13 Then
one from 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 an
arbitrator over you?” 15 And
He said to them, “Take heed and beware of covetousness,
for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.”
16 Then He
spoke a parable to them, saying: “The ground of a
certain rich man yielded plentifully. 17 And he thought within himself,
saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’ 18 So he said, ‘I will do this: I
will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops
and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for
many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.” ’ 20 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?’ 21 “So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich
toward God.”
Commentary
Vs. 13 Then one from the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”
While Jesus was addressing the disciples, a man stepped out of the crowd and ask Jesus to tell his brother to share their family’s inheritance with him. At a glance not an unusual request, however as we will see Jesus saw that that man’s focus on his possessions was only robbing him of true life.
Vs. 14 But He said to him, “Man, who made Me a judge or an arbitrator over you?”
Therefore, Jesus did not want to be distracted from His mission and purpose by going an acting as a judge or arbitrator for the man’s dispute about his inheritance. And so instead He turns the man’s request into a teaching moment for all there.
Vs. 15 And He said to them, “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.”
In that one statement the Lord Jesus Christ quickly exposes the immense danger of being focused on one’s material possessions. For nothing blinds one’s eyes to the riches of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ more than that. Consider than that the man had the incredible privilege of both seeing and hearing the Lord Jesus Christ, and instead of receiving and believing what Jesus was saying, (and thus become one of His disciple’s), he was solely focused on speaking with Jesus so as to have Him (as a prominent and respected rabbi who was stunning the crowds with His Words and Works) come and persuade his brother to share the inheritance with Him. Therefore, Jesus knowing that the man was more interested in receiving his inheritance down here, rather than following Him and receiving his inheritance in heaven, Jesus does not want to be a judge or arbitrator in the man’s affairs. And so instead of agreeing to go and help him in his totally misguided focus, Jesus says to him, and to all there: “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.”
Vs. 16-21 16 Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. 17 And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’ 18 So he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.” ’ 20 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?’ 21 “So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”
In warning about covetousness Jesus now gives His Words a backdrop by telling us a parable of a rich man whose land yielded plentifully, and the rich man seeing that he had done very well for himself, also sees that He does not have enough room to store all of His crops harvest. Now instead of first planning to give a tithe to God of his first fruits as the Law required (Deut. 18:1-5; 26:1-15), or even sharing some of his abundance with the poor (Deut. 15:7-11), he only makes plans in his mind to tear down his old barns and storehouses and build new and greater ones, so that he may lay up all of his crops and goods in them. And then looking forward to when he has done so he begins to imagine a life of ease and comfort for himself, one of eating, drinking, and being merry, saying to himself: “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.” ’ (vs. 16-19). The rich man then in Jesus parable is symbolic of many people in many places who likewise prosper and make their plans to likewise live self-indulgent and self-serving lives, lives that have acknowledging and honoring God in none of their thoughts. And yet it was He who made all that he had to prosper (1 Sam. 2:7; also consider Deut. 8:11-18). Therefore, Jesus says of the man in His parable that God Himself who holds his very life and breath and all that he is and has in His hands rebukes him for his arrogance, by saying: 20 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?’ 21 “So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.” vs. 21-22
Therefore, Jesus’ warning to us all is that we honor God with all of our wealth and increase, because no one is assured of life, and to live one’s life so selfishly and indifferently to God who gave it and keeps it (and can take it away when and how He wishes) is the ultimate folly. Therefore, Jesus calls the man in His parable a fool! A judgment by Him reserved for all those whose hearts and minds are likewise solely set on pursuing their own ease and comfort to the neglect of their own Creators honor and majesty, and ultimately their soul’s destiny. Now in regards to riches, and their increasing in our lives please consider the following passages (Prov. 3:9-10; also, Job 21:25-28; Psalm 62:10; 1 Tim. 6:5-10 etc.).
Scripture Quotations
Commentary
Vs. 13 Then one from the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”
While Jesus was addressing the disciples, a man stepped out of the crowd and ask Jesus to tell his brother to share their family’s inheritance with him. At a glance not an unusual request, however as we will see Jesus saw that that man’s focus on his possessions was only robbing him of true life.
Vs. 14 But He said to him, “Man, who made Me a judge or an arbitrator over you?”
Therefore, Jesus did not want to be distracted from His mission and purpose by going an acting as a judge or arbitrator for the man’s dispute about his inheritance. And so instead He turns the man’s request into a teaching moment for all there.
Vs. 15 And He said to them, “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.”
In that one statement the Lord Jesus Christ quickly exposes the immense danger of being focused on one’s material possessions. For nothing blinds one’s eyes to the riches of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ more than that. Consider than that the man had the incredible privilege of both seeing and hearing the Lord Jesus Christ, and instead of receiving and believing what Jesus was saying, (and thus become one of His disciple’s), he was solely focused on speaking with Jesus so as to have Him (as a prominent and respected rabbi who was stunning the crowds with His Words and Works) come and persuade his brother to share the inheritance with Him. Therefore, Jesus knowing that the man was more interested in receiving his inheritance down here, rather than following Him and receiving his inheritance in heaven, Jesus does not want to be a judge or arbitrator in the man’s affairs. And so instead of agreeing to go and help him in his totally misguided focus, Jesus says to him, and to all there: “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.”
Vs. 16-21 16 Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. 17 And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’ 18 So he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.” ’ 20 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?’ 21 “So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”
In warning about covetousness Jesus now gives His Words a backdrop by telling us a parable of a rich man whose land yielded plentifully, and the rich man seeing that he had done very well for himself, also sees that He does not have enough room to store all of His crops harvest. Now instead of first planning to give a tithe to God of his first fruits as the Law required (Deut. 18:1-5; 26:1-15), or even sharing some of his abundance with the poor (Deut. 15:7-11), he only makes plans in his mind to tear down his old barns and storehouses and build new and greater ones, so that he may lay up all of his crops and goods in them. And then looking forward to when he has done so he begins to imagine a life of ease and comfort for himself, one of eating, drinking, and being merry, saying to himself: “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.” ’ (vs. 16-19). The rich man then in Jesus parable is symbolic of many people in many places who likewise prosper and make their plans to likewise live self-indulgent and self-serving lives, lives that have acknowledging and honoring God in none of their thoughts. And yet it was He who made all that he had to prosper (1 Sam. 2:7; also consider Deut. 8:11-18). Therefore, Jesus says of the man in His parable that God Himself who holds his very life and breath and all that he is and has in His hands rebukes him for his arrogance, by saying: 20 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?’ 21 “So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.” vs. 21-22
Therefore, Jesus’ warning to us all is that we honor God with all of our wealth and increase, because no one is assured of life, and to live one’s life so selfishly and indifferently to God who gave it and keeps it (and can take it away when and how He wishes) is the ultimate folly. Therefore, Jesus calls the man in His parable a fool! A judgment by Him reserved for all those whose hearts and minds are likewise solely set on pursuing their own ease and comfort to the neglect of their own Creators honor and majesty, and ultimately their soul’s destiny. Now in regards to riches, and their increasing in our lives please consider the following passages (Prov. 3:9-10; also, Job 21:25-28; Psalm 62:10; 1 Tim. 6:5-10 etc.).
Scripture Quotations
New King James Version (1982): Thomas Nelson
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