BEING GREEDY

1. Jesus comments on property arbitration.

a) 13Then someone called from the crowd, “Teacher, please tell my brother to divide our father’s estate with me.”

b) 14Jesus replied, “Friend, who made me a judge over you to decide such things as that?” 15Then he said, “Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own.”

2. Story of a rich fool.

a) 16“A rich man had a fertile farm that produced fine crops. 17He said to himself, ‘What should I do? I don’t have room for all my crops.’ 18Then he said, ‘I know! I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I’ll have room enough to store all my wheat and other goods. 19And I’ll sit back and say to myself, “My friend, you have enough stored away for years to come. Now take it easy! Eat, drink, and be merry!”’

b) 20“But God said to him, ‘You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get everything you worked for?’

c) 21“Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.” (Luke 12:13-21 NLT)

3. What does the story of the rich fool tell us?

a) The key to understanding this parable is in Luke 12:15 (and later summarized in Luke 12:21).

i) 15Then he said, “Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own.”

b) Jesus says this to the man who asked him to arbitrate between him and his brother. In ancient times, the firstborn was guaranteed a double portion of the family inheritance. More than likely, the brother who was addressing Jesus was not the firstborn and was asking for an equal share of the inheritance. Jesus refuses to arbitrate their dispute and gets to the heart of the matter: Covetousness! Jesus warns this person, and all within earshot, that our lives are not to be about gathering wealth. Life is so much more than the “abundance of possessions.”

c) He proceeds to tell the man the story of a rich fool: "This person was materially blessed by God; his land “produced plentifully” (Luke 12:16). As God continued to bless the man, instead of using his increase to further the will of God, all he was interested in was managing his increase and accumulating his growing wealth. So the man builds larger barns in place of the existing ones and starts planning an early retirement. Unknown to him, this was his last night on planet earth. Jesus then closes the story by saying, “So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”

d) There are 2 points to note in this story of a rich fool.

#1) One, we are not to devote our lives to the gathering and accumulation of wealth. There is an interesting point made in the parable. God says to the man in the story, “and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?” This echoes the thought expressed in Ecclesiastes 2:18:

@1. 18I came to hate all my hard work here on earth, for I must leave to others everything I have earned. (Ecclesiastes 2:18 NLT)

@2. We see it all the time in people who are singularly devoted to the accumulation of wealth. What happens to all that wealth when they die? It gets left behind to others who didn’t earn it and won’t appreciate it. Furthermore, if money is our master, that means God is not.

@3. 24“No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. (Matthew 6:24 NLT)

#2) The second point is the fact that we are not blessed by God to hoard our wealth to ourselves. We are blessed to be a blessing in the lives of others and we are blessed to build the kingdom of God. The Bible says if our riches increase, we are not to set our hearts upon it.

@1. 10Don’t make your living by extortion or put your hope in stealing. And if your wealth increases, don’t make it the center of your life. (Psalms 62:10 NLT)

@2. The Bible says there is one who gives freely and grows all the richer. 24Give freely and become more wealthy; be stingy and lose everything. (Proverbs 11:24 NLT)

#3) The Bible also says we are to honor God with the first fruits of our increase.

@1. 9Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the best part of everything you produce. 10Then he will fill your barns with grain, and your vats will overflow with good wine. (Proverbs 3:9, 10 NLT)

@2. The point is clear, if we honour God with what he has given us, He will bless with more so that we can honor Him with more.

#4) We are blessed by God, so we can in turn “abound in every good work” and be a blessing in the lives of others. So if God has blessed you with material wealth “set not your heart on it” and “be rich toward God.” That is the message!

4. Prayer focus

a) Pray that we bless others with the riches God has given to us.