Money problems Luke 12:1-21
Little Tommy was enjoying his seventh birthday party and when they served the cake someone forgot to tell him that they had put a quarter wrapped in wax paper as a surprise; so, first he choked and then he swallowed it.
Well, needless to say, everyone was upset and his mother turned to her husband and yelled that he should call a doctor as fast as he could. So, he picked up the phone, but instead of calling the doctor, he called the pastor. His wife said, “We don’t need a pastor, we need a doctor!” But her husband said, “Honey, the pastor can get money out of anybody!”
Luke 12:1 “In the meantime, when there were gathered together an innumerable multitude of people, insomuch that they trode one upon another, he began to say unto his disciples first of all, beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.
2 For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known. 3 Therefore whatsoever ye have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light; and that which ye have spoken in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon the housetops.
4 And I say unto you my friends, be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. 5 But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, fear him.
6 Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God? 7 But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows.
8 Also I say unto you, whosoever shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God: 9 but he that denieth me before men shall be denied before the angels of God.
10 And whosoever shall speak a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but unto him that blasphemeth against the Holy Ghost it shall not be forgiven.
11 And when they bring you unto the synagogues, and unto magistrates, and powers, take ye no thought how or what thing ye shall answer, or what ye shall say: 12 for the Holy Ghost shall teach you in the same hour what ye ought to say.
13 And one of the company said unto him, Master, speak to my brother, that he divide the inheritance with me. 14 And He said unto him, man, who made me a judge or a divider over you? 15 And He said unto them, take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.
16 And he spake a parable unto them, saying, the ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: 17 and he thought within himself, saying, what shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? 18 And he said, this will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.
20 But God said unto him, thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? 21 So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”
Jesus was speaking to this huge crowd of people, possibly thousands; there were so many; it says in verse 1 that they were trampling over one another; and yet, we see Jesus focused His attention on His disciples; and He began by warning these men about the Pharisees.
Now, the Pharisees were the religious leaders of Jesus day and they all considered themselves to be better than everyone else, and Jesus was warning His disciples that even though these men looked good, they were hypocrites. And then He went on to say that there were three other things they needed to be aware of and we find them in verses 2-11.
First, He said in verse 2, ‘For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be known. 3 Therefore whatever you have spoken in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have spoken in the ear in inner rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops.’
But what does this mean? Well, you know that thing you did that nobody ever knew and the other thing you said about someone and thought, ‘Well, that’s a secret that no one’s ever heard.’ Well, Jesus said, “Someday, everyone is going to know.” And you remember that time you said to someone, ‘I’ll tell you something but I don’t want you to ever tell another living soul.’ Well, Jesus said, “Someday, everything that was ever said in the dark or that was to be held in top secret and everything that was ever whispered in anyone’s ear is going to be shouted from the housetops.” Did you get that? He couldn’t have been clearer. Everything we ever say in secret will be known to everyone.
All I can say when I read this is, ‘Thank goodness, we don’t actually believe this’ because, if we did, it would radically change everything we ever listened to or said to anyone else, wouldn’t it?
Jesus said, “Someday, everything will be revealed” and do you know He said this not once, not twice, but four different times in the New Testament? Listen, we can’t keep any secrets from God and one day God is going to reveal all of our secrets to everyone.
And then second, He said in verse 4, “My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will show you whom you should fear: fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him!”
Jesus is saying, there is absolutely nothing that can ever happen to you outside of the will of God and then He points out that even if someone kills you, that’s all they can do; but God not only has the power to kill someone but then He has power to cast them into hell for the rest of eternity.
So, God knows who all the hypocrites are; because there are no secrets from Him; and there is no one to fear because He has more power than anyone; and then He goes on to tell us how much value, each of us have in the sight of God.
It’s in verse 6, where He says, “Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins? And not one of them is forgotten before God. 7 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.’
And He uses two illustrations here, to express how much He cares for each and every one of us; the first one is sparrows and the second one is our hair.
And Jesus says, if God cares for and provides for sparrows which are the most plentiful, common birds in the world and you are an original, one of a kind creation who is made in God’s very own image; then which of the two has more value? You or these birds?
Sparrows live in populated areas because they’re scavengers. They eat whatever is lying around. They’re not known for their beautiful colors or their sweet songs and in Jesus’ day they were actually used for sacrifices for the very poor. They were sold; two for a copper coin which would be a little less than a quarter and if you were to buy four of them, then the seller would throw in an extra one for free; and it was this one little extra little bird that Jesus was referring to when He said, "and not one of them is forgotten before God."
Those who study nature tell us there are approximately 35,000 bald eagles in North America and it might have sounded better if Jesus had said that God knows about all these majestic eagles because no one knows or no one cares how many sparrows there are; but listen, God does.
