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HOW TO GET MORE
(A sermon preach August 5, 2007 at University United Methodist Church, East
Lansing MI, by John Ross Thompson)
Scripture Texts: Luke 12:13-21, Colossians 3:1-11
A New Yorker magazine cartoon in the most recent issue shows a disheveled,
poor man walking down the sidewalk. Standing in front of a building is a
well-dressed man passing out money, with a sign, “Too Much Money.”
How likely to you think it is that you will see something like this happen?
Do you know anyone who thinks that they have enough money?
People in Biblical times were just like people today all around the world.
For too many of us, life is in the accumulation of money and possessions.
The inevitable part of an accumulating life is that the more we get, the more we
want. We even can give the reasons why we should have more, even if like most of
us we have more than 90% of the people in the world.
I’m in the midst now of being executor for my mother’s modest estate. What
is left after her 95 years will be divided among the families of my
parents’ four children. Her goal was that after many years of being in debt and
working hard on the farm, she would be able to leave something for her family,
since, for her, family was the top priority.
Imagine my surprise when I realized that today’s scripture is the one about
dividing the family inheritance. In Biblical days, the likely scenario was that
a double share was passed on to the oldest son, no matter how many children
there were. In some cases, everything went to the oldest son. At least we are
more equitable these days, but I have seen inheritance squabbles infect too many
family relationships. Certainly, in most cases, all the children and their
families should benefit equally from whatever legacy is left from their parents.
Jesus, however, doesn’t get into the midst of this family argument. He uses
the request as a means of teaching about the dangers of greed and possessions.
In fact, he tells a story about someone who pulls down his barns so he can build
bigger ones so that he can accumulate more “stuff.” The point of the parable is
clear – those whose goal is accumulating possessions are lost. Jesus asks, “And
the things you have prepared, whose will they be (after you die)?” Just go to
an estate sale and you’ll see that the things people have accumulated over many
years don’t go with them.
The man in the parable is not a bad man by the world’s standards. In fact,
today we would call him a good businessman. He has done nothing illegal or
dishonest. If he were the CEO of a company today, he would be praised. But
Jesus calls him a fool.
Who does Jesus think has more than those who are rich in material
possessions? Those who are “rich toward God.” To be "rich toward God"—or
"rich from God's point of view," as Today's English Version puts it. The
Message version says “That’s what happens when you fill your barn with self,
and not with God.”
Wasn’t Jesus talking about the rich, not about us? We can't get off so easy.
Jesus' warning rings as true today as ever, and it applies to our wealthy
culture perhaps even more aptly than it did to first-century Palestine. His
point, then and now, is about priorities. As Paul put it in today's Colossians
epistle, "Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on
earth." The focus on material things is especially dangerous because it causes
us to lose sight of what really matters. The rich man in the parable plans to
use his abundance to "eat, drink, and be merry"—apparently without regard to
neighbors in need or concern for God. Jesus makes unmistakably clear God's
judgment of such behavior: "You fool!"
"Teacher, bid my brother divide the inheritance with me." These words in the
12th chapter of Luke begin one of the most relevant discourses of Jesus for
today. (Luke 12:13-34) The complaint came out of the crowd, much of which was
poor. It came from a "have-not," from the brother who had come out on the short
end of his father's wealth.
Like so many of us, this brother coming to Jesus said, "I need something else
to make me what I'm supposed to be; I need something outside myself to make me
complete." I identify this have-not brother with people in our society who many
times haven't been able to distinguish between light joy and real happiness,
between the true and the counterfeit. When we use our resources on ourselves we
inevitably come up short.
Jesus uses the example of the haves to communicate his spiritual message to
the have-nots. In responding with the example of the rich man with many barns,
Jesus lets us know that many times his message to the poor and the rich is the
same. He stands against a whole value system that traps the hearts, minds, and
souls of people in all classes.
