Grace,
mercy and peace to you from God the Father and our lord Jesus Christ,
This
morning’s gospel text brings up questions about money and possessions that are
important to most of us. Material things play a big part in our way of life. Some
days we might think that money runs everything. This isn’t true, of course: God
is the ruler. But the rush for material abundance is very powerful, and it’s
easy for people to put secondary things in first place.
The
Bible doesn’t teach us that money and material goods are wrong in themselves. Abraham
was rich, and after he became King, David had a lot of material resources at
his disposal. People with riches have often benefited the church. The key
question is this – what do riches mean to the person who has them or wants
them?
The
passage from Luke gives us two examples that Jesus encourages us not to follow.
We have a glimpse into the soul of a man who wanted more of an inheritance than
he was entitled to. This was all he could find to talk about even with Jesus,
who claimed no authority when it comes to questions like that. By the grace of
God, it was not too late for this man. He had a chance to think again about
what was most important to him. Jesus wanted him to be rich in God, not
obsessed with earthly things. It would be much better for him to take hold of
the pardon, peace, and salvation that Jesus offered him. He would be happy,
content, and at ease, if he lived in union with God, day by day.
I
have a pretty good idea that no one here is like this man nor do Risen Christ’s
people resemble the rich fool in the parable that Jesus then told. Christians
are content with what God sends us. We make sure to thank him for the blessings
with which he fills our lives. We thank him every day. He delights in our
thanksgiving and is disposed to continue his generosity toward us.
The
man in the parable is highly respectable, an outstanding citizen – maybe
in today’s world he would own a car dealership or a chain of stores. There’s no
suggestion that he gained his riches in an unjust way. Many folks must have
admired him. Were it not for the teachings of God’s Word, his values would seem
right and worthy of being copied. But God has higher things in mind for his
beloved children, so Jesus teaches us by revealing this man’s soul.
For
one thing, we see what he thinks about life. Life equals possessions for him. He
believes that the more stuff he has the bigger his life will be. Church and
Bible teach us, though, that the things we need and use sustain our lives and
not extras that may look nice but gather dust. The man had enough to secure a very fine
earthly life – good food, expensive clothes, interesting friends, a chance to
explore the world. But he wanted even more luxuries, because he thought that
life requires excess. For him, you weren’t really alive if you didn’t have more
than you needed or could use.
Besides
this, he was a speculator. When he looked ahead, he saw an even greater supply
of riches, so he made big plans. He lived by wishful thinking. He said that
good times would multiply, even though there might be famine, war, depression,
or political upheaval. It’s wise to prepare for the future, but this man made a
mistake when he supposed he already had what might never be his. He counted his
chickens before they were hatched. He based his plans on thin air.
People
like that often get a lot of attention. They sometimes arouse envy. Satan uses
them to start us thinking: why do the ungodly have all the good fortune, while
Jesus’ brothers and sisters struggle along from day to day, unrewarded and
unnoticed? Jesus will answer all our
questions when we get to the next life. In the meantime, we don’t let our
questions lead to envy or covetousness. We cling to the Lord. We turn our
wishes over to him. He uses us as witnesses to good sense and balanced living
in a world that’s often awash with greed and foolishness.
In
the case of the rich man in the parable, folly is not just silliness or
childish behavior. It’s contempt for discipline and God’s truth. The man had no
thought for God at all, only for his own comforts and his pile of stuff. It’s
not that he denied God, but that he loved the world and its glitter so much
that he had no room in his heart for God. He seemed to have no living, saving
tie with his maker. He thought that life would automatically go on as it always
had. It didn’t occur to him that he would die that very night. He wouldn’t
surrender his soul gladly and joyfully as a believer does. No, he was so much
in love with earthly life that terrible angels would have to wrestle his soul
away from him.
By
the grace of God, this rich man’s story is a powerful warning, but it is not
the last word. Jesus died to save sinners. Even the most worldly, courteous,
wealth-obsessed person, of which there are none at Risen Christ, can be saved. We
thank God for protecting us from the evils of worldliness and keeping us in the
kingdom of faith. We praise him for turning our hearts away from the ravages of
greed and covetousness to rest confidently in him.
The
Bible and the church, and we ourselves, too, of course, have a lot of wisdom
about money and possessions. We’ll review some of it now to encourage us to
stick with the Lord.
