His enemies often tried maliciously to get Jesus to take sides in some dispute or in some political matter. In today's Gospel passage, however, there does not seem to be any malice in the request which "someone in the crowd" made about an inheritance matter. Nevertheless, Jesus still refused to take sides. More than that, as he usually did, Jesus seized the opportunity to teach us, in this case on avoiding any spirit of greed.

As in much of Christian life, so in our attitudes towards material things, there is a tension: on the one hand we must be provident and take care of our future, while on the other we must live with a serene dependence on God who is the Lord of History. From one point of view, our future is in our own hands, for it is the fruit of the present life we lead. From a higher point of view, however, the future is in the hands of God. We resolve the tension through that liberty which the truth of Jesus brings us: "You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free" [John 8:32].