Luke 12: 13-21
A couple of years ago a film came out that the critic
Mark Kermode said was so bad it was brilliant and certain to be a success. Sure
enough, the movie Mamma Mia! starring Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan, Julie Walters and Colin Firth among others, broke
box office records as forty-somethings danced in the
seats and the aisles to the songs of Abba.
I had a great time…but did not leave my seat!
One of the songs is this: Money, Money, Money. I’m going to play
just two minutes of it. Listen to the words. And please, don’t get carried away
– stay in your seats!
** Track from Mamma Mia **
Here are the words:
I work all night, I work all day
To pay the bills I have to pay
Ain’t it sad?
And still there never seems to be
A single penny left for me
That’s too bad.
In my dreams I have a plan
If I got me a wealthy man
I wouldn’t have to work at all
I’d fool around and have a ball.
Money, money, money
Must be funny
In a rich man’s world.
Money, money, money
Always sunny
In a rich man’s world.
A-ha
All the things I could do
If I had a little money.
It’s a rich man’s world.
It’s a rich man’s world.
So there’s the aim – to have enough money so that you
do not have to work at all, but fool around all the time and have a ball.
That’s what life is all about – it’s always sunny in a rich man’s world.
Now let me offer you a contrast.
When John Wesley was at
The Accountant General for Household Plate (a sort of
tax collector) asked for a return from Wesley supposing he should have a good
deal to show. Wesley replied, “I have two silver teaspoons at
So there we have two so very different attitudes
towards wealth. The first attitude says that wealth is totally for my own
benefit, luxury and ease. The second attitude says that wealth is a resource
from God to be handled with care and to be used for the well-being of others as
well as yourself.
Wesley’s attitude towards possessions stems from his
understanding of the teaching of Jesus, such as we see in today’s gospel
reading. The story that Jesus tells arises out of a sad, but all too familiar,
situation – a family row after the death of parents. Isn’t it amazing how many
people have fallen out over a piece of furniture or an ornament? It nearly
happened in my family. My great aunt Jess, who had no children of her own, on her
death bed said to my mum and her sister in law, “Now you know my wonderful
sewing machine? After I’m gone, you decide between you who’s
going to have it…” Well, if you want to cause World War Three just before you
go to heaven say something like that! They both wanted it! I am glad to say
that they sorted themselves out in the end, but it was a close run thing!
In the passage from Luke’s gospel the father has
obviously died and there is no indication of who should have what. Each of two
brothers is wanting to own, to possess and to say,
“That is mine.” And at least one of them is being greedy. As people today
resort to law, so the rowing parties come to Jesus as they would to a rabbi.
** Luke 12:13 **
Jesus refuses to tell them what to do. He is not just
any old lawyer. He quickly points out that actually the issue that these
brothers are facing is not a legal issue, but an issue of the heart. The
brothers need to live by grace and graciously, rather than under the law. They
need to understand that the important thing to sort out is not who has what,
but their whole philosophy concerning possessions; in fact, their whole
attitude towards life itself.
Jesus gives this warning to the crowd gathered around
him:
** Luke 12:15 **
To illustrate his point about life and its true worth,
Jesus tells a parable, and this story is like a play in three acts.
Act One
** Luke 12:16-18 **
There is a bumper harvest. The land has produced
abundantly. The barns are full and bursting at the seams. Carpenters are at work
building bigger and better barns. Lucky rich man! He deserves this reward for
his hard work. God must love him. Most would admire him. Some would envy him.
Well this first act of the story seems like a cracking
good success story. The man is not to be blamed for becoming or being rich. He
has been successful in his field of work. He can be respected for that. We can
be reminded of entrepreneurs today who, through sheer hard work and an
adventurous spirit, create successful products and firms.
When my children were small, in the early eighties, if
we were on the road on a long journey, my children would inevitably begin to
look out for Eddie Stobart lorries.
You know, the ones with the girls’ names. Actually, we
still notice them when we are on the motorway – “There’s an Eddie Stobart lorry!” Now there’s a typical example of a firm
that grew out of all recognition through adherence to certain standards –
namely hard work, never refusing an order, keeping the lorries
spotlessly clean, insisting that drivers wear ties, and encouraging people to
feel part of the company family by creating a fan club of Eddie Spotters. Now
Eddie Stobart has not been an exemplary firm, but it
has been a good example of success. There is nothing wrong with success in
itself – simply being good at what you do. This seems to have been how it was
for the rich man in Jesus’ story.
Act Two
** Luke 12:19 **
Here is the farmer in his den totting up his books.
Haven’t I done well! I can take it easy now. I have enough for many years. I
can eat, drink and be merry. I can relax and look after myself. Lucky rich man!
Most people would not mind swapping places with him. Go and enjoy yourself. You
deserve it! It certainly seems sunny in that rich man’s world.
Yet as we watch this scene we become very uneasy. Is
that what life is all about? Is it all about the self and pleasure? Is that
what we are aiming for in life? Is there no other purpose to this existence?
In the parable, the man’s job was a farmer. This was
his skill. But notice what the verse says: “The ground of a certain
rich man produced a good crop.” The farmer may have had his skills in ground
preparation, sowing and reaping, but he was dependant for his success on the
natural fertility of the land. The resources that produced the bumper harvest
were not his alone.
In early Jewish tradition, when there was a generous
harvest, this was understood as a gift to ensure care for the poor. It was
always a community thing. But the rich man in the parable has moved to seeing
abundance as something for the individual rather than the whole community.
It seems to me that the resources at our disposal,
however small or large, however much or little we have worked for them, do need
to be seen as God’s gift to us, to be used with prayerful wisdom and generosity
for the benefit of all.
I have occasionally seen bits of The Secret Millionaire on television, when a successful businessman
or woman returns to a community that perhaps they knew in their youth. They
visit community projects that benefit different sectors of the community and
make it a more cohesive, safe and good environment. At the end they reveal
their status and make substantial donations to the people who are battling away
to bring about change and good locally. It is wonderful to see the reactions of
astonishment, joy and often tears.
The reality is that generosity makes a difference.
Living for yourself only is just a half life. It is
not fullness of life. It is not how things should be. It is narrow, confined
and selfish. The farmer in his den, like the king in his counting house, is a
sad sight.
The gospel of Jesus, the good news of self-giving
love, will prompt us as Christians to live on a wide and not a narrow map. “Set
your minds on things above,” says
Act Three
If you do not like unhappy endings, you had better walk
out now. If you do not want a challenge, do not watch this act.
** Luke 12:20 **
The rich man has died. Poor rich man! He has left
behind his farm, his barns and his leisure time. All that he possessed and
counted upon has gone, poor rich man. He stands in the presence of God who
says, “You fool!” In no way was he prepared for this. He was rich to human
eyes, but poor in the eyes of God – poor rich man. He had cared about
possessions but not about other people or God. He was rich in things, but poor
in the important relationships. It is definitely no longer sunny in this rich
man’s world.
Notice in this story how in three verses the word “I”
appears six times. This was someone who was full of himself. God does not
measure by what we have as much as by what we share. Riches are measured by
what we can give away; the rest are possessions and many are possessed by their
possessions. Riches are to be shared with the community and in this way the
poor and the marginalised are cared for. As an old proverb says, “He who has
bread is responsible for him who has none.” But it is not so much a question of
giving away our possessions as changing out attitude to them and recognising
them for what they are – good things to thank God for, but leant to us to use,
as good stewards, and in no way altering our real wealth and security. This is found in God alone.