Defined by Christ
Bible in a Year: Joshua 22-24; Luke 3
Life does not consist in an abundance of possessions. Luke 12:15
Today's Scripture: Luke 12:13-21
Insight
Luke’s gospel emphasizes God’s justice for the poor (1:52-53; 14:12-14). Luke describes a reversal in God’s kingdom, where the poor are blessed while the unjust wealthy are judged. In Luke 16:19-31, for example, a rich man ignores a suffering beggar, but in death, their roles are reversed. Jesus’ parable in Luke 12:16-21 warns against greed (v. 15) through depicting a rich man who shows no concern for using material possessions justly. In Jewish tradition, material abundance was considered something entrusted for the sake of others (see Proverbs 19:17; Deuteronomy 15:7-11). But the rich man thinks only of himself, as seen in his self-referential language (Luke 12:19). He’s identified by God as a “fool” (v. 20). In contrast to the rich fool, those who know they’re loved by God are freed to invest in what truly lasts—God’s kingdom and the needs of others (vv. 32-34).
Some years ago, artist Michael Landy counted up everything he owned, making a list of 7,227 possessions. What he did next was eye-opening. Setting up a factory in London’s busiest shopping district, Landy publicly destroyed it all. Clothes, artwork, love letters, even his car, were broken down, placed on a conveyor belt, and fed into grinders. As consumers darted in and out of department stores nearby, Landy’s performance art asked, “Who are we without our possessions?”
It’s an important question because most of us buy things to define ourselves or secure our futures. Jesus told a parable about a man who horded his wealth and embraced a consumerist lifestyle. “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years,” the man tells himself. “Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry” (Luke 12:19). But what was left when his life was “demanded” from him that night? Only God’s rebuke at having missed what’s most important (vv. 20-21).
It isn’t a sin to own things. Michael Landy still needed clothes. But when we’re tempted to find life and identity in what we own, Jesus reminds us that “life does not consist in an abundance of possessions” (v. 15). Who would you be without all your goods? Still a dearly loved child of God (Psalm 103:17; Ephesians 5:1). Out of this secure identity, we can be rich toward God and others.
Reflect & Pray
What do your possessions say about you? What might being “rich toward God” (v. 21) mean for you?
Dear Father, please help me resist the lie that I am what I own, and live richly toward You and others instead.