Luke 12:13 And someone out of the crowd said to Him, Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me. (14) But He said to him, Man, who appointed Me a judge or a divider over you? (15) And He said to them, Watch and guard yourself from all covetousness, for no one's life is in the abundance of his possessions. (16) And He told them a parable, saying, The land of a certain rich man brought forth abundantly. (18) And he said, I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and I will gather there all my wheat and my goods. (19) And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; rest, eat, drink, be merry. (20) But God said to him, Foolish one, this night they are requiring your soul from you; and the things which you have prepared, whose will they be? (21) So is he who stores up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.
In 12:13-34 the Lord gives His disciples another kind of warning, the warning concerning covetousness. Luke 12:13 says, "And someone out of the crowd said to Him, Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me." The Lord took this as an opportunity to warn the disciples about covetousness. First the Lord said to the one who requested that He tell the brother to divide the inheritance with him, "Man, who appointed Me a judge or a divider over you?" (v. 14). Then He went on to say to His disciples, "Take heed and guard yourself from all covetousness; for no one's life is in the abundance of his possessions" (v. 15). Then the Lord told them the parable recorded in verses 16 through 21. If we are in the jubilee, participating in the New Testament inheritance of the Triune God, we need to beware of coveting earthly possessions. Our life in God does not depend upon such possessions. It may be better for us to dispose of our material possessions. In verse 33 the Lord says, "Sell your possessions and give alms; make for yourselves purses which do not become old, an unfailing treasure in the heavens, where a thief does not come near nor even a moth corrupts." The point here is that as we are participating in the New Testament jubilee, we should not hold on to material possessions as an earthly treasure. We need to lay up treasures for ourselves in the heavens.
Bible verses are taken from the Recovery Version of the Bible and Words of Ministry from Witness Lee, Life-study of Luke, p. 247. Both are published by Living Stream Ministry, Anaheim, CA. Please visit us at www.emanna.com. Send comments to: [email protected].
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