Jesus Warns Against Materialism; A Study on End Times Survival

Jesus Warns Against Materialism (Luke 12:13–21)
 

Luke 12:13–21 (NIV) —13 * Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” *14 * Jesus replied, “Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?” *15 * Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” *16 * And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. *17 * He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’ *18 * “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. *19 * And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.” ’ *20 * “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ *21 * “This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God.” *

Purpose
The purpose of this parable is to warn mankind in general, and the Church is particular, of the folly of materialism.

Exposition
Jesus was in the midst of a deep spiritual discourse (§161) when a member of the crowd, rather insensitively interjected a mundane material question. We can readily criticize him, but how often do we allow material or worldly concerns to eclipse our spiritual commitments? While at first flush the addressees for this instruction appear to be the crowd in general, it is actually confined to believers, for they alone can accumulate treasures in Heaven (v. 21 * “This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God.” * ).

Jesus used this interruption to give a pithy precept, ‘a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses,’ and then He taught a parable to explain why. The problem that the Parable of the Rich Fool addresses is thus the insidious grasp that materialism has on the human soul. This parable teaches that material things only last for the few years until the grave which is followed by a never ending forever which obviously and logically should be man’s focus. So, again, Jesus repeated a warning He had given in the Sermon on the Mount (§63), a warning against materialism. This theme was aired frequently by our Lord and Creator who knows us better than we know ourselves. He sees fit to remind us repeatedly against the insidious erosion of spiritual priorities by materialism, so this obviously must be a pitfall to which we believers are prone. He challenges us to heed His warning.

What is ‘abundance’? The Greek word means an overflow, more than enough; but where does ‘surplus’ begin? Here, I think, we need to recognize that this decision should be left in God’s hands. His evaluation had been given a few days earlier (§156, Luke 11:3 —Give us each day our daily bread. * ), which, in turn, is a reminder of the expanded teaching given in the Sermon on the Mount (§63, Matthew 6:31–34 —So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ *For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. *But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. *Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. * ), and in that definition surplus is defined as anything more than the day’s needs!

The parable is summed up in v. 21 * “This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God.” * and is simply another way of expressing the command of Matthew 6:19–21 —“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. *But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. *For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. * . Remember, this is an injunction in Matthew; it is an order from the believer’s commander-in-chief! It is so easy to identify with the man in this parable: he has worked hard, he has been successful, and now intends to enjoy a well-earned retirement and the fruits of his God-blessed labors. The disturbing part is that God is critical of the man and condemns him as a fool. Well, if you can identify with him, as I find myself doing all too easily, you, like me, have to face the fact that God classifies you as a ‘fool.’ Why? The answer is found in v. 21 * “This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God.” * : this man’s focus was on material things and he had done nothing to earn a spiritual reward. Now, as the man in this parable impoverished his eternity, he is clearly presented as a believer, for it is impossible for the unregenerate to accumulate treasure in heaven (where they will not be); so this warning unmistakably addresses Jesus’ disciples.  Mills, M. S. (1999). The Life of Christ: A Study Guide to the Gospel Record 

 Beware of Covetousness (Luke 12:13–21)
At this point, a man in the crowd interrupted Jesus and asked Him to solve a family problem. Rabbis were expected to help settle legal matters, but Jesus refused to get involved. Why? Because He knew that no answer He gave would solve the real problem, which was covetousness in the hearts of the two brothers. (The “you” in Luke 12:14 is plural.) As long as both men were greedy, no settlement would be satisfactory. Their greatest need was to have their hearts changed. Like too many people today, they wanted Jesus to serve them but not to save them.

Covetousness is an unquenchable thirst for getting more and more of something we think we need in order to be truly satisfied. It may be a thirst for money or the things that money can buy, or even a thirst for position and power. Jesus made it clear that true life does not depend on an abundance of possessions. He did not deny that we have certain basic needs (Matt. 6:32; 1 Tim. 6:17). He only affirmed that we will not make life richer by acquiring more of these things.

Mark Twain once defined “civilization” as “a limitless multiplication of unnecessary necessities,” and he was right. In fact, many Christians are infected with covetousness and do not know it. They think that Paul’s admonition in 1 Timothy 6 applies only to the “rich and famous.” Measured by the living standards of the rest of the world, most believers in America are indeed wealthy people.
Jesus told this parable to reveal the dangers that lurk in a covetous heart. As you read it, test your own responses to this farmer’s various experiences.

How do you respond to the wealthy farmer’s dilemma? Here was a man who had a problem with too much wealth! If we say, “I certainly wish I had that problem!” we may be revealing covetousness in our hearts. If suddenly you inherited a great deal of wealth, would it create a problem for you? Or would you simply praise God and ask Him what He wanted you to do with it?
There are perils to prosperity (Prov. 30:7–9). Wealth can choke the Word of God (Matt. 13:22), create snares and temptations (1 Tim. 6:6–10, 17–19), and give you a false sense of security. People say that money does not satisfy, but it does satisfy if you want to live on that level. People who are satisfied only with the things that money can buy are in great danger of losing the things that money cannot buy.

