“Be On Guard Against Every Form of Greed”

In Luke 12, Jesus warns us to “be on guard against every form of greed.” What forms of greed are most dangerous to us?

Scripture:       

Genesis, chapters 29-30; Luke, chapter 12

Luke 12:12-21 (NASB):

Now someone in the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.” But He said to him, “You there – who appointed Me a judge or arbitrator over the two of you?” But He said to them, “Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one is affluent does his life consist of his possessions.”

And He told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man was very productive. And he began thinking to himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?’ And he said, ‘This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and I will store all my grain and my goods there. And I will say to myself, “You have many goods stored up for many years to come; relax, eat, drink, and enjoy yourself!”’

But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your soul is demanded of you; and as for all that you have prepared, who will own it now?’ Such is the one who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich in relation to God.”

Observations: Who Appointed Me Judge Over You?

This passage presents several layers for us to consider. We often focus on the parable Jesus tells – and with good reason. But at the beginning of the passage, Luke tells us that someone in the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.” Jesus responds by saying, “Who appointed Me a judge or arbitrator over the two of you?” I suspect that our response is to simply think, “Well of course You’re judge over them – You’re the judge over everyone!” But Jesus makes an important point: if we ask Him to judge, then we have to be ready to accept His judgment.

I suppose that the man in the crowd thought he was ready for Jesus’ judgment. Jesus would tell the man’s brother to be fair and to share with him, right? Jesus taught about love and kindness; love and kindness would probably dictate that the person in question share his inheritance with his own brother.

Notice that Jesus sees through to the motivation of the man who asks Him to intervene. If this were a simple legal matter, the man could have gone to the courts. The fact that he didn’t do that seems to indicate that he didn’t have a clear legal claim; he was asking Jesus to tell his brother to do what was “fair.” The problem with that, of course, is that “fairness” often depends on which side of the issue we’re on.

Be On Guard Against Every Form of Greed

I wonder if Jesus’ response took the man by surprise. Instead of simply saying what the man wanted Him to say, Jesus said: “Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed.” We don’t know the specifics, and it’s not for us to judge that particular situation. But it seems that Jesus is saying something like this: “You may think that your brother is being greedy by not sharing with you. Perhaps he is. But perhaps you too are greedy; you want something that you’re not entitled to.”

It’s easy for us to look at people who have “more” than we do and suspect that they are greedy. But when we do that, we open ourselves to judgment as well. After all, we don’t have to look far to find someone else who has less than we do. Does that make us greedy?

And the fact that Jesus says “every form of greed” implies that there is more than one form. Maybe our “greed” is directed at power, or fame, or attention. Maybe we’re greedy for recognition, for people to thank us or praise us. Later in this chapter, Jesus says: “Do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, and do not keep worrying. For all these things are what the nations of the world eagerly seek; and your Father knows that you need these things. But seek His kingdom, and these things will be provided to you” (Luke 12:29-30).

Be On Guard: This Very Night Your Soul Is Demanded of You

That brings us to the parable of the “rich fool.” His property was very productive; his harvests were abundant. But his barns were already full of stuff, so what was he to do? “This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and I will store all my grain and my goods there.” Now, if his barns were already full, that means that he had plenty already. But his response was not to share with others; it was to build bigger barns to store more.

“Then I will say to myself, ‘You have many goods stored up for many years to come; relax, eat, drink, and enjoy yourself.’” That sounds “reasonable,” doesn’t it? He’s just planning for the future. Preparing for the unknown. But didn’t he already have many goods stored up? Yes, he did. So the question is, “How much is enough?” There’s a familiar story about someone asking John D. Rockefeller – one of the richest men in the world in his day – “How much money is enough?” And his response was, “Just one more dollar.” For those who find their security in money, there’s never really enough.

This Very Night…

But God said to him, “You fool! This very night your soul is demanded of you; and as for all that you have prepared, who will own it now?” Later in the chapter, Jesus explains this parable by saying: “Sell your possessions and give to charity; make yourselves money belts that do not wear out, an inexhaustible treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near nor does a moth destroy. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Luke 12:33-34). When the time comes that your soul is demanded of you, the treasures of earth won’t go with you. Be on guard against every kind of greed, that warps our perspective and distracts us from seeking God’s kingdom.

Application: Be On Guard Against Every Form of Greed

In the first part of chapter 12, Jesus warns the crowds that are following him to “Beware the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy” (Luke 12:1). Those people would have considered the Pharisees to be at the top of the “righteousness scale,” so Jesus’ warning probably surprised many of them. Remember that “leaven” in Scripture symbolizes pervasiveness; in the Old Testament, it symbolized sinfulness. Prior to the Passover celebration, families would engage in a ceremonial search for leaven in their houses. Once they found it, they removed it to demonstrate their readiness for the festival.

The hypocrisy of the Pharisees rested largely in their public image as the guardians of righteousness, while their motivations were directed elsewhere. They talked about righteousness, while looking for loopholes to avoid the requirements of God’s law. (See Matthew 23 for further teaching by Jesus on this topic.) Jesus warns in the first part of chapter 12 that “there is nothing covered up that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known” (12:2).

That’s the context for Jesus’ caution to be on guard against every form of greed. Whether the greed is for money, power, prestige, recognition, pleasure, or anything else that the world values, it will corrupt our very souls.

This Very Night…

One last note: in the parable, God tells the man that this very night your soul is demanded of you. In the last part of the chapter, Jesus talks about preparing for His coming. “You too, be ready; because the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not think He will” (12:40). One of the dangers of every form of greed is that it leads us to believe that there’s always more time. The rich fool thought that he had many years to come to enjoy his possessions. The wicked servant at the end of the chapter thought that the master would take a long time to return. But this very night…

Our time will also come at an hour that we don’t expect. Each day, we need to seek God’s kingdom first. Satan loves to distract us, try to turn our attention away from God. That’s why Jesus warns us to always be ready!

Prayer:

Father, thank You for all the ways that You have blessed us. Help us to be on guard against every form of greed. You have proven over and over that we can trust You. Jesus promised that when we seek Your kingdom, You will provide all that we need. The fact is that You give us far more than we need, far more than we deserve. Help us to stay focused on You, knowing that You do all things well. Amen.