“Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.” ¹⁴ But he said to him, “Friend, who set me to be a judge or arbitrator over you?” ¹⁵ And he said to them, “Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.” ¹⁶ Then he told them a parable: “The land of a rich man produced abundantly. ¹⁷ And he thought to himself, ‘What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?’ ¹⁸ Then he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. ¹⁹ And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.’ ²⁰ But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ ²¹ So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God.” Luke 12:13-21

I love it when the Bible presents us realities that continue to be true today. I have performed many funerals in my ministry. Nothing can bring out the worst in people than the loss of a loved one – especially when it involves dividing property among family. It does not take much for greed and coveting to raise their ugly heads. It just reminds me that the Bible is not irrelevant and continues to speak to our situations today. That is why this text speaks to our reality like it did in Jesus day. Money, possessions and wealth can spark arguments between family members yesterday, today and tomorrow.

Jesus says, “Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.” We are all familiar with the bumper sticker that reads, “The person who dies with the most toys wins.” The idea is that if we focus our lives on the accumulation of things, rather than on the spreading of G-d’s love and the sharing out of our abundance, then we have missed the mark.  All that we have are gifts from G-d – not marks for being more blessed than others. Accumulating great wealth and possessions are not marks for telling others that G-d loves us more. Instead, we should appreciate being rich in G-d – and sharing out of our abundance.

Pastor Dave

While he was speaking, a Pharisee invited him to dine with him; so he went in and took his place at the table. ³⁸ The Pharisee was amazed to see that he did not first wash before dinner. ³⁹ Then the Lord said to him, “Now you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. ⁴⁰ You fools! Did not the one who made the outside make the inside also? ⁴¹ So give for alms those things that are within; and see, everything will be clean for you. ⁴² “But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and herbs of all kinds, and neglect justice and the love of God; it is these you ought to have practiced, without neglecting the others. ⁴³ Woe to you Pharisees! For you love to have the seat of honor in the synagogues and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces. ⁴⁴ Woe to you! For you are like unmarked graves, and people walk over them without realizing it.” ⁴⁵ One of the lawyers answered him, “Teacher, when you say these things, you insult us too.” ⁴⁶ And he said, “Woe also to you lawyers! For you load people with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not lift a finger to ease them. ⁴⁷ Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets whom your ancestors killed. ⁴⁸ So you are witnesses and approve of the deeds of your ancestors; for they killed them, and you build their tombs. ⁴⁹ Therefore also the Wisdom of God said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and persecute,’ ⁵⁰ so that this generation may be charged with the blood of all the prophets shed since the foundation of the world, ⁵¹ from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who perished between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, it will be charged against this generation. ⁵² Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge; you did not enter yourselves, and you hindered those who were entering.” ⁵³ When he went outside, the scribes and the Pharisees began to be very hostile toward him and to cross-examine him about many things, ⁵⁴ lying in wait for him, to catch him in something he might say.” Luke 11:37-54

This reading ends with words that indicate that the scribes and the Pharisees are waiting for Jesus to say something so that they can “…catch him in something he might say” – or in other words, to arrest him. They seem to hang on every word, hoping that he will give them some reason to take him away from the crowds who are so influenced by him. Even in the first century, people couldn’t wait to catch their opponents saying something they could use against them – to persecute and belittle them.

There is something satisfying in the demise of our enemies – whether we are willing to admit it or not. Unfortunately, we also see this happen in the church. Now, I know what you are thinking: “Do people of the church have enemies?” The answer is obvious: the church is made up of people – broken, fallible, and imperfect people. People who go to church are not perfect – but are perfectly aware of their brokenness. We can only pray that the Lord will give us patience, and take away our evil inclinations. Jesus commands us to love – love even those who seek to belittle us and the church.

Pastor Dave