Luke 12:13 - 34
The Parable of the Rich Fool
13 Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” 14 But he said to him, “Man, who made me a judge or arbitrator over you?” 15 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.” 16 And he told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man produced plentifully, 17 and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ 18 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. 19 And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.”’ 20 But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ 21 So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”
Do Not Be Anxious
22 And he said to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on. 23 For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. 24 Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! 25 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?[c] 26 If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest? 27 Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin,[d] yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 28 But if God so clothes the grass, which is alive in the field today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! 29 And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried. 30 For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them. 31 Instead, seek his[e] kingdom, and these things will be added to you.
32 “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. 33 Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. 34 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
Questions:
ReplyDelete1. Isn't Jesus the judge?
2. Is saving money for retirement doing the same thing as the rich man?
3. How much should we relax in retirement, if at all?
4. In these days, what does it look like to be anxious about our life? What does it look like to be not anxious?
5. Should we be selective in what we wear?
6. How are we to take care of what we need to, and not be guilty of being anxious?
7. We seek what we eat and drink every time we go to the grocery store. Should we avoid that?
8. What does it look like to seek His kingdom?
9. Should we all sell all our possessions?
10. If we are not selling our possessions or saving for the future, does that automatically mean that our hearts are here? How can we provide ourselves with treasure in heaven?
https://hartmangroupdevotions.blogspot.com/2015/01/matthew-619-24-19-do-not-store-up-for.html?zx=a2d22b7e5170ca2e says:
ReplyDeleteMany of the articles I read seem to say that the Bible says you should save money - but they don't really address this verse and other verses of Jesus. Jesus never said that we should save for the future. Proverbs says that the wise man does save.
Here's what http://moneyhelpforchristians.com/what-does-the-bible-teach-about-saving-money/ says:
"Both giving and saving should be practiced at the same time.
Those who save and do not give exemplify attributes of a hoarder. Saving in excess is a sign of greed, lack of trust, and a love of money.
Each of the above choices (squander, save, or hoard) reveal something about our character:
One who squanders lacks self-control.
One who saves has self-control.
One who hoards has greed.
Each Christian must prayerfully find the right saving balance. Squandering our money does not honor God. Hoarding our money dishonors God. We must find the right – God pleasing – balance of saving.
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http://moneyhelpforchristians.com/is-it-biblical-to-save-for-retirement-part-i/ mentions the example of Joseph saving food in the 7 years of plenty for the 7 years of famine.
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http://www.desiringgod.org/interviews/should-i-invest-for-retirement says:
The way I think about retirement—though I don't believe in "retirement" if you can avoid it—is that you should start doing different things for Jesus. And if you can do them without having to be paid by people because you've set it aside, then that's all the more wonderful.
I think of that like this: I don't want to get rich. I don't want to sit on a pile of money. I just want to be able to survive between the ages of sixty-five and eighty-five. And I'd like to be spent for the kingdom. So if I can have a house and have my bills paid and pour my life out for the kingdom, I would be thrilled.
Laying up treasures for yourself on earth is reflected in the man who built the barns. He had many goods. "What shall I do with them?" he said. "I'll build more barns." But he didn't need all those barns. He said, "I will eat, drink, and be merry." He shouldn't have been eating and drinking and being merry, he should have been using his money strategically to meet needs. But he was just cavalier about having all this money.
I don't want to be an all-or-nothing type person here. I want people to think soberly and maximize their generosity.
I hardly put anything away for cars either, because we always get used cars. But I know it's stupid to not put some money away, because when trouble arrives I'm always scrambling to find a way to take care of the refrigerator that's broken or the car that's having issues. And I don't think it's an honor to my wife to be careless about that.
So, all that to say, Put a governor on your life. Make as much as you can, give as much as you can, and save what you need to in order to be a responsible non-borrower. Then do retirement with some minimalistic plan that frees you up for gospel ministry till the day you drop.
https://hartmangroupdevotions.blogspot.com/2015/01/matthew-619-24-19-do-not-store-up-for.html?zx=a2d22b7e5170ca2e continued:
ReplyDeleteAll the articles I found seemed to be from the American financial point of view: "Christians should save for the future - and here's a bunch of Proverbs that say you should - and don't worry about all those verses by Jesus saying you shouldn't save - he's just talking about hoarders - I'm sure you won't have a problem with that". The problem with that concept is that all of us are champions at justifying why our hoarding doesn't cross the line.
