Christ: The "Life" That Satisfies

“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.’ And he told them this parable: ‘The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. He thought to himself, “What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.” 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. 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.’” 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?” This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God’” (Luke 12:13-21, NIV).

Jesus said, “… one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”

But, what really consists life?

In this account, Christ related the man who thought that it consists in the abundance of one’s possessions. In the end, he who has much possessions will face death and not even a portion of his possession will go with him (verse 20).

According to Christ, he who has this kind of mentality is on the road toward covetousness. And we need to put on our breaks if we find that we are headed on to it.

Now, what’s the danger sign, so we can avoid crashing on such selfish attitude?

Notice verse 17 that when the man “produced a good crop” and had the opportunity to acquire more, he was just concern how to keep it for himself. Next, he “will tear down” his barns and “build bigger ones” – what he will do is to have provision for whatever he has accumulated. Then, his ultimate goal is to have enough resources that will sustain him for many years when he can just take life easy, eat, drink, and be merry.

Are we seeing or aware of such danger signs in our life?

Take for example what we all possess – we called “time.” Are we just concern how to keep it for own selves? Do we “tear down” our schedules, so we can accommodate, or we can have more time for ourselves, for our job, for our business, or for our own personal interest? Is it our ultimate goal to have more time to relax, eat, drink and be merry?

Before we try to consider those things, what we need to remember is James 4:14, “Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes” (NIV).

Again, does life just consist of the abundance of possessions, time, or any material things?

“No!” must be the answer of every true believer. Why?

During the time of Moses, he told the physical Israelites:

“This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the LORD your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. FOR THE LORD IS YOUR LIFE...” (Deut. 30:19-20, NIV.)

During the time of Jesus Christ, the Savior claimed, “I AM… the LIFE…” (John 11:25, NIV.)

John wrote, “Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life…“ (John 1:3-4, NIV.) “For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son to have life in himself” (John 5:26, NIV).

Without Christ, the life we thought we have is not really life. And without Him, we are just “a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.” We read in 1 John 5:11-12, “And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life” (NIV).

For His flock, Jesus said, “…I came that they may have life and have it abundantly” (John 10:1). He provided them not only with “life” – but everything that consists life – “and have it abundantly”!

Peter also wrote: “His divine power HAS GIVEN US EVERYTHING WE NEED FOR life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness” (2 Peter 1:3, NIV).