More Stuff More Life?
Luke 12:13-21 NKJ
13 Then one from the crowd said to Him, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me."
14 But He said to him, "Man, who made Me a judge or an arbitrator over you?" 15 And He said to them, "Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses."
16 Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: "The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. 17 And he thought within himself, saying, 'What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?' 18 So he said, 'I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, "Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry." 20 But God said to him, 'Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?'
21 "So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God."
Jesus was very clear on who He was and what He came to do. He must have been teaching when someone out of the crowd called out to Him. Here is another person who thinks it's a good idea for Jesus to get involved in a family dispute. "Tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me." Martha tried telling Jesus what to do, and it didn't turn out well. This man was doing the same thing. Notice that Jesus does not tell people what to do. So telling Jesus to tell your spouse, or friend, or child what to do is going to meet with the same results.
Jesus asked who had made Him a judge or arbitrator. Jesus knew that was not His role, so He was not going to accommodate this request. And, as He often does, Jesus had some counsel for the man who asked Him. Evidently, the issue was covetousness. The Greek word for covetousness comes from two Greek words, neither of which I am able to pronounce. The words are "more" and "to have." To have more. Covetousness is also translated as greediness. And Jesus is warning against the strong desire to have more. And Jesus says something quite profound. "One's life does not consist in the abundance of things he possesses." What a word for that day, and most definitely, what a word for today. It seems as if the abundance of possessions has reached epic levels in America. It is estimated that 1 in 3 Americans now use self-storage. I can't judge the heart condition of Americans, but 20 years ago the percentage of Americans using self-storage was 1 in 10.
Nothing inherently wrong with having stuff unless you are thinking the stuff defines your life. I have known people who actually defined their lives by what they owned.Downsizing is extremely difficult if too high a value is placed on possessions. A few years ago, Joy sat with some people in a senior living home and listened as all of them described the houses they once had. Now all of them were limited to 2-3 rooms, and even though the rooms were nice, they were a far cry from the palatial homes they once lived in. Jesus, after correcting the man who wanted his share of the inheritance, spoke to this in the parable when He talked about the rich man.
The basic premise of the story was the man who stored his goods and had enough to retire and do nothing. Eat, drink, and be merry was this rich man's goal. The problem was he did not live long, and all his stuff was left to others. In this parable, Jesus underscores that life is more than stuff and that life on earth is temporary. So Jesus warns against storing up stuff for yourself and not being rich toward God. In other words, if all of your stuff is for your good and yours alone, you are treading on dangerous ground. Paul later told Timothy to direct those who are rich in this life to be rich in good works, ready to give and willing to share. The rich man in Jesus' parable was spending all his goods on himself with no goal of being a blessing to others.
Don't get me wrong. I am all for having nice stuff. But I am also for being rich toward God with a heart that is generous and willing to make a difference for God's Kingdom. That was Jesus' point. Treasure for yourself without factoring God in is the problem. Treasure itself is not the problem; it's how it's viewed and what is done with it. Our lives are so much more than the things we own.
Prayer
Lord, I thank You for Your blessings in my life. May I always have a generous heart that is willing to give to the work of the Lord and for the benefit of others.