“And he said unto him, Man, who made me a judge or a divider over you?” (Luke 12:14)
Jesus was not contentious. He knew when to contend, and when not to. When one wanted Him to take their side in a personal squabble, He passed. He chose to stay above the fray.
What concerns the Prince of Peace is the underlying spiritual causes of contention. He will always have something to say about man’s pride and covetousness. He savors the things of God, not man.
The righteous choose their battles wisely. They see no need to proffer their opinion on every matter. Being smart or right or relevant is not what moves them. They are not brawlers. They steer clear of unprofitable debates. Their first and only question when facing an issue is, “Should I go to battle here, or forbear?” Only when God gives them the go-ahead do they open their mouth.
We live in a day of heated passions and rhetoric, where people more than ever are clamoring about their rights and freedoms. We want more, not less, of everything. We are about us and our things, not God’s deeper concerns. We would enlist the Master to take our side. But He is the same, yesterday, today, and forever. He calls us to contentment, not covetousness; a willingness to have less, not more of this world’s goods; a heart rich toward Him, not toward ourselves.
Our lives don’t consist in the abundance of things we possess. (Lk. 12:15) Christ is our life. (Col. 3:4) He would have us seek those things which are above, where He sits on the right hand of God, above the fray.