So, here's my thoughts: Jesus didn't save. Paul didn't save. The disciples didn't save. The prophets didn't save. If we really live for God, it's probably best to follow the same pattern.
Final thought: As in everything, what God wants us to do is very different for each of us. I have no doubt that God would direct certain of us to put away money for the future. However, with the extent of the decay in American culture caused by the love of money, I would think that God would want us to live free from that. I think that we Americans are much more trapped than we realize.
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In other words, possessions on earth are not for accumulating, they are for distributing in ways that Christ is honored and our joy in heaven is increased (see Ephesians 4:23). When we give – especially when we give so generously that we have to sell something to have anything to give – we show that Christ is our treasure and that we love others more than we love our own security and comfort.
https://hartmangroupdevotions.blogspot.com/2015/01/matthew-619-24-19-do-not-store-up-for.html?zx=a2d22b7e5170ca2e continued:
ReplyDelete-----
My 2 cents on what do treasures look like in heaven:
I believe that it's very difficult for us to understand this verse because the paradigm of heaven is so different from our paradigm on earth. When we hear, "store up treasures for yourself" we immediately think of things that we "own". I believe that heaven's paradigm is one of complete sharing - that we won't own anything on our own (like we think of in western culture now). I think what we will own is God's business, His master plan. And I think that this business will continue in heaven.
I speculate that when we get to heaven, our investments here will have grown God's business, and it will continue to grow from there. I Corinthians 3:15 says, "If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved--even though only as one escaping through the flames."
I believe that even when we get there, there won't be a thought of "there's the treasure that I created, where's yours?". I don't even think that we will necessarily know what treasure we have stored up - except for the grand total of what everyone stored - the entirety of God's business. In that we will rejoice and continue on from there.
Will there be different "roles" in God's business? I think so. Will people be put in roles that they were faithful in down here? Probably.
In conclusion, my opinion is that, rather than wearing crowns and jewels around in heaven (our earthly view), the treasure is the entirety of God's business. There will be no individual accomplishments in God's business. However, there may be roles in which some of us will fit in better than others. Even then, those roles will be suited to us. So, there will be no thinking like, "If I do so well, I will be promoted to Janitor second class". I think that we will be very happy to be given the role that we have been given.
One important clarification to the above: When I say God's business, I am including God Himself. In fact I would go so far as to say that God and His business are one. He is not only the head of His corporation (which includes everything), He is the corporation.
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How do you know what has your heart? (1) What occupies your thoughts when you have nothing else to do? What occupies your daydreams? Is it your investments, your position? If so, those are the things you treasure, and that is where your heart really is. (2) Similarly, what is it that you fret about most? Is it your home or perhaps your clothing? If so, then you know where your treasure lies. (3) Apart from your loved ones, what or whom do you most dread losing? (4) What are the things that you measure others by? Do you measure others by their clothing? By their education? By their homes? By their athletic prowess? Do you measure others by their success in the business world? If so, you know where your treasure lies, for these questions are a very revealing mirror because we measure other people by that which we treasure. (5) Lastly, what is it that you know you cannot be happy without?
https://www.preceptaustin.org/luke-12-commentary says:
ReplyDeleteJesus has been emphasizing the folly of worry. He has been saying, "Are not five sparrows sold for two cents? Yet not one of them is forgotten in God's sight.... Have no fear; y o u are of more value than any number of sparrows." One would think that in view of such words of encouragement the reaction of everyone would be, "How rich we are!" Upon one listener, however, the words of Jesus seem to have made no impression whatever. Someone has said, "When there is an inheritance 99 percent of the people become wolves."
According to the law of the day, the elder brother received two-thirds of the inheritance and the younger brother received one-third.
Teacher (1320) See didaskalos, "a title that shows people view him as a respected rabbi. A rabbi would often settle such disputes about inheritance because the regulations on them appear in the Pentateuch and the rabbi interpreted Torah (Deut. 21:15–17; Num. 27:1–11; 36:7–9)(Bock)
Driven by his crass materialism and growing tired of waiting impatiently for Jesus to finish, he interrupted Him. His request, although inappropriate under the circumstances, was not unusual. By calling Jesus teacher (didaskale) the man acknowledged Him to be a rabbi, and rabbis routinely arbitrated such civil and family disputes.
As Wiersbe says this man who interrupted "wanted Jesus to solve his problems but not save him from his covetousness! Had Jesus made a just division of the property, this would not have solved the problem, for “the heart of every problem is the problem in the heart.”
