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Then one from the crowd said to Him, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me." But He said to him, "Man, who made me a judge or an arbitrator over you?" 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." Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: "The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. And he thought within himself, saying, 'What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?' 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. 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." ' 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?' So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God."
Then He said to His disciples, "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on. Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing. Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor barn; and God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds? And which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? If you then are not able to do the least, why are you anxious for the rest? Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. If then God so clothes the grass, which today is in the field and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith? And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind. For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things. But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you."
- Luke 12:13-31
In yesterday's reading, we first read that Jesus' ministry has reached a point at which He is now being challenged by the Pharisees and scribes, looking for something in which to catch Him, so that they may accuse Him. In front of huge crowds, so great they trample on one another, Luke tells us, Jesus taught, "Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. For these is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be known. Therefore whatever you have spoken in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have spoken in the ear in inner rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops. And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him! Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins? And not one of them is forgotten before God. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. Also I say to you, whoever confesses Me before men, him the Son of Man also will confess before the angels of God. But he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God. And anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but to him who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven. Now when they bring you to the synagogues and magistrates and authorities, do not worry about how or what you should answer, or what you should say. For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say."
Then one from the crowd said to Him, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me." But He said to him, "Man, who made me a judge or an arbitrator over you?" 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." My study bible explains that "it was a tradition for respected rabbis to arbitrate personal disputes over property or money. But Jesus refuses to play the role of judge regarding material things, and instead issues a stern warning about greed." It's interesting here that Jesus refuses to be "judge" in a traditional and, if you will, worldly sense. In the teachings in yesterday's reading, Jesus is quite clearly asserting Himself as Judge, but that is "judge" in a cosmic and spiritual sense, as His divine Person. He's also begun to openly challenge the religious establishment. So the context here emphasizes the difference between "judge" and Judge. Jesus places His emphasis on the kingdom breaking through and the values of that kingdom in our lives.
Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: "The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. And he thought within himself, saying, 'What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?' 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. 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." ' 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?' So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God." Again, I'll quote my study bible: "The rich man is a fool, despite his material success, because he vainly puts all his trust in his possessions rather than in God. To be rich toward God is to have a life of close communion with Him through faith and works." Jesus' emphasis is on those who put all their faith in "worldly" or material life, and neglect to be rich toward God. This isn't a criticism of reasonable concern for life and its necessities, but rather the blindness of a life lived without concern for the true wealth that gives value and meaning (including perspective) to everything else in our lives.
Then He said to His disciples, "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on. Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing. Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor barn; and God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds? And which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? If you then are not able to do the least, why are you anxious for the rest? Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. If then God so clothes the grass, which today is in the field and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith? And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind. For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things. But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you." My study bible teaches: "This is an exhortation against worry and anxiety, not against God-ordained planning and earnest work." Jesus will frequently speak against worry and anxiety in the Gospels, and here we can see a parallel with yesterday's reading as well -- in which He taught that in the face of persecution and worldly courts His disciples are not to worry what they will say. They are to place their faith in the Holy Spirit; they are in the process of true witnessing. Here, there's a parallel emphasis on the necessities of life. We're assured that God knows we have need of them. But again, there's a parallel with the earlier story in Luke of Martha and Mary, and the one thing needed, the good portion. And there is a promise here, that putting the things of the kingdom of God first will set things in order, in proper relation, and "these things" shall be added unto you.
I think it's important that we take Jesus' words seriously here. What is it to seek that Kingdom first, and to put its values before everything so that we may be properly "related" to everything around us, including our material needs? If you think about it, the world isn't only about our needs, but if we are privileged to live in a place where we have more than what we need for survival, then we also have choices to make about what to do with what we might be able to store up. If we look at life and possessions that way, then we see that we may need a sort of plan for how we look at our wealth and what we do with it. The values of the Kingdom become essential in this perspective, because they become a guidance for how we handle things in our lives. Jesus addresses Himself to disciples who are going to work for this Kingdom, who may face terrible persecution because of it, be cast out of community and ostracized; they will put everything on the line. And yet in this case, they are cautioned against worry and anxiety, to be rich toward God, and that the God who remembers every sparrow and numbers all the hairs on our heads is aware of what they need. This is a powerful teaching of trust, above all else, a faith that is a trust (the essential meaning of the word we translate as "faith" from the Greek). So let us remember, in all the choices we may make in our lives, what comes first? What sets things in right order for us when we make our decisions about what we pursue? Jesus tells us that these things will be added unto us. But can we take that great step of trust to begin?
