Luke 12:13-34

It All Goes Back In the Box

Sermon preached September 7, 2014
Opening
I get all kinds of emails about the foolishness of human beings; and given there are over 6 billion
of us on the planet, thats a lot of foolishness:
A couple of years ago, some Boeing employees on the airfield decided to steal
a life raft from one of the 747s. They were successful in getting it out of the plane and
home. Shortly after they took it for a float on the river, they noticed a Coast Guard
helicopter coming towards them. It turned out that the chopper was homing in on the
emergency locator beacon that activated when the raft was inflated. They are no longer
employed at Boeing.
A woman wrote, When my husband and I arrived at an automobile dealership to pick up
our car, we were told the keys had been locked in it. We went to the service department
and found a mechanic working feverishly to unlock the drivers side door. As I watched
from the passenger side, I instinctively tried the door handle and discovered that it was
unlocked. "Hey," I announced to the technician, "its open!" His reply, "I know - I already
got that side.
In our scripture reading, we have Jesus telling a parable about a man being a fool....but not in a
way we might expect.
How the story opens
context of this is how to be a disciple - go back to beginning of chapter - he is teaching
his disciples, probably the bigger group than the twelve, what the life he calls them to
looks like.
Jesus is interrupted by a man wants Jesus to adjudicate a family dispute over an
inheritance - probably younger brother whose older brother not sharing estate
Apparently their father had died, and both law and custom mandated that the elder
brother get one-half of the estate, with the rest divided up among the remaining
brothers. Typically estates consisted of land. To keep the family land intact,
commonly the other brothers would work out an arrangement where together they
would farm the family land.
But not this brother. He wanted out. Perhaps outraged by the unfairness of bigger brother
getting a bigger slice of the pie, he wanted a divorce of sorts from his brother. He wanted
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more land for himself, and no more to do with his brother.
Now, this guy knows something about Jesus - about his power and authority - hes heard
about the other things people ask him for - forgiveness, healing, to follow him, to make a
sick family member well, how to pray...this guy meets the Messiah, the Son of God and
asks him Make my brother give me some money.
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Jesus refused - this isnt his job description - and he discerns that the family is being torn
apart by greed and this prompts the parable - about greed, about putting ones faith in
money
Parable
Now in first-century terms, and in now, Jesus paints a pretty attractive picture of a man
who is a big success. In first-century terms- he would have been the model of a
successful farmer and businessman - the man acquired land over time, been a successful
farmer, and one year has a great harvest, so much that he needs more silo space - so he
builds bigger barns to hold his huge harvest - and then instead of going on a spending
spree, he prudently puts it all aside so he can retire and enjoy life.
This is a picture of the new American dream
Having money set aside so you can live off the interest and dividends and not have to
work
Having freedom - to do what you want - get in an RV and travel the US & Canada - or
just kick back and take it easy
Ah, the pleasures of not have to deal with your boss, or knucklehead coworkers, or with
the public, or making payroll, or difficult customers.
this the new American dream - start small, grow fast, cash out and live high
Like Chad Hurly - co-founder of You Tube - started You Tube in his apartment -
sold it to Google for $1.65 billion
Sounds good, doesnt it? Sounds good to me!
And yet, the voice of God thunders at the conclusion of the parable, and pronounces the
verdict on the man - Fool!
Its not a nice word. It means stupid, senseless, empty-headed
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Imagine that - you stand before God and your life, your work, your dreams, your
comfortable future, all you are, all youve done, summed up by the Almighty with
one word - Fool!
This, is a pretty strong warning. We ought to pay attention to it.
Why is he called a fool?
Jesus did not say the man a fool simply because he was wealthy. Though Jesus had many
run-ins with the rich and powerful, thought Jesus warned of the dangers of money, and
though he told the rich young man to sell it all and follow him, nowhere does Jesus
condemn money per se.
Greed is the issue - we can tell what his problem was by how Jesus began the parable -
watch out for greed - and so what he is saying is that the mans behavior in parable is -
hes greedy - which is a deadly form of spiritual sickness.
And note that Jesus said to be vigilant about this - the Greek word Luke uses is a military
one, it means to stand sentry guard - you pull sentry duty and you need to watch with
extreme care against a threat that can come against you - all your senses on maximum
alert - idea is that greed is a real and deadly threat and we need to be on guard constantly
to combat it. Greed is an enemy that seeks to destroy us. You give in to greed, and the
verdict on your life from God will be - You fool. Yikes!
How greed hides in plain sight
Now Jesus saying we need to be on guard against greed suggests not only can it destroy
us - but that it is subtle, easy to miss - that it is very possible for greed t worm its way into
our hearts and wrap its tentacles around us and before we know it, weve become greedy
people - and were blind to it.