This farmer saw his wealth as an opportunity to please himself. He had no thoughts of others or of God.

How do you respond to the decisions of the rich man? Are you saying, “Now that is shrewd business! Save and have it ready for the future!” But Jesus saw selfishness in all that this man did (note the eleven personal pronouns), and He said the man was a fool. The world’s philosophy is “Take care of Number One!” But Jesus does not endorse that philosophy.

There is certainly nothing wrong with following good business principles, or even with saving for the future (1 Tim. 5:8). Jesus does not encourage waste (John 6:12). But neither does He encourage selfishness motivated by covetousness.

How do you respond to the farmer’s desires? Are you saying, “This is the life! The man has success, satisfaction, and security! What more could he want?” But Jesus did not see this farmer enjoying life; He saw him facing death! Wealth cannot keep us alive when our time comes to die, nor can it buy back the opportunities we missed while we were thinking of ourselves and ignoring God and others.

Jesus made it clear that true life does not come from an abundance of things, nor do true success or security. This man had a false view of both life and death. He thought that life came from accumulating things, and that death was far away. On March 11, 1856, Henry David Thoreau wrote in his journal, “That man is the richest whose pleasures are cheapest.” He also said, “A man is rich in proportion to the number of things which he can afford to let alone.”

Finally, how do you respond to the death of the boastful farmer? We are prone to say, “Too bad this fellow died just when he had everything going for him! How tragic that he could not finish his great plans.” But the greatest tragedy is not what the man left behind but what lay before him: eternity without God! The man lived without God and died without God, and his wealth was but an incident in his life. God is not impressed with our money.

What does it mean to be “rich toward God”? It means to acknowledge gratefully that everything we have comes from God, and then make an effort to use what He gives us for the good of others and the glory of God. Wealth can be enjoyed and employed at the same time if our purpose is to honor God (1 Tim. 6:10ff). To be rich toward God means spiritual enrichment, not just personal enjoyment. How tragic when people are rich in this world but poor in the next! (see Matt. 6:19–34) The Bible exposition commentary

A greedy heart (13–21). Imagine being so greedy that you would interrupt a sermon to ask for help to get more money! The weeds were certainly growing in that man’s heart (Matt. 13:22). We all need a certain amount of money to live, but money is not a guarantee of security. If anything, it creates a false confidence that leads to foolishness. With the Word Bible Commentary

WILL YOU GET WHAT’S COMING TO YOU?
Luke 12:13–15 The man we read of in Luke 12:13 appealed to Jesus for justice. He wanted to make sure that he was going to get his inheritance. But Jesus turned the issue from the material to the spiritual. He was far more concerned about the man’s covetous spirit than his family’s estate.

The Old Testament, which governed Hebrew life, had a great deal to say about family estates and the succession of land and property. Sometimes Christians have understood such teaching as merely foreshadowing the spiritual inheritance of New Testament believers. But our earthly, material estates are not to be treated as insignificant. An inheritance is a responsibility that God wants both parents and children to view and manage properly.

Here, Jesus showed grave concern that the man did not view his physical inheritance properly, but rather with a greedy attitude—a major problem because it threatened his spiritual inheritance, his eternal destiny.

The Lord’s response and the parable following it (12:16–21) challenge us to ask: What is our perspective on the inheritance coming to us in this world? Will it be a blessing and a resource to be managed responsibly before God? Or, like this man and the man in the parable, are we trying to fashion a life out of the abundance of our possessions? If so, we need to pay attention to verses 20–21.

Jesus frequently changed the subject from material concerns to spiritual ones. See, for example, Luke 4:5–8; 8:19–21; 10:38–42; 11:27–28. Word in life study Bible.

WATCH OUT FOR GREED!
12:15 Jesus gave a direct, unequivocal command to guard against covetousness (Luke 12:15)—longing for something we don’t have, especially for what belongs to someone else. He was not telling us to watch for it in others, but in ourselves.

According to this verse and the following parable, covetousness, or greed, is based on the foolish belief that what matters in life is how much one has. It may be money (as is the case here), or status, power, intelligence, beauty, even spiritual blessings; it is possible to covet anything that can be acquired. The idea is that having that thing will make us content. But biblically, only God can—and will—satisfy our real needs, as Jesus goes on to show (Luke 12:22–31).

To covet is to be discontented with what God brings our way. Yet our consumer-oriented culture excels at stoking the fires of discontent. In subtle yet powerful ways, we come to believe that whatever we have, it’s not enough. We need more, we need bigger, we need better.  So more than ever, we need to pay attention to Jesus’ warning: Watch out for greed!

