Luke 12:13-15 (NIV) Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”
Jesus replied, “Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?” 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.”
Jesus spoke so powerfully, and with such authority, that this man was hoping to enlist His help in his own conflict with his brother. There was a disagreement about the allotted shares of an inheritance, a very serious matter.
But Jesus, as much as He was passionate about what some today term social justice, would not allow Himself to be drawn into this conflict, even insofar as giving a single opinion as to the merits of the man’s case.
Part of the reason for His reticence was that He was focused on His mission, and any pull toward other things would only end up being a distraction (compare with Acts 6:2-4). Even good things can get in the way of the best thing, stealing time, energy, and resources away from what someone is actually called to do.
But the other reason for Jesus’ unwillingness to play arbiter in this situation was that the man’s plea did not originate from a desire to follow God more closely, but was motivated by greed, which militates against everything that God’s kingdom stands for.
People can persuade themselves that their motives are selfless, but often, despite our rationalizations, the motive for pursuing financial gain is not altruistic at all, but is greed. And, for the people of God’s kingdom, greed must never be allowed to take root in our hearts. God can make a person a great, powerful, and effective witness without giving them more materially than simple “daily bread,” just what is essential. But, often, the pursuit of “just a little more” in the way of resources or funding can become a distraction from the real work of the kingdom at best, and an outright idol at worst, taking the person clear out of action, leaving them worthless to God.
Father, we really can delude ourselves in our pursuit of the money or “stuff” that we swear will help us to be more effective in ministry, and in reaching out to those who don’t know You. But we have thousands of times the resources and technology that those in the first century had, or those during the reformation, or even those during Wesley’s day or the days of the great revivals. We should thus be thousands of times more effective at growing Your kingdom than they were. But the truth is, we are a small fraction as effective, showing that the “stuff,” the resources, isn’t the answer. The only way to be effective witnesses for You is to leave all of that behind, to stop pursuing resources, and simply pursue You, rely on You, on Your provision, and on the power of the Holy Spirit. And all of that You give without cost, and throw in “all these things” that we legitimately do need (Matthew 6:33) for free. Amen.