Comments on Luke 12:13-21

v13-21  One among a large crowd come to see Jesus (cf. Luke 12:1)
asks him to arbitrate between himself and his brother concerning
their inheritance (v. 13).  Jesus asks him who has made him a
judge over them regarding such things (v. 14).  He then warns the
people against greed and selfishness as there is more to life
than just material possessions (v. 15).
     Jesus then speaks a parable about a rich fool.  A wealthy
farmer's land yields abundant crops (v. 16).  So much crops that
his current ability to store them up is exceeded (v. 17).  He
decides to tear down his old barns and build new ones so as to
house all of the abundance (v. 18).  In so doing, the farmer
takes consolation that he can rest at ease and be comfortable and
happy in knowing he has so much laid up for himself (v. 19). 
However, that very night he decides to embark upon building the
larger barns to store up his wealth to himself, God says his soul
is summoned to judgment.  Who then will end up with the wealth he
has stockpiled?  (v. 20)  Thus is the end of those who hoard
their wealth unto themselves and are not using their wealth for
God's purposes, they are spiritually poor (v. 21).

v14  Jesus is saying he is not a judge or divider of physical or
material things, which is the context of the question asked in v.
13.  He wants nothing to do with such matters, eschewing the
physical for the spiritual.

     The question is one that would be posed to other Rabbi's as
they commonly settled such disputes.  The Law has the priests
acting in such roles in order to keep the peace among Israel, cf.
Deut. 17:8-13.  In rejecting the request to arbitrate, Jesus is
contrasting himself with the Pharisees who meddle in these
matters.

v19-20 "I will say to my soul...God said unto him...thy soul",
first the man declares to his own soul that he can rest at ease,
but along comes God who declares his soul is in just the opposite
condition.  The repetition is intended to contrast the worldly
life, where men trust in their wealth and their own judgement,
with the spiritual life.

v20 "then whose shall these things be[?]", Jesus is pointing out
the transient nature of material possessions.  We think we can
hoard them and take possession of things, when in fact possession
of such things is fleeting because mortality is fleeting. 
Regardless of what we do, whatever we have ends up passing out of
our hands sooner or later.  So, we may as well accomplish some
good with it to benefit others so we can get something beneficial
out of it ourselves, rather than letting it canker our souls with
selfishness.

v21 "not rich toward God", the Concordant Literal NT (CLNT)
translates this "not rich for God".  The phrase can be taken to
mean the person is not spiritually "wealthy", in that they are
not "laying up treasures in heaven" because they are not using
their wealth to achieve God's purposes, which is why we are given
wealth, cf. Jacob 2:18-19.




Copyright © 2002 by S. Kurt Neumiller <kurtn@cybcon.com>.  All rights 
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