Tim Keller once noted that in all his years of being a pastor, nobody has come to him for
counsel and said, I need help combating greed. And Ive had the same experience - 24
years in ministry and not once - not once - has someone come to me for help combating
greed - a deadly sin that Jesus warns about, an affliction that you and I see in other people
all the time.
Think about it. Youve seen people you thought were greedy and you noticed it. But
have you ever thought, Hey, Ive got a problem with greed?
The thing about greed is, we can be infected by it and not even realize it. Thats different
than with most forms of evil - like if youre having an affair and committing adultery
against your spouse, you pretty much are aware of it. You may try to rationalize it or
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excuse it, but youre not going to deny it. Not the case with greed - plenty of people
infected by greed deny that they have a case of it.
You know, Jesus talked far more about money than sex. The church often reverses that.
But Jesus did so because he knew that money can be very, very dangerous. That it can
capture our hearts and we dont even know it.
Cultural challenge
One last word on the challenge of combatting greed. Our culture is thoroughly infected
with it, to the point that we hardly see it, it looks normal, like the way its supposed to be.
Was at a Labor Day picnic, talking to a man about my age, found out that we had
computer programming in common, I used to be one, he still is, and he said a few years
ago IBM outsourced his whole department to Argentina and laid him off after 34 years
with the company.
You remember when IBM was the bastion of employment security? Many people would
work their whole careers at IBM. And the company was famous for not laying people off
even during tough economic recessions. Their people came first.
Thats all changed. The companys quarterly earnings now come first. And people are
disposable. Thats part of a massive change in our culture - no such thing as corporate
loyalty to their employees any more. Employees are a means to an end - another asset
used to make money.
It seems like everything in our culture is driven by money. The philosopher Michael
Sandel wrote a book a couple of years ago titled What Money Cant Buy, and pointed out
that everything in our culture seems for sale.
For instance, in 2001 an elementary school in New Jersey became Americas first public
school to sell naming rights to a corporate sponsor, Sandel writes. In exchange for a
$100,000 donation from a local supermarket, it renamed its gym ShopRite of Brooklawn
Center. ... A high school in Newburyport, Mass., offered naming rights to the principals
office for $10,000. ... By 2011, seven states had approved advertising on the sides of
school buses.
Sandel writes about this, Over the last three decades, we have drifted from having a
market economy to becoming a market society. A market economy is a tool a valuable
and effective tool for organizing productive activity. But a market society is a place
where everything is up for sale. It is a way of life where market values govern every
sphere of life.
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Some Christians in America like to point the finger and lament about the moral decline of
American life...I think a far bigger issue is the power of greed in American life. Its the
air we breathe, and we hardly even notice it. So Jesus words to be on guard are
especially appropriate for us.
How to self-diagnose greed - hoarding for security and joy
Greed produces observable behaviors. And the first one see in the parable is hoarding.
Because the farmer, landowner has had a great year and his first thought is to build bigger
barns so he can keep all the surplus for himself and then use it to live a life of luxury for
the rest of his days.
Now hoarding is to pile up wealth and stuff, and then protect it because its your source
of security, your joy, your future. And the mans thinking is, I made it, Im going to keep
it and Im going to use it to enjoy myself. Now, the man also makes an assumption - he is
now free to enjoy life, live it up, because hes secure and protected. And he tells himself
this - in vs. 19 the text says He said to his psyche, meaning the deepest part of himself -
some translations translate it as soul - its like hes re-making himself around this idea -
Ive got plenty and Im going to stop striving and working and worrying and just enjoy it.
You and I have thought like this too. Weve thought that if our retirement accounts make
it to a certain amount, that if we save and pay off our mortgages and put enough away,
well feel safer and more secure. Nothing wrong with investing and saving and paying
off ones mortgage - but if we think thats going to provide us safety and security, were
fools.
I heard someone say once, You and I are one phone call away from our lives collapsing
around us. And some of us have gotten phone calls like that. When that call comes,
having a bunch of money saved or your house paid off will not protect you from the
devastating news.
And it wont protect us from death either. Money may buy us medical care to delay it,
but sooner or later, theres going to be a procession out to the cemetery then everyone will
leave and go back to Friendship Hall to eat ham sandwiches and potato salad - except for
you - because youre the one they put in the ground.
Now remember, greed hides. We think of greed, and we think of miserable grasping
misers like Ebenezer Scrooge. But thats not the picture in the parable. The man is
content, happy, at ease - because of his wealth stored in his barns.
