Sunday’s message from Dr. Novak from the Gospel of Luke gives us a glimpse into what it means to be rich in the Kingdom of God. From Christ, who used the opportunity given to him by a man who wanted more of an inheritance from his father, we get a window into the good life.
From Luke Chapter 12:
Then someone called from the crowd, “Teacher, please tell my brother to divide our father’s estate with me.”
Jesus replied, “Friend, who made me a judge over you to decide such things as that?” Then he said, “Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own.”
Greed, in this passage, is not just about a desire for money, or things. As Dr. Novak points out, it’s about an insatiable desire for more of whatever — no matter how much you have of whatever, you just want more.
There are many ways to be greedy, and it doesn’t require you to be rich.
In order to give the Disciples a better understanding of the corrosive capacity of greed, he told them a story:
“The farm of a certain rich man produced a terrific crop. He talked to himself: ‘What can I do? My barn isn’t big enough for this harvest.’ Then he said, ‘Here’s what I’ll do: I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I’ll gather in all my grain and goods, and I’ll say to myself, Self, you’ve done well! You’ve got it made and can now retire. Take it easy and have the time of your life!’
“Just then God showed up and said, ‘Fool! Tonight you die. And your barnful of goods—who gets it?’
“That’s what happens when you fill your barn with Self and not with God.”
Yikes! This is a pretty aggressive repudiation of self-interest. This teaching runs counter to what we see far too often in our world, where many people are only out for themselves — they are busy building bigger barns.
“In his world, it’s just him, himself and himself. He has no sense of others … no awareness of how what one does with their stuff is part of one’s relationship to God,” Dr. Novak said.
This is the “hollow life.”
Back in the spring, when we were learning about the Torah, we heard a message from Moses to the Israelites — his final message. He told them not to forget who brought them to the Promised Land.
When you rise he told them, no matter how high, to remember that it is God who takes you there. He told them not to convince themselves that they are responsible for their wealth, their success.
It is God who confirms his promises to us, we don’t keep our own.
The Apostle Paul, like Christ, also had a lot to say about the ‘hollow life.’ His advice to Timothy was to seek after God if you desire a life that is worth living.
Remember that everything you have is a gift from God, so fill your barn accordingly!
The Pipe 