they wanted Jesus to serve them, but not to save them (Wiersbe; Vol. 1; TBEC; p.220). Take heed means I want to warn you. We are to fear covetousness. The word is pleonexia. It describes a craving, a longing, a desire, for more. The idea is to want more of something that you already have enough of. Linked to covetousness is selfishness and greed. It can be craving for something physical, or even emotional, immaterial. It can be a deep longing for something or someone that belongs to someone else. It can be described as a love of having. It can be summed up in two words repeated over and over again, give me, give me. Covetousness is a lust so deep and so deadly that it manifests itself every time we attempt to find happiness and satisfaction in something or someone other than God. Covetousness longs for pleasure and power and the things that pleasure and power bring. Covetousness is an intense appetite for gain, a passion for the pleasure that things bring and is still unfulfilled. Covetousness is an unquenchable thirst for getting more and more of something we think we need in order to be truly satisfied (Wiersbe; Vol. 1; p.220). After the warning Jesus reminds us, for one s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses. The greedy person doesn t believe Jesus. Someone once said, It is difficult to save money when your neighbor keeps buying things you want. Mark Twain once defined civilization as a limitless multiplication of unnecessary necessities and he was right! Jesus proceeds to tell a story, a parable. A parable is an earthly story that illustrates a heavenly truth. Jesus tells this story to expose the dangers of a covetous heart. As we read the parable, what are your reactions to this farmer s experiences? 2

Fear Selfishness (vv.16-19) Luke 12:16 (NKJV); Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. Luke 12:17 (NKJV); And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops? Who is the rich man? It could be anyone. He accumulates his wealth through industry and hard work. The rich man was a farmer, but he could be a doctor, or a lawyer, or statesman, or a craftsman, or student, or a mechanic. He probably came by his wealth honestly, like many of us. He did not cheat to get his fields, he did not rob from the poor, or abuse his employees. And God blessed him with the right soil, the right crop, the right sun, the right rain, the absence of disease or pestilence. What is this farmer s dilemma? He has more money than he knows what to do with! You might think, Wow-I wish I had that problem. Is there really such a thing as too much wealth? If we answered the first few sentences of the parable with I wish I had that problem we probably have a problem with covetousness. Are there perils to prosperity? Proverbs 30:7-9 (NKJV); Two things I request of You (Deprive me not before I die): 8 Remove falsehood and lies far from me; Give me neither poverty nor riches Feed me with the food allotted to me; 9 Lest I be full and deny You, And say, Who is the Lord? Or lest I be poor and steal, And profane the name of my God. Wealth can choke the Word of God (Matt.13:22), create snares and temptations and give you false sense of security. People say that money does not satisfy, but it does satisfy if you only want to live on that level. People who are satisfied only with the things that money can buy are in great danger of losing the things that money cannot buy (Ibid; p.220). Luke 12:18 (NKJV);18 So he said, I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. How are you responding to the rich man s plan? Makes sense, save and have it ready for the future! This rich man, this farmer viewed his wealth as an opportunity to please himself, he may have given to others, he may have even given a tithe to the Lord, we are not told, we are left with the impression that the rich man forgot about God and forgot about others. In the story Jesus has the rich farmer saying, What shall I do ; I have room to store my crops I will do this, I will pull down my barns, I will store all my crops and goods. Jesus saw selfishness in all this man said and did. In the Greek language the personal pronoun my appears four times and I eight times. He was completely self-absorbed. 3

