Monday, 1 April Luke 12:1-34
Written by Dr Graham Leo. ©2019.
There is so much in this long reading, that we’ll only touch on a couple of things today.
Firstly, isn't it remarkable that whenever you eavesdrop on many of Jesus’ long sermons or addresses, they’re so different from what we normally hear in church sermons. He almost never says the kinds of things that we hear endlessly: God has a plan for your life. He wants you to be blessed and happy. He wants you to commit your life to him so that you can go to heaven when you die. You are sinners. Ask forgiveness from God and come to Jesus. Only by doing this can you be assured that you will go to heaven when you die.
I often wonder if Jesus should have gone to Preaching School.
Or, perhaps, could it be the case that the Preaching School which so many of our preachers have gone to might just have had the wrong curriculum?
Jesus seems to be saying that his kingdom, which overlays our world, is of such a qualitatively different nature that the two are clear opposites.
Secondly, Jesus seems to believe in the stark reality of heaven and hell – if not actual physical places, at least as states or conditions, where we will either be with God or far from him, based on how we live in the here and now. He never seems to think that just having said a “sinner’s prayer” for forgiveness, or having been through Confirmation class and sometimes coming to church when it isn't too inconvenient, will be sufficient.
Thirdly, Jesus keeps banging on with this heretical idea of his, that it is how we live in the here and now that matters most for our eternal security. Especially that if we are greedy, selfish, and don't care in practical ways for the poor and oppressed, we will actually be rejected by God. See v 21 for a really clear expression of this.
Why do I almost never hear that from the pulpit? Is it possible that the preachers on the internet, and in churches, and on the TV, don't actually believe what Jesus said?
The Parable of the Rich Fool as it is called – not a very becoming title; I’d rather call it The Parable of the Man Whom Everybody Else Envied and Thought was Successful – is a startling commentary on the notion of salvation.
The man had a good harvest. Nothing wrong with that. I’ll build bigger barns to contain the huge crop. Probably nothing wrong with that – just good stewardship. I’ll say to myself: you’re set for life. Stop worrying and start enjoying life, using up your goods slowly, making them last till the end, but spending them all on yourself. Hmmm….
It was at this point that God had a problem with his response. So what exactly did God object to? Not with his success, as such. But with his response to it. The man thought that the best place for his excess grain was in his barns rather than in the bellies of hungry children. And that idea so offended the mind and heart of God that he took the man’s life that very night. (Yes, I know it’s harsh, but Jesus told the parable, not me.)
Why do we keep hearing that the Gospel is about ‘making a commitment to Jesus’ rather than preventing children going to bed hungry when we could have fed them?
Why do we think about Mother Theresa as a paragon of heroic virtue, but we don't try to live like her? Why do we think Warren Buffett (he’s a very wealthy and successful stock market trader, if you didn't know) is the smartest man out there and if only we could follow him, we’d be set for life?
This Jesus certainly is a disturber of our peace, isn't he? He isn't finished with us yet, either. We are all very familiar with Jesus’ words about not worrying. We know that the birds of the air don't plant crops, and that flowers don't go to make-up salons.
But surely Jesus is too impractical here. If someone didn't worry about getting things planted and built and did the jobs that needed doing, we’d all be in a pretty state! You can’t just sit around and listen to Jesus all day with your head in the clouds.
Yes, well, thank you Martha for that contribution.
And that’s the point isn't it? It’s not that we don't have to do all those practical things – of course we do, but we don't have to worry about them, if we hold them sufficiently lightly. They become a means to managing our day-to-day living, not the 99% total of what we spend our time thinking about.
The 15th century scholar Don Isaac Abrabanel was asked by the King how much he owned. He named a certain sum. “Surely,” the King said, “you are wealthier than that.”
“You asked me how much I owned.” Abrabanel replied. “The property I have, I do not own. Your majesty may seize it from me tomorrow. At best I am its temporary guardian. The sum I mentioned is what I have given away in charity. Neither you, nor any earthly power, can take this away from me.”
We only own what we are willing to share. All the rest is temporal. It may be lost tomorrow by a half-dozen different means – all out of our control.
So Jesus counsels us, in my paraphrase of vv32-34:
Don't be afraid, my children, Don't get too stressed. Look up and realise that the Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom that sits above and over this world.
Be generous with what you have. Hold all your possessions lightly. By all means do your best to look after your physical needs, but don't let those cares consume you. You only live in this life for a few decades. You can live forever in eternity. Make sure you put much more focus on investing in eternity than how much you invest in your few years here on earth.
Investing in eternity is another way of saying ‘seeking treasure in heaven’ (v33).
In God’s reckoning, what do you think are the most precious things? What would constitute treasure in heaven to God? The only possible answer is: ‘People’. So invest in people – especially the poor, the hungry and the oppressed here on earth, and you will have treasure in heaven. Love God and love your neighbour. Nothing else matters.
Prayer: Almighty Father, please forgive me for having focussed too much on Stuff; on Things and Money and Position and Recognition. And Committees! Help me to focus more from now on, on what you regard as the most precious things in the world: human beings. Amen.
