Luke 12: 13 – 21
Knock It Off, You Big Cry Baby
13 Then one from the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” 14 But He said to him, “Man, who made Me a judge or an arbitrator over you?” 15 And He said to them, “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.” 16 Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. 17 And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’ 18 So he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.”’ 20 But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’ 21 “So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”
I would like to share with you some deep secret that goes on within the church. Boy, I notice I got your full attention.
There are individuals that call or write and want to report other people’s sins. Are you shocked by this information? It happens almost on a daily basis. I find it also interesting that they will not give you their names. They just want to spill the beans, so to say.
Let me give you just one example of this type of action. I received a call from a woman who would not give her name. She says over the phone, ‘Do we allow people who are charged with child abuse serve in our Children Ministries?” I inform her that we do not allow this and that we do thorough investigations into all those who have volunteered to serve. The woman then goes on to tell me the name of a guy who is teaching in our first grade.
Now put yourself in my position, what would you do? Do you shoot, dribble, or pass the ball? You know that you cannot just hear this information and do anything for there might be a predator in your flock. So, I contact the guy and tell him that I have to speak with him ASAP.
The man comes in and I inform him as to why I needed to speak to him. Upon hearing the words that I heard on the phone you could see in his countenance that the information bothered him. I said that I needed his reply on what was charged about him.
The guy tells me that it was his ex-wife that called. She had committed adultery on him and after he found out she went on the offensive. She told him that if he ever wanted to see the kids again, was that he had to go to counseling. He didn’t know it, being so stunned, that she was planning to use this against him in order for her to not lose custody of the kids.
This is just one of hundreds of such awful investigations I have had to conduct based on evil people using the church as their own type of police force. Let me say to you that if you know of anyone who might suggest doing this type of evil do me a favor and cut them off at the pass. Tell them I hate their actions. They need to go up to the person and ask if they can help in anyway. In addition, pray for the person who might be in the situation. I love the phrase, ‘But for the Grace of God, go I.’
I see such an individual in today’s Scripture. Our Precious Lord and Savior Is very Gracious to this guy. I would have said, ‘knock it off you big cry baby! Don’t bother me with such silly matters.’
13 Then one from the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” 14 But He said to him, “Man, who made Me a judge or an arbitrator over you?”
Please notice the lack of respect and personal awareness that this guy is giving to the Son Of God. ‘Hey teacher, tell Johnny to give me my money.’ Look again at our Lord response to the guy - “14 But He said to him, “Man, who made Me a judge or an arbitrator over you?”
What did the guy ask our Lord for again? That He would judge the guy’s brother. Do you see our Lord’s great response? He turns it around and says to the guy, ‘Who Is It in this Universe that makes Me a Judge and Arbitrator over you.’
Our Master was highlighting to the guy to stop and think about Who Is in charge of all things that ultimately will judge you. Our Holy King was telling the guy to focus on his own being and sins for they will come into judgment. And if they come into judgment then who will be his lawyer. You see standing in front of him was the best Jewish lawyer ever – our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who Is our Great Arbitrator.
In the Gospel of John chapter 8 we read of this encounter where a woman was caught in adultery and had everyone in the crowd accusing her. Well, not everyone for there was One Who took on her case.
But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2 Now early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people came to Him; and He sat down and taught them. 3 Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, 4 they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. 5 Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?” 6 This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear. 7 So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.” 8 And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. 9 Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. 10 When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?”11 She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.” 12 Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”
Can you see the similarities here to what I have described earlier? Are you familiar with this bible story? Let me ask you then a couple of things regarding it. We all know that it takes two people to commit adultery, then where is the guy? He was part of these religious phonies scheme. All these accusers were willing to set up a woman under penalty of death in order to trap our Wonderful Sovereign Lord. In order to try to bring our Holy Adoni Yeshua under trial they were willing to enter into possible murder. Wow!
Now my next question is, and I wonder if you ever thought about it, was what was our Lord Jesus writing on the ground?
I believe that our Lord starting writing out each accuser’s sin. Maybe, He wrote down exactly what these guys had conspired to do. What a Great Arbitrator we have for like the woman He also serves as the prosecuting lawyer, the defense lawyer, and our Judge. For your sins and mine He has all authority and proof of every sin we have ever committed. He pronounces the verdict and it is ‘guilty’, but then He smiles at us and says that all is well for He has paid the price of our debt. He has served the death sentence due us. Thank you My Holy God.
To teach the crowd the importance of the right priorities that we need to keep, He gave them an example.
15 And He said to them, “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.” 16 Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. 17 And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’ 18 So he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.”’ 20 But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’ 21 “So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”
I believe this story kind of gives us the right perspective on gaining earthly wealth.
A man was very rich on earth and on his death bed he prayed to the Lord to allow him to bring one suit case with him to heaven. So, the man was told that his prayer was approved and he was overjoyed.
At the ‘Pearly Gate’ he was met by Saint Peter? Peter said to the guy, ‘Well this is unique I see you have a suitcase with you. I haven’t seen this before. Do you mind telling me what you got in it?’ The man displaying a look of pride opened up the suitcase which was full of gold.’ Peter looked puzzled and replied, ‘This is the stuff we pave our roads with, why would you put road filler in a suit case?’
Like the man who was concerned with earthly goodies, we all need to keep our minds on things above not on things below.
