One
of the multitude 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?”
Luke 12:13-14
Luke 12 [8.] “I tell you, everyone who confesses me before men, him will the Son of Man also confess before the angels of God; but he who denies me in the presence of men will be denied in the presence of the angels of God. Everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but those who blaspheme against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. When they bring you before the synagogues, the rulers, and the authorities, don’t be anxious how or what you will answer, or what you will say; for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that same hour what you must say.”
Luke 12 [13.] One of the multitude said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”
Luke 12 [14.] But he said to him, “Man, who made me a judge or an arbitrator over you?” He said to them, “Beware! Keep yourselves from covetousness, for a man’s life doesn’t consist of the abundance of the things which he possesses.”
Luke 12 [16.] He spoke a parable to them, saying, “The ground of a certain rich man produced abundantly. He reasoned within himself, saying, ‘What will I do, because I don’t have room to store my crops?’ He said, ‘This is what I will do. I will pull down my barns, and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. I will tell my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years. Take your ease, eat, drink, be merry.”’
Meaning:
Jesus has been speaking to his disciples about serious matters: confessing him before others, the danger of blaspheming the Holy Spirit, and the help of the Spirit when they are put on trial (Luke 12:11-12). Suddenly a man in the crowd interrupts with a family quarrel about money. His request, and Jesus’ refusal, lead into Jesus’ warning against covetousness and the parable of the rich fool.
- “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”
The man calls Jesus “Teacher,” the title given to a rabbi. In Jewish society, people often brought disputes about property and inheritance to respected teachers of the Law, because the Law of Moses contained rules about inheritance. The firstborn son received “a double portion of all that he has” (Deuteronomy 21:17), and the rest was divided among the other sons. Disputes between brothers were common, especially when property was meant to be kept together.
The man does not ask Jesus to hear both sides or to judge fairly. He asks Jesus to take his side and give an order to his brother. He seems to have listened to Jesus’ teaching about God’s Kingdom and thought only of how Jesus’ authority might help him get his share of the family estate.
- “Man, who made me a judge or an arbitrator over you?”
Jesus’ reply is firm, even sharp. The word “Man” keeps the man at a distance. Jesus refuses to be drawn into the role of a civil judge. But Jesus is not denying that he has authority. He is declining to use it in the way the man wants.
Jesus did not come to settle property disputes or to set up an earthly kingdom. When a crowd once wanted to take him by force and make him king, he withdrew (John 6:14-15). His mission was to bring people into God’s Kingdom and to heal the deeper problem of the heart. Courts and arbiters could divide an inheritance; only God could deal with the greed that drove the quarrel.
- The heart behind the request
Jesus immediately turns to the crowd with a warning: “Beware! Keep yourselves from covetousness, for a man’s life doesn’t consist of the abundance of the things which he possesses” (Luke 12:15). He then tells the parable of the rich man who planned bigger barns (Luke 12:16-18). The man’s problem was not only an unfair brother but his own attachment to possessions. Whether or not his claim was just, money had become more important to him than his brother and more important than the message of the Kingdom.
Paul later rebuked believers who took each other to court instead of settling disputes within the church: “Dare any of you, having a matter against his neighbor, go to law before the unrighteous, and not before the saints?” (1 Corinthians 6:1).
The Significance of Luke 12:13-14
- Coming to Jesus for the right reasons
Many people come to God hoping he will sort out their practical problems. Jesus cares about our needs, but he calls us first to seek God’s Kingdom.
- Money and family
Inheritance disputes still divide families. Jesus’ words warn against letting possessions destroy relationships.
Cross-References:
Luke 12:15: "Beware! Keep yourselves from covetousness," Jesus’ warning that follows.
Luke 12:16-18: The parable of the rich fool begins.
Deuteronomy 21:17: "by giving him a double portion of all that he has;" The law of inheritance.
1 Corinthians 6:1: "Dare any of you, having a matter against his neighbor, go to law before the unrighteous," Settling disputes among believers.
Conclusion: A man in the crowd asked Jesus to make his brother share the family inheritance. Jesus refused to act as a judge in the dispute, because his mission was not to divide property but to change hearts. The request revealed a deeper problem, covetousness, which Jesus went on to expose. Possessions must never matter more to us than God and our relationships.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible