Abundance of Possessions

Someone in the crowd said to him, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me." Jesus replied, "Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you? "
(Luke 12:13-14)

In this scene, our Lord is masterfully teaching, as no one else can, when all of a sudden a raspy voice interrupts, "Lord, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me."

Our Lord refused to get involved when He said, "Who made me a referee between you and your brother?" Jesus was saying that to get involved over something so useless would be a waste of everyone's time. Then He dropped the hammer: "Watch out! Be aware that greed comes in all forms." Then Jesus made a statement for all the ages, but which no age ever needed more than the one in which we live: "A man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions." Did you hear that right? Would you read that again? Do you believe Jesus knew what He was talking about?

Number ten on the list of the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:17) says, "You shall not covet (be greedy for) your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor." The Tenth Commandment is another way of saying that greed comes in all forms. Question: If life does not consist of material or fleshly possessions, then what makes life worth living? The Bible does not abandon us at this critical point. Luke 12:21 plainly imparts to us that we are to be rich toward God. Are you ready now for the question of your life: How do you become rich toward God? Are you brave enough to face and answer that life-changing question?

In this scene, our Lord is masterfully teaching, as no one else can, when all of a sudden a raspy voice interrupts, "Lord, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me." Our Lord refused to get involved when He said, "Who made me a referee between you and your brother?"

And from the crowd there gathered, there stepped a young man, and from another part, a young woman.

And so they came, until they numbered nearly thirty score.

And from among their midst, they chose one, and said, "You are Speaker."

And they then chose another, and said, "You shall be Majority Leader."

And they sent to all the lands, to find one whose comeliness and speech would guile the masses, and drew him forth, and said, "You shall be president." Then on the third through the seventh days they rested, for their business could not be rushed, and there were many junkets upon which they were traveled.

Then they turned to the one who had approached, saying, "We will divide thy brother's inheritance for thee."

And the brother was called, and his inheritance taken, for he was of much success and therefore evil.

And they said, "Yea, though thy brother has not tilled, nor has he sown, yet he shall enjoy thy fruit after thou hast harvested, for thy brother has annointed us, and promises to give unto us a portion thereof."

And so they gathered, and writ upon tablets of paper these rules, that they might wax greater and enjoy the fruits of others.

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