It is surprising for new
Christians to learn just how much the Bible has to say about riches. From what
most preachers use for sermon topics, it is at best a once a year sermon on the
subject of tithing (usually the opening of Stewardship Month, which precedes
the annual budget meeting.) The reluctance is understandable; it is rather
tacky to ask for more money when you’re the one whose salary depends upon the
giving. It must be tough to rely on the contributions of others for your
salary.
On the other hand, the Sunday
School teacher is a volunteer. He actually pays for the privilege. So, no
fear! When the Bible talks about money, so do I.
The Questioner
(Luke
12:13-15 NIV) Someone in the crowd said to him, "Teacher, tell my brother
to divide the inheritance with me." {14} Jesus replied, "Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between
you?" {15} Then he said to them, "Watch
out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist
in the abundance of his possessions."
The Imperative
Note the phrasing of the man in
the crowd: it is in the “imperative tense.” For those who are not English
teachers (or who did not have Miss Hornbuckle in the seventh grade) that means
that this is a command. We so often encounter the desire for money that it is
not hard for us to infer some things about this man:
·
It may be that he is moved by a desire for justice – but I doubt
it, from Jesus’ reply. It sounds more like bitterness, the gnawing envy that
comes from being so close to the money.
·
How could I know when such a man was present? One symptom is
that of “constant friction”
that comes from such a lifestyle.
·
He has failed to ask the right question; indeed, it is not a
question at all. But it should be asked: what is the right amount of wealth
for me to have? Did you know there is an explicit answer to this?
(Prov 30:7-9 NIV) "Two things I ask
of you, O LORD; do not refuse me before I die: {8} Keep falsehood and
lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily
bread. {9} Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, 'Who
is the LORD?' Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my
God.
Christ as Arbiter
At first glance it is curious
that Christ will not do as he demands. Christ is our High Priest, and the
priest or rabbi of this time was accustomed to settling such disputes. Indeed,
such was Jesus’ authority that the man felt no doubt that he could now get what
he deserved. But Christ rejects his demand. Why?
·
Christ will not decide between two sins; he will condemn both.
·
The imperative command is presumptuous; one does not order God
about, nor give him policy advice.
Be on your guard
Can Jesus really be serious
here? After all, the chasing of money is one of the major preoccupations of
the world. Is he really serious? I think so. Paul tells us that those whose
money is gotten from swindling are to be shunned in the church, for example.
The root of the matter can be seen in the Greek word translated here as “all
kinds of greed.” That word is pleonexia, and it has an interesting
history. It is composed of two parts. The first, pleo, means “the
majority of (something).” The second, nexia, means “to grasp.” So this
word in the original means “to grasp the majority of (something).” Once you
see that the meaning is “I have to have the most,” you begin to see the
addictive nature of greed. Solomon put it this way:
(Eccl
5:10 NIV) Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is
never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless.
The Parable
So Jesus, to make the point clear
to them in the most vivid way, launches into one of his parables:
(Luke 12:16-21
NIV) And he told them this parable: "The ground
of a certain rich man produced a good crop. {17} He thought to himself, 'What shall I do? I have no place to
store my crops.' {18} "Then he said,
'This is what I'll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and
there I will store all my grain and my goods. {19} And I'll say to myself, "You have plenty of good things
laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry."'
{20} "But God said to him, 'You fool! This
very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have
prepared for yourself?' {21} "This
is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich
toward God."
What shall I do?
There is one key point which must
be recognized here: “he thought to himself.” This is an act of the will. It
is not something that the man just stumbled into without thinking; this
involved his financial planner. He actually thought about it.
He thought about it, however,
without thought for God. The Old Testament is quite clear on that issue;
such a surplus is not to be hoarded but shared with the poor.
How hard that is! My wife and I
are inveterate packrats. One of our friends had need of a breeze box fan
(their air conditioning had malfunctioned). We have three such fans; we need
at most two (really only one). But when my wife mentioned giving (or even
loaning) the fan, I could feel the twinge saying, “Hey, we might need that
thing some day.”
What is this attitude? Is it not
really, “Despite the evidence of my eyes, the mass of good things that God has
given me, I don’t trust him to continue to do so in the future.” And therefore
I hoard.
Eat, drink and be merry
This attitude has passed into
cliché in the English language. But the Jew was warned about this,
as is the Christian today.
Indeed, the story of Lazarus and Dives (which many feel is not just a parable,
as it uses a name) is the ultimate in warnings. Yet we persist.
