13 One of the multitude said to Jesus, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”

14 But he said to him, “Man, who made me a judge or an arbitrator over you?” 15 He said to them, “Beware! Keep yourselves from covetousness, for a man’s life doesn’t consist of the abundance of the things which he possesses.”

16 He spoke a parable to them, saying, “The ground of a certain rich man produced abundantly. 17 He reasoned within himself, saying, ‘What will I do, because I don’t have room to store my crops?’ 18 He said, ‘This is what I will do. I will pull down my barns, and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19 I will tell my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years. Take your ease, eat, drink, be merry.”’

20 “But God said to him, ‘You foolish one, tonight your soul is required of you. The things which you have prepared—whose will they be?’ 21 So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”

Luke 12:13-21 - World English Bible

After Jesus criticized the scribes, someone in the crowd challenged him to act like a scribe, to make a legal ruling on inheritance. Whether the person acted in good faith or wanted to embarrass the Lord or paint him into a corner, we do not know. Jesus, however, rejected the question. Instead, he challenged the questioner's intentions as selfish; this led to a parable of a rich man who died poor in the eyes of God. The story and its moral were clear. Live for God, not merely for the self.

How have you fought against selfishness in your life?