How Greed Makes You Poor

Satan would love to keep Christians greedy. Greed is a close companion to the hypocrisy Luke describes in the first twelve verses of this chapter. Satan would love to have Christians more taken with possessions and with themselves than with the Bible and the Beautiful Christ, because then they are cold and useless to Jesus. Jesus illustrates this point in the case of the brother who wouldn't share the inheritance with his sibling. Although Jesus is completely qualified to arbitrate, he shows the astounding impudence of the objection. God incarnate is teaching earnestly about heaven and hell, and a man raises a selfish and greedy objection. Can't the man see this is God preaching and that he is disregarding God's words? Can't he see the arrogance of prescribing a course of action for Jesus? Can't he see that he has missed everything Jesus has said? Furthermore, we should ask the question, what has made him miss all of this? Personal possessions! His blindness is so abrasive that Jesus warns him by using him as an object lesson. The inheritance is far less valuable than him understanding this message. In a bizarre way, this very sin has become the most desired and respectable of sins. This is a love affair with the twins of hypocrisy and greed. To love money is to show that God has given you up to your sin. Not only that, but to love money and blunt your spiritual point is foolish. Jesus' response to this man only comes across as harsh if you have bought into this lie. The author of life declares that life does not consist in possessions. God owns all things and always speaks the truth--He is most qualified to make this declaration.