19 · Jesus' Words and Actions

Jesus Won't Settle an Inheritance

Luke 12:13–15

Läs på svenska
An adult man stands before Jesus and gestures while Jesus responds and a crowd stands around them.

Asked to settle an inheritance dispute, Jesus redirects attention to greed and possessions.

Why does Jesus not settle the dispute?

Choose a perspective

There is no score – choose the perspective you find closest and discuss why.

Discuss: Can we be entitled to something yet ask why it matters so much?

After your discussion: compare with our assessment

Our assessment

A follows Jesus' actual response. He refuses the legal role the man attempts to give him and shifts the conversation from dividing the inheritance to the danger of greed and a view of life built around possessions. C is deliberately cautious because Luke never says that the man's financial claim is illegitimate. He may have had a valid claim. Yet Jesus responds with a warning that applies to him as well as to the wider crowd.

19 · Luke 12:13–15

Go deeper

Text & context

Full translation

13 Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” 14 But he said to him, “Man, who appointed me a judge or divider over you?” 15 Then he said to them, “Watch out and guard yourselves against every kind of greed, because even when someone has abundance, his life does not consist in what he possesses.”

Translated from the Greek text – SBLGNT

What is happening here?
Someone in the crowd asks Jesus to intervene in a family conflict over an inheritance. He does not ask Jesus for a general principle but wants Jesus to tell his brother to divide the inheritance with him. Jesus does not accept the role of judge or divider between the brothers. He does not decide who is legally right, and the story does not give us enough information to decide the matter ourselves. Instead, Jesus turns to those present and warns them against “every kind of greed.” He explains that a person's life does not consist in possessions, even when that person has abundance. Immediately afterward Jesus tells the parable of the rich fool in Luke 12:16–21. The inheritance dispute therefore becomes the introduction to a longer teaching about possessions, security, and what human life really consists in.
Notice this

The man asks Jesus to change his brother's behavior: “Tell my brother...” Jesus responds with something the man himself and the whole crowd must guard against: “Guard yourselves against every kind of greed.” The focus therefore moves from: What is my brother doing? to: What do I need to guard within myself? Also notice what Jesus does not say. He does not say that the man has no right to the inheritance. He does not say that the brother is right. We are never told who should legally receive what. On the Swedish card we use the context-specific term “arvskiftesman” for meristēs. More literally the word means a divider or distributor. Pleonexia is rendered “greed,” but its meaning is broader than simply describing a very wealthy person. It concerns the desire to have or obtain more. Jesus' statement in verse 15 does not mean material resources have no practical importance. His claim concerns what life itself consists in.

Language & translation

From the Greek

εἰπὲ τῷ ἀδελφῷ μου – eipe tō adelphō mou

tell my brother The man wants Jesus to intervene against the other party. His wording initially directs attention toward what his brother should do.

μερίσασθαι μετ᾽ ἐμοῦ τὴν κληρονομίαν – merisasthai met' emou tēn klēronomian

divide the inheritance with me Klēronomia means inheritance. Merizō means to divide or distribute.

ἄνθρωπε – anthrōpe

man / human A direct form of address. Jesus does not use a familial address such as “friend” or “child” here.

κριτὴν ἢ μεριστήν – kritēn ē meristēn

judge or divider Kritēs is a judge. Meristēs is someone who divides or distributes, fitting the role of an arbitrator in an inheritance division.

ὁρᾶτε καὶ φυλάσσεσθε – horate kai phylassesthe

watch out and guard yourselves Two commands strengthen the warning. Phylassō can mean guard, protect, or be on guard against something.

πάσης πλεονεξίας – pasēs pleonexias

every kind of greed Pleonexia refers to greed or the desire for more. It is not limited to people who are already wealthy.

ἡ ζωὴ αὐτοῦ ... ἐκ τῶν ὑπαρχόντων αὐτῷ – hē zōē autou ... ek tōn hyparchontōn autō

his life ... from what he possesses Jesus distinguishes a person's life from the abundance of possessions.

Translation note

Independent English translation from the Greek text, using SBLGNT as the primary Greek edition.

Compare for yourself

Read Luke 12:13–21 as one continuous sequence. Immediately after the warning about greed, Jesus tells the parable of the rich fool. Notice how the statement that life does not consist in possessions develops through the parable.

  • klēronomia
  • merizō
  • kritēs
  • meristēs
  • phylassō
  • pleonexia
  • zōē
  • hyparchonta

Pay particular attention to:

Continue the conversation

Discuss further
  1. Why do you think Jesus does not ask for the details of the inheritance dispute?
  2. Can a legitimate demand for justice become mixed with greed?
  3. What is the difference between owning something and allowing possessions to define one's life?
  4. How does Jesus' response change when the parable of the rich fool is read immediately afterward?
Parallel passages
  • Luke 12:16–21
  • Luke 12:22–34
  • Luke 16:13
Sources
  • The Greek New Testament: SBL Edition (SBLGNT), Michael W. Holmes, ed.
  • Luke 12:13–21
  • Standard Greek lexical resources for klēronomia, merizō, kritēs, meristēs, phylassō, pleonexia, zōē, and hyparchō