When much younger, I worked with
a man who was the volunteer retirement counselor at Pacific Telephone. He told
me that retirees came in two types: those who would die several years after
retirement, and those who would die within six months. The latter chased
money, power and prestige all their lives, saying, “When I retire…” When they
retired, the chase was over. So was life.
We need to remember the shortness
of our days:
(James 4:14
NIV) Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life?
You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.
“rich towards God”
We are commanded to be “rich
towards God.” Most of us think of it the other way around; that God is rich
towards us. But we are to be his imitators.
The ancient viewed this another
way. The Old Testament is full of illustrations of those who were favored by
God, and God showed that favor by making them rich. This idea was very
prevalent in Jesus’ time. But we need to remember that this is not an exclusive
rule:
·
Just because you’re poor does not mean that God is against you.
·
Just because you’re rich (and most of us in America are) does not
mean God is for you (indeed, there is warning for America in that)
·
God still causes his rain to fall on the just and the unjust.
The Commandment
Just in case you didn’t get the
point of the parable, Jesus now gives the commandment;
(Luke 12:22-34
NIV) Then Jesus said to his disciples: "Therefore
I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your
body, what you will wear. {23} Life is
more than food, and the body more than clothes. {24} Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no
storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than
birds! {25} Who of you by worrying can
add a single hour to his life ? {26} Since
you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?
{27} "Consider how the lilies grow. They do
not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was
dressed like one of these. {28} If that
is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is
thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith!
{29} And do not set your heart on what you will eat
or drink; do not worry about it. {30} For
the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need
them. {31} But seek his kingdom, and
these things will be given to you as well. {32} "Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has
been pleased to give you the kingdom. {33} Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses
for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be
exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. {34} For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
At first this seems beyond
sense. How could I not worry about such things? And, for heaven’s sake, why
not?
Why not?
·
In verses 29-31, he tells you plainly that such worry gets in the
way of the kingdom of God. First things first; if such worry keeps you from
the kingdom (and it does) then get rid of it.
·
By such worry, we deny the words of our Lord that our Father
cares for us.
·
Such worry actually hinders our prayers!
·
Think about this one: what good does it do? It is not pleasant,
and produces evil effects on your body. No good at all!
·
God tells us not to worry, because he will never forsake us.
When we worry, we deny the faithfulness and power of God.
How can I do this?
For most of us, the problem comes
down to the practical: we don’t know how not to worry about money. The
Scripture gives us three clues:
·
First, cast your cares upon God.
In prayer, confess your worries, and hand them over to the Lord God. As my old
friend Charlie Fields put it, “You might as well give it over to God. He’s
going to be up all night anyway.” My experience has been that he will let you
do the worrying, or He will do it for you – but not both.
·
Next, do not be afraid. Isn’t this what it boils down to, that
we are afraid? And what casts out fear but love?
·
Finally, is this not an issue of faith, “o ye of little?” Ask
God to strengthen your faith, to follow him without worry.
The Principle of Separation
One of the great lessons of the
Old Testament is that God’s people are to be separate from the world around
them. We are “in the world but not of the world,” as my teachers put it.
·
Look at verse 29. The question is not “whether or not” we will
eat and drink. We will. The question is “what” we will eat and drink. Many
of us are perfectly willing to dine at God’s table – but we want to see the
wine list first.
·
Verse 30, however, tells us that this is the characteristic of
the world. God knows we need it – but He wants to choose the menu.
·
Verse 31 shows us that the outward characteristic shown by the
Christian is that he is carefully careless about what to eat, drink or wear.
The issue is not whether or not
we shall eat and drink, nor even what we shall eat and drink. The issue
is whether or not it is our care.
An affair of the heart
Ultimately, it comes to this:
where your heart is, there your treasure is also. There is the test: where is
your treasure? Look there to find your heart.
Thomas à Kempis put it this way
in his prayers:
Pardon me
also, and deal mercifully with me, as often as I think of anything besides You
in prayer. For I confess truly that I am accustomed to be very much distracted.
Very often I am not where bodily I stand or sit; rather, I am where my thoughts
carry me. Where my thoughts are, there am I; and frequently my thoughts are
where my love is. That which naturally delights, or is by habit pleasing, comes
to me quickly. Hence You Who are Truth itself, have plainly said: “For where
your treasure is, there is your heart also.” If I love heaven, I think
willingly of heavenly things. If I love the world, I rejoice at the happiness
of the world and grieve at its troubles. If I love the flesh, I often imagine
things that are carnal. If I love the spirit, I delight in thinking of
spiritual matters. For whatever I love, I am willing to speak and hear about.
There is the test: where is your
heart? Where is your treasure?