“Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”” Luke 12:13 ESV
Reflection: what is the inheritance for God’s children, kept in heaven?
Inheritance is a timeless and interesting topic, and is the subject Jesus is using to make an important point about life. Let’s think about inheritance for a brief moment. Inheritance is never earned; it is always given. And as a principle, inheritance is only received a result of a death, where the relatives, starting with children, divide what the deceased has acquired over a lifetime. For many families, this might be some memorabilia, while for a few the inheritance can be substantial properties, money and possessions.
And the first key point Jesus is making here is a warning to the recipients of inheritance. Because what sadly happens with the passing of a parent, especially around possessions, is greed. Some might even need an outside party to arbitrate the inheritance as siblings cannot agree, such in this case. “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.”” Luke 12:15 ESV.
But then he goes on making a deeper, more profound point about the gift of life, through a parable. Let me paraphrase a bit. This is about a man, who has had great success in life, finally ready to retire and “enjoy life”. He has made wise investments, even diversified against volatility in the market. So whatever would happen, he would be able to enjoy the rest of his days. He says to himself “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years;
relax, eat, drink, be merry.”’” Luke 12:19b ESV
Sounds like a retirement plan most of us, right? But, there is only one thing this man had not considered, not planned for. A sudden death. No warning sign or prolonged sickness. In fact, at the very point of his “retirement”, we read “But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’” Luke 12:20 ESV. What good is all the wealth then? What he is saying is that wealth has no point, no value without life.
So here Jesus reveals to us a deep secret, but we have to carefully look for it. Notice the sentence “This night your soul is required of you”. If you look at the original text here written in Greek, the word “required” really means “demanded back”, or returned, if you will. Which means our time here is limited, not by how long our physical bodies can survive. But by when our souls are required of us, or “demanded back”. Another way to think of it therefore is that the true gift is life itself, because without it, nothing matters.
Our soul is demanded back?
None of us know when that day comes for us, and we will have to make an account for our lives. What we use our days for to leave behind us. David prayed for wisdom to know his days were short on earth ““O Lord, make me know my end and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting I am! Behold, you have made my days a few handbreadths, and my lifetime is as nothing before you. Surely all mankind stands as a mere breath! Selah”Psalm 39:4-5 ESV
And as a born again child of God, we have an inheritance so much greater than any riches this short existence can offer “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” 1 Peter 1:3-5 ESV