First
off, as we’ve already said, life doesn’t consist of material things, though
some people think it does. I once heard someone say that he wanted many
millions of dollars, because life is money and money is how you measure a
person’s value. Not so. Life comes from God. It’s a mystery that consists of
breathing and eating and also intangible qualities like faith, hope, and love. The
body dies, but the existence of the soul continues and one day God will reunite
our bodies and souls and believers will pass into everlasting glory with God,
who gives us a chance now, with his help, to nourish our spirits in harmony
with him. Material things help, but they can get in the way if we take them too
seriously. Folks who have what they need and maybe a little bit more are often
the happiest. It’s good for God’s people to share in the abundance of the
present time, and we receive his blessings without an everlasting craving for
more, because we know that life comes from him and he’ll continue to provide
for us.
In
the second place, material well-being is uncertain. Economies flourish and
shrivel up. We hear reports in the news about a high unemployment rate in the
U. S. and cutbacks in many areas of life. Lots of folks are feeling a pinch
right now. Who can say for sure what the next year will bring? Better to stick
with God and trust in him than a pile of stuff we may have now or think we’ll
have in five years. How fortunate are
those who live with Jesus. We’re not isolated from the world. It’s ups and
downs touch us. We live by trust that while he won’t set us up in a mansion
with a limousine in the driveway, neither will he abandon us. He’ll give us
just what we need, and maybe a bit more, and he’ll continue to make daily joy a
reality for us.
Thirdly,
what’s the point of spending our best efforts piling up things, when death can
strike at any time, as the man in the parable discovered? God often grants long
life, and we may pray that this be the case with us. The parable reminds us,
however, that human life is fragile and that earthly structures are
impermanent. We’re wise to attach ourselves to God, who is permanent and who
promises that even though the joys of earthly life are fleeting and its glories
pass away, he will shower the blessings of abundant eternal life on those who
stick with him
Lastly,
satisfying work can be one of the best parts of life, but working to pile up
stuff for its own sake is meaningless. We don’t know what will become of the
fruits of our toil after we are gone. King Solomon put it well. “A man may do
his work with wisdom, knowledge, and skill, and then he must leave all he owns
to someone who hasn’t worked for it.” What does a person get for all his or her
toil and anxious striving? What will the folks after us do with the heritage we
leave them? Best to stick with Jesus, who gives meaning and purpose to the
smallest of our actions. Labor for him is never in vain.
The
world and the devil encourage us to seek riches and to give up our souls for
gain. God and the church bring us a different message: Hold on there. Are you
sure that’s wise? Think before you surrender yourself to anything you can see
or touch or add up. If you insist on living as a fool, live as a fool for
Christ, as Paul put it. “The foolishness of God is wiser than man’s
wisdom...God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise...we are
fools for Christ.”
How
often we see greed and covetousness, maybe even in ourselves, and wish that
things were different. The materialistic values that surround us awaken lust
for gain in fragile hearts. Many do not resist. We praise God for the Holy
Spirit, who brings us to repentance. Where human flesh falls many times, Jesus
remains steady. He didn’t give way to covetousness, but always obeyed the will
of his Father. He passes on the results of his obedience to us. He pardons; he
washes away our sins. He strengthen us; he shares with us the fruits of his
perfect, God-filled life.
He
tells us, as he told his disciples, to be rich toward God – or as one
translator put it – to be rich in God. This doesn’t mean that we gather no
earthly treasures at all but that earthly blessings don’t keep us from
gathering riches of the spirit. To be rich in God, according to one student of
the Scriptures, means to have the wealth that is found in God – pardon and
peace, as we said, and salvation in union with him. To be rich in God means to
be in faith. To quote again: “The person who is rich in God has the saving
gifts that God gives; she or he takes hold of them with gratitude and by faith
as his or her own. This person is truly rich, however little he or she may have
of earthly goods.” Believers who receive earthly blessings from God won’t let
these blessings interfere with their true spiritual wealth, since they will
treat them the way Abraham and David treated their riches – as tools from God
to be used for heaven’s purposes.
We
praise God for showing us his values and giving us the confidence to trust that
even we may live by his guidelines. We thank our Savior for carrying us through
valleys of materialism to safety at the foot of the Cross. We rejoice that he
gives us a chance to gather heavenly riches as he brings us day by day to the
wonderful life that is coming. In Jesus’ Name. AMEN.
The
peace of God that passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in the
knowledge of Christ Jesus. AMEN.
No comments:
Post a Comment