Like too many people today, they wanted Jesus to serve them but not to save them.
https://www.preceptaustin.org/luke-12-commentary continued:
ReplyDeleteMacArthur - Refusing to sit in judgment on a dispute about money, Jesus instead rendered a far more important judgment on the sin of greed.
Against every form of greed - Note the warning is not just against MONEY, but "all kinds of greed!"
J R Miler commenting on Luke 12:15 wrote "Few people think of the danger of getting rich. Most think that they become great—just in proportion as they gather wealth. Yet there never was a more fatal error! A man is really measured by what he IS—not by what he HAS. A man's real "life" is what would be left of him—if everything he has were stripped off. His real 'worth' is his character, as it appears in God's sight.
Paul states this principle: Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry (Col 3:5-note)
Hendriksen - The Greek word for greed is very descriptive. Literally it means: the thirst for having more, always having more and more and still more.
“All day long he craves for more, but the righteous give without sparing” (Pr 21:26).
But Jesus said, “A man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”
Greed can create a distortion about what life is, because the definition of life is not found in objects, but relationships, especially to God and his will.
We miss the point, however, if we see covetousness as an issue of amount not attitude. The poorest can be greedy; the richest can avoid greed. But the danger of possessions is that they often arouse the desire for more.
https://www.preceptaustin.org/luke-12-commentary continued:
ReplyDeleteSteven Cole - Jesus here answers the vital question, “How can we invest our lives wisely so as to be rich toward God?”
1. We all have a choice about how to invest our lives.
The choice, simply put, is: Greed or God? He said, “You cannot serve God and mammon” (Luke 16:13). He did not say, “should not,” but “cannot.” It is an impossibility to serve both masters at the same time. You must choose one or the other.
In Mark 4:19, Jesus said that the thorns that gradually grow up and choke out the word are “the worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things.” Greed often isn’t a deliberate choice, where a person decides. Rather, it creeps up around us without our realizing it. It gets a slow stranglehold on our lives, like thorns growing up around a healthy plant. So how can we determine if we’re falling into the sin of greed?
A TEST FOR GREED: Here are five questions to ask yourself:
(1) Do my thoughts more often run after material things than after God Himself?
(2) Do I ever compromise godly character in the pursuit of material gain? If I am willing to shred relationships or to take advantage of another person for financial gain, I am being greedy. If I care more about making money than about being a witness for Jesus Christ, I am being greedy.
(3) Do I enjoy material things more than I enjoy knowing God? If my happiness soars when I get a new car, but I am bored by the things of God, I am greedy. If I rejoice when I win a raffle or door prize, but I yawn when I hear about a soul being saved, I am greedy.
(4) How do I respond when I lose material things? When the stock market drops, do I fall apart emotionally? If I get robbed or lose some or all of my things in a fire, does it devastate me? I’m not saying that we must be stoical about such losses. We will always feel some sadness when we lose things. But if it wipes us out, then we’re probably too attached to this world and its goods.
(5) What would I do if I suddenly came into a fortune? Would your first thought be, “Now I can get that better house or car or boat”? “Now I can take that trip around the world I’ve always wanted to take.” Or, would you think, “Now I can support dozens of missionaries”?
THE PROBLEM WITH GREED:
(1) Greed ignores the lordship of Christ over everything.
The man in the parable saw himself as the owner of all that he had. Did you notice the prominence of the first person pronoun in his speech? Six times he says “I,” without any regard for God.
The greedy man is self-sufficient. His confidence was in his many barns full of produce, not in God’s care. The greedy man is his own lord. He asks himself, “What shall I do?” He proudly declares, “This is what I will do.” He does not ask, “Lord, what would You have me to do?”
(2) Greed ignores the priority of relationships over riches.
(3) Greed ignores the shortness of life and the fact of eternity.
The rich man thought that he was being prudent. He had thought matters through carefully. But God bluntly calls him a fool. The fool thinks about life, but he doesn’t include God, judgment, and eternity in his thoughts. So, at death the fool and his riches are parted for all eternity.
https://www.preceptaustin.org/luke-12-commentary continued:
ReplyDelete2. The world’s perspective on how to invest our lives is at odds with God’s perspective.
The world says that life consists of things, but God says that life consists of being rightly related to Him and to others. The world would view this rich man as a success. He could now enjoy the good life: good food, fine wine, servants, and whatever pleasures money could afford. Isn’t that what we all aim for in life? Isn’t that why we go to college, so that we can get a good career, make plenty of money, provide the finer things in life for our children, and retire some day with plenty in our investments? What’s wrong with that?
this man’s “whole attitude was the very reverse of Christianity. Instead of denying himself he aggressively affirmed himself; instead of finding his happiness in giving he tried to conserve it by keeping.”
