IS THERE MORE TO LIFE THAN WEALTH?


READ LUKE 12:13-21

13 Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”

14 Jesus replied, “Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?” 15 Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”

16 And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. 17 He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’

18 “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. 19 And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’

20 “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?’

21 “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.”

DISCUSS

  1. What stands out to you from the passage?

  2. What is it about the person in the crowd’s question that may have lead Jesus to tell this parable?

  3. What does the man’s self talk in verse 18 and 19 reveal about what he thinks life is all about?

  4. How does death expose the folly of the rich man’s thinking?

  5. What do you make of Jesus’ warning in verse 21?

READ LUKE 12:32-34

32 “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. 33 Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. 34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

  1. What reasons does this passage give to prioritise treasure in heaven over treasures on earth?

  2. Why is understanding God’s generosity to us central to us loosening our grip on wealth?

APPLY

  1. How have you experienced it to be true that ‘Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.’? (How have you seen the things you desire most shape you as a person?)

  2. If Jesus were to say directly to you “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed” What parts of your life do you think he would be referring to?

    PRAY: That that we would be people free of greed who find our treasure in God alone.