"Then one from the crowd said to Him, 'Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.' But He said to him, 'Man, who made Me a judge or an arbitrator over you?' And He said to them, 'Take heed and beware of covetousness....'" (Luke 12:14)
The man in our text wanted to deal with the immediate, the surface. Jesus was after the depths of life, the healing of the soul. If you follow closely the teachings and work of Jesus, you will see that no person is excluded from judgment, and no person is excluded from mercy. The Biblical premise is always, "All have sinned and come short...." You get no break based on gender, ethnicity, race, economic status, or temper tantrums. Our Living Triune God is out to save us, not spoil us.
I have heard people "take sides" with the prodigal and his brother. But Don Basham referred to them years ago as the prodigal who left and the prodigal who stayed at home. There may be on the surface of things what appears to be an injustice with the prodigals and the "man" in our text. But Jesus does not deal with surface issues. Jesus goes to the depths of our lives, "for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God-- piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." What He says to us and does in our lives may not always seem "fair," but it will be redemptive. It will conform you and me to the Image of Jesus Christ -------------------------------------------- save our lives.
Father, in Jesus' Name, help me to be more concerned about Your work in me than getting my way. Amen.
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