Untitled Sermon

Luke 12:13–21 ESV

Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” But he said to him, “Man, who made me a judge or arbitrator over you?” And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” And he told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man produced plentifully, and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.” ’ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”

My initial notes:

Jesus did not want to fix the situation but the heart.

Why did the man think or want Jesus involved? What legal grounds would he have as an arbitrator?

To the point! This must be the heart of the matter - covetousness!

Beware (NASB). Guard against.

Covetousness says more, more, more; mine, mine, mine.

Life is not about stuff. He who dies with the most toys still dies.

Jesus uses a parable to clarify.

The guy worked all his life for stuff and did not enjoy it or use it bc his soul was required of him that night.

Fools live for the wrong reasons.

You cannot take it with you. It is more important to be rich toward God.

CIT: Life is not about accumulating stuff but about being rich toward God.

parable unique to Luke’s Gospel1

1 Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Ritzema, E., … Bomar, D. (2012, 2016). Faithlife Study Bible (). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.

(; ; ) are not directed against Ecclesiastes’ call to enjoy life; Qoheleth also demands reverence before God. He affirms, as does Paul, not only that God is the supplier of good gifts but also that they are to be enjoyed with contentment (, ). Ecclesiastes’ discourses on wealth (5:10–6:9) and government () are fully consonant with Paul’s later development of these themes in and , respectively1

1 Schultz, R. L. (2000). Ecclesiastes. In T. D. Alexander & B. S. Rosner (Eds.), New dictionary of biblical theology (electronic ed., p. 214). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

The Lucan view of wealth warns against attachment to possessions (8:14; 12:13–21; 16:1–15, 19–31; 18:18–25), but some examples are given of the positive uses of money (8:1–3; 19:1–10; 21:1–4). Scholars have debated whether Luke decries wealth per se. Zacchaeus, who generously gives half of his possessions to the poor and repays those he has wronged, does not divest himself of every asset. His example suggests that the issue is what people do with their possessions and how they view possessions—do they hoard them or use them generously? The disciples are said to have ‘left all’ for Jesus (18:28–30), family as well as resources. Yet later in the Gospel, under the pressure of Jesus’ arrest, they are afraid and deny him.1

1 Bock, D. L. (2000). Luke. In T. D. Alexander & B. S. Rosner (Eds.), New dictionary of biblical theology (electronic ed., p. 279). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

soul - life, spirit

arbitrator - divider, distributor

greed or covetousness

One of Jesus’ hearers was having trouble with his brother about the proper division of an inheritance. Jewish laws of succession covered most cases (cf. ), but there was sometimes room for doubt and in this case the man who spoke up felt that an injustice was being done.1

1 Morris, L. (1988). Luke: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 3, p. 230). Downers Grove, IL: Int He does not ask Jesus to decide on the merits of two claims: he asks for a decision in his own favour.1

1 Morris, L. (1988). Luke: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 3, p. 230). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

erVarsity Press.

He came to bring people to God, not to bring property to people. In this situation he was concerned with the attitudes of those involved, not with who got what.1

1 Morris, L. (1988). Luke: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 3, p. 230). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

 It is an important warning for those who live in an age of affluence.1

1 Morris, L. (1988). Luke: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 3, p. 230). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

Notice the repeated my (four times in vv. 17–19 while I occurs eight times in the Greek) which points to an ingrained selfishness. The man is not concerned to use his wealth wisely. He is trying neither to serve God nor to help other people. He is not even concerned to have a richer and fuller life for himself. He is concerned only with self-indulgence.1

1 Morris, L. (1988). Luke: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 3, pp. 230–231). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

i.e. ‘God requires your soul’. A man whose life hangs by a thread and who may be called upon at any time to give account of himself is a fool if he relies on material things.1

1 Morris, L. (1988). Luke: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 3, p. 231). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

People are fools to settle for less.1

1 Morris, L. (1988). Luke: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 3, p. 231). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.