Author: Gary Witcher

Parables Fourteen

One of the greatest problems that Jesus encounters during his ministry on earth is the materialistic attitude of the people.   He feeds people because they are hungry, and then they follow Him just because they are looking for another free meal.  He heals people and even raises some from the dead, and then others follow Him just so they can get rid of their physical aches and pains.   Too few are searching for spiritual nourishment and spiritual healing.
In Luke chapter 12 Jesus is trying to teach the people that they should concentrate on pleasing God and following His instructions instead of being worried about earthly leaders and material priorities.   The Master is interrupted in verse 13 by someone in the crowd.
"Teacher," the man calls out, "tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me."
"Man," the Lord replies in verse 14, "who appointed Me a judge or arbiter over you?"
"Beware, and be on you guard against every form of greed;" Jesus says to the crowd in verse 15, "for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions.
Isn't it amazing how 2000-year-old teaching is so applicable to life today?  Could any single statement deal more directly with the cancer that plagues our society today?  What would life in America be like if everyone understood and followed the wisdom from Luke 12:15?  How many of US really believe what Jesus is saying?
	Certainly not a single one of us has been tricked into believing that happiness is gained by obtaining more belongings.  Surely advertising doesn't try to get us to buy things we don't need, or things that we don't even want, just by convincing us we will be happy if we have these things. We are all so intelligent, aren't we, that we would never continue to race full-speed down a pathway that common sense tells us is ridiculously false, especially when experience backs up this conclusion.
	Sadly, we ARE tricked into believing a lie.  The more toys we accumulate the less time we have to enjoy them, because we are so busy making money in order to buy still more toys to make us even happier. It's not hard to see, then, why we become less and less happy every day.
We have an outstanding marriage enrichment series on video tape that we make available to any couple who would like to improve their marriage. One of the two speakers, Dr. Paul Faulkner, makes an interesting observation in the second presentation.
"Advertising," Dr. Faulkner notes, "tries to make us buy something we don't want with money we don't have in order to impress people we don't know."
Let's listen to the parable given by Jesus in Luke 12:16-21 and see if we can benefit from it.
"The land of a certain rich man was very productive,” the Master notes.  "And he began reasoning to himself, saying,  'What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?'
"And he said, 'This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.   And I will say to my soul, "Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry."'
	"But God said to him, ‘You fool!   This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?'
"So is the man who lays up treasure for himself,” Jesus concludes, "and is not rich toward God."
Jesus goes on with the same teaching that is found in the part of the Sermon on the Mount recorded in Matthew 6:19-34.
"For this reason I say to you," Jesus points out in Luke 12:22,23, "do not be anxious for your life, as to what you shall eat; nor for your body, as to what you shall put on.  For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing."
"But seek for His kingdom," the Lord adds in verse 31,  "and these things shall be added to you.
"For where your treasure is," the Master sums up in verse 34,  "there will your heart be also."
No, this does not mean we are to be irresponsible and not work to provide for our families.  We know this from 2 Thessalonians 3:6-12.   But what Jesus is saying is that we need to get our priorities straightened out.  If we are going to worry, we need to worry about things that matter.
In 2 Corinthians 6:1-10 Paul mentions some of the things he has suffered.
"As sorrowful yet always rejoicing," he comments in verse 10,  "as poor yet making many rich, as having nothing yet possessing all things."
"But whatever things were gain to me,” Paul writes in Philippians 3:7,8, "those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ.   More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish in order that I may gain Christ."
"For we have brought nothing in the world," the same apostle points out in 1 Timothy 6:7-10, "so we cannot take anything out of it either.
"And if we have food and clothing, with these we shall be content. But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction.
"For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many a pang."
"Let your way of life be free from the love of money," Hebrews 13:5,6 instructs, "being content with what you have; for He Himself has said,  'I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,’ so that we confidently say, 'The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid.  What shall man do to me?'"

"Be dressed in readiness," Jesus warns in Luke 12:35-40,  "and keep your lamps alight.
"And be like men who are waiting for their master when he returns from the wedding feast, so that they may immediately open the door to him when he comes and knocks.
"Blessed are those slaves whom the master shall find on the alert when he comes; truly I say to you, that he will gird himself to serve, and have them recline at table, and will come up and wait on them.
"Whether he comes in the second watch, or even in the third, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves.  And be sure of this, if the head of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have allowed his house to be broken into.  You too, be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not expect."
If there is one thing that every person on the earth knows to be a fact, it is that there is no guarantee that he or she will live another minute, much less another hour, day or year.  If there is one thing that no one on the earth really believes, it is that there is no guarantee that he or she will live another minute, hour, day or year.  Strange, isn't it?
We act like we are going to live forever.  And all of us are wrong, if we are thinking about life on this earth.
Peter's reaction to this parable is much like ours.
"Lord, are You addressing this parable to us, or to everyone else as well?"  he asks Jesus in verse 41.  Don't we usually hope that scriptures apply to others and not to us?
Jesus answers Peter's question with another question.
"Who then is the faithful and sensible steward," the Lord replies in verses 42-46, "whom his master will put in charge of his servants, to give them their rations at the proper time?  Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes.  Truly I tell you, that he will put him in charge of all his possessions.
"But if that slave says in his heart, 'My master will be a long time in coming,' and begins to beat the slaves, both men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk; the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him, and at an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces, and assign him a place with the unbelievers."
How much time do you have before the Master returns?  Oh, it may be hundreds or even thousands of years before the day of judgment.  But that does not answer the question: how much time do YOU have?   If you really believed that there would be no tomorrow for you, how would it change today?  Would you spend the day trying to satisfy every earthly desire, or would you place more importance on things that really matter?
Would you spend your time earning more money and buying more toys, or would you devote yourself to searching eagerly for the truth that can set you free?

Unless otherwise noted, "Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE(R), (C) Copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977. Used by permission."