The Life of Christ in the Synoptic Gospels
TRUSTING IN RICHES AND TRUSTING IN GOD
The Life of Christ in the Synoptic Gospels
TRUSTING IN RICHES AND TRUSTING IN GOD
Lesson Plan:
1. Jesus Refuses to Interfere in a Question of Property (vs 13, 14)
2. A Warning Against Covetousness (v 15)
3. Two Kinds of Treasure (v 15)
4. Jesus Illustrates with a Parable (vs 16-21)
5. Rich Toward God (v 21)
Lesson Setting:
Time: Probably January, A.D. 30.
Place: Perea, east of the Jordan. Jesus slowly moving southward toward Jerusalem.
Research Thoughts: Why this man appealed to Jesus. On what principles did Jesus refuse to interfere? Covetousness. This rich man's use of his wealth. Rich toward God. Treasure in heaven. Seeking first the kingdom of God. The heart and the treasure.
Scripture Reading: Luke 12:13, 14
1. Jesus Refuses to Interfere in a Question of Property
v 13 ... “And one of the company,” one of the multitude. “Not a disciple, but somebody who wished to make use of the influence of Jesus to improve his own worldly condition” (New Century Bible).
v 13 ... “said unto Him.” Apparently interrupting Jesus during His discourse to the multitude. During the discourse he was thinking only of himself. He saw that Jesus was wise, a preacher of righteousness, and one who cared for the needs of the people. If Jesus was the Messiah, whose kingdom was righteousness, He was just the One to right the wrong. Moreover Jesus had shown so much fairness and boldness in denouncing the sins of the Pharisees and prominent men that He seemed just the person to rebuke his brother.
v 13 ... “Master, speak to my brother that he divide the inheritance with me.” Edersheim points out that according to “the civil law of the Jews, the eldest brother received a double portion (twice the share of the other sons, Deut. 21:17) of the inheritance, burdened with the obligation of supporting his mother and unmarried sisters.” This man was probably one of the younger brothers, who had been defrauded out of his portion, and was anxious to gain possession of it. That he felt himself wronged is evident and the outburst is true to nature. It weakens the lesson of the incident to suppose that envy, or a desire for more than his legal share, was the motive. The man was full of his earthly wrongs, while the Lord had been talking of heavenly things. He was not a hypocrite, probably was not conscious of the incongruity of his demand. “He does not ask Jesus to arbitrate between him and his brother, but to give a decision against his brother. There is no evidence that his brother consented to arbitration. The man grasped at any means of obtaining what he desired, invading Christ’s time, and trying to impose upon his brother an extraneous authority” (Int. Crit. Com.). If Jesus was the Messiah, the King of the Jews, what more fitting than that He should thus inaugurate His reign of righteousness, and show that He was King indeed?
Christ’s Answer: “Man, who made me judge or a divider over you?” (v 14) The judge is the one who “decides the right or equity of the case;” the divider is the one who carries out the decision of the judge (Expositors Greek Testament). Both could perhaps dwell in the same person. Jesus’ reply was, ‘That lies outside My province – come and listen to Me, and I will do for you the service which God has appointed Me to do.’ It was a noble piece of work which the interrupter asked the prophet of Nazareth to perform. An injustice had been perpetrated, and what is nobler in this world than the redressing of a wrong. But it was not Christ’s work and therefore He would not do it. Why did Jesus refuse to decide this case? – On what principles? After all, Jesus was continually helping people. In general it would have injured the young man more than it would have helped him. And it would have undermined the essential principles of His kingdom by means of which only all such difficulties could be settled in the best way. (a) Both the man and his brother were worldly and covetous, and a mere transfer of property from one to the other would have left in both the covetous and mercenary spirit. There would have been no blessing added in this way. Jesus refused the request in order to point out the better way of the kingdom of heaven, viz., “Seek first the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added unto you” (v 31). (b) Also, by granting the request, Jesus would be an interference with the government, and entirely out of place. It would have given the government occasion to interfere with the Lord’s great work. There were enough legitimate points in which Jesus was in opposition to them. (c) It would have given the people a wrong idea of the Messiah and His kingdom, confirming their idea that the Messiah was to be a temporal prince. The Lord’s kingdom was not and is not of this world! (d) Jesus desired to lead the man to a much higher good, to a heavenly inheritance, and the principles of the kingdom of God. It was of infinitely more importance to this man that he have the right spirit than to possess any amount of property. (e) It’s been said that Jesus refused because He was the friend of both. He never was the champion of a class, because He was the champion of humanity. (f) It is the way of Jesus Christ to preach great principles, planting them in the heart. It is the way of Jesus Christ to teach men, inspiring them with love, unselfishness, truth, order, obedience, from which comes the answers to all questions of right and wrong.
How this applies to our modern times: (a) The church of our Lord cannot wisely or safely perform the functions of the State. It has not the means or equipment for such an undertaking. It would surely divide each individual congregation of the body of Christ into parties based on secular lines. It would prevent it from doing its own work. The temporal would overcome the spiritual. Assumption of State authority is even more injurious to the church than to the State, taking her thought and influence away from higher things. (b) The business of the church is to preach and teach righteousness to everyone; to inspire men with love and unselfishness and high ideals; to train them in the fruits of the kingdom of heaven. But the church cannot decide on such things as the right wages to be paid, or the details of business, or the equity in strikes. What it can do is to proclaim, everywhere and always, that both sides should do right; to stand on the spiritual ground of urging men and society to make things equitable and right. The motto, “Our country, right or wrong,” should mean that if it is right, keep it right; but if wrong, make it right. (c) The greatest power in reform is the conversion of men from the love of sin to the love of righteousness. This makes all good reforms possible, inspiring and carrying them out. A revival of true religion is the atmosphere of all progress in righting the wrongs of men. (d) Thus the church of our Lord is to train individuals to go out into the world, to do its work everywhere, to stand firm as a rock on the side of justice and love, to carry the spirit of the Gospel into business and politics and reform, and to join with other churches of Christ in one great federation for all good and against all evil. These principles should be constantly applied in Bible school classes. By teaching and practice, every boy and girl should be trained to love and obey these principles.
Scripture Reading: Luke 12:15
2. A Warning Against Covetousness
A warning against covetousness naturally followed this incident. Taking the case before the multitude Jesus uses it as a warning, emphasizing it by repetition ... “Take heed and beware of” (v 15). The R.V. translate, “Keep yourself from all covetousness,” i.e., all kinds and degrees of covetousness. Covetousness: (a) Covetousness is not a mere desire for more; for that desire, in some form, is appealed to in the Bible, and is at the root of civilization and progress. (b) It is the overly strong desire for more, uncontrolled by reason, or conscience, or the Word of God – a desire willing to gain for itself: at the expense of others; at the expense of higher and better things. For instance, it is not coveting to desire a house. However, it would be to desire it so much as to deprive our neighbor of it, or to gain it by wrongdoing or neglect of duty. Covetousness is one source of many sins and wrongs and disasters of the soul. “The love of money is a root of all evil.” Not money, but the love of money. Every sin is caused by desire. When desire is so strong that we are willing to gain something at the cost of wronging others, and at the cost of spiritual life, then it becomes a fountain from whence flows many sins. Its very nature is so insidious that it can easily creep unnoticed into an unguarded life.
Illustration: An eminent Roman Catholic priest left on record this striking statement, “I have had many people resort to me for confession. The confession of every sin that I have ever known or heard of, and of sins so foul that I never dreamed of, has been poured into my ear; but no one has ever confessed to me the sin of covetousness” (Francis Xavier).
Illustration: “Only one man has ever expressed to me the fear that he might become covetous; and it is a suggestive fact that he was the most generous man I have ever known” (Billy Graham).
Scripture Reading: Luke 12:15
3. Two Kinds of Treasure
v 15 ... “for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.” Life means, not mere existence, but all that makes living blessed in the present time and forever more, all its possibilities of joy, usefulness, character, all that we mean by heaven, and its fullness of life. These things do not depend on the abundance of things we possess. They are not, nor can they ever be, measured by riches or possessions of any kind. Paul in his letter to Timothy states the case clearly, “They that will be rich (making that their object and purpose) fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil; which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. Fight the good fight, lay hold on eternal life.” Perhaps it will help to consider the two kinds of treasures: Material Possessions – Property, food, homes, business, money, recreations, the advantage which money can bring, and civilization can bestow. Spiritual Possession – Character, clean conscience, righteousness, godliness, virtues, brotherly love, service of others, the kingdom of heaven, and all the qualities of character that make that kingdom what it is. (a) Material possessions are not to be despised or neglected. The young should be trained in business diligence, in faithfulness, economy, in saving a part of their income, caring about health and fitness, i.e., in things that build and make a successful man or woman. The ladder reaching to God and heaven has its base upon the earth. Jesus Himself said, “Your Father in heaven knoweth that ye have need of these things,” these earthly things. (b) These earthly things are one of the means by which the spiritual purposes can be gained. How can you receive the poor and sick and unfortunate unless you have something to give them? How can schools, churches, hospitals, colleges and all the institutions now working for the betterment of mankind be maintained without money? How can the Gospel be sent around the world without ships, trains and planes of commerce, as well as generous gifts? The world's wealth has made possible the swifter coming of the kingdom in a multitude of ways; and Isaiah's prophecy (ch. 59) shall be fulfilled. (c) Everything depends on what we place first in our hearts and lives. Making possessions first in life, in choices, leads into wrongdoing and unworthy lives. It leads into the loss of all that is best and happiest; that which is most manly and heavenly. On the other hand, if righteousness, truth, love to God and man, character, and all that belongs to the kingdom of heaven, are made first, then worldly possessions, gained by sturdy virtues, become a blessing and power for spiritual good. (d) Putting the kingdom of God first means that not only will our earthly possessions help spread the good news of salvation to those living in darkness; but earthly things will also become a training school of many virtues, such as honesty, industry, brotherly love, patience, skill, generosity, and all the best activities of the soul.
