From my reading in Luke 12:1-31 in the One Year New Testament.

In Jewish society, it was tradition for the eldest son to receive the entire inheritance of their father. Here, a man who was most likely the younger bother asked Jesus to tell his old brother to split their father’s inheritance with him. Jesus responded that really he wasn’t the one to sort that out and then warned him about the heart of the problem.

“Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own.” Luke 12:15

You Must Be The Monopoly Guy

It is interesting that Jesus warns agains “every kind” of greed. This means that there are various ways that greed can rear its ugly head in our lives.

When most people think of greed, they think of real life Monopoly. The greedy are the rich who exploit the poor, drive fancy cars and benefit from the unjust work of the less fortunate. Many rich people do fall into the trap of greed, but they are not the only ones who deal with this problem.

The Other Face Of Greed

The poor struggle with greed just as much as the rich. Actually, the man who asked Jesus the question was the one who didn’t get the money!

The poor are greedy for what they don’t have, and the rich are greedy with what they do have! 

Greed is not about how much money you have; it is about your mentality toward it.

Bigger Barn Syndrome 

Jesus tells a parable of a man who had a very fertile farm that produced more crops than he needed. He had plenty for himself and even had filled his existing store rooms with extra! Instead of giving the remainder away, he built bigger barns for his crops so that he could just sit back, be lazy and party it up! Here is God’s perspective on this issue.

“But God said to him, ‘You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get everything you worked for?’ Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.” Luke 12:20–21

God judged the man for putting his hope in earthly wealth and not in God. It is foolish to trust in riches instead of trusting in God!

If you want to experience real life, then beware of greed. Be generous. Don’t let money control your life. Remember, Jesus’ words, “life is not measured by how much you own.”

You can buy temporary happiness, but you can’t buy joy!

Life is really about loving God and loving others! If we let money become an idol in our lives, we will miss out on the most important things and will waste  our lives! I encourage you to read this whole passage yourself because Jesus continues talking about the danger of worrying about money and how those who seek him first will be provided for!

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