Every person looks for love and life, a solution to live to bring satisfaction, security, and meaning. We write stories to explore this search, and even commercials leverage our deeper longings to achieve a meaningful, completely happy life. Individuals have this innate need to seek out their life in something—relationships, profession, and more.
Despite how people desire a satisfying life, most don’t find it. Tragically, we glance within the unsuitable places. Our selfish hearts are easily tempted by a spiritual enemy and a twisted world, deceived by what can’t help or bring us life. Some things might entertain or bring us pleasure for a time, but temporary things can’t satisfy a humanity made within the everlasting image of God.
Fortunately, the loving Father sent his Son to earth to save lots of us from Satan and ourselves. He was the revelation of the Father, acting and speaking truth to guide us to everlasting life.
Luke 12:15, while just one verse, encapsulates the warning against on the lookout for life in worldly things.
What Is the Context of Luke 12:15?
In Luke 12, Jesus taught a crowd gathered around him, and someone interrupts his teaching to ask Christ to settle a person family matter. The man says, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”
Like Jesus often does, he addresses what’s behind the query. From his love, he deals with the basis issue, the person’s greed, using the situation to warn everyone in verse 15. “Watch out! Be in your guard against all types of greed; life doesn’t consist in an abundance of possessions.”
Earlier within the chapter, Jesus spoke to his disciples and the group in regards to the hypocrisy of the Pharisees. Christ called on the people to fear God alone, who alone has authority over each life and everlasting destinations. Next, Jesus tells them to be daring when confessing faith, promising how the Spirit would assist in times of conflict and persecution. Jesus continually pointed people to the everlasting reality and his Father, and away from the concerns of this world.
The man’s query and seek for a cosmopolitan inheritance becomes a teaching moment in light of Jesus’ larger message.
Christ shifts the main target from an earthly inheritance to everlasting guarantees. As he often did, Jesus used a story to support his point. Luke 12:16-21 accommodates the Parable of the Rich Fool. In this parable, a wealthy man had an enormous, abundant crop, an excessive amount of for his barns. So he built greater barns to carry the additional, hoarding it for his future ease. But he dies that night, not capable of enjoy anything on this life anymore. God calls him a idiot for storing treasure on earth without attempting to be wealthy toward God. Jesus later tells the group how one can have everlasting treasure—give to the poor (verses 33-34).
Following the Parable of the Rich Fool, Jesus continues teaching them not to fret about material things, as unbelievers do. The Son as a substitute calls on them to trust the Father and seek the Kingdom of Heaven. That’s the actual place to seek out and store treasure.
“And he said to them, ‘Watch out! Be in your guard against all types of greed; life doesn’t consist in an abundance of possessions.’” (Luke 12:15)
The Greek word for greed here is pleonexia, which suggests “an insatiable craving for more.” Jesus doesn’t only tell them to avoid it but to be on guard against it. To “be careful” may also be translated as “watch rigorously.” Jesus implies how sneaky and insidious greed is, and if we’re not careful, the will for stuff (money, luxuries, etc.) will steal our life. We should be diligent and intentional about rooting greed and covetousness out of our heart.
Jesus follows this statement with the rationale for the warning, “for one’s life doesn’t consist within the abundance of possessions.” The Greek uses the word zoe for all times. Zoe refers to greater than physical existence but to a lifetime of full experience and meaning. Life goes beyond simply respiration and heartbeat, or the things of the body. Jesus confronts the lie common to everyone, that we are able to find security and life in having more things. True life and wealth can’t be measured by worldly things that easily pass away.
First, the Jewish audience would have noted the warning against greed. It exists within the Ten Commandments. “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.” (Exodus 20:17) Jesus teaches against greed several times throughout the Gospels.
At the identical time, a Jewish audience would have struggled with a disconnect between God’s blessing and material goods. In the Old Testament, God’s blessed people often enjoyed earthly abundance. The Lord promised land, livestock, harvests, and wealth to those that obeyed the covenant. Abraham got flocks and silver. Isaac prospered in famine. Moses preached how obedience would bring rain, full barns, and peace (Deuteronomy 28:1-12).
