Your Money Or Your Life?

Do any of you remember the story of the poor fisherman and his wife, who caught a magic fish, who granted them 3 wishes? Or Aladdin and his wonderful lamp (not the Disney version)? Or all the other fairy tales involving magic and wishes and unexpected consequences? When I was young I used to spend hours figuring out what I would wish for if anyone ever offered me three wishes, and figuring out how I’d phrase it so that there wouldn’t be any unpleasant side effects. Because all of the stories have one thing in common: there’s always a “gotcha” in it. Be careful what you wish for, as the old saying goes; you might get it.

One of the most famous of these stories comes from long ago and far away, from the kingdom of Phrygia, which is in what is now the north of Turkey. As the story has it, an old man named Silenus who had wandered away from his home was found by some kind-hearted peasants and taken to their king, named Midas. King Midas recognized the old man as the foster father of Bacchus, the Greek god of wine, and so received him hospitably and returned him home, with gifts. When Bacchus offered Midas anything he wanted as a reward for his kindness, Midas asked that everything that he touched might turn into gold. Bacchus granted his wish, and Midas went on his way, rejoicing in his newly acquired power. He could scarcely believe his eyes when he plucked a twig from an oak and it turned to gold in his hand. He picked up a stone; it became gold. He took a handful of dirt, and it did the same. He gathered berries from a bush, and when they too turned to gold his joy knew no bounds. He went on his way, full of plans for all the things he could do with his new wealth. As soon as Midas got home he ordered his servants to serve up a splendid feast, and when they had done so, he sat down to dine. To his dismay, when he bit into his first piece of bread, it broke a tooth. When he tried to take a sip from his goblet, the wine hardened in his mouth. Shocked at the unexpected consequences of his new gift, Midas tried to free himself of his powers. But nothing he could do had any effect; everything he touched still turned to gold. At last, fearing starvation, he prayed aloud to Bacchus to be freed from his golden curse. In pity, Bacchus granted his wish. Afterwards, King Midas shunned wealth and splendor, and lived simply in the countryside.

Anybody here ever wish they were rich? Not that we’d ask for anything as stupid as Midas did, though, of course not. We know that money doesn’t buy happiness, we’re Christians, after all! None of us think that money is the most important thing in life. It’s just that - a little more would be nice. And it wouldn’t corrupt me, I’m sure it wouldn’t! just let me win a couple of million dollars and give me the chance to prove it. . . I had a prof back at seminary who used to joke that his prayer was for God to equip him to minister to the filthy rich - where they’re at. Like Palm Springs, Morocco, and St. Moritz.

Most of us probably don’t spend much time dreaming about winning the lottery. It wouldn’t take that much to make us happy.... But maybe just a little bit more. My sister went hiking in Austria a few years ago. I don’t particularly want to go hiking in Austria, but I could do the Mozart festival in Salzburg... Just a little bit more. Just enough to replace my computer and my music software, that’s a pious wish, isn’t it? Just enough to buy all the books I want... And maybe enough to fly to New York or San Francisco or Tacoma to see my family whenever I feel like it. Just enough to go to Greece and Israel ... and maybe Ireland and New Zealand while I’m at it... Just a little bit more.

But how much is enough? The millionaire John Paul Getty, when asked how much money was enough, said “Just a little bit more.” No matter how much we have, we always need just “a little bit more” to be really satisfied.

The author and theologian Frederick Buechner says,

“The trouble with being rich is that since you can solve with your checkbook virtually all of the practical problems that bedevil ordinary people, you are left in your leisure with nothing but the great human problems to contend with: how to be happy, how to love and be loved, how to find meaning and purpose in your life. In desperation the rich are continually tempted to believe that they can solve these problems too with their checkbooks, which is presumably what led Jesus to remark one day that for a rich man to get into Heaven is about as easy as for a Cadillac to get through a revolving door.”