Take care to guard against all greed, for one’s life does not consist of possessions. Jesus’ fame as an honest man of God was surely making rounds within the villages and cities he was visiting. He must have been winning the hearts of those who were getting to know him. This was perhaps the reason that led to one of those who had gathered to listen to him to approach him with a rare request. It was a rare request because up until then, the only requests with which Jesus had been approached almost exclusively concerned healing the sick or performing some kind of exorcism. Such was not the case with the individual we encounter in our Gospel passage for today. His request was not for healing but rather for Jesus to arbitrate on an issue that had pitted him against his brother. He felt that justice had been denied him and thus wanted Jesus to come in and help. But instead of doing as the man had wanted, Jesus took the opportunity to teach the crowd about what he believed was at the heart of the matter: the vice of greed.
Greed is defined as an inordinate desire to acquire or possess more than one needs, especially with respect to material wealth. Traditionally, greed is classified as a cardinal vice (it is among the seven cardinal vices of old) and is considered a sin against the virtue of charity (love). It is a sin that ruptures the relational bond that keeps the human person in right relationship with God and with fellow human persons. In his/her attempts to acquire more than he/she needs, an individual will find him/herself reaching beyond what should be rightly his/hers. Such an attempt is always an insult on God who sufficiently provides for the needs of his creatures. Greed is a sin that is responsible for almost all the wars that have dotted human history. 
Greed is a sin against the commandment of love. It is a sin against the virtue of charity. It is a sin against the values that serve to set apart followers of Jesus (by your love they will know that you are my disciples…[cf. John 13:35]). Greed implicitly makes a false claim that material possession is the most basic human need, something without which life cannot possibly be. It can be an obstacle in one’s path of self-realization because of its tendency to want to be the only focus. The individual who approached Jesus was preoccupied with material wealth so much so that he found it impossible to listen to the words of life that Jesus was speaking. All that he could think about was the inheritance of which his brother wanted to deprive him. In his response, Jesus reminded him to realize that there are other things more important that material wealth. Being in the presence of Jesus and listening to his words of life was certainly of greater importance than thinking about his inheritance (cf. Luke 10:41-42). Had he been paying close attention to Jesus, perhaps he might have learnt the best way to settle the issue with his brother in a manner that prioritized their relationship.