The Profit In Greed Series

So, not only did Yeshua reject the role of judge or arbitrator, but he emphasized what is important in life by launching into a story—a parable. In modern understanding it goes like this; There was a very rich farmer who owned very fertile ground. He thought, “What should I do? I don’t have storage bins for all my crops to sell at the top of the market price. Tell you what: I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones and keep it in there, along with my equipment. Then, I’ll say to myself, ‘Self, you have enough to carry you for many years; relax, eat, drink and have a good time!’

But God said to him, “You fool! Today your life will end, and all that stuff you have accumulated will belong too—who?”

The Teacher ended the parable with, “So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God.”

Here’s a case where the farmer earned everything he had. Was he wrong to build bigger barns and hold his crop for a better market? No, not at all. The foolish action was basing his life and actions on his trusted possessions and not following the Code of Conduct so clearly set before him. His attitude was that the foundation of his happiness was in his possessions and not his relationship with his Creator.

You too may enjoy going to estate sales. Every time I look over what was once someone’s treasure, the prevailing thought is, I’ll bet they thought they could take it with them. But, there it is, being sold for much less than the deceased thought it was worth. This begs the story of Aurora Shuck and her Cadillac. Aurora loved her 1976 red convertible. Aurora was 62 when she died, and she and her husband of 41 years, Raymond, lived in Aurora, Indiana. The Cadillac was so loved that Mrs. Shuck asked to be buried in it. She was, and the 14-burrial plots, oversized vault and labor to lower this huge car into the ground with her, cost $176-thousand. But, did Aurora drive it up to the pearly gates and announce, “Here I am, let me in”? On the contrary, St. Peter’s response would be more like, “You loved what more than God?”

Matthew 6:21 holds a famous quote, “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” David Stewart makes a great point when he identifies how much of humanity thinks of this passage, also found in Luke 12:34. Stewart writes, “The treasure doesn’t follow our heart; but rather, our heart follows our treasure—whether it be a career, a family, or a large accumulation of wealth. This means control is gradually turned over to things rather than God. Rest assured, your stuff don’t care about your code of conduct, nor does it care if it drags you down. Any person who has stood before God will tell you; the greatest things in life are not at all things.

Our society has so embraced greed that we even have a World of War-craft video game called “Greed and Pride.” Of course, it includes on-screen weapons and killing. Does teaching about God’s Code of Conduct have a chance in the mind of the player? Greed and Pride are real, and so is murder, but is it of God?