Jesus point is, if God is so concerned about these little birds that no one even notices, then how much more does He care for each and every one of us who are made in His own image. Listen, in God's eyes, none of us are insignificant!
And then He really makes His point by saying that the very hairs of our heads are numbered. Now think about this, what does your hair do? If you don’t have eyesight, you can’t drive, if you didn’t have hands your ability to reach out and touch is limited, if you don’t have feet, you’ll have difficulty getting around; but hair? Listen, hair doesn’t help you and if you lose it, it doesn’t hurt you.
Hair is such a vain and useless part of our bodies and yet we spend millions of dollars every year having it cut, colored, cleaned or even shaved off; knowing full well that someday, every one of us are either going to end up bald or our hair is going to lose its beauty and yet God says in verse 7 that every hair on your head has its own number.
Did you know that on the average head of the young adult has over one hundred thousand strands of hair? Blondes average about 140,000 strands, brunettes 108,000 and red heads average 90,000. Hair grows at a rate of about six inches a year and each individual hair lasts for about six years and it falls out and then another one grows to take its place.
And in this verse, it says that God knows how many you had to begin with and how many you’ve got now and how many you’ll have the day you die but here’s the best part; He doesn’t count them but it says He numbers each individual hair and He tells us this to demonstrate how much He loves and values each and every one of us. Listen, none of us are just a face in the crowd but God knows and loves us individually.
So, if God can number something as trivial as my hair, then obviously, He knows and cares about everything else as well. God knows things about me that I don’t even know about myself.
And then Jesus goes from speaking about how much He values us to telling us in verses 8 and 9, how each of us are to confess Him before others, if we expect Him to confess us before the angels in heaven; because He says, that those who deny Him here, He will deny there.
And then in verses 11 and 12 He tells the believers that when they’re brought before the authorities for their faith that the Holy Spirit will give them the words to say.
So, listen this is a great message, He began by warning us about our enemies and then He said we are not to waste our lives being afraid of others because God is in control of everything and He loves us so much that He numbers the very hairs on our heads. And then He reminds that our responsibility is to be His witnesses and says that the Holy Spirit of God is the One who will give us the words to say.
Now listen, everything seemed to be going normal up to this point. I mean, Jesus was giving a tremendous message and everything was making absolute sense to those who were paying attention; but all of a sudden somebody shouts something from the crowd and what he shouted had absolutely nothing to do with what Jesus had been saying.
One man said, “My whole life I’ve been complaining that my work was constantly interrupted, until I discovered my interruptions were my work.” And when Jesus was interrupted; He used this interruption as part of His ministry.
When I pastored the Main Street Baptist church in Sackville New Brunswick I found Fridays to be my busiest day because I not only preached morning and evening on Sunday but I also taught a Men’s Sunday school class.
One Friday we were having the annual Mission’s conference and we had special speakers for both services and even one for my Sunday school class. So, on Friday afternoon I was sitting in my office bored and wondering if there was something I should be doing for the next week.
And then the phone rang, it was a woman I had known from Ontario and she told me about a terrible accident that had just happened about three miles up the road from me, and her sister and her brother-in-law were involved. Her brother-in-law had died at the scene and they had taken her sister to the Sackville hospital by ambulance and she was calling to ask if I would go over and sit with her sister until some family members had arrived from Nova Scotia.
So, I ran over to the hospital which was only about a half a block away and after I introduced myself I sat down and this lady who had been pretty banged up from the accident told me she how she and her husband were believers and then she explained how the accident happened and we sat there for the next couple of hours and during that time I read scripture and prayed for her and she and I enjoyed some good fellowship in the Lord. Around supper time they came and took her for x-rays and when they did one of the nurses brought me a coffee and a sandwich.
After a while, they brought her back and about an hour or so later, one of her sisters arrived and I felt it was time for me to go; but before I left I asked if there was anything else I could do and she said, “I don’t know where they towed our car but I’d really like to have the suitcase that’s in the trunk. Is there any way you can find it?”
I said, “Sure, I know where the garage is” and so I went home which was just across the street from the hospital; got my car and headed up to the garage which was about three miles up the road. But by then it was very dark out and this garage wasn’t like a gas station but was just a place where they towed and repaired cars and it was way out in the country.
So, when I drove in, I explained to the owner of the garage what I needed and he told me he had to go on another call; but the car was in the garage and the lights of the garage were just inside the door and I was to go in and help myself.
Well, the problem was; it was so dark in this garage that I couldn’t find the light and there were no lights in the car but I thought, it shouldn’t be too hard to find a suitcase in the dark, and as I reached inside the car I popped the trunk release and it opened, no problem. Then I went around to the trunk and started feeling around and somehow, I grabbed something round and squishy and I thought, “Oh no, I think I just found part of his foot and almost lost my sandwich.”