We know that from the expression in verse 20; Jesus reminds us, But God said to him, Fool! Luke 12:19 (NKJV); And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry. I believe this is the only Scripture in the Bible that speaks of retirement. This is not a holy 401 K or 403 B or Social Security and you can probably tell in this context retirement is not a very attractive option. The Bible does not condemn people who slow down as age advances, but retiring to a life of self-absorption and self-indulgence does not seem to impress the Lord. The problem with this man s retirement plan was that it was a ticket to hedonism, self indulgence. The world s philosophy is you re worth it. Get the car you deserve. Watch out for number 1. I have a right to be happy. Is it wrong to be a principled businessman? No. Is it wrong to save for the future? No. 1 Timothy 5:8 (NKJV);8 But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. It is not wrong to make money, or manage money, or invest money, or grow money. But it is wrong and it is dangerous to encourage selfishness and greed motivated by coveteousness. How are you responding to the rich man s desires? Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry. No kidding. This is the life. Cancun, beaches, parties, warm tropical nights, success, satisfaction and security! What more could you want? What more could anyone ask for? If the rich man had survived the night he could have had a future of bored hedonism; trying to fill the void. It has been said that just as a circle can never fill a triangle so the heart of greed is never satisfied. Its hunger is never filled; its thirst is never quenched. Eve wanted to be like God. Lot s wife coveted Sodom and was killed on the spot. Achan coveted some spoils of war and destroyed himself and his family. David coveted his neighbor s wife and plunged himself, his family, and his nation into a life of pain, betrayal and trouble. The last of the ten commandments is Thou shalt not covet. By coveting, we can break the other nine Commandments. No wonder we are so often warned against it. Jesus did not see this person enjoying life. Jesus saw this person facing death.wealth can keep us alive for a little while. But wealth cannot keep us alive forever.wealth cannot buy back opportunity opportunity to love and serve and give. Wealth cannot buy back the opportunities we missed while thinking of ourselves or ignoring God or ignoring others. Matthew 16:26 (NKJV); For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? 4

1 Timothy 6:7-10 (NKJV); For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.8 And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. 9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. 1 Timothy 6:17 (NKJV); Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. This man lived as if there was no God, or no judgment. This man had no fear of God, the great liberating fear Jesus describes in verses 4-5. This successful man had arrived, yet he forgot where he was heading. Fear Judgment (vv.20-21) Luke 12:20 (NKJV); But God said to him, Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided? What do you think about the death of this rich farmer? Are you thinking, Too bad. So sad. He died right when he had everything going for him. How tragic he was unable to fulfill his plans. The greatest tragedy was not what the man left behind, but the future in front of him. He was a facing a future an eternity without God. The man lived without God and died without God and his wealth was simply a momentary diversion, an incident in his life. A wealthy man died, and someone asked, What did he leave? The answer; everything. Wealth is never a permanent possession someone else gets it. The government your family. We seldom see a Hearse with a U Haul. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out (1 Tim.6:7). Many people don t like to think about death or eternity. So they turn on the TV. And someone dies or goes into eternity. The thoughts begin to plague you so you pour another drink, and then another drink. You call a friend to talk. You work and buy another thing. Rudyard Kipling the poet wrote; And because we know we have breath in our mouth and think we have thought in our head, We shall assume that we are alive, whereas we are Really dead... The Lamp of our Youth will be utterly out, but we shall subsist on the smell of it, 5

And whatever we do, we shall fold our hands and Suck our gums and think well of it. Yes, we shall be perfectly pleased with our work, And that is the perfectest Hell of it. Why did God call the man a fool? He was a fool because life is short. A sensible person chooses for the long run. A sensible person asks the question, What will I be doing a thousand years from now? The man was a fool because he failed to realize just how fragile life is you may live under the illusion that you will live a long time when you are 16 or 17 but what about 47 or 57 or 67? In the end you will receive what you have prepared for youself. Luke 12:21 (NKJV) So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God. What do you think Jesus means when he says, not rich toward God? These are people rich or poor or exclude God from their thinking and living and loving. The Bible is filled with examples of people rich towards God, the hospitality of Mary, and Martha and Lazarus where Jesus was able to find comfort, companionship and fellowship and friendship, the well connected women who supported Jesus in his ministry, the well to do centurion who built a synagogue for God s people, all these people were wealthy towards God. It means to acknowledge gratefully that everything we have comes from God, and then make an effort to use what He gives us for the good of others and the glory of God. Wealth can be enjoyed and employed at the same time if our purpose is to honor God. To be rich toward God means spiritual enrichment, not just personal enjoyment (Wiersbe, p.220). Conclusion Wealth can be a window through which we see God or a mirror in which we see only ourselves. It can make us generous or selfish, depending on what is in our hearts. The rich are prone to be covetous, the poor are prone to worry. Both are sins. When we substitute things for life, we stop living by faith and trusting God. There is a familiar story about Atalanta in Greek mythology. She agreed to marry the man who could beat her in a footrace, but those who lost must die. Hippomenes agreed to the contest. He first secured three golden apples that he dropped one by one as he ran. Atalanta could not resist the temptation to stop and pick them up, and thus she lost the race. Ezekiel 18:23 (NKJV); Do I have any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? says the Lord God, and not that he should turn from his ways and live? 6