What was wrong was the man’s focus. He had the world’s perspective, not God’s perspective. God’s perspective is not that riches are inherently wrong. Money can be a great good if it is used in line with God’s perspective. There are several wealthy men in the Bible, such as Job, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph who enjoyed God’s blessing and were godly men. But, to a man, they were generous men who lived in light of eternity. As Paul tells Timothy, "Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy. Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed."(1 Tim. 6:17-19). So if we want to be rich toward God, we need to be careful to distinguish between the world’s perspective and God’s perspective. We are bombarded daily with the world’s perspective, which invariably is focused on this life. God’s perspective always takes into account the life to come.
https://www.preceptaustin.org/luke-12-commentary continued:
ReplyDelete3. To invest your life successfully, deposit it with Jesus Christ and spend it for His kingdom.
This investment begins by depositing your life with Jesus Christ, which means, entrusting your eternal destiny to Him. All of the good works that you try to do for God will not begin to pay the debt of your sin when you stand before Him. Jesus Christ paid that debt.
Every investment requires trust, including the depositing of your life with Jesus Christ.
Then, to be rich with God, you must expend what God has given you in line with His kingdom purposes. If you had come into a lot of money that you planned to invest, presumably you would take some time, thought, and effort to invest it wisely. You may even pay a financial counselor to give you some insights on where to put that money. Yet, while most of us are quite careful about investing money for our own purposes, we’re pretty sloppy when it comes to investing in light of God’s kingdom purposes.
Does this mean that we can’t spend any money on ourselves? Does it mean that we should live at a poverty level, drive old cars, only buy used clothes, and never spend money for personal enjoyment or pleasure? I doubt if many are tempted to go to those extremes, but, no, that’s not what it means. God has blessed us with many things and it is legitimate to enjoy those blessings with thankful hearts. Also, it is prudent and in line with Scripture to provide in a reasonable manner for our future needs through saving and investing (Prov. 6:6-11).
But, at the same time I think that most Christians need to think much more carefully about the question, “Am I really seeking first God’s kingdom?” Am I constantly thinking of the stewardship of my life and money in light of what God is doing? Or, could the deceitfulness of riches be getting a subtle stronghold on my life?
We expect missionaries to live modestly. We would be bothered if we heard that a missionary we were supporting was getting rich. And, yet, we aren’t bothered if we get rich and live lavishly. Missions strategist Ralph Winter argues that all Christians should live a missionary lifestyle and give the rest to the Lord’s work. We all should be as committed to the Great Commission as missionaries are, even if God has not called us to go to another culture.
Conclusion To be really rich, Jesus says that we must be rich toward God by laying up treasure in heaven. Paul says that we do that when we are rich in good works, generous, and ready to share. We should think of ourselves standing before God, giving an account of what He has entrusted to us.
https://www.preceptaustin.org/luke-12-commentary continued:
ReplyDeleteWe enjoy and take care of what we have, and that’s as it should be. But Jesus said we shouldn’t be possessed by our possessions, for they won’t last into eternity (Luke 12:15-21). A house is just a box in which to stay warm and dry; a car is a way to get us from one place to another. Since we can’t take them with us when we die, we’re far better off to view them as E. V. Hill did—temporary.
https://www.preceptaustin.org/luke-12-commentary continued:
ReplyDeleteFor him, the purpose of having is self-indulgence. “I deserve it; I owe it to myself; I’ll do it my way”
If suddenly you inherited a great deal of wealth, would it create a problem for you? Or would you simply praise God and ask Him what He wanted you to do with it?There are perils to prosperity (Prov. 30:7–9). Wealth can choke the Word of God (Matt. 13:22), create snares and temptations (1 Tim. 6:6–10, 17–19), and give you a false sense of security. People say that money does not satisfy, but it does satisfy if you want to live on that level. People who are satisfied only with the things that money can buy are in great danger of losing the things that money cannot buy.
This common man had no sense because he left God out of his life and plans. That was the key problem in his life. He did not need bigger barns. He needed a bigger heart that was grateful for what the Lord had done for him....If you want to prosper financially, then realize that in God's economy, you gain by giving away what you have.
