Greed antithesis of life
The request from the man asking Jesus to sort out the inheritance issues leads Jesus to teach about greed and security.
Brian Stoffregan says the concern of both (greed and security) seems to be, “Where is life found?” Most of us have niggling away at us either a need for security which is made ten times worse if you go to visit a financial planner. Is that all you will have when you retire? I don’t thik you can afford that overseas trip this year.

And if we are honest, we will admit that we are riddled with Greed.

David Marbury says My problem is money. It’s not that I don’t have enough. It’s just that I often think, and believe, and act like I don’t have enough – enough money, enough time, enough stuff.
More than that, I live in a culture that regularly tells me that I don’t have enough. Television commercials, billboards, and the internet all not only tell me that I’m insufficient, incomplete, and not quite right on my own, but they also promise me that if I only buy the product they’re pushing – be it a tube of toothpaste, new laptop, or better car – then I’ll be complete. Our culture unequivocally equates consumption with satisfaction, possessions with happiness, and material wealth with the good life.

As we reflect on our own immersion in this greedy culture we are reminded of what Jesus said just a few verses before in Luke’s Gospel.

“Nothing is covered up that will not be uncovered, and nothing secret that will not become known. Therefore whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered behind closed doors will be proclaimed form the housetops” (Luke 12:2-3).

It doesn’t really matter whether we are honest with ourselves or not what is in our heart of hearts is visible to God. We can’t hide the fact that we like our junk mail, the garage sales, ebay, end of year sales etc etc etc.

Clearly, accumulating more and more does not give us security in life nor satisfy our deepest needs, neither in this life nor the next.

Again as Stoffregan reminds us Jesus offers “cures” for our greed and insecurity. But it is a bit like going to the doctor and wanting a cure for obesity. The doctor can not give us any magic pills, or any short cuts. So what does Jesus offer us?

Luke 12:22-31 — Don’t worry. God will provide what you need.
Luke 12:32-34 — Sell your possessions and give to the poor.
Luke 18:18-30 — Sell all your possessions and give to the poor.
Luke 19:1-10 — Give half of one’s possessions to the poor.
Luke 21:1-4 — Give everything that one has.
Acts 2:42-47 — Share possessions with other believers for the sake of the needy
Acts 4:32-37 — Communal ownership of all property for the sake of the needy.

Did I hear you say you are off to the doctor to talk about being over weight? All of a sudden the doctor seems like a nice person. The doctor doesn’t mind if you exercise in the air conditioned room while watching the flat screen TV. The doctor just said eat you wine and cheese in moderation. But Jesus! Don’t worry, give it away, share, think about the needy. If we look closely at these stories we will find the rich man with the poor man at his gate, we will hear about Ananias and Sapphira. Jesus’ teaching and the experience of the early Church should make us think more than once or twice about our possessions, our greed, our insecurity.

In the 21st Century western culture we need to be on guard more than any other generation before us. The two phrases that Jesus used “Take care! Be on your guard” are present tense imperatives. We need to hear, continually be on your guard, continue to Take care.

Three “cures” for greed

What can we do so that our possessions don’t posses us like an evil spirit.
I will suggest three things: Give it away; Use what you have graciously; and Spend time with people who have a lot less than you. Your task at morning tea is to suggest things you do to sit lightly with your possessions.

Here are my three things.

Firstly then, give your money, your possessions away. One American commentator I read said, this whole passage in the Gospel is “un-American”. What Jesus seems to be suggesting flies in the face of Western culture. We know, don’t we that a little bit of greed motivates us. It brings prosperity even for the poor in the community. The communists tried to set up a state with out greed but nobody could be bothered to do anything. We basically believe that a little bit of greed and insecurity is a good thing. We like our meals with a little bit of salt, a little bit of wine, and a little bit of greed. We only need to hear a ten second quote on the radio verifying our basic belief. But Jesus says that the greed and the insecurity that fills our barns to bursting can not buy life. Instead, if you want to have life, give generously.

Giving, even giving everything away will not buy you life. It puts you in place to be ready to receive the gift of life. The Old Testament had rules on giving one tenth. Jesus doesn’t have a limit on how much you should give. Jesus certainly doesn’t say, give away what you have left over. The whole point of the story is that the more we have the more we seem to need. Give to the Church, support families overseas, support the heart foundation or what ever the Spirit leads you to support. As most of you are already doing that then jump up one extra notch. It is less for the benefit of the other as to put you into the place where you can receive the gift of life even more abundantly.

Secondly, Use what you have graciously. There are two sides to this, one is to care for what you have, the other is to let it go if it breaks. We joke about the farmers axe. He has replaced the handle three times and the head once but it is still the same axe. These days we barely sow a button on a shirt or darn socks let alone keep an axe for forty years. So sharpen your axe, replace the handle when it is needed, but don’t be in a hurry to buy the newest, the best the life changing.
But as I said the other side is to let go when something breaks or is stolen. There is a lovely little story told of Gandhi. As he was getting on to a train, which was just about to leave the station his shoe fell off. He quickly kicked of the other shoe. When asked why, he explained, one shoe is no good to the person who finds it.

Thirdly, Visit people who have less than you have. It is very humbling to spend time with those who have a lot less than we do. If you only keep company with people of you own socio economic group you will always think of yourself as just comfortable. Other people have heated seats in their cars. Other people have two flat screen TVs. Computers, some people have at least one per person in the house. But if we go where people don’t have books let alone access to the internet or where people have to wait for the loo because there is only one in the house. It is good for the soul to see how the other half, the other two thirds live. May be if you can afford to have an overseas holiday you can choose to spend some time at an orphanage.

As I said, giving away money won’t buy you life, using your possessions graciously won’t buy you life. Even being with those who have nothing will not buy life. These things will help us to be in the place to receive the gift of grace that Jesus offers us, eternal life.

Finally, go up to the temple with the publican and get on your knees. There is almost an inevitable-ness about our concern for bigger barns. Our journey of faith will take us to the point of letting go of all we have if we have said yes to Jesus. But along that journey we need to stop from time to time. Be honest with ourselves and recognize that greed and insecurity are simmering somewhere under the surface. Let us kneel with the publican in the temple and present ourselves to God as sinners. Perhaps we will hear from the prophet Hosea, that even though we deserve the penalty of sin, God’s fatherly love embraces us. We come away from the temple with life in abundance, eternal life.