“So they answered that they did not know where it was from.”
Luke 20:7 NKJV
There are moments in Scripture where silence speaks louder than words. Luke 20:7 captures one of them. The religious leaders’ response—“We do not know”—was not an admission of ignorance but a strategic evasion. It was an intentional refusal to take a side. Scripture calls this spiritual ambiguity—the posture of withholding commitment, remaining in the safety of the middle, attempting to satisfy man while quietly negotiating terms with God.
This kind of ambiguity is not intellectual—it is a heart condition. Jesus identifies it clearly in Revelation 3: “have need of nothing.” This posture transcends financial wealth or social standing. It is the quiet, internal belief that life is manageable without full reliance on God. It is self-sufficient spirituality—an internal sense of security that numbs the call to surrender.
From the rich young ruler in Luke 18 to Abram and Sarai in their impatience, to the Laodicean church, and now to the religious leaders in Luke 20—we consistently see this pattern. Outward alignment with God, inward allegiance to comfort. A life arranged around avoiding disruption.
The issue is not wealth, morality, or religious practice—but unwillingness. The rich young ruler was moral but not surrendered. Abram and Sarai were called but not willing to wait. The religious leaders in Luke 20 were knowledgeable but not repentant. The Laodiceans were active but not dependent.
We often adopt this same posture today. We take comfort in respectable Christianity—living ethically, speaking cleanly, avoiding social offense. Yet our hearts remain tethered to the life we’ve built: routine, stability, acceptance, and manageable faith. When God asks, “Where are you?” our true answer is often, “I’m comfortable here.”
But Jesus does not expose this to shame us. He exposes it to invite us. In Luke 20, His question is not a trap but an opening to repentance. The leaders sit it out. But what if we respond differently?
Even the slightest prick of conviction is evidence that God is working. We are not called to fix our hearts—that is impossible—but to yield them. Our prayer from this place is not, “I will do better,” but, “Holy Spirit, take this conviction and grow it into surrender.”
Our condition is not our conclusion. Christ has finished the work. Our role is to acknowledge our need and ask for His intervention. He will do the work within us.
There is hope—for He will intervene.
Amen.
Summary of Key Ideas and Themes
• Spiritual ambiguity is intentional avoidance rather than uncertainty.
• The root issue is heart-based self-reliance, not lack of knowledge.
• “Have need of nothing” describes spiritual numbness, not financial wealth.
• Comfort can be a subtle idol, replacing dependence on God.
• True surrender is not action from self-strength, but Holy-Spirit-led transformation.
• Even minimal conviction is a divine invitation to repentance and renewal.
• Our inability is not defeat; it is the doorway to reliance on Christ’s finished work.
Legacy Stewardship Planning: A New Lens
Previously, we’ve explored legacy stewardship through obedience, alignment, discernment, and surrender. In this blog, the defining factor shifts: legacy stewardship begins where self-sufficiency ends.
Legacy planning is not primarily about what we build, but what we are willing to relinquish.
Here’s what this passage uniquely teaches about legacy stewardship:
- Legacy is endangered by comfort.
Lukewarm faith produces lukewarm legacy. The life that avoids disruption may appear stable but leaves no lasting spiritual inheritance. - Legacy requires repentance before strategy.
Legacy is not built from competency, resources, or planning—it begins with acknowledging our need. Only then does God entrust kingdom work. - Legacy planning is not self-directed; it is Spirit-led surrender.
Like Abram and Sarai, we must resist building legacy through impatience or control. We don’t force our legacy—we receive it. - The greatest threat to legacy is not failure—it is neutrality.
Legacy is lost not through weakness but through indecision. Ambiguity prevents generational impact. - Legacy is secured through divine intervention, not human action.
Christ finished the work. The Holy Spirit applies the work. Our legacy is preserved when we say, “Take it from here.”
Legacy Stewardship Reframed
Legacy stewardship is the intentional relinquishing of self-reliance so that what passes beyond us is not our competence, but our dependence on God.
It is teaching generations not merely how to manage resources, but how to yield them.
It is leaving behind not only plans, but testimony: “God intervened because I asked Him to.”
It is redefining success not as having need of nothing, but as acknowledging need for everything that flows from Him.
A Final Call for Legacy Builders
Do not attempt to repair the heart before building the plan.
Let conviction speak. Let surrender begin. Let the Spirit lead.
Because legacy does not begin with “Here is my strategy.”
It begins with “Here is my surrender.”
And from there—He will intervene.
Amen.
By Christopher L. Walker at myfathersestate.com