Well, just then, one of the garage workers came in and turned on the lights and I realized I was holding an apple that must have rolled around in the trunk during the accident and the skin had been scraped off but it felt really gross.
Anyway, I got the suitcase and brought it back to the hospital and when I got there I found that several more of the family members had arrived and with them was this couples previous pastor. He met me outside the room and took the suitcase and was very rude and he said, “You can leave now, I’m her pastor and I’ll take care of everything.” And so, I left and felt offended by his attitude but the more I thought about it the more I realized I didn’t do what I did for him but I was there because God had led me there.
Listen, there’s no preparing yourself for unusual interruptions or even rude people and the man who interrupted Jesus was way out in left field because Jesus was speaking about everything but money but he was sitting there and money was the only thing he could think of because as far as he was concerned his brother had ripped him off.
We don’t know, maybe he felt as though he was ripped off when his parents died and somehow, he figured that Jesus would speak to his brother and tell him to give him whatever he considered to be his fair share.
The problem is, none of us including those who were in the crowd knew the story behind the story. He might have been absolutely right in demanding his share or he may have been like the prodigal who never contributed to the family farm but wanted more than he ever deserved.
And if Jesus had just made a blanket statement about what should be done without exposing the story behind the story then people would be using His decision for the rest of time to get things they really don’t deserve.
So, there may have been several reasons why his brother refused to give him a share or even give him a larger share of the estate. For instance, it was an accepted practice for the elder brother to get two potions of the estate and for the rest of the family to get one and Jewish laws were very specific about how things were to be divided.
The inheritance was all about land and when the father died the land was to be divided among the sons. This land could have been in the family for generations but now this son wanted to divide it and they were obviously fighting over who got what.
We don’t know but maybe the parents had decided the elder brother had fulfilled his obligations in caring for them and they gave him everything he deserved. Or maybe the older brother was a jerk and had no intention of giving anybody anything.
And it doesn’t matter how much or how little was involved because there are always those who feel as though they’ve been cheated even if they end up with everything. They’re greedy, selfish people and the root of the problem is; they think they deserve it all. It’s like the old saying, “Where there’s a will, there’s a relative.”
So, the question is, how much is enough? Or, how much is too much?
“Leo Tolstoy once wrote a story about a successful peasant farmer who wasn’t satisfied with what he had. He always wanted more of everything. One day he received a novel offer. For 1000 rubles, he could buy all the land he could walk around in a day. The only catch in the deal was that he had to be back at his starting point by sundown.
So, early the next morning he started out walking at a fast pace. By midday he was very tired, but he kept going, covering ... more and more ground. Well into the afternoon he realized that his greed had taken him far from the starting point. So, he quickened his pace and as the sun began to sink low in the sky, he began to run; knowing that if he did not make it back by sundown the opportunity to have all this land would be lost.
As the sun began to sink below the horizon he came within sight of the finish line. Gasping for breath, his heart pounding, he called upon every bit of strength left in his body and staggered across the line just before the sun disappeared. He immediately collapsed, blood streaming from his mouth and in a few minutes he was dead.
Afterwards, his servants dug a grave. It was not much over six feet long and three feet wide. The title of Tolstoy’s story was: How Much Land Does a Man Need?
So, Jesus asked this man a question and then He followed it with a statement. And His question was, “who made me a judge or a divider over you.” And what He was really saying was, “There’s no way I’m getting involved in this” and let’s face it, there can be all kinds of reasons why this guy and people like him don’t deserve the things they want.
And I think we get some insight into his problem when Jesus turned and spoke to the crowd because He warned them to beware of covetousness which is a strong desire for something that belongs to someone else. He said, “Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.” According to Colossians 3:5 covetousness is idolatry because it’s putting our desires ahead of God.
A covetous man thinks he controls his wealth but in fact, he’s controlled by his wealth. Listen, our hearts are restless until they find rest, not in the things of this world, but in God.
Covetousness is the sinful attitude that says, if only I had more things, if only I lived somewhere nicer, if only I had a better paying job, or if only if I looked different, then all my problems would be over and I’d finally be happy.
So, this man wanted a larger share more than he wanted a relationship with his brother. And let’s face it, money does weird things to people and the amount doesn’t seem to matter. I’ve seen families destroyed over very little when it comes to dividing what’s left because as the old saying goes, “‘When someone says, it’s not the money, it’s the principle, you can always be sure it’s the money.”
So, rather than getting into an endless and fruitless argument Jesus told this man and everyone there a story which we refer to as a parable.
He said, “The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’ 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. 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.”’ 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?’ “So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”
This is a story about a man who spent his life farming and it seems like everything he did prospered and I’m sure everyone considered him to be very successful. I mean, he was not only rich but was also making sure he had enough money so he could retire and enjoy himself for the rest of his life.
