“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).
Thus, the people of God or true believers do not need to suffer discontentment, to wrestle with worry, or struggle with apprehension in life. Paul wrote: “For you died, and YOUR LIFE IS NOW HIDDEN WITH CHRIST in God. When CHRIST, WHO IS YOUR LIFE, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory” (Col. 3:3-4, NIV).
Now, let us go back to the rich man in Luke 12. Having many material things in life, he thought that he could “Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”
But life is not about possession. It is not pleasure, performance, or prestige. It is not just power. It is a Person. Wrote Watchman Nee, "Life to us is not only power but also a Person. It is Christ who manifests himself in us, instead of our using Christ to display good works."
Those who are in Christ are the ones who could really “take life easy…” He said in Matthew 11:28-30, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light" (NIV).
Those who are in Christ could really “eat…” with complete satisfaction. He said: “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry…” (John 6:35, NIV).) He also said, "I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man… you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh… has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day” (John 6:53-54, NIV).
Those who are in Christ could really “drink…” to the full. Jesus told the Samaritan woman: "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again,…” – anything material will not bring contentment – “… but whoever drinks the water…” – the Holy Spirit – “… I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life" (John 4:13-14, NIV).
And those who are in Christ could really “…be merry.” Peter wrote: “Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy” (1 Peter 1:8, NIV).
Jesus said, "What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self?" (Luke 9:25, NIV.)
If we want then to experience life – the abundant life – what we need is Christ.
If we want to take life easy, let’s come to Him. For His yoke is easy and His burden is light.
If we want to eat with satisfaction – let’s listen to or study His Words (the Bible). We read in Deut 32:45-47, “When Moses finished reciting all these words to all Israel, he said to them, ‘Take to heart all the words I have solemnly declared to you this day, so that you may command your children to obey carefully all the words of this law. They are not just idle words for you--they are your life…’” (NIV.)
God’s Word also declares, “The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life” (John 6:63, NIV).
If we want to drink to the full, let’s pray that we may have the Holy Spirit. And we can be sure that the Father in heaven will give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him (Luke 11:13).
And if we want to be delighted, David said: “Delight yourself in the LORD…” (Ps. 37:4, NIV.) Paul wrote: “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! (Phil. 4:4, NIV.)
Instead of storing up things for ourselves, let us savor the Richness of God through Christ – Who is our Life. So like Paul, we can also say, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” Gal. 2:20, NIV).
PRAYER: Our Living, Loving and Almighty Father – the Author of Life – we truly praise you not only for the physical life you have given us, but especially for the life that we have in Christ – the life eternal of abundance and joy in Your Presence. Truly, in You alone we live and move and have our being. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
