36 lines
1.7 KiB
Markdown
36 lines
1.7 KiB
Markdown
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title = "Luke 12:13–21"
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date = "2022-12-17"
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### [Read the passage.](https://biblia.com/bible/esv/Lk12.13-21)
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It always strikes me as odd to hear of someone in the crowd making a request of
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Jesus. In my mind, Jesus is teaching in a lecture style, so there's not a lot
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of opportunity for discussion. That may not have been how it really was, or not
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always. In any case, this man makes a demand of Jesus, and Jesus turns it into
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a teaching moment.
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The man wants his brother to divide the inheritance with him, which should be
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what happens normally. According to Deut. 21:17, the firstborn gets twice as
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much as the rest of the sons, and the rabbis were the ones to settle any
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disputes between inheritors. Based on Jesus's answer, this man was likely not
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looking for justice, but advantage.
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Jesus tells the crowd to guard against covetousness, as material possessions
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are not the only good things in life. He tells the story of a very rich man who
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has to build storerooms for all the goods and grain he has amassed. The rich
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man is very pleased with himself and starts making plans and imagines how nice
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his life is going to be. And then he dies. God says to the man that he is a
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fool because he has not walked with God, concentrating only on the riches he
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acquired. Now he no longer has his possessions or eternal rewards.
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The first-century Jews, and many people today, have the notion that people with
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a lot of money have been blessed by God and therefore are living the way God
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wants them to. This is with the counterexample of the corrupt tax collectors.
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While riches can be a blessing, they can also be a temptation, so we must be on
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guard to keep to God's priorities.
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* * *
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Help us to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with You.
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