Luke 12:15Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

This our Lord says to rebuke the motives of the covetous, who seem to heap up riches as if they were going to live for a long time. But will wealth ever make thee long lived? Why then dost thou manifestly undergo evils for the sake of an uncertain rest? For it is doubtful whether thou oughtest to attain to an old age, for the sake of which thou art collecting treasures.

Now the Son of God, when He was made like unto us, was appointed by God the Father to be King and Prince upon his holy Mount of Sion, to make known the Divine command.

The whole of the former passage is given to prepare us for undergoing suffering for confessing the Lord, or for contempt of death, or for the hope of reward, or for denunciation of the punishment that will await him to whom pardon will never be granted. And since covetousness is generally wont to try virtue, for destroying this also, a precept and example is added, as it is said, And one of the company said to him, Speak to my brother, that he divide the inheritance with me.

He warned them, saying, "Be cautious of greed." Seizing a timely moment, He assures the disciples that greed arises from desiring more than what is truly necessary. A person’s existence is not determined by the multitude of their possessions. Even when a person has plentiful wealth, it is not this abundance that secures their life. Therefore, He urges them to shun greed, for it does not enhance the quality of life.

He who wills to impose the trouble of division of lands upon the Master who is commending the joys of heavenly peace, is rightly called man, according to that, whereas there is envying, strife, and divisions among you, are ye not men? (1 Cor. 3:3.)

The Gospel writer Luke recounts an episode in which a man approached Jesus, seeking His assistance in resolving a dispute over inheritance with his brother. The Lord responded with profound words filled with wisdom: “O man! Who made Me judge or divider over you? Keep watch and guard against covetousness.” Following this, Jesus illustrated through a parable the perils of greed and the illusory allure created by its enticements. These fantasies seldom materialize and ultimately rob us of virtue and the eternal salvation that rewards genuine goodness.

As He conversed with His disciples, a man approached Him, requesting His involvement in the distribution of his inheritance among his siblings. The Lord had never claimed the authority of a civil magistrate, and in this instance, He did not comply with the request. Instead, He highlighted how self-serving desires can create divisions even among brothers, admonishing the folly of those who seek to amass wealth by any means, illustrated by the parable of the foolish rich man. He then returned to the earlier discussion with His disciples, linking it to the lessons within this parable, and continued to disclose to the apostles how misplaced their concerns for earthly matters were, especially for those who followed Him.

Upon witnessing the profound teachings of Jesus Christ and the significant impact His words had on those who listened, some individuals believed that a single word from the Lord could compel his brother to grant him his rightful portion of the inheritance. They thought that by securing a command from Jesus, they could confidently approach their brother, using Christ's authority as a strong basis for their claim. However, Christ declined to entertain this request, emphasizing that He, as the Messiah, had not come to intervene in the political and social affairs of humanity. Seizing this moment, He cautioned His audience against greed and the relentless pursuit of material wealth, illustrating His message with the parable of the foolish rich man. This parable includes a prologue and an epilogue, which clarify its essential message: material riches cannot extend a person's earthly existence, and they hold no value in the pursuit of eternal life.

The individual who sought a division of inheritance was so consumed by his own concerns that he failed to heed the words of Jesus, who at that moment cautioned His disciples about the hypocrisy of the Pharisees. His mind was solely fixated on the prospect of receiving an inheritance, leading him to become so absorbed in thoughts of wealth that he interrupted Jesus. He valued his inheritance above all the teachings of the Lord from Galilee. In response, Jesus used this occasion to caution those nearby, saying, "Beware of the covetousness with which this man is so infected; for a man's life, its duration, does not depend on the abundance of his possessions."

Following the Feast of Tabernacles, there was a period of two months until the next significant Jewish celebration, the Renewal of the Temple. During this time, Christ took the opportunity to return to His homeland of Galilee. It was there, among the familiar landscapes and a small group of followers, that He found solace from the burdens He had faced. His time spent in Galilee was characterized by a series of compelling parables and miracles.

“Be cautious of greed”: true to His practice, the Lord uses this moment to impart moral guidance to His disciples and followers. Greed embodies the desire to accumulate property for the sake of worldly pleasures and an attachment to wealth. The Lord has consistently and profoundly emphasized the peril wealth poses to the journey of salvation and the hurdles it presents in achieving moral excellence (Matt. 19:23 ff. Mk. 10:23 ff.). On this occasion, He cautions against greed, which violates the tenth commandment of the law (Ex. 20:17) and which the Apostle refers to as idolatry (Col. 3:5; cf. Eph. 5:3, Heb. 13:5).

After cautioning His disciples to be wary of the leaven of the Pharisees, which represents hypocrisy, and encouraging them to boldly proclaim the truth of the Gospel with faith in God’s Providence, the Lord also warned them about another vice associated with the Pharisees: greed. This warning stemmed from a request made to Him by an individual, who said, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” The individual believed that a single word from Jesus would suffice to resolve the matter in his favor. However, the resolution of such disputes belonged rightfully to the courts. Thus, the Savior, rejecting the conventions of earthly disputes, redirected His discourse to the underlying issue of greed that incites such conflicts. “Who made Me a judge or an arbitrator over you?” To further illustrate this truth, He shared a parable that powerfully depicted the futility of the calculations made by those consumed by covetousness.