Luke 12:13-21 A very human tendency, illustrated rather graphically here, is to insert our personal agenda in whatever situation that is found available. Some seem far more skillful than others. With some, if there is a moment of silence, appropriate or not, the show is on. With others, there is a finesse that will make you think that he is on the same page as you are. The man with the brother and the inheritance would probably fall in the former category. It had nothing to do with anything that Jesus had been teaching. It isn't even that the issue wasn't important, but here it was both out of context and out of proportion. This is an issue one would take before the Sanhedrin and they would make sure that things were divided two-thirds to the older brother and one-third to the younger according to Mosaic law. The real issue in what Jesus was teaching was the importance of having a rich relationship with God in order that one's total life would be lived in dependence upon Him. The human feeling is that equality is fairness, and more is always better. "Fair', "equal" and "quantity" are not issues with God. God has a plan for each of our lives. As our relationship is "rich" toward God, we will see where He is going, and He will provide us with what we need, when and where we need it. Our responsibility is to be faithful with whatever He puts in our possession. The problem with the man with the bumper crop was not the quantity of goods he had, but that he made the assumption that because he had them they were for him to enjoy the "good life" completely outside any relationship that he might have had with God. The kings of the Old Testament seemed to regularly consult with anyone or anything except God and the results were always bad. Our first responsibility is to have a tight relationship with God and to consult with Him regularly for direction.

Being Rich Toward God