Jesus uses the have-not brother's own covetousness against him, taking an
example of the most positive symbol in this world's value system and showing how
even that is bankrupt. He hits the brother where he longs with all of his heart,
soul, mind, and strength to be. Jesus knew that there was no virtue in being
poor. He knew that in many cases the only thing that made the poor different
from the rich was that the poor trusted riches they did not possess.
This was a very tough thing for Jesus' disciples to take, because in that
day, as in ours, material "blessings" were associated with spiritual goodness.
Later in his ministry when Jesus explained, "How hard it is for those who have
riches to enter the kingdom of God," his disciples replied with disbelief, "Then
who can be saved?" "What is impossible with men, " Jesus answered, "is possible
with God." (Luke 18:24-27). It is possible because of the great
economic/spiritual reversal of all time, that one who gives up material and
social resources for the sake of the kingdom will receive a truly abundant life
on earth, and an eternal life thereafter (Luke 18:28-30). Christians have
bounced between two extremes: one believing that to be rich is the obvious sign
of spiritual salvation, the other believing that wealth witnesses to spiritual
depravity. We have not offered many models for the way rich people can be
serious disciples and stewards. We can't fault the rich for their motivation or
their drive, or their discipline. What we can question is their direction. Faced
with the problem of a surplus of grain, all of the rich farmer's drive,
ambition, and energy boiled up in the question of verse 17: "What shall I do? I
have no room to store my crops."
The Responsible Wealth project of the organization United for a Fair Economy
includes nearly 1,000 entrepreneurs, wealthy individuals, and fortune heirs who
advocate for a more fair distribution of wealth through the payment of a living
wage, the preservation of wealth taxes, and other measures. Their wealth
inspires generosity instead of greed and responsibility instead of selfishness.
Not all members are Christian or motivated by religious beliefs, but all
beautifully embody Paul's advice: "Set your minds on things that are above, not
on things that are on earth" (Colossians 3:2).
John Perkins said “The pressure is on me most as I discover
that God's plan for getting our treasure into heaven is really very practical
and possible: to invest it in the only things going to heaven—people.
The Bible teaches that if we can get our resources into people—especially
the poor—and as those
people take our treasures to heaven, our hearts will be secure; we will be happy
and blessed and satisfied. We will be rich. I believe that if we can just learn
how to get our wealth to the poor, we will have treasures in heaven and a lot
less worries on earth. We can then provide models that will free poor people
from their guilt, their loneliness and their oppression.”
I discovered in writing thank-you notes after my mother’s funeral that I was
saying, “Mom’s number one priority was always family.” What a legacy I have!
Summer is rapidly fleeing. It can be a time when we have a chance out of the
normal schedule to reflect on who we are and where we are going. For many of us,
it also can be extended time with family members and others who are important in
our lives.
What do you talk about with others? What you have, or whom you know? Your
possessions or your relationships? We play a game in our family, counting the
minutes after we meet certain persons until they bring up the subject of money
or possessions. It usually isn’t very long. Give yourself a test – how long
does it take you to do the same?
Jesus does not condemn possessions, but he condemns those of us who make them
the priority of our lives. Wealth and possessions mean that we are better
equipped to be generous givers, but they need not be the focus of our lives.
Later in Luke 12, Jesus says, “Be generous. Give to the poor. Get yourselves
a bank that can’t go bankrupt, a bank in heaven far from bank robbers, safe from
embezzlers, a bank you can bank on. It’s obvious, isn’t it? The place where
your treasure is, is the place you will most want to be, and end up being.” (The
Message)
"Our scriptures assure us that the real treasure, the only one able to
satisfy our profound hunger to love and be loved, is the unconditional and
all-consuming love of God. It alone can quench our thirst; like a parent, God
wraps us 'with bands of love' and clothes us with new life. And unlike material
wealth, this treasure does not trap us, but liberates us, giving us the strength
and courage to be liberators in the world." - Michaela Bruzzese,
Possessed by Love Alone
It’s human nature to want more. How do we get more? By focusing on the
things of which there is an abundance – love, human relationships, sharing, in
short—other people.
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