Be on Guard Against Greed

Beware! Don’t always be wishing for what you don’t have. For real life and real living are not related to how rich we are.”

Luke 12:15 TLB

There’s an interesting story about a rich man who, by earthly standards, was a smart and futuristic investor, but by heaven’s standards a fool. We’ll be discussing this story over the next couple of days. Before we dive in, it’s important to examine why Jesus was telling us this story in the first place.

Jesus was having a bible study meeting somewhere and he had finished teaching about having faith in God and trusting Him to take care of our needs, just like He takes care of flowers and birds (Luke 12:6-7). A man in that bible study who apparently hadn’t been paying attention suddenly shouted his request to Jesus, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”(Luke 12:13). What an irony! I can imagine Jesus saying, ‘Brother, haven’t you been listening to everything I have been saying?’ Jesus actually did address him, but in a different way. Jesus replied, “Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?” Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”(Luke 12:14-15)

Wait a minute, why was Jesus accusing this man of greed when in fact he seemed to be seeking justice?  According to the law of the day, the elder brother received two-thirds of the inheritance and the younger brother received one-third. In other words, the man wasn’t left empty-handed; he already got what he legally deserved. But he was greedy, he wanted more. He was coveting his brother’s share and wanted to use Jesus to achieve his selfish desires. Jesus instantly discerned the problem: greed. This man had been under Jesus’ teaching for a long time, and people might have thought he was listening. He was simply waiting for an opportunity to express his greed to Jesus and seek his help in getting more.

However, Jesus’ response wasn’t just for this man; it was for everyone there, and by extension, for you and me now. Jesus said, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”

Look at the choice of words ‘Watch out’, ‘Be on guard’. The idea is that we all susceptible to covetousness, and we must protect ourselves from it. Our life’s worth doesn’t come from the things we possess. This is the overall principle Jesus will develop in the following teachings on material things. When we live with the attitude that our life consists in what we possess, we live in covetousness, and covetousness is idolatry (Colossians 3:5). By greedily seeking more, we lose the joy of what we already have. The question we must all ask ourselves today is this: Am I content in Christ, or am I still coveting?

PRAYER