One day, a man came to Jesus with a grievance that, on the surface, sounded entirely reasonable: “Master, speak to my brother, that he divide the inheritance with me.” It is the kind of dispute we recognise at once, because it touches something deeply human—the conviction that what was once ours, or what we once gave freely to another, still remains ours to reclaim when the relationship sours or circumstances change.
Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”
Jesus replied, “Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?”
Luke 12:13-14 (NIV)
Jesus does not settle the case and refuses even to be drawn into it. Instead, He turns from the particular dispute to the deeper disease beneath it, warning the crowd, “Watch out and guard your heart against greed, because true life is not defined by what you own” (Luke 12:15). In that single redirection, Christ unsettles our whole way of measuring loss and gain. He does not adjudicate who deserves the land, the money, or the portion once given — because the real question was never about the inheritance at all. It was about where a man’s life, and his security, truly rest. Our portion is not found in what we once gave away, nor in what we might yet reclaim, but in the Lord Himself, who alone is sufficient for the soul.
Who Made God A Judge Over Our Property Dispute?
It is remarkable to notice how we assign a portfolio to the Sovereign God according to the need of the hour. At times, He is a shopkeeper, holding all the goods of this world under one roof, to whom we add a long list to our cart and ask Him to deliver to our door. At other times, we require protection, and so we hire Him as a bouncer, one who will let no one come near us. At yet other times, we make Him a hitman, expecting Him to end the lives of those we dislike—and here, one of the two brothers has made Him an arbiter, summoned to fight his cause and secure his portion of the property.
Something had come between the brothers, prompting one of them to want his portion of the inheritance separated for himself, no longer willing to share it with his brother. In today’s context, this kind of dispute over property, and the prayer for God to intervene in it, still goes on, despite Jesus having shown displeasure at such trivial requests through this very incident. When all is going well, we happily share our inheritance; but when misunderstanding arises, we want our share set apart. God blesses us in countless ways, and He never wishes to separate His blessings from us on account of our misunderstandings about Him. Yet we, as human beings, tend to act hastily to withdraw our portion, without realising what we are doing.
While the counterparty may not have contributed financially to the acquisition of the asset, their subsequent entitlement to it—despite our prior investments—presents a complex legal challenge. Although we possess documentation, such as bank records and payment receipts, confirming our sole funding of the property, the voluntary transfer of the title remains the primary obstacle. Regardless of the circumstances under which the title was transferred, that legal conveyance significantly undermines our current claim to ownership. Ultimately, once a title has been formally assigned, our historical financial contributions hold limited weight in challenging that established legal standing.
Illustration From The Bible
For the Israelites, God caused the Egyptians to give up their gold and silver willingly. In the same way, we find ourselves in a situation where we willingly gave him the title. Yet we are not like the Egyptians, who lost something in the giving — by giving, we gain far more.
“And I will make the Egyptians favorably disposed toward this people, so that when you leave you will not go empty-handed. Every woman is to ask her neighbor and any woman living in her house for articles of silver and gold and for clothing, which you will put on your sons and daughters. And so you will plunder the Egyptians.”
Exodus 3:21-22 (NIV)
God did this to render His verdict upon the Egyptians: “You gave My people nothing for their labour; now I will make you pay it all, with arrears.” It was a lesson from God to the Egyptians, who had wronged His people. Along this same line, we might well consider that this was not simply a blessing for the Israelites, but a settling of accounts.
We didn’t do anything wrong to him, but we’re in a spot where God has seemingly allowed our money to go to a liar. This isn’t the end of the story, though, and we might still get what God has in store for us. We’ve seen that this provision wasn’t just a treat for His people when they left slavery; the whole point was actually about the Egyptians, not them—since God Himself was their real treasure. But when the people missed that and focused on the Egyptian loot, God let them use it to build an idol. Even so, that wealth served its purpose, no matter whose hands it went through. This answers our worry about why we should give up our hard-earned money to someone who might misuse it. Thinking that way just means we’re treating the money like our deceivers would have, because those treasures are tainted anyway and will eventually serve God’s purpose, not ours.
Why Do Problems Come In Our Lives?
When people unlawfully seek to rob us of our inheritance, along with other trials we face, the question that arises in our minds is why God allows this to happen in our lives. To understand what God is accomplishing through these experiences, we may turn to the Old Testament, where God gave the reason for the unending problems we face daily. The liberated Israelites found themselves surrounded by many enemies, and God told them not to be afraid, for it was He who kept them close to the Israelites for a good reason.
But I will not drive them out in a single year, because the land would become desolate and the wild animals too numerous for you. Little by little I will drive them out before you, until you have increased enough to take possession of the land.
Exodus 22:29-30 (NIV)
This provides clarity on the purpose of challenges in our lives: they serve as a catalyst for spiritual reliance and growth. Rather than being mere burdens, these trials prevent spiritual complacency and the vulnerabilities that arise from it. By grounding ourselves in foundational truths, we create a resilient inner state that allows us to navigate adversity effectively. As demonstrated by the Apostle Paul, challenges often remain to foster humility and maturity, ensuring our continued dependence on grace. While financial, health, or legal difficulties are significant, they function as opportunities to deepen our commitment to our guiding principles. Neglecting this focus risks further instability, emphasizing the importance of remaining steadfast in our values to maintain long-term professional and personal integrity.
Just Shall Live By Faith
We often preach faith but do not live by it. We live a dual life, believing in God and His Word, yet trusting the world and its lies more than the Word of God. We think that we are privileged people of God, entitled to exercise our resources to the fullest for our success. But forgoing even a rightful privilege is what real faith in God looks like.
Ezra is the best example of one who lived by faith rather than by the rightful authority he could have exercised. When Ezra travelled with the treasures entrusted to him to build the temple of Jerusalem, the journey was highly dangerous because of thieves and bandits along the way. Ezra had the authority to request that the king provide security for his travel through the path infested with thieves. Yet he chose to trust God instead, and the reason behind this decision is commendable.
I was ashamed to ask the king for soldiers and horsemen to protect us from enemies on the road, because we had told the king, “The gracious hand of our God is on everyone who looks to him, but his great anger is against all who forsake him. ”
Ezra 8:22 (NIV)
We are the testimony for the Gentiles, while many are misguided into thinking that signs and wonders are the testimony. Jesus, in His Sermon on the Mount, said that we are the light of the world, and people should come to our Father God by seeing our lives. We mix things up when real problems strike, and we always lean on the world and its lies rather than trusting God—not necessarily in every extreme circumstance, but at least to the level of what we have conveyed about the character of our God. This may bring an end to our long years of judicial cases, for when we trust God more than our judicial system, God will take care of us.
Isaac, in those days, did not believe in arguments but believed in the unlimited resources of God, so much so that he easily left the well he had dug without hesitation to those who claimed it. In the end, Isaac praised God for bringing him to a broader place, and he named that place Rehoboth, where no one came to seize the well Isaac had dug. If we understand the boundless resources of our God, we would surely put our trust in Him, and we would never trust the limited resources available on this earth.
Our portion is not what we give away, but God Himself—whom Mary chose. And Jesus declared that what Mary had chosen was good, and it could never be taken away from her. Let us not waste our time on things that can be taken from us, but let us fix our eyes on the Kingdom of God and His truth—for that inheritance can never be taken away.
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