So ask yourself - does your joy and peace in life come from what youve got saved up?
From that nice paycheck you pull down? From the inheritance youre sure youre going
to get when someone dies? If so - watch out. If you base your security and your joy on
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those things, you will hold on to them like a wolf guards a kill; if they are threatened you
will likely lash out; and if they should be taken away, the whole foundation of your life
will be kicked out from under you. Youll be utterly lost.
Or come at it from this angle - do you worry all the time about money and think that if I
just had a little bit more Id be at ease, Id be ok? You may legitimately need more - and
if thats so, ask God whos promised to provide for our needs - but be careful - if you
think your future depends on getting more money, youre setting yourself up for greed.
So whats the cure, the vaccine, for greed?
1. Radical experience of grace
Read vs. 32 & 33 - he doesnt say if you sell and give, God will let you into
kingdom, forgive your sins, God will save you - he says the opposite - youve
been given the kingdom, and only when see this, given the kingdom apart from
your works, will you be free to sell and give in radical ways
1 Peter 2:9 - we are Gods treasure
2 Cor 8 - Jesus Christ, rich, became poor that we would become rich
We will never be free in regard to money until you see that God has given you his
ultimate treasure - Jesus - who lived in poverty - who liquidated everything for us,
the poor, to pay for our sins on the cross -when Jesus says you have money in
wrong place its because you lack inner wealth of knowing that you are treasured
by Jesus
Is Jesus Christ your treasure? If that concept makes no sense to you, if it sounds
weird and over the top, then I suggest you have an opportunity to take a deeper
step of faith, and discover the riches of Jesus Christ who meets the deepest needs
of our hearts.
2. Be rich towards God - what Jesus says at the end of the parable
Means investing in the Kingdom of God - to bring people to Christ, to relieve
suffering, to end injustice
Interesting that secular people are doing this - God using this for his purposes I
believe
Gates & Buffet - over $50 billion being spent to lift people out of poverty,
cures for sickness
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Andy Grove - came to US as refugee after Russian invasion of Hungary in
1956 - went to City College of NY, married, had family, eventually ended
up as one of the founders and CEO of Intel
Not piling it up - only leaving a small inheritance to his two daughters -
but giving bulk of fortune to cancer research, scholarships at City College,
and to the International Rescue Committee, which got him safely to US.
Kingdom needs people with resources who use them correctly
making wealth encouraged
Wealth and wealth creation and enjoying material pleasures a good in the
Bible
Judeo-Christian world view more positive about the world than other
major religions - world not an illusion like in Hinduism and Buddhism,
Greek and Roman world views saw material creation as bad and spirit
good
being poor not seen as something that ennobles, material pleasers to be
enjoyed, world is to be restored, a material world - not spirit realm, God
going to renew this material world so it works right
In Genesis, Adam and Eve are gardeners - tend the garden - gardeners job
to make it productive - not watch it like a brinks security guard - more like
a broker, want it to be productive, used for investment - God created us to
take undeveloped resources and make them productive - which means
wealth
Earn and save and invest and give if those are your talents - but then:
3. Practice radical sharing
Sell your possessions, Jesus says, and share the proceeds with others - this is how
wealth was stored -not in banks or CDs or investment portfolios - it was in stuff -
and what Jesus is saying is dip into your savings in order to give to help others -
give radically and give out of capital and lower your net worth - and if you cant
money is too important to you
Closing
My family will no longer play Monopoly with me. Its because I play to win, I want to
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1. Kenneth Bailey, Through Peasant Eyes, p. 58. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1980.
2. Quoted in Thomas Friedman, This Column Is Not Sponsored by Anyone, in The New York
Times, May 12, 2012.
crush the other players, bankrupt them, take their properties and pile up those $500 dollar
bills.
I once heard a commentator talk about playing Monopoly with his family and he just
happened to have a lucky night. He landed on all the prime properties and bought them
up, and he started putting hotels on all of them, and everybody who came around the
expensive section of the Monopoly board had to pay him enormous rent every time they
landed. And his streak was going so well, and he was having such a good time, just
enjoying the $500 Monopoly bills stuffed under the board on his side.
He was really enjoying this immensely, and then he said, "All of a sudden, the game was
over." He was feeling so good and he looked at those $500 bills stacked up and all the
property he owned--but the game was over, and he had to put all the money and all the
hotels, and all the property back into the box and close it up and he didn't have anything.
One day YOURE going to go into a box, so to speak. And theyre going to take all your
stuff, and put it in boxes and parcel it out to your family and heirs. All thats going to
matter is what you did with what God gave you in life. You can be a fool, or you can
trust God. Your call. Amen.
Endnotes
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