Luke 12:14

‘But he said to him, “Man, who made me a judge or a divider over you?”

Jesus' reply is indicative of how He saw His position. He had not been sent to sort out petty worldly affairs, especially not when the motives were so poor. Possibly because He has been speaking about the last Judgment the man has misjudged His concerns. But His concerns are with the Kingly Rule of God. If this man wanted judgments concerning inheritances and about divisions of land on earth let him go to those who saw that as part of their task, and gloried in such things. He did not see it as part of His ministry, and He did not consider that God had anointed Him for this. This was nothing to do with the Kingly Rule of God which was for those whose minds were turned towards Heaven. On what grounds then was the man claiming that He should interfere? For the phrase compare Exodus 2:14.

We are left to assume that the man then went away. In view of the fact that his eyes were only on an earthly inheritance he was no longer relevant. And that was why he was dismissed. Here was Jesus on His way to Jerusalem to die, and speaking of eternal choices, and all this man could think of was a grubby inheritance. (We may all at some time have to have a part in inheritance cases, but the warning here is not to let them interfere in our service and usefulness for Him. If they take possession of us we are failing Him).