Yet Jesus called them to the greater blessing, the one who blesses. Even within the Old Testament, God called his people to a deeper, more meaningful relationship through obedience, especially in difficult times. The Jews of Jesus’ day were looking for a Messiah who would restore an earthly kingdom like David did, not the upper and higher spiritual one Jesus would bring. For their good, and to benefit from the true riches in God, Jesus called them to the Father as a substitute of specializing in this world.
Why Can’t We Find Life in Material Things?
Material possessions aren’t evil. They have a function and a purpose. God created all good things for us to enjoy. Even that statement, nevertheless, comes inside an everlasting focus. “Command those that are wealthy on this present world to not be boastful nor to place their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to place their hope in God, who richly provides us with the whole lot for our enjoyment” (1 Timothy 6:17). Riches aren’t evil, but they could be deceitful (Matthew 13:22). They don’t have any personality or life, so the lies come from us, the devil, and the world, attempting to get us to position our security and hope on them. The problem arises with how we approach them and the motives of our hearts, not the things themselves. The money isn’t evil, but loving it’s (1 Timothy 6:10), even a “root” of other evils.
Material things are temporary and supply no security, as Jesus reveals within the Parable of the Rich Fool. He built greater barns that did him no good. Possessions can offer good things, but they fade, break, or lose value. We are everlasting beings, and we seek everlasting relationship. When we place our everlasting desires upon material things, we make idols of them. Paul tells us greed is idolatry (Colossians 3:5).
Jesus consistently teaches this principle. In Matthew 6:19-21, he says, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven… For where your treasure is, there your heart will probably be also.” Earthly things are vulnerable to the entropy and corruption of this world, even from the evil of individuals.
Christ fed 1000’s with little, yet even after such a miracle, he talks about getting their focus away from the fabric. “Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to everlasting life.” (John 6:27) He had compassion on people’s physical needs, but he still warns them attempting to make it a priority to satisfy bodily hunger. Paul also deals with this later, writing how some people fell away from Christ, partly, because their god was their stomach (Philippians 3:19).
Possessions can’t provide identity, lasting peace, hope, or life. That comes from one person alone.
How Does Jesus Define a Truly Meaningful Life?
To begin with, God is life. Life doesn’t exist other than him. So we discover Jesus teaching how life is present in him, flowing from the Father. Christ declares, “I’m the way in which, the reality, and the life. No one involves the Father except through me.” (John 14:6) When we try to seek out life in things, even good things, we create an idol. Real life is present in Christ, the one who reveals the Father and reconciles us to God.
Jesus further defines everlasting life this manner: “This is everlasting life: that they know you, the one true God, and Jesus Christ whom you’ve sent.” (John 17:3) This knowing goes beyond academic information or doctrine. Here, knowing means to turn out to be one with, to experience personally. As God is life, direct engagement with him brings us to life. Jesus becomes our satisfaction. Instead of a brief fix, Jesus offers himself as true sustenance. “I’m the bread of life; whoever involves me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.” (John 6:35) Our lives flow from the inward, unseen parts of us. As he redeems the core of us together with his Spirit, we discover what our souls long for.
We attain this life by giving up our own. That’s the deal. We trade our dead and dying selves for his everlasting life. “Whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will reserve it.” (Luke 9:24) Seeking after material things often stems from trying to seek out security on this life, to essentially save ourselves from difficulty, but it is a lie, leading us to death. When we quit our agendas, submit our will to the Father, we discover the life he created us to have, fulfilling us on every level.
With his life, we could be thankful with what we’ve got. Not looking for for more, we discover contentment with the availability and earthly resources God provides for us.
Finding life in material things also distracts us from how we are able to save things that last. We encounter two everlasting things daily—God and other people. Therefore, Jesus teaches how one can store up treasure in heaven. “Sell your possessions and provides to the poor … a treasure in heaven that can never fail.” (Luke 12:33) Treating individuals with God’s love and everlasting value, sacrificing what we’ve got for his or her good, builds reward in heaven we are able to’t lose. Unlike material goods, heavenly wealth can’t be stolen, won’t rust, and won’t fade. We can’t lose that investment.
Jesus didn’t teach against accumulating wealth because he’s against our good. On the contrary, he sought to offer us the greater good, looking for God alone, the one who exists and is a rewarder of those that diligently seek him (Hebrews 11:6).
Peace.
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