September
29, 2003
BEWARE
OF COVETOUSNESS, Part II
"Take
heed and beware of covetousness, for one's life does not consist
in the abundance of the things he possesses" (Luke 12:15,
NKJV).
"The
Saviour's mission on earth was fast drawing to a close. Only
a few months remained for Him to complete what He had come
to do in establishing the kingdom of His grace. Yet human
greed would have turned Him from His work to take up the dispute
over a piece of land. But Jesus was not to be diverted from
His mission. His answer was, 'Man, who
made Me a judge or an arbitrator over you?' (Luke 12:14).
"Jesus
could have told this man just what was right. He knew the
right in the case; but the brothers were in a quarrel because
both were covetous. Christ virtually said, It is not My work
to settle controversies of this kind. He came for another
purpose, to preach the gospel, and thus to arouse men to a
sense of eternal realities.
"In
Christ's treatment of this case is a lesson for all who minister
in His name. When He sent forth the twelve, He said, 'As
you go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.
Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out
devils: freely you have received, freely give' (Matt.
10:7, 8). They were not to settle the temporal affairs of
the people. Their work was to persuade men to be reconciled
to God. In this work lay their power to bless humanity. The
only remedy for the sins and sorrows of men is Christ. The
gospel of His grace alone can cure the evils that curse society.
The injustice of the rich toward the poor, the hatred of the
poor toward the rich, alike have their root in selfishness,
and this can be eradicated only through submission to Christ.
He alone, for the selfish heart of sin, gives the new heart
of love. Let the servants of Christ preach the gospel with
the Spirit sent down from heaven, and work as He did for the
benefit of men. Then such results will be manifest in the
blessing and uplifting of mankind as are wholly impossible
of accomplishment by human power.
"Our
Lord struck at the root of the affair that troubled this questioner,
and of all similar disputes, saying, 'Take
heed and beware of covetousness, for one's life does not consist
in the abundance of the things he possesses"
(Luke 12:15).--Christ's Object Lessons, pp.
253-255.
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