Daily Devotions
Luke
Luke 12:13-34 "WHAT IS LIFE?"
Day 162 – Luke 12
Text: Luke 12:13-34
WHAT IS LIFE?
Jesus taught many deep and wonderful truths to the multitudes. Yet, many of them did not confess Him as their Saviour. One wonders why at times. So many things that Jesus said and did pointed to the fact that He was obviously the long awaited-for Messiah! Why wasn’t there that important turning to Jesus in fullness of faith?
One of the hardest things that Jesus had to grapple with as He taught the multitudes was to explain to them what life was all about. An incident that took place well illustrates the problem why people did not respond all that enthusiastically when Jesus spoke of eternal matters.
The focus of the multitudes was on the things that make up life on earth. As long as the mindset of the multitudes was “earthbound” they would never be able to appreciate the significance and the importance of things eternal!
“TEACHER, TELL MY BROTHER TO DIVIDE THE INHERITANCE WITH ME” (Luke 12:13)
People came to Jesus for various reasons. They brought the sick to be healed. They brought the demonized to Jesus so that He could free them from the powers of the demons. These were not wrong in themselves. Nevertheless, the danger was that it was all focused on things of this earth. The spiritual significance of the miracles of Jesus was just not fully appreciated by the multitudes.
Jesus had been teaching deep truths to the crowds, and of course to His Disciples. Nevertheless, in a moment of pause, a man came up to Him and asked for help. His concern was that his brother had not divided the inheritance with him satisfactorily. He wanted his “fair share” from his brother. Would Jesus arbitrate in this matter?
ANOTHER ATTEMPT TO EXPLAIN TO THE MULTITUDE WHO HE WAS
How did the multitudes see Jesus? He was…
1. Miracle worker
2. Teacher
3. Disciple-Maker
4. Could He not also be “arbitrator”?
Jesus made a very full reply to the man. He was not going to get involved in arbitration. He was not going to tell his brother how to divide the inheritance. They had local magistrates to do things like that. The authorities would be familiar with the law of inheritance. They would know how to deal with problems relating to inheritance laws! If he was not satisfied with what his brother gave to him, then he could ask the local magistrates to arbitrate.
Jesus did not come to earth to deal with inheritance issues. He came to earth to help people be liberated from mundane issues that seem to preoccupy men so much that they lose sight of the Kingdom of God. Some had even lost sight of what life was all about!
THE PROBLEM OF COVETOUSNESS
Jesus uncovered a deeper problem than just the matter of questionable division of inheritance. The deeper problem was “covetousness”. This problem was particularly deep and widespread.
Was it a fact that his brother did not give him his fair share of the inheritance? Was it not also a problem of covetousness? Did he hope to have “a little more” from his brother? Why was he so caught up with monetary matters? What was life all about?
This problem was not an isolated one. This man’s problem was something that many struggled with. That this is the case may be argued from the fact that Jesus addressed the crowd rather than just the man in question.
“Then He said to THEM…”
Luke 12:15
“Then He spoke a parable to THEM…”
Luke 12:16
THE PARABLE OF THE RICH FOOL
The parable began with the fact that the subject in the symbolic story was already a rich man. Was the man who asked Jesus for His assistance also already a rich man?
The rich man had plans to become even richer. He became preoccupied with increasing his wealth. He focused his energy and attention in gaining more wealth.
He wanted to ensure total financial security. He even planned for his retirement. He would then be able to enjoy life because of his amassed wealth.
Life to the rich man centered on the things that he had accumulated in his work. He had excluded God in his plans!
That was his fatal mistake. He had not reckoned with the fact that his life on earth was at best ephemeral. He had not considered the sovereignty of God over life.
“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?’ “
Luke 12:20
SOLEMN REMINDERS FROM THIS PARABLE
Two solemn reminders stand out. Let us consider these two truths as Jesus Himself stated them…
“One’s life does not consist in the abundance
of the things he possesses.”
Luke 12:15
“So is he who lays up treasure for himself,
and is not rich toward God.”
Luke 12:21
The problem of being caught up with this earthly life, and amassing wealth, is a problem that plagues us still. How we need to ponder over seriously the meaning of Life.