AUGUST 20th
A CERTAIN RICH MAN (Continued)
Scripture Reading: Luke 12:1-21
13 And one of the company said unto him, Master, speak to my brother, that he divide the inheritance with me.
14 And he said unto him, Man, who made me a judge or a divider over you?
15 And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.
16 And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully:
17 And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits?
18 And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods.
19 And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.
20 But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?
21 So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.
As seen from Luke 12:1-12, Jesus’ gave a powerful warning of the Pharisees’ leaven of hypocrisy. His instruction included the spoken Word, insight on fear, the ministry of the Holy Ghost and how much God cares for His people. To prove God’s tender care for His people, Jesus stated, "Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God? His teaching reflected His ministry so powerfully. The term "five sparrows" relays a picture of grace to the mind. Five is the Scriptural number for grace. These five sparrows are sold for two farthings. Two is the Bible number for witness. Christ Jesus had the witness in Himself! Every analogy used in His teaching was actually a spiritual fact enshrouded in a mystery concerning Himself and His ministry.
One gets an idea of the awesome ministry that was going forth as Jesus taught when He was interrupted by the carnal request of one in the midst asking Jesus to speak to his brother to divide the inheritance with him. If the brother had the inheritance, he was apparently the rightful heir. Jesus responded to the intruder by asking, "Man, who made me a judge or a divider over you?" To deal in such affairs would have pulled Jesus off the higher ground of eternal life and put Him in the middle of the Law. Jesus came to fulfill the Law by bringing in grace and truth. Jesus is the Rightful Heir of all things and maintained His heavenly position. As Jacob blessed his sons in Genesis Chapter 49, he said of Judah, "The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be." Shiloh means whose it is and that is Jesus!If Jesus had responded carnally to this man and dealt Law with Law, He would have broken the heavenly Pattern. Law and grace were never meant to mix.
Continued
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