Spurgeon - It is “my” all through, — my fruits, my barns, my goods. The man was eaten up with selfishness, and did not recognize the fact of his stewardship. He did not know that even his own soul did not belong to him; he thought it did: “I will say to my soul,”
Hughes - This is the only place in the Bible where retirement is spoken of, and here it is in the context of disapproval. Of course, the Bible recognizes aging and slowing down. But retiring to a life of self-indulgence finds no favor with God....A retirement that lives for self is unbiblical and immoral. Hedonism aside, the glaring fault of this foolish man was that he was living as if there was no God. “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God’ ”
It is right to enjoy what we have; it is wrong to believe that self-indulgent pleasure is the goal of life, as this man does. He believes that his wealth makes him master both of the present and the future.
We can summarize his view of life in several phrases that ring through the years: “If I’m not good to myself, who will be?” “Success with possessions shows I’m a success as a person.” “The bigger the barn (or car or house), the better the life.” “If money can’t buy happiness, it can at least buy pleasure and security.”
This man's hedonism is the antithesis of John Piper's "Christian Hedonism." = "God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him. Or: The chief end of man is to glorify God by enjoying him forever."
THE FOLLY OF GREED
You fool - The rich man was not a fool because he had a lot of possessions, but he was a fool because he had all the possessions but did not possess Jesus. Oh, how poor this rich man really was! The world would call him WISE because he took such great care preparing for his earthly needs, but God called him a FOOL because he forgot about his heavenly needs.
MacArthur - Failing to consider his own mortality left him to contemplate bitterly the materialist’s worst nightmare, aptly expressed by Solomon:
Thus I hated all the fruit of my labor for which I had labored under the sun, for I must leave it to the man who will come after me. And who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool? Yet he will have control over all the fruit of my labor for which I have labored by acting wisely under the sun. This too is vanity. (Eccl. 2:18-19)
What made the man foolish? He left God out of the picture. He was called a fool because he failed to realize that his life was in God’s hands. While he was planning carefully for his comfortable life on earth, he failed to plan for eternity and store up treasures in heaven (Matt. 6:20).
https://www.preceptaustin.org/luke-12-commentary continued:
ReplyDeleteKeathley - The rich man made at least four mistakes:
1. The rich man made the mistake of thinking he was the owner of his stuff when he was just a steward. We are just stewards of our stuff.
2. He was worried about the present and forgot about eternity.
3. He was concerned only for the physical and forgot about spiritual things.
4. He treasured stuff more than people. He lived an isolated life.
The poorest person is one whose only wealth is money.
So the point of the Parable of the Rich Fool is twofold. First, we are not to devote our lives to the gathering and accumulation of wealth.
The second point of the Parable of the Rich Fool 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 them (Psalm 62:10). The Bible also says there is one who gives freely and grows all the richer (Proverbs 11:24). Finally, the Bible says we are to honor God with the first fruits of our increase (Proverbs 3:9–10). The point is clear; if we honor God with what He has given us, He will bless with more so that we can honor Him with more.
THE CALL TO AVOID ANXIETY
Leon Morris - From the sins of greed and selfishness Jesus turns to that of worry, which in a way is connected with the other two. ‘Greed can never get enough, worry is afraid it may not have enough’ (Arndt). Wealth can represent a danger to those who do not have it as well as to those who do. Jesus emphasizes the importance of trust in God and detachment from things.
The Lord was not encouraging a lazy, who-cares attitude about money. In fact, Scripture enjoins us to pay attention to financial matters (Prov. 27:23-24). While God provides for the birds, He doesn’t plop the worms in their mouths as they sit in their nests! They have to exert some effort to obtain the worms that God has provided. So here Jesus was speaking against inordinate, consuming, distracting worry.
https://www.preceptaustin.org/luke-12-commentary continued:
ReplyDeleteWorry is excessive concern over the affairs of life. The key obviously is the word "excessive." Worry happens when you are so concerned about the problems of life that you can think of nothing else. It is an all-consuming feeling of uncertainty and fear. And it is a sin. Worry is a sin for two reasons: First, because it displaces God in your life. When you commit the sin of worry, you are living as though God did not exist. And you are living as though you alone can solve your problems. Second, because it distracts you from the things that really matter in life. As long as you are worrying, you can't do anything else. You are strangled by worry.
But how can we tell when the legitimate concerns of life have become sinful worries? Here are three practical guidelines. You are probably well into worry...
1. When the thing you are concerned about is the first thing you think about in the morning and the last thing you think about at night.
