Someone in the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.” But He said to him, “Man, who appointed Me a judge or arbitrator over you?” 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.” And He told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man was very productive. And he began reasoning to himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?’ 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. 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.”’ 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?’ So is the man who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.” (12:13–21)

This text provides an opportunity to introduce, in general, the biblical perspective on money, about which the Lord Jesus Christ had much to say. He taught that it is an index to a person’s character, so much so that people’s view of money is evidence of whether or not their salvation is genuine. After his conversion Zaccheus said, “Behold, Lord, half of my possessions I will give to the poor, and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will give back four times as much” (Luke 19:8). In response Jesus declared, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he, too, is a son of Abraham” (v. 9). The immediate change in his attitude toward money was evidence of his spiritual transformation. Jesus affirmed the reality of Zaccheus’s salvation based on his willingness to part with his money for the glory of God and to help others.

On the other hand, the rich young synagogue ruler who sought eternal life also heard Jesus’ call to repent and follow Him. But when the Lord tested his willingness to give all his possessions to the poor (Matt. 19:21), this man’s reaction was the opposite of Zaccheus’s. Instead of responding eagerly at any cost to receive the life he sought by obedient faith as Zaccheus had, “he went away grieving; for he was one who owned much property” (v. 22). Zaccheus’s changed attitude toward money was evidence of spiritual transformation and true repentance; the rich young ruler’s refusal to abandon his materialism manifested his lack of repentance and superficial interest in the spiritual realm.

How people view money is thus an effective barometer of their spirituality. Money is neither good nor bad in itself; corrupt people can put it to evil uses, while good people can put it to righteous uses. Though it is morally neutral, what people do with their money reflects their life priorities. In the words of Jesus, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Luke 12:34).

The Bible does not forbid the possession of money; in fact, it teaches that “God [gives the] power to make wealth” (Deut. 8:18), and “richly supplies us with all things to enjoy” (1 Tim. 6:17). That blessing made many godly men in Scripture, such as Job (Job 1:3), Abraham (Gen. 13:2), Isaac (Gen. 26:13), Jacob (Gen. 30:43), Boaz (Ruth 2:1), Solomon (1 Kings 10:23), and Joseph of Arimathea (Matt. 27:57) extremely wealthy. God promised His people that their obedience to Him would result in necessary material, as well as abundant spiritual blessings (Deut. 15:4–6; 26:15; 28:11).

But while the Bible does not forbid possessing money, it does forbid loving it, warning that “the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs” (1 Tim. 6:10). Later in that chapter, Paul exhorted Timothy to “instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches” (v. 17). To love money is idolatry.

As such, it is also futile and foolish. “Do not weary yourself to gain wealth,” the book of Proverbs counsels, “cease from your consideration of it. When you set your eyes on it, it is gone. For wealth certainly makes itself wings like an eagle that flies toward the heavens” (Prov. 23:4–5). Solomon, one of the wealthiest men who ever lived, was wise enough to know that “he who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves abundance with its income” (Eccl. 5:10).

Loving money leads to all kinds of problems. Achan’s love of money brought disaster to himself, his family, and his people (Josh. 7:1–25). Balaam’s love of money prompted his foolish attempt to curse God’s people (Num. 22–24), which in turn cost him his life (Num. 31:8). Delilah’s love of money led her to betray Samson (Judg. 16:4–6), which ultimately led to the death of thousands (Judg. 16:27–30). Judas’s love of money caused him to betray the Lord Jesus Christ (Matt. 26:14–16) and suffer eternal torment in hell (Matt. 26:24; Acts 1:25). Ananias’s and Saphira’s love of money led them to lie to God (Acts 5:1–2), and brought about their executions through instant divine judgment (Acts 5:5, 10).

The love of money causes people to forget God. Aware of that dangerous reality Agur wisely prayed, “Give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is my portion, that I not be full and deny You and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’” (Prov. 30:8–9).

Idolizing money causes people to trust in their riches rather than God. Despite his great wealth Job proclaimed that he was innocent of such perverse trust:

Loving money causes people to be deceived. In Mark 4:19 Jesus warned of “the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things,” which “enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.” Money can produce a deadly spiritual deception. It can be a barrier to people believing the gospel. It can deceive unsaved people who possess it into thinking that all is well in their lives. Such people wrongly assume that their wealth is a sign of God’s blessing and favor.

