Luke 12:13-21
Making Long-term Investments
Wow! Today’s passage is a little shocking for those of us who enjoy life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness in this greatest nation on God’s green earth. By world’s standards, we are the richest of the rich. We may not be one percenters by U.S. standards, but we certainly are by world standards. Even the poor and impoverished in America fare quite well by world standards. And as Will Rogers once said, “Too many people spend money they haven’t earned, to buy things they don’t want, to impress people they don’t like.”
So what are we to think about Jesus’ teachings on wealth? And what does today’s passage have to say for us?
We can guess that it is only the context of the moment why Jesus is so hard on wealth. After all, he’s lashing out at a guy in the crowd who obviously has some selfish motive for wanting more of the estate coming to him. “Make my brother give me my fair share!” And Jesus retorts, “Who put me in charge of you?” There were civic courts for this kind of thing, and Jesus wasn’t going to be drug into it, although he did choose to use it as a teachable moment on the peril of greed.
So, is this an isolated incident, where Jesus attacks greed and wealth? Not really. Consider his Sermon on the Mount comments (Matthew 6:19-21) where he says, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth ... But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven ... For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Someone once said, “You never see a hearse pulling a U-Haul.” The one with the most toys ... still dies, and then comes eternal judgment. You can’t take it with you! So Jesus says, send it on ahead. Use your wealth to make long-term investments. And what’s the longest term? Something that will last forever: God’s kingdom and the people that you help send there. Use your money to further God’s causes—such as love, justice, forgiveness, and so forth, and to lead people to Christ and life eternal.
Or consider Jesus’ conversation with the rich young ruler. In Mark 10:21 Jesus tells him, “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” But that young man turned away sorrowfully because, like you and me, he had an abundance of possessions. Then Jesus remarked to his disciples how difficult it is for a rich person to make it into heaven. To illustrate, he said, “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God” (Mark 10:25). The disciples responded, “Well who, then, can be saved?” Which prompted Jesus to say, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God” (Mark 10:27).
Jesus is pretty consistent on his view of wealth and money: it can be a real stumbling block in our relationship with God and others. So what is the point of today’s story? Why is Jesus so negative on what we might call the American Dream? Is he condemning wealth and savings and retirement? Does he really expect us to give away everything and have nothing?
No, I don’t think so. Remember the woman who lavished that expensive alabaster jar of perfume on his feet, and one of his disciples complained that the money for that could have been used to feed the poor? Jesus praised the woman’s worshiping heart and replied, “The poor you will always have with you” (Matthew 26:11). Jesus obviously didn’t think that being poor was the answer or necessarily a free ticket to heaven.
I think the key to understanding Jesus’ point in today’s story is at the very end of the parable. After God tells the man, “You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?” Jesus says, “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not ... rich toward God” (Luke 12:20-21).
Those last three words are the key: “rich toward God.” I don’t think Jesus is saying an abundance of possessions is in itself a bad thing. There were lots of rich people in the Bible who followed God with all their heart: Abraham in the Old Testament was extremely wealthy, and we’ll see next week that he is the Bible’s very definition of faith. Wealthy Joseph of Arimathea was a secret follower of Jesus, a member of the Jewish religious elite, and the one who funded Jesus’ burial before his resurrection. Lydia was a successful businesswoman who helped Paul start the first church in Europe. And the list goes on and on.
Lots of modern day people have used their wealth to honor God in massive ways. Truett Cathy, founder of Chick-Fil-A, and David Green, founder of Hobby Lobby, close their stores on Sundays as a testament to their faith. Green has given away over a ½ billion dollars to charity. Others, such as Sam Walton, Mary Kay Ash, John Rockefeller, and Tyler Perry, have used their businesses to honor God and to fund Christian endeavors.
So wealth doesn’t necessarily corrupt you. But it did the fellow in today’s story. He began living for himself only, and then his life was over. It seems like Jesus is warning us that if we’re not careful, wealth can corrupt us, too. We can end up like this fellow making our life goal to take care of our possessions. Someone once said, “You possess your possessions and then your possessions possess you!” You think you own your stuff. But then you have to service it, clean it, repair it, mow it, wash it, and update it. And you discover that you don’t own your stuff so much as your stuff owns you!
My wife and I have been interested lately in the minimalist movement. We came across a little book by Joshua Becker entitled, “The More of Less: Finding the Life You Want Under Everything You Own.” Becky’s sister gave it to their mother, and we read some of it while in Europe, and then bought a copy once we were back home. Becker, a former pastor, contends that minimalism benefits us in so many ways, including giving us more time and energy, more money, more generosity, more freedom, less stress, less distraction, less environmental impact, higher-quality belongings, a better example for our kids, less comparison, more contentment, and less work for someone else when we die (Joshua Becker, “The More of Less,” Colorado Springs: Water Brook, 2016, pages 8-10).
Last week I came across an interesting blog entitled, “Why you should try selling everything you own (at least once in your life)” (“A Globe Well Traveled,” March 2, 2015). Ashlea, a businesswoman from Australia who is currently residing in New York City, said, “Selling everything you own changes you. It makes you realize that having a bunch of stuff is not actually important. It shows you that material possessions are not what make up who you are, and that it’s actually experiences and memories that make you happy.”
Isn’t this what Jesus said? Verse 15: “Life does not consist in an abundance of possessions” (Luke 12:15). You are more than the sum of your net worth. Your life does not consist of what you own.
The Apostle Paul gave his protégé, young Timothy, some sage advice when he said, in 1 Timothy 6, “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. [Notice it’s the “love of money,” not money itself.] Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. ... Command those who are rich in this present world [that’s us] not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.” (1 Timothy 6:10; 1 Timothy 6:17-18)
There is nothing wrong with being wealthy. Just use your wealth to honor God. Love God and people and use money. Don’t love money and use people. Be “rich toward God.” And remember, you are not the sum of your possessions. You are much more than that. Let us pray.
God, help us. You know we live in a materialistic society which constantly bombards us with ads that say, “More is better!” But you are better. Help us to find our ultimate fulfillment in you and you alone. Help us to love you with all our heart and to love our neighbor as ourselves. And, Lord, help us to honor you with our money and our stuff. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.
