Jesus Christ invites us on a quest to the kingdom of God. The trick is that we have all wandered off in the opposite direction. This wandering off winds up being the search to for self-satisfaction. A full stomach, a comfortable and safe place to stay, nice attire, and internal bliss. No worries. No mental distress. Just sustained bliss. We grope for this self-satisfaction but never obtain it. Those without their stuff always worry about getting it. Those with their stuff always worry about losing it. Why? Because all the stuff we search for never really lasts. It rusts. It loses value. It gets stolen.
Now, there is a different way. Jesus bids us to follow Him on this different quest. This quest involves the prioritizing our relationship with God above material possessions and worries. To better understand the significance of seeking the kingdom, we will examine the relationship between seeking the kingdom of God and the parable of the rich fool (Luke 12:13-21) along with the teaching on the flowers and birds (Luke 12:22-30).
“Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me,” a man said to Jesus (Lk. 12:13).[1] An elder brother would be heir to a father’s estate in this first century ancient near east context. But Jesus responds, “Man, who made me a judge or arbitrator over you? Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions” (Lk. 12: 14-15). Here Jesus points out “the issue is not whether the plaintiff is legally in the right; the issue is that life, not possessions, is what matters.”[2]
To further illustrate the point, Jesus presents the parable of the rich fool:
The land of a rich man produced plentifully, and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.”’ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God” (Lk. 12:16-21).
This parable illustrates the folly of making life about the hedonistic pursuit of maximizing pleasures and minimizing pains. A rich man accumulates great wealth and plans to build bigger barns to store his surplus. Yet, he is a fool, since he invested all his resources in commodities that would never get to be enjoyed because his appointed time of death had arrived. Death put the kibosh on the rich fool’s plan.
Christ’s parable echoes lines from A Psalm of the Son’s of Korah:
Be not afraid when a man becomes rich,
when the glory of his house increases.
For when he dies he will carry nothing away;
his glory will not go down after him.
For though, while he lives, he counts himself blessed
—and though you get praise when you do well for yourself—
his soul will go to the generation of his fathers,
who will never again see light.
Man in his pomp yet without understanding is like the beasts that perish (Psa. 49:16-20)
Avarice blinded the rich fool from seeking the one thing that could last forever — the kingdom of God. Preoccupation with obtaining wealth and possessions to set oneself up for a long life of ease, sated appetites, and creaturely comforts is the hedonistic aspirations of a fallen world. Such is chasing after the wind. Material possessions alone can never promise a long life of ease, sated appetites, and creaturely comforts. A quest for something that will last forever and truly satisfy is needed.
But Jesus gives us some very good news about this kingdom of God that eases our anxieties. Those belonging to the kingdom find themselves under the domain of a benevolent ruler who watches over and cares for littlest creatures and as such most certainly will never forsake us either. Jesus says,
Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest? Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass, which is alive in the field today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried. For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them. (Lk. 12:22-30).
Worrying never extends life but it can bring about stress related illnesses (high blood pressure, insomnia, anxiety, depression, etc.). Life is more than food and clothing. All the food and clothing in the world can never promise us life. The rich fool had more than enough food but died before he could ever enjoy it. Rather, we are to consider the God who providentially cares over the littlest creatures. Ravens never build food storage units, yet they are fed by God. Lilies never tailor their attire, but God made them with a vibrant beauty that surpasses even the finest adornments worn by King Solomon. If, therefore, God cares for the plants, and the flying creatures, He too shall care for the crowning jewels of creation, the people created in the image of God.[3] Moreover, the God who watches over us already knows we need food and clothing.
Jesus thus instructed us to “seek [God’s] kingdom and these things will be added to you” (Lk. 12:31). The same idea was expressed in the Sermon on the Mount: “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness” (Matt. 6:33). Looking for the kingdom of God is to be our top priority. But what is the kingdom of God?
The kingdom of God is the display of God’s rule over the whole creation. Jesus described the people who truly belonged to the kingdom of God in the beatitudes (Lk. 6:20-26; Matt. 5:3-11). Those who live in accordance with God’s precepts and principles are the great in this kingdom (Matt. 5:17-20). Those of childlike humility receive it (Lk. 18:16-17). God’s kingdom is “present in the person and teaching of Jesus (Lk 10:9; 17:21) even though it awaits a future consummation (Lk 13:29; 22:18).” [4] The glorious manifestation of God’s kingdom within the whole creation is both “now” and “not yet.”[5]
“Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom,” says Jesus (Lk. 12:32). The Heavenly Father is far from the one to hold back from His children the bounty of His kingdom. All who seek the kingdom find the kingdom. God will make sure of it. Rather than fixating upon the gathering of stuff to satisfy the self, something that cannot really be done, since greed just consumes and consumes while remaining in a perpetual state of dissatisfaction, the Lord’s disciples are instructed: “Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroy” (Lk. 12:33). Dispossession of earthly treasures for almsgiving that stores up for us everlasting heavenly treasures. Heavenly treasures never depreciate in their value. They can never be stolen by thieves. They are forever enjoyed by recipients of everlasting life. Whether we pursue perishable earthly riches or everlasting heavenly riches is a matter of the inner disposition of the heart: “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Lk. 12:34).
The lesson is this: “Disciples’ priorities differ from those of the world. Unlike those in the world who consume themselves with the pursuit of food and clothing, disciples are to focus on seeking God’s kingdom. This means we pursue relationship with God, his will and the evidence of his rule and guidance in our lives as we seek to serve him.”[6]
Pursuit of self-satisfaction can never escape this domain of death that characterizes the world we wander. Our mortality ultimately robs us of all wealth and property. But the kingdom of God is a domain of life. It is the realm where the Maker of the universe gives and sustains life. The Lord cares over His creation from the flowers, to the birds, and His people. The rich fool, who sought material wealth at the expense of his soul, whereas the carefree dependence of the birds and the lilies thrive in God’s provision. Seeking the kingdom is akin to the latter, which focuses upon faith in God, who is the trusted sustainer of life.
— WGN
Notes:
[1] All Scripture cited from The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), unless noted.
[2] Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1993), Lk 12:14–15.
[3] God made the heavens and earth. He brought forth the plants on the third day (Gen. 1:11-13), and made the birds to rule the sky on the fifth day (Gen. 1:30-23). Then God made man in His own image both male and female He created them (Gen. 1:27). Plants and birds are precious things created by God; yet, the crowning jewels of the creation is man and woman created in the image of God (Gen. 1:27).
[4] Arthur G. Patzia and Anthony J. Petrotta, Pocket Dictionary of Biblical Studies (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2002), 70.
[5] Old Testament prophets foretold of God’s rule over being manifested in the most spectacular way. Zechariah anticipated a day when Yahweh would come to dwell among His people (Zech. 2:10-11). Isaiah foresaw the birth of the child who would be called “Wonderful Counselor” and “Mighty God” seated upon “the throne of David and over his kingdom” (Isa. 9:6-7). Daniel witnessed the vision of the Son of Man ascending to the Ancient of Days, receiving unending dominion, glory, and rule over people of all nations and languages (Dan. 7:13-14). The Gospel writers, Luke in particular, understood that glorious future described by the Old Testament prophets arriving at least in part in the person and ministry of Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ.
[6] Darrell L. Bock, Luke: The IVP New Testament Commentary Series, vol. 3, ed. Grant R. Osborne (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1994), 228
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