Loving money can cause people to lie, steal, and cheat, compromising their professed convictions rather than resting in God’s gracious promises (Matt. 6:25–34; Phil. 4:19).

Loving money is linked to pride. As they were poised to enter the Promised Land Moses cautioned the children of Israel,

In summation, loving money can cause people to be unfaithful to God (Mal. 3:8), and ignore the needs of others (1 John 3:17; cf. Prov. 3:27).

The Bible condemns obtaining money illegitimately, such as by stealing (whether directly [Ex. 20:15; Eph. 4:28], or by fraud [Ps. 37:21; Hos. 12:7; Amos 8:5; Mic. 6:11]), charging exorbitant interest (Ex. 22:25; Lev. 25:36–37; Neh. 5:7, 10; Ps. 15:5; Prov. 28:8) or gambling, which foolishly and wastefully trusts in chance rather than in the providence of God.

In contrast, the Bible lists several legitimate ways to obtain money, including gifts (Acts 20:35; Phil. 4:16), investments (Matt. 25:27), saving (Prov. 21:20; 30:25), wise planning (Prov. 27:23–24), and, primarily, work (Ex. 20:9; Prov. 6:6–8; 14:23; 24:30–34; 28:19; Eph. 4:28; 2 Thess. 3:10; 1 Tim. 5:8).

Those who love money may feel that they never have enough of it. Those who love material things usually abuse credit (cf. Prov. 6:1–5; 11:15; 17:18; 20:16; 22:7)—leading to an eventual lack of resources. People may also lack money because of stinginess (Prov. 11:24), impulsiveness (hastiness; Prov. 21:5), lack of discipline (Prov. 10:4; 13:18), laziness (Prov. 14:23; 19:15; 20:13; 24:30–34), indulgence (Prov. 21:17; 23:21), and craftiness or scheming (Prov. 28:19).

In the opening verses of this chapter Jesus had warned the largely hostile crowd against the deadly danger of hypocritical false religion (vv. 1–12). As He continued his message, the Lord issued a second warning, against materialistic greed. These were by no means randomly chosen sample sins. Rather, they reflect the two essential realms that exist: the material realm, and the spiritual realm. Hypocrisy relates to the spiritual realm; greed to the material world. Those two sins are closely linked. False religion is the love of error; materialism is the love of wealth. People can be deceived by the material world as well as by false religion. Further connecting the two sins, false teachers are inevitably after money (cf. Mic. 3:5; 2 Peter 2:1–3, 14). The Pharisees, for instance, were models of the union of both sins. Not only were they the leading purveyors of false religion in Israel, but they were also “lovers of money” (Luke 16:14). Both their teaching and motive were corrupt.

Christ’s instruction on the danger of hypocritical false religion, His solemn warning against blaspheming the Holy Spirit, and His revelation of elevated truths regarding the Trinity was suddenly and surprisingly interrupted. While He was speaking on those topics someone in the crowd blurted out, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.” This man was indifferent to the profound spiritual truths which the Lord was communicating and eager only to fulfill his own selfish desires. Driven by his crass materialism and growing tired of waiting impatiently for Jesus to finish, he interrupted Him.

His request, although inappropriate under the circumstances, was not unusual. By calling Jesus teacher (didaskale) the man acknowledged Him to be a rabbi, and rabbis routinely arbitrated such civil and family disputes. His request that the Lord tell his brother to divide the family inheritance with him suggests that his brother was also present. No details are given about the man’s motives or the legitimacy of his claim under the Old Testament laws of inheritance (cf. Num. 27:1–11; Deut. 21:15–17). In any case, he was not asking Jesus to weigh his claim on its merits, but rather to arbitrarily rule in his favor.

Refusing to intervene in the dispute Jesus said to him, “Man (an unsympathetic response; the term, like the English word “mister,” was used to address strangers) who appointed Me a judge or arbitrator over you?” Though all spiritual judgment has been granted to Him by the Father (John 5:22, 27), Jesus did not come to judge mundane matters involving earthly possessions, but for a far more significant purpose: “He came to bring men to God, not to bring property to men” (Leon Morris, The Gospel According to St. Luke, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries [Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1975], 212).

Jesus seized the opportunity offered by the man’s request to warn of the danger of greed. That warning unfolds in three sections: the admonition, the anecdote, and the application.