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO “COVET”?
Exodus 20:17 Many people think of coveting as having wrong desires. The biblical word translated “coveting” often means that, particularly when it is a strong desire for anything that belongs to your neighbor (Ex. 20:17; compare Deut. 5:21). And coveting is not limited to someone else’s property, either. One can covet one’s own property by having an inordinate longing for or attachment to it.

It is also possible to commit the grievous sin of coveting what belongs to God. A man named Achan did this when the Israelites entered the Promised Land, by taking plunder from the ruins of Jericho, which God had said belonged to Him (Josh. 6:17–19; 7:20–21). This sort of desire amounts to idolatry. It means craving a certain thing so much that one values it more than God. Scripture warns us to “put away” that kind of covetousness.

However, the word used for “coveting” does not always mean a wrong desire. Sometimes the Bible uses the word for a good desire. For example, God’s judgments are to be “desired” more than gold (Ps. 19:10). Perhaps the key, then, as to whether one’s longings are right or wrong depends on the object of one’s affections. To love anything more than God is to fall into covetousness and idolatry.

What’s wrong with wanting more? Paul warns us to watch out—we could be worshiping idols!

DO-IT-YOURSELF IDOLATRY
Most of us think of idolatry as a pagan bowing down to an image carved from stone or wood, reciting mysterious incantations, and carrying out peculiar rituals. But Paul says that idolatry is much more familiar to us than we realize. All it takes is simple greed (Col. 3:5).

Does that mean it’s wrong to want a bigger house, a newer car, a more prestigious job, a more dynamic personality, a more noticeable spirituality? No, none of these things is evil, in and of itself. The question is, what is the heart attitude that makes us want any of these things?

The difference between desire and greed is the difference between a small, blue circle of flame that cooks food on a gas range, and a raging inferno that threatens to burn down the house. Simple desire can be constructive; it motivates us to work and be productive. Proverbs 16:26 says that “a worker’s appetite works for him.” But greed is dangerous and destructive. It is desire out of control.

Control is the real issue. Will the thing we want serve our needs, or will our needs serve that thing? That’s why Paul says that covetousness—or greed—is idolatry (Eph. 5:5). To covet is to surrender our will to a thing—in effect, to make it our master, our god, the thing that we serve. But God insists: “You shall have no other gods before Me” (Ex. 20:3).

Greed means that we want something other than God. He is not enough for us; we need something more to satisfy. It also means that we don’t trust Him to follow through on His promises to supply what we need (Matt. 6:33; Rom. 8:32). Everyday greed, then, is nothing less than an attack on the very character of God. No wonder Paul warns so sternly against it! ♦

MODERN-DAY IDOLS
Perhaps you think of idols as objects of wood, stone, or metal worshiped by ancient civilizations or primitive peoples. That perception is accurate, but from the Bible’s point of view, idolatry fundamentally involves allowing anything or anyone to stand in the place of God.

The ancient Babylonians fashioned many idols for both public and private worship (Is. 46:6–7). But the Lord ridiculed this practice, for the gods of Babylon were impotent: they had to be hand-carried, as they were unable to move on their own, they were mute, and they were powerless.

Yet as we read the Lord’s rebuke in Isaiah, it’s worth considering the extent to which people practice forms of idolatry today. For example, modern society has come to rely so heavily on technology and government to solve its problems that many people no longer feel a need for God. They seem to place as much faith in human ingenuity as the ancients placed in their carved images.

Likewise, certain psychotherapies practically do away with any need for the God of the Scriptures. Instead, they rely on their own principles and methods to deal with guilt and sin, and to make people healthy and whole. They hold out the promise that people can become all that they were meant to be apart from God.

A third form of modern idolatry is actually a relic of ancient idolatry. Many people today dabble in occult practices using physical objects such as Ouija boards, Tarot cards, and crystals to tell fortunes and receive supernatural messages. Likewise, horoscopes are as popular as ever, and those who promote them even boast in the fact that astrology, on which horoscopes are based, was heavily practiced in ancient Babylon.

Forms of idolatry such as these may be more sophisticated than the metal shrines set up by the ancient pagans, but they are idolatry just the same. They have been made to stand in the place of God.

The Lord will not allow those who practice these things to go unpunished. Consider His judgment on the Babylonians (47:10–15). Is there any reason why He would not pour out just as much wrath on idolators today? He still hates idolatry (Deut. 7:25–26). The First and Second Commandments are still there (Ex. 20:2–6). And the Lord is still who He declared Himself to be to the ancients: “I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me” (Is. 46:9).

Perhaps the most common form of idolatry is simple greed. The New Testament gives us a sober warning about coveting, because it ultimately means desiring something more than God.  Word in life study Bible.
Philippians 4:10–13 —I rejoice greatly in the Lord that at last you have renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you have been concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. *I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. *I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. *I can do everything through him who gives me strength. *