Illustration: We have been told about a very skillful maker of violins, who loved his work so much that he would not sell them, so they might go forth and charm the world with their exquisite sound of music. Instead the violin maker kept them all hanging in his shop, playing them himself from time to time. Possessions are not meant to be only for the owner, but are intended to make the widow's heart sing for joy and to send out the music of the Gospel for all to hear.
Scripture Reading: Luke 12:16-21
4. Jesus Illustrates with a Parable
v 16 ... “The ground of a certain rich man.” This man is represented as rich, not because successful covetousness is worse than unsuccessful covetousness, but because the rich are more exposed to this sin, and to show that even if one gains all that his covetousness desires, still it is folly.
v 16 ... “brought forth plentifully.” His sin was not dishonesty, though we do not know how he acquired his land. The great harvests were innocent gains. His sin was in greedy and selfish use of the gains. The man was successful, as the world considers success.
v 17 ... “And he thought within himself.” He dialogued with himself. Here the curtain is drawn back, admitting us into the inner council chamber of a worldling’s heart.
v 17 ... “What shall I do?” A common perplexity of the wealthy. He did not know how to invest his surplus. He does not seem to have thought of using it for God and humanity.
v 17 ... “no room where to bestow my fruits.” He looked everywhere for a place to lay up his treasures, except heaven. He could have bestowed his wealth in the bosom of the poor, the home of the widow, and the mouths of children.
v 18 ... “I will pull down my barns.” He was planning for a long life, and larger worldly resources. In modern times the parable would have spoken of investments, trusts, bonds, stocks, and real estate.
v 19 ... “I will say to my soul.” His conscious self, the seat of activity, desires, enjoyment, including his higher nature. He was feeding his own soul on husks.
v 19 ... “much goods laid up for many years.” He counted on a long life, and imagined that his “much goods” could satisfy his soul.
v 19 ... “take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.” “More energetically in the four words of the original: rest, eat, drink, enjoy” (Farrar). Such was his conception of life! What is your conception?
v 20 ... “But God said.” By Whom his days were counted. In contrast with what the man had said, having no power at all over the length of his life.
v 20 ... “Thou fool.” Literally, senseless, unthinking one. So different from what the shrewd man thought of himself.
v 20 ... “this night.” Instead of his proposed “many years.”
v 20 ... “thy soul shall be required of thee.” Greek, they are demanding back from thee thy soul. His time for repentance is past, and God's messengers are already charged to summon him to an accounting.
v 20... “then whose shall these things be?” It would make little difference to him whose they were, since they were not his, and could no longer minister to his pleasure.
v 21 ... “So is he,” not wise, but a miserable failure, transforming the possible riches of heaven into coals of fire.
v 21 ... “layeth up treasure for himself.” Not in heaven, not in humanity, not in character. Extraordinary mistakes of this man: (a) To begin with, he made a mistake by thinking there was no place for produce except in barns. (b) He mistakenly supposed that his hoarded riches would be a comfort, when, in fact, they became only a care and burden. (c) The third mistake this man made was worse than any one of the others: he left out of his thoughts all consideration of the infinite God Who made and owned him. He says my barns, my goods, my fruits, and even my soul. So when David appealed to Nabal for help (1 Sam. 25:11), Nabal replied, “Shall I take my bread, and my water, and my flesh that I have killed for my shearers, and give it unto men, whom I know not whence they be?”
