Luke 12:13-21
Scripture
13 Someone in 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 arbitrator over you?” 15 And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” 16 And he told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man produced plentifully, 17 and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ 18 And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.”’ 20 But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ 21 So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”
Devotion
This passage begins with an interruption, as a man in the crowd asks Jesus to settle a dispute over his family’s inheritance. Teachers in that day were sometimes asked to weigh in on legal matters like this one, so the request itself would not have seemed unusual to those listening. Jesus declines to take on that role, and He turns the moment into a warning about covetousness, reminding the crowd that a person’s life is measured by something far greater than the abundance of what he owns.
The parable that follows tells of a rich man whose land produced more than he could store. Listening to the way he speaks, you notice how often he uses the words “I” and “my,” and how the only conversation he has about his future is one he holds with himself. He tells his soul that he has ample goods laid up for many years, and he plans a long season of ease. God’s answer comes that very night, calling him a fool and asking who will receive everything he has prepared.
The connection to James 4 is striking. James’s merchants planned to spend a year trading and making a profit, and the rich man planned to rest on his harvest for many years, yet neither of them knew what tomorrow would bring. Both stories confront the same presumption about time, and both point to the same truth about how fragile a human life is before God. Many readers hear echoes of Jesus’ teaching throughout the letter of James, and this pairing shows how closely James’s instruction follows the words of Christ.
Jesus closes the parable by describing the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God. In the verses that follow, He goes on to teach His disciples not to be anxious about their lives and to seek God’s kingdom first, trusting the Father who knows what they need. Being rich toward God means placing our hope, our resources, and our future in His hands, which is the same posture James describes when he teaches us to say, “If the Lord wills.”
HEAR About It
Explain
How does Luke 12:13-21 change how you read James 4:13-17? What does Jesus’ parable reveal about the way God views our plans and possessions? What do you think it means to be rich toward God?
Prayer and Reflection
Take a few minutes to sit quietly and reflect on the passage you read today. Let the Holy Spirit bring to mind what stood out to you and why. Then spend some time in prayer. Pray for the people around you, for your outlook on this day, and for the needs you are carrying in your own life.
Lord Jesus, thank You for warning me about building my life around what I own. Guard my heart against covetousness, and teach me what it looks like to be rich toward God. Amen.