2. When you find yourself thinking about it during every spare moment.
3. When you find yourself bringing it up in every conversation you have.
Mattoon - It is interesting to note that the cares of this world, or worries, "choke" the Word. In fact, the word "worry" originally meant "to choke." The English word "worry" comes from a German word wurgjan which produced the word wugen, which means "to choke, strangle, seize by the throat with the teeth." Beloved, God wants us to trust Him to take care of us and to be content with what we already have in our lives lest we be strangled and choked by our worries.
Gary Inrig - Luke makes it very clear that this section is addressed not to the crowd but to the disciples. There is an implication here that worry is one of the besetting sins of Christ-followers. The reason is not hard to discover. The terms of discipleship are demanding. To obey the call is to trust Christ completely, but what are the implications of that obedience? Financial questions also loom large. If I say good-bye to all my possessions, will the Lord really meet my needs? My head assures me that He will; my heart is not quite so certain.
https://www.preceptaustin.org/luke-12-commentary continued:
ReplyDeleteThis is the only New Testament reference to ravens. Some think that Jesus mentions them because they were unclean birds, so that His argument is, “If God cares for these lowest of scavengers, won’t He meet your needs?” When Jesus mentions that the ravens neither sow nor reap, nor store up their food, He does not mean that men should not labor for their food or that they should not store up necessary provisions. God’s Word clearly establishes labor as the means by which we provide for our families and ourselves. Rather, He is contrasting the lowly raven with the rich fool in the parable just before. This man was wrongly focused on storing up plenty for the future, but he stupidly ignored God. By way of contrast, the raven gets along just fine without all of the rich fool’s anxiety about the future, because God cares for the ravens. Then Jesus uses understatement to say, “How much more valuable you are than the birds!” Human beings are the apex of God’s creation, made in His image and likeness. Is it not reasonable to assume that if God cares for the lowly raven, then He will care for people, especially for those who are His own little flock (12:32)?
If we persist in worry, it is because we are “of little faith”—we do not believe God’s Word. It is as simple as that! We do not believe he is in control. We do not believe he is capable of taking care of us. We do not believe what his Word tells us about his love and care for his own. Disbelief is the midwife of worry.
https://www.preceptaustin.org/luke-12-commentary continued:
ReplyDeleteA. We should stop worrying about our basic needs, because to worry is to mimic the world and God knows that we need these things (Lk 12:29-30). When Jesus says not to seek after what you shall eat and drink, He does not mean that we are not to expend any effort or energy in working for a living! Rather, He means, “Don’t be all-consumed with these things. Don’t make these things your main aim in life.”
Why does Jesus mention food and clothing? Aren't these the basic necessities of life? And as such these basic elements stand for all of the things we need to live in this world, including housing, jobs, money, etc. Jesus is saying don't worry about any of these things.
George Sweeting - Our English word worry is equivalent to the Greek word merimnao. Worry really means "to divide the mind." It means we are double-minded rather than single-minded. The apostle James warned, "A double-minded man [is] unstable in all his ways" (James 1:8).
What does it mean in practical terms to seek God’s kingdom? Does it mean that everyone has to become a missionary or full-time Christian worker? Obviously, not! God’s kingdom is where He rules. To seek His kingdom means to put God first as Lord of everything in our lives and to aim each day at furthering His rule over us and over others. The day is soon coming when Jesus will return and rule the nations with a rod of iron. But until then, we are to live under His lordship in every area of our lives. And we are to seek to further His rightful rule over others as they come to faith in Christ and then live under His lordship. In other words, God is not just to be a slice of life on Sundays or whenever we find Him useful to further our agendas. Rather, He is to be the center of all we think, say, and do every day. He is Lord over every facet of our lives, including our money. We live as His servants or stewards, seeking to glorify Him. That’s what it means to seek His kingdom.
https://www.preceptaustin.org/luke-12-commentary continued:
ReplyDeleteSeeking in the present context speaks of a single minded focus.
Caveat - Don't attempt to obey Jesus' command to seek in your own (old man) strength! You will fail and experience frustration. To put it another way, we need to learn to depend on the Spirit's power to enable us to work out what He works in! Do you see the difference? Self-effort versus Spirit energization! The first is natural and the second supernatural power. And this command (not to mention all >1500 commands in the NT!) can only be obeyed supernaturally.
https://www.preceptaustin.org/luke-12-commentary continued:
ReplyDeleteConquering our fear about serving Christ is vital because the eternal destiny of friends and family are at stake. If we do not reach them for Christ, they will be lost forever in the flames of Hell. Some may ask, "How do you get the boldness to speak to others about Christ?" Boldness comes from having a clear conscience, a close walk with God, and from the power of the Holy Spirit working in our life (1 Th 2:10, Acts 4:13, Acts 4:31)
Sell your possessions and give to charity - First do not misinterpret this as a command to sell everything you own, because clearly in the Bible it is assumed that believers have possessions. One issue of course is just make sure those possessions don't "possess" you, specifically your heart! As Randy Alcorn reminds us in his book The Treasure Principle that "God owns everything. I'm just His money manager!"