Illustration: In a sermon, an old preacher said, “Does a man need much land?” He then told the story of a man who gained more land than he could walk or run across in one day from sunrise to sunset. He started slowly, increasing his pace as he went along, struggling harder, running faster and faster till just before he reached the other end of the property he fell dead, ending up needing only six feet by two for burial.
Scripture Reading: Luke 12:21
5. Rich Toward God
Rich in those things loved by God. Rich in those things bringing us nearer to God. Rich in love, character, good works, deeds of kindness, labors and gifts for the salvation of men; or rather the character formed by them, which follow us into the unseen world (Rev. 14:13), not subject to the process of decay. Christians are: (a) ‘rich in good works’ (1 Tim. 6:18); (b) ‘rich in faith’ (James 2:5); and (c) are made partakers of the unsearchable riches of Christ and His glory (Eph. 3:8-16). God wants His children to be rich in the real and enduring kind of riches, the riches of the soul. God wants His children to be rich in His love and care now, here on earth, every day; rich in being “children of God; and if children then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with Him, that we may be also glorified together” (Rom. 8:17). This refers to the blessedness of heaven, all its rewards and its glories. All the spiritual things that make heaven what it is, such as the treasures of character, spiritual thoughts, good deeds, blessed work done, souls made better, faith, love, peace, godliness, brotherly kindness, honesty, meekness, and all the fruits of the spirit. These cannot be taken away because they are a part of our spiritual being; we take them with us wherever we go both in this world and in eternity. These are riches which even children can gain if they desire. There is a story of the Athenian Crates that he threw all his gold into the sea saying, “I destroy you lest you destroy me.” How vastly better and more Christian if any modern imitator of the Athenian should throw his gold into the church of our Lord and all its work to spread and teach the Good News of Jesus Christ, the Gospel. Then he would truly be rich, instead of living spiritually poor on earth, being poor toward God in the hereafter. Examples: A wealthy man heard the Gospel call of Jesus Christ. The new born Christian’s change of character was so astounding the newspaper ran an article titled, “Why I am Glad I Stopped Getting Rich.” In the article, the man was asked, “Did he deliberately give up making money, planning to use your energy for a better purpose?” The article continued, “This is exactly what has occurred. This rich man seems glad that he has stopped getting rich deliberately; and says that he now sees the ‘impoverishment of the pursuit of riches.’” The article further stated that the changed rich man now believed there was no safety, peace, joy or eternal efficiency in any career except that of a life serving Jesus. His life and money was now going be used in the propagation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He did not close down all his business interests. To the contrary, he maintained them, utilizing and sharing the returns freely in the furtherance of the Gospel of Christ. Up to his death, and through his will even beyond his death, he counted his entire income (above a certain moderate amount used for living expenses) as the Lord’s. While living, he gave two months of every year to direct supervision of his various businesses, and ten months directing the expenditure of large sums of his wealth in mission fields, helping the poor and taking care of widows and orphans. This is not the only example of a rich person taking a stand for Jesus. Several years ago a successful banker and broker in New York was led to believe that the Lord wanted him to continue in business, acquiring a sufficient income to live on, and then to devote his money and time teaching others about Jesus. This he did, and prior to his death he had given away over a hundred million dollars to the church of our Lord, to hospitals, to helping the poor and caring for widows and orphans. What unsearchable spiritual riches Christ offers those who will simply take Him at His Word.
Illustration: An old professor once said to his Bible class students: “I have been trying to show you what a splendid thing it is; what a reasonable thing it is; what a happy thing it is; but beyond all these reasons, I have been trying to show you that it is a thing that must be done, because we are commanded to do it by our Captain. One of the finest and most rewarding things about a Christian is always listening to God and always seeking His commands. Consider for instance His command to seek first the Kingdom of God. Have we done it? Students often appear to have as their first goal in life only a good time; enjoying life to the fullest and experience every possible thing first. Then, maybe at a later time, seeking after the things of God. Too often we put the Kingdom of God last. It is so selfish for us to take all the good gifts that God has given us, giving Him nothing in return except maybe a wasted life. God wants your young life, not only your young soul. It is for active service soldiers are drilled, trained and armed. I will end class today with this thought, praying that you will seriously consider it. Before coming to class tomorrow, before going to sleep tonight, before chapel in the morning, before seeing your girlfriend or boyfriend this afternoon, before your next date, resolve that with God’s help you are going to seek first the Kingdom of God. Perhaps some here are deserters; beginning once before to serve Christ, but now deserted. Think about coming back. Others have never enlisted. Will you think about doing that? You are old enough to decide. And the grandest moment of your life is that moment when you decide to ‘Seek First the Kingdom of God.’”
