Focus Passage: Luke 12:13-34 (NASB)
13 Someone in the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.” 14 But He said to him, “Man, who appointed Me a judge or arbitrator over you?” 15 Then He said to them, “Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions.” 16 And He told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man was very productive. 17 And he began reasoning to himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?’ 18 Then he said, ‘This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry.”’ 20 But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?’ 21 So is the man who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”
22 And He said to His disciples, “For this reason I say to you, do not worry about your life, as to what you will eat; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. 23 For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. 24 Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap; they have no storeroom nor barn, and yet God feeds them; how much more valuable you are than the birds! 25 And which of you by worrying can add a single *Lit cubit (approx 18 in.)hour to his *Or heightlife’s span? 26 If then you cannot do even a very little thing, why do you worry about other matters? 27 Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; but I tell you, not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. 28 But if God so clothes the grass in the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, how much more will He clothe you? You men of little faith! 29 And do not seek what you will eat and what you will drink, and do not keep worrying. 30 For all these things the nations of the world eagerly seek; but your Father knows that you need these things. 31 But seek His kingdom, and these things will be added to you. 32 Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom.
33 “Sell your possessions and give to charity; make yourselves money belts which do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near nor moth destroys. 34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Read Luke 12:13-34 in context and/or in other translations on BibleGateway.com!
While teaching people about the topic of worry, Jesus makes a very counter-intuitive challenge to everyone present. While Jesus’ message began by focusing on guarding against greed, He then shifted from greed to worry before making this challenge.
This detail makes me wonder if greed and worry are connected. I have not ever thought about these two ideas being related, but what if greed and worry were linked together? What if greed was the hidden source behind the temptation to worry in our own lives?
I believe these ideas are connected, because Jesus’ challenge to everyone – both His followers as well as those who were simply listening to His message – is this: “Sell your possessions and give to charity; make yourselves money belts which do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near nor moth destroys.” (v. 33)
In this passage, Jesus basically challenges everyone to sell all their stuff and give it to charity. In the context of what Jesus is teaching, the word “charity” would be giving it somewhere where the money is needed, and it cannot be repaid. This would not include giving your money to your stockbroker to invest for you, or giving it to your rich grandparents in hopes that they will gift it back to you in their will.
Instead, Jesus shares a counter-cultural message that by scaling back and living on less, we can truly win in multiple areas of life. When we scale back, we win because we are pushing back against the temptation of greed; we win because we are more free to be led where God calls us; we win because we don’t have as much stuff to worry about; and we win because we are investing in heaven.
Not only do we win in this life, but our investments into heaven are powerful as well. Not only does God keep track of our gifts and add them to our heavenly savings account, when we give to charities that help spread the news about Jesus, we are indirectly helping to bring other people into a saving relationship with Jesus – which ultimately blesses heaven with more people who get to share eternity with God.
Accepting Jesus’ counter-cultural challenge is counter-intuitive because when we fell like we are losing by scaling back, we are winning in ways we cannot even begin to imagine, and ways we will only fully understand when history ends.
This thought was inspired by studying the Walking With Jesus “Reflective Bible Study” package. To discover insights like this in your own study time, click here and give Reflective Bible Study a try today!
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