Page 29 - The Prosperous Way _ (APRIL 2024 v3)

CHAPTER 3

CAN YOU BE TOO RICH?

I
n Luke 12:15-21, as the crowds gathered around Jesus, a man
stepped forward with a complaint against his brother. He asks Jesus
to tell his brother to share the inheritance from their parents with him.
Jesus, knowing the intent of this man’s heart, responds with this
warning: "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life
does not consist in an abundance of possessions” (Luke 12:15). Two
words in this passage are key to understanding the significance of this
warning: “Life” and “Greed.”

TRUE LIFE AND TRUE RICHES

Let’s begin with the word “Life.” Throughout the New Testament, three
different Greek words are used for life. The first is “psychēn”, meaning to
be physically alive. An example of this is when Jesus asked the
synagogue leaders in Mark 3:4: "Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do
good or to do evil; to save life or to kill?" The second word for life is “bios”,
meaning the course or period of one’s life. This is the word used in Paul’s
instruction to pray for those in authority “that we may live peaceful and
quiet lives“ (1 Timothy 2:2).

And then, there is “Zoe” life, which is our spiritual life: Jesus tells us that
He came that we may have this kind of life—this Zoe life—and have it
abundantly (John 10:10). It is this Zoe life that Jesus was referring to
when He warned the dissatisfied brother that “life does not consist in an
abundance of possessions.” So even if you have an over-abundance of
material wealth, this is not what life is truly all about for the Christian.

To look more closely at the word Zoe, it carries the sense of a life filled
with an abundance of spiritual possessions both in this present life and
the life to come. Galatians 5:22-23 tells us that life in the Spirit is marked
by love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
gentleness and self-control. Consider the beauty of such a life on earth!
And ultimately, what can compare to the joy and hope of eternal life
with God? The things that seem to satisfy all the desires of our body
and soul (the finest of food, the most expensive clothing or the most
extravagantly luxurious home) cannot give true life in this sense.

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