Steven Cole explains that the application of the above truths is to "Give generously and you will have lasting treasure in heaven (Lk 12:33). Jesus does not mean that we must literally sell everything we have and give away the proceeds. Rather, Jesus here is saying, “Have a loose grip on the things of this world, since they won’t last anyway. Instead, be generous in giving to those in need, and God will reward you with lasting riches in heaven.” The contrast is between storing up temporary treasure for yourself on earth (Lk 12:21) instead of laying up eternal treasures in heaven. If you struggle with greed and with living for this life only, give away your stuff. Giving generously frees us from greed and puts our focus on God and eternity.
Bock writes - "The generosity this text calls for has often been questioned. Are we really called to sell all our possessions? Jesus' point is that we must give up viewing what we call ours, as if it were a private possession to be hoarded."
Jesus' emphasis is not so much on selling all your possessions but instead using your wealth to generously help those poorer than yourself. How are you doing in this area dear follower of Christ?
This is not your final home. Heaven is your future home if you are a Christian. Christ urged His disciples to let go of the treasures they had on earth and to lay up treasures in Heaven by investing in the Lord's work and giving to others. By relinquishing their prized possessions, their focus would be shifted to their future home with the Lord. Beloved, God wants us to realize that money is a tool. When we use this tool for His glory, we lay up treasure in Heaven where it will not be stolen or corrupted. There is nothing wrong in having money and taking care of your family. There is something wrong, however, when we fall in love with money to the point that we hurt our relationship with Christ and our family. Our hearts are not to be gripped by greed. Paul warned about this love for money. (1 Ti 6:10). We can guard ourselves against greed by storing up treasure in Heaven.
https://www.preceptaustin.org/luke-12-commentary continued:
ReplyDeleteLife Application Study Bible - Money seen as an end in itself quickly traps us and cuts us off from both God and the needy. The key to using money wisely is to see how much we can use for God's purposes, not how much we can accumulate for ourselves. Does God's love touch your wallet? Does your money free you to help others? If so, you are storing up lasting treasures in heaven. If your financial goals and possessions hinder you from giving generously, loving others, or serving God, sell what you must to bring your life into line with his purposes.
https://www.sermoncentral.com/sermons/why-did-jesus-say-he-8217-s-not-a-judge-jim-butcher-sermon-on-jesus-christ-183958 says:
ReplyDeleteA CONFUSING STATEMENT: Why does Jesus say He’s not a judge?
- It’s important to read the full sentence. Jesus doesn’t say, “I am not a judge” or “I will never judge.” He says that in this situation He has not been appointed the judge.
- The local rabbi or a local official was most likely the correct judge. Jesus was not the appointed judge in this dispute.
- So Jesus is correctly stating the specific truth to this man’s specific question: I am not the appointed person to judge this dispute.
- The other piece that needs to be addressed up front is why this man comes to Jesus.
- He comes to Jesus, not because he has studied the Scripture and considers Jesus to be the Messiah who ultimately has authority over anything He chooses to.
- No, this man most likely didn’t like the local judge’s verdict and so comes with a pre-conceived agenda. He just sees Jesus as another way to try to get what he wants.
USING GOD: Many treat religion merely as a way to get God’s approval for what they want.
- Aside from doing what we want, even beyond that God is going to try to move us to viewing the world from His vantage point.
b. Beyond not answering our shallow prayer for happiness, God wants us to begin to see in Scripture where He is more concerned with our holiness than our happiness.
c. Beyond not answering our prayer to bless building an unnecessarily large church building, God wants us to begin to see that His Spirit dwells in people, not buildings.
- Jesus’ question to us might be: “Who told you I would do that for you?”
- Jesus often answered questions people didn’t ask.
- You can’t just take the part of the Bible you like. You have to take it all.
JESUS WILL NOT BE MANIPULATED: Jesus will not be bound by you “claiming” the right Bible word.
- The way it usually develops is something like this:
a. We have a pre-existing agenda.
b. We pray carefully selected holy words.
c. Our prayer is not blessing by Jesus.
d. As we move forward, a mess ensues.
- Am I seeking the answer or my answer?
- Do I want my answer or God’s best?
- Am I after God’s will or my will?
- Using Bible words to get what I want.
- Jesus will not bless your manipulation.
- Using holy words as a means to an end.
- The end result (like Jesus’ rejection of the man here) is a mess because Jesus doesn’t come through for us.
Questions and findings:
ReplyDelete1. Isn't Jesus the judge?
Jesus is the ultimate judge. However, in this case, there were earthly judges to rule on things like this man's case. Jesus is not going to override the court system that He put in place from the beginning. Also, it's very possible that this person already got a ruling from a local judge, didn't like it, and was trying to get Jesus to overrule an already existing judgement.
2. Is saving money for retirement doing the same thing as the rich man?
Like many things in this life, it's not so much the action that counts, but the heart behind it. Some people, by saving for retirement, will be like the rich man. Some people won't. It costs very little to save for retirement. With company matches and pre-tax money, it's kind of stupid not to put money away. It's almost free. So, I would say that (almost) every Christian should put money into a 401K, if it's available.
However, as $100 turns into $1000, and $1000 turns into $100,000 (and finally $1,000,000), how do we not turn into the rich man. Rather, it would be better not to ever save money! To keep from falling into that trap, we need to examine ourselves. Would we be willing to give it all away?
I believe a good discipline that will probably minimally keep most of us safe is the "10-10-80 principle" (the first 10 is minimum). We give at least the first 10% of our income to God (and where God directs). We save the next 10%. We spend the next 80% on our own living expenses. I would add an addition to this: Keep your lifestyle in line with the average person. If the 80% covers more that that lifestyle, transfer it to the first 10% (giving it to God).
3. How much should we relax in retirement, if at all?
We are servants of the Most High God. We have a lot of urgent kingdom work to do. We relax to recharge in order to do that work. It's important to mention that God's work is not full of pressure or anxiety. If we are faithful, we will be much happier and relaxed than if we spend our lives on ourselves (whether in relaxation or working).
4. In these days, what does it look like to be anxious about our life? What does it look like to be not anxious?
Anxiety looks like living lives for ourselves, attempting control of our circumstances, and/or trying to bend everything around us to our own will - in general, not trusting God in every circumstance. The opposite of that is A: Living in the Holy Spirit in the moment, B: Casting our cares on Jesus through prayer. It takes the spriritual disciplines and walking by the Spirit to succeed in not being anxious. Some of us need constant communication with God to succeed.
5. Should we be selective in what we wear?
This is a heart issue. If our hearts are right in this area, we can wear whatever gives us joy. If we care about it, we would be wise to even submit our clothes purchases to Jesus (in prayer). We definitely should not be spending very much time (or probably money) at all on clothes.
6. How are we to take care of what we need to, and not be guilty of being anxious?
7. We seek what we eat and drink every time we go to the grocery store. Should we avoid that?
Once again, this is a heart issue. Two people could be doing the exact same thing - one could be anxious, another not. We do, however, need to identify those things that we "need to take care of" and those that need to go by the wayside. Living for God's kingdom is a full time job. There's room for nothing else. When we live for God's kingdom, there will be things God will direct us "take care of".
Questions and findings continued:
ReplyDelete8. What does it look like to seek His kingdom?
Every action will be about living for God's kingdom. We will take every thought and action and submit it to God. It requires constant prayer.
9. Should we all sell all our possessions?
We should rid ourselves of every possession that we own. We must hold on to nothing. The first step is to turn everything over to God. He will then make us His steward. When our entire focus is on His Kingdom, He will direct us in that stewardship. We will no longer own anything except Him. When this becomes true, we will have followed Jesus' first command, and are now ready to follow His commands as to what to do with His possessions. To literally sell something might be disobedient to His command. He may want us to live in a house, or drive a car, or wear clothes to serve His kingdom. Everything around us becomes a tool to advance God's kingdom.
10. If we are not selling our possessions or saving for the future, does that automatically mean that our hearts are here? How can we provide ourselves with treasure in heaven?
Yes, if we do not turn our possessions and our money over to Jesus, our hearts are here. If we do turn everything over to God, He owns everything and we only have Him. For many of us, this means that we will not sell (many of) our possessions and we will put money into retirement accounts. Money represents a certain amount of power in this world. God wants us to use that power to advance His Kingdom.