Luke 12:13-21 (ESV):
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.”
Main Idea
JESUS' CALL IS FOR GENEROUS HEARTS TO BE COMMITTED TO GOD.
Outline
Discussion Questions
INHERITANCE ISN'T THE SIN; COVETOUSNESS IS (VV13–15)
1. A man in the crowd asks Jesus to settle an inheritance dispute (v13). Why does Jesus decline to act as judge or arbitrator (v14)?
2. Jesus turns the man's request into a broader warning: “be on your guard against all covetousness” (v15). Why address the heart behind the request rather than the dispute itself?
3. Coveting is thinking that you need what someone else has and refusing to find contentment. It is in the 10thcommandment (Exodus 20:17). Where do you see that instinct in yourself, especially comparing your life or finances to others'?
4. How does looking at the wealth of billionaires or others with more than us tempt us toward covetousness rather than gratitude?
5. The antidote to coveting is gratitude. What is one thing God has given you that you tend to take for granted?
ACCUMULATION ISN'T THE SIN; SELFISHNESS IS (VV16–20)
1. In the parable, the rich man's land “produced plentifully” (v16). Is the abundance itself treated as sinful here? What does that tell us about wealth and increase?
2. Notice how many times the man says “I” and “my” in vv17–19. What does his internal monologue reveal about who he is living for?
3. God calls the man a “fool” (v20), not for being successful, but for what reason? What made his accumulation foolish rather than wise?
4. The antidote to selfishness is generosity. How has an increase (a raise, a bonus, a good year) tempted you to build bigger barns for yourself rather than to give?
5. What would it look like this week to make a decision about your resources with others in mind rather than only yourself?
OWNERSHIP ISN'T THE SIN; GREED IS (V21)
1. What does it mean to be “rich toward God”?
2. Jesus elsewhere says, “Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required” (Luke 12:48). How might this shape how you view your own wealth and the wealth of others?
3. The antidote to greed is remembering the generosity of the gospel. How does remembering what God has freely given you in Jesus change how tightly you hold onto what you have?
4. This message is a challenge, but it is meant to produce faithfulness (not shame). What is one faithful next step you can take this week with what God has entrusted to you?
Looking Forward
Jesus warns that life does not consist in the abundance of possessions, and calls us instead to be rich toward God. What is one step of generosity God is inviting you to take this week (with your time, money, or possessions) that reflects gratitude rather than covetousness?
Prayer Focus
Pray for…
• Gratitude for what God has already given, instead of coveting what others have
• Generosity with our resources, trusting God rather than hoarding for ourselves
• Hearts that are rich toward God, not just rich in possessions