The problem was, he didn’t know how long he’d live and he didn’t even consider that he might die and yet, the very night he was making plans for the future, God said, “Your time is up and you’re a fool because you have spent your whole life doing everything to be comfortable while ignoring the fact that eternal life is just around the corner.”
And I’m sure when he died the whole town came to his funeral and they all stayed afterwards to have a bite to eat and say nice things about him because he was successful and he probably supported the food bank and maybe even sponsored a couple of sports teams in town.
And people would be talking about what a great guy he had been and all the wonderful things he had done but at the same time there was another meeting going on because this man was standing in front of God and God told him how foolish he was for the way he lived.
And when you think about it, he was ready for everything but the one thing that’s going to happen to everyone: and that one thing is death.
So, Jesus didn’t call him a fool for working hard, for saving his money or for even looking forward to retirement; but He called him a fool because he was foolish about the two of the most important things that are going to happen to any of us.
And the first one was; he thought all he needed was a little bit more; and that all he had to do was build bigger barns that would hold more than he had and then he could look forward to enjoying it for the rest of his days.
I knew a man who had more money than you or I could ever even think of spending and yet, he could never enjoy a penny of it, and do you know why? He was so afraid that somehow, he was going to lose it all. He always said, all he needed was just a little bit more. I have heard it said, “There are two great disappointments in life: one is wanting something so bad and never getting it and the second is, to get it and find out it wasn’t worth getting in the first place.”
So, this man’s first problem was he thought he needed more and his second problem was; he thought he had all the time in the world. He said, “I’m going to do this that and the other thing.” And that’s the problem with most people; they intend to do something someday but they never get around to doing anything today.
And Jesus said this man was a fool because when time ran out, he wasn’t ready for what came next.
People seem to prepare for everything in life but death. They prepare for the birth of their children, their education, their career, some even prepare for their funerals because they know they’re going to die; but they never get around to preparing for what’s comes next.
And at the end of this story Jesus asked an interesting question when He said, “And who’s will these things be when you die?” And that’s a great question when you think about it; because when each of us are going to die; and we’ll all leave this world the way we came; with absolutely nothing. As someone wisely said, “There’ll be no U-Haul trailers following the hearse.”
Oh, some of us might leave a ton of junk behind but none of us will be taking anything with us. As Job said, “Naked we came and naked we leave.”
We had a good friend down east who got to the point where she could no longer care for herself and she applied for a room in a really nice nursing home. She was accepted and the day she went to see her room they said, “There’s your bed and you can feel free to put pictures on either of these two walls and over there is a dresser for all your clothes.” And that was it.
And then she had deal with all the things she had collected over the years; hundreds of books, jewelry that came from various members of her family, dishes that she and her husband had used, pictures that filled her walls, clothes she never wear and had no where to store and other piles of stuff that wouldn’t fit in the dresser.
“Take heed” Jesus said, “And beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.”
Some people make big mistakes in life because in planning for themselves, they forget everyone else. In considering what they have; they forget where they got them and in providing for their bodies, they forget their soul.
Conclusion
Someone wrote a poem that said,
It was spring, but it was summer I wanted; the warm days and the great outdoors.
It was summer, but it was fall I wanted; the colorful leaves and the cool dry air.
It was fall, but it was winter I wanted; the beautiful snow and the joy of the holiday season.
It was winter, but it was spring that I wanted; the warmth and the blossoming of nature.
I was a child, but it was adulthood I wanted; the freedom and the respect.
I was 20, but it was 30 I wanted; to be mature and sophisticated.
I was middle-aged, but it was 20 I wanted; the youth and the free spirit.
I was retired, but it was middle-age I wanted; the presence of mind without limitation.
My life was over; but I never got what I wanted.
Listen, we are fools if we assume that everything we want will somehow meet our deepest needs.
We are fools if we live our lives and forget there’s a life beyond this one.
And we are also fools if we forget that the God who created and saved us stands waiting for each and every one of us to come to Him.
I remember when I was younger, since I was the youngest in the family my grandmother told me it was my responsibility to go to church on Sunday and that way the family would be represented but I have to be honest, it was the most boring waste of time I have ever experienced.
And then when I was older I got involved in drugs and all that goes with it and one night a man told me about Jesus and how He had died for my sins and told me that if I would ask Him to forgive me He’d not only do it but He’d also come into my life and change it; and He did. And now, I know I’m saved for time and I’m saved for all of eternity. So, let me ask you before I close, what if today was the last day of your life; would God say to you? Would He say, welcome home faithful servant or depart from Me, I never knew you? As someone wisely said, "There are two great moments in a person's life: the moment you were born and the moment you realize why.”
Closing prayer
And now our Father we pray that you would seal these words to our hearts and help each of us respond in a way that’s pleasing to You. For we ask this in Jesus name. Amen.