THE ADMONITION

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.” (12:15)

The word them encompasses the entire crowd. The Lord directed this warning to all who were listening, not merely to the man who had interrupted His message. Refusing to sit in judgment on a dispute about money, Jesus instead rendered a far more important judgment on the sin of greed.

Orate (beware) is the present imperative form of the verb oraō (to see). It means here “to observe,” “to recognize,” or “to perceive.” Jesus challenged His hearers to recognize and be on guard (this form of the verb phulassō means “take care,” “look out for,” “avoid,” or “flee from”) against every form of greed. Pleonexia (greed) can also be translated “covetousness,” and refers to an inordinate desire for riches. The Louw-Nida Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament appropriately defines pleonexia as “a strong desire to acquire more and more material possessions or to possess more things than other people have, all irrespective of need.” As Solomon wisely observed, “He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves abundance with its income” (Eccl. 5:10).

Greed is as damning as false religion, since it is a form of idolatry (Eph. 5:5; Col. 3:5). To focus one’s life on the acquisition of material possessions is to worship and serve the creature rather than the Creator (Rom. 1:25). And as Jesus went on to say, not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions. Abundance translates a form of the verb perisseuō, which means, “to exceed,” “to surpass,” “to have more than enough,” or “to overflow” (cf. its use in Luke 9:17; 15:17; 21:4). But even such an abundance of material possessions does not provide real life. The word translated life is not bios (existence; biological life) but zōē (meaningful, purposeful, eternal life). Fulfilling, satisfying life that enjoys eternal peace, joy, hope, and blessing from salvation is not attainable from the material world, no matter how much one possesses.

THE ANECDOTE

And He told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man was very productive. And he began reasoning to himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?’ 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. 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.”’ 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?’ (12:16–20)

To illustrate to His hearers the folly of seeking fulfillment in riches, the Lord told them a parable. It was another of His simple, agrarian stories that all present on that occasion would have understood. Like the man who had interrupted His discourse, the imaginary man in the Lord’s story was consumed with the pursuit of riches. “The land of a rich man,” Jesus began, “was very productive.” There is no implication of any wrongdoing, dishonesty, or crime in his success; he just had a bumper crop.

Farmers are dependent for their success on circumstances and factors beyond their control. Hence, they should be most grateful to God for His providential control of those factors. But instead of thinking of what he could do to express his thankfulness, he began reasoning to himself, saying, “What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?” The huge harvest presented a dilemma, since he had insufficient room to store it. Selling the excess risked flooding the market and driving down the price that he could get. After musing on the problem, he decided to tear down his barns and build larger ones, and there to store all his grain and his goods. By rebuilding larger barns on the site of the existing ones, he would increase his storage capacity without having to build on productive crop land.

His selfish indulgence (illustrated by the repeated personal pronouns “I” and “my”) gives insight into the heart of a materialist. Instead of considering giving some of his wealth to God or the poor, this man’s only thought was how he could best use his resources for his own benefit. Pleased with his decision, he continued his soliloquy: ‘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.”’ This miserly decision was nothing but blatant, unabashed hedonism.

But as was often the case in Jesus’ stories, there was an unexpected twist in this one. Just when this man imagined himself to be set for life, God took his life. After he finished making his self-centered plans God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?’ Aphrōn (fool) refers to someone mindless, lacking sense, ignorant, destitute of knowledge and truth. He had foolishly forgotten God (cf. Pss. 14:1; 53:1), as well as his own mortality. To leave God out of one’s plans is the height of folly. James wrote,

Failing to consider his own mortality left him to contemplate bitterly the materialist’s worst nightmare, aptly expressed by Solomon:

There is no bigger fool than he who does not prepare for the life to come.

THE APPLICATION

So is the man who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.” (12:21)

The principle expressed in Jesus’ parable applies to every man who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God—every person who pursues earthly riches instead of storing up treasure in heaven (Matt. 6:19–20). The location of a person’s treasure reveals the true condition of his or her heart (v. 21). It reveals whether they have love for themselves and their possessions, or love for God; whether they worship material things, or worship God; whether they seek fulfillment in this life, or in the life to come; whether they store up treasure on earth only to lose it forever, or store up treasure in heaven and keep it forever.

The antidote to foolish, sinful, materialistic greed is to use what God has given us for His glory and the benefit of others.