it all goes back in the box

8/11/2019 It All Goes Back in the Box

1/8

Luke 12:13-34

It All Goes Back In the Box

Sermon preached September 7, 2014

Opening

I get all kinds of emails about the foolishness of human beings; and given there are over 6 billion

of us on the planet, thats a lot of foolishness:

A couple of years ago, some Boeing employees on the airfield decided to steal

a life raft from one of the 747s. They were successful in getting it out of the plane and

home. Shortly after they took it for a float on the river, they noticed a Coast Guard

helicopter coming towards them. It turned out that the chopper was homing in on the

emergency locator beacon that activated when the raft was inflated. They are no longer

employed at Boeing.

A woman wrote, When my husband and I arrived at an automobile dealership to pick upour car, we were told the keys had been locked in it. We went to the service department

and found a mechanic working feverishly to unlock the drivers side door. As I watched

from the passenger side, I instinctively tried the door handle and discovered that it was

unlocked. "Hey," I announced to the technician, "its open!" His reply, "I know - I already

got that side.

In our scripture reading, we have Jesus telling a parable about a man being a fool....but not in a

way we might expect.

How the story opens

context of this is how to be a disciple - go back to beginning of chapter - he is teaching

his disciples, probably the bigger group than the twelve, what the life he calls them to

looks like.

Jesus is interrupted by a man wants Jesus to adjudicate a family dispute over an

inheritance - probably younger brother whose older brother not sharing estate

Apparently their father had died, and both law and custom mandated that the elder

brother get one-half of the estate, with the rest divided up among the remaining

brothers. Typically estates consisted of land. To keep the family land intact,

commonly the other brothers would work out an arrangement where together they

would farm the family land.

But not this brother. He wanted out. Perhaps outraged by the unfairness of bigger brother

getting a bigger slice of the pie, he wanted a divorce of sorts from his brother. He wanted

1


2/8

more land for himself, and no more to do with his brother.

Now, this guy knows something about Jesus - about his power and authority - hes heard

about the other things people ask him for - forgiveness, healing, to follow him, to make a

sick family member well, how to pray...this guy meets the Messiah, the Son of God and

asks him Make my brother give me some money.1

Jesus refused - this isnt his job description - and he discerns that the family is being torn

apart by greed and this prompts the parable - about greed, about putting ones faith in

money

Parable

Now in first-century terms, and in now, Jesus paints a pretty attractive picture of a man

who is a big success. In first-century terms- he would have been the model of a

successful farmer and businessman - the man acquired land over time, been a successful

farmer, and one year has a great harvest, so much that he needs more silo space - so hebuilds bigger barns to hold his huge harvest - and then instead of going on a spending

spree, he prudently puts it all aside so he can retire and enjoy life.

This is a picture of the new American dream

Having money set aside so you can live off the interest and dividends and not have to

work

Having freedom - to do what you want - get in an RV and travel the US & Canada - or

just kick back and take it easy

Ah, the pleasures of not have to deal with your boss, or knucklehead coworkers, or with

the public, or making payroll, or difficult customers.

this the new American dream - start small, grow fast, cash out and live high

Like Chad Hurly - co-founder of You Tube - started You Tube in his apartment -

sold it to Google for $1.65 billion

Sounds good, doesnt it? Sounds good to me!

And yet, the voice of God thunders at the conclusion of the parable, and pronounces the

verdict on the man - Fool!

Its not a nice word. It means stupid, senseless, empty-headed

2


3/8

Imagine that - you stand before God and your life, your work, your dreams, your

comfortable future, all you are, all youve done, summed up by the Almighty with

one word - Fool!

This, is a pretty strong warning. We ought to pay attention to it.

Why is he called a fool?

Jesus did not say the man a fool simply because he was wealthy. Though Jesus had many

run-ins with the rich and powerful, thought Jesus warned of the dangers of money, and

though he told the rich young man to sell it all and follow him, nowhere does Jesus

condemn money per se.

Greed is the issue - we can tell what his problem was by how Jesus began the parable -

watch out for greed - and so what he is saying is that the mans behavior in parable is -

hes greedy - which is a deadly form of spiritual sickness.

And note that Jesus said to be vigilant about this - the Greek word Luke uses is a military

one, it means to stand sentry guard - you pull sentry duty and you need to watch with

extreme care against a threat that can come against you - all your senses on maximum

alert - idea is that greed is a real and deadly threat and we need to be on guard constantly

to combat it. Greed is an enemy that seeks to destroy us. You give in to greed, and the

verdict on your life from God will be - You fool. Yikes!

How greed hides in plain sight

Now Jesus saying we need to be on guard against greed suggests not only can it destroy

us - but that it is subtle, easy to miss - that it is very possible for greed t worm its way intoour hearts and wrap its tentacles around us and before we know it, weve become greedy

people - and were blind to it.

Tim Keller once noted that in all his years of being a pastor, nobody has come to him for

counsel and said, I need help combating greed. And Ive had the same experience - 24

years in ministry and not once - not once - has someone come to me for help combating

greed - a deadly sin that Jesus warns about, an affliction that you and I see in other people

all the time.

Think about it. Youve seen people you thought were greedy and you noticed it. But

have you ever thought, Hey, Ive got a problem with greed?

The thing about greed is, we can be infected by it and not even realize it. Thats different

than with most forms of evil - like if youre having an affair and committing adultery

against your spouse, you pretty much are aware of it. You may try to rationalize it or

3


4/8


5/8

Some Christians in America like to point the finger and lament about the moral decline of

American life...I think a far bigger issue is the power of greed in American life. Its the

air we breathe, and we hardly even notice it. So Jesus words to be on guard are

especially appropriate for us.

How to self-diagnose greed - hoarding for security and joy

Greed produces observable behaviors. And the first one see in the parable is hoarding.

Because the farmer, landowner has had a great year and his first thought is to build bigger

barns so he can keep all the surplus for himself and then use it to live a life of luxury for

the rest of his days.

Now hoarding is to pile up wealth and stuff, and then protect it because its your source

of security, your joy, your future. And the mans thinking is, I made it, Im going to keep

it and Im going to use it to enjoy myself. Now, the man also makes an assumption - he is

now free to enjoy life, live it up, because hes secure and protected. And he tells himself

this - in vs. 19 the text says He said to his psyche, meaning the deepest part of himself -some translations translate it as soul - its like hes re-making himself around this idea -

Ive got plenty and Im going to stop striving and working and worrying and just enjoy it.

You and I have thought like this too. Weve thought that if our retirement accounts make

it to a certain amount, that if we save and pay off our mortgages and put enough away,

well feel safer and more secure. Nothing wrong with investing and saving and paying

off ones mortgage - but if we think thats going to provide us safety and security, were

fools.

I heard someone say once, You and I are one phone call away from our lives collapsing

around us. And some of us have gotten phone calls like that. When that call comes,having a bunch of money saved or your house paid off will not protect you from the

devastating news.

And it wont protect us from death either. Money may buy us medical care to delay it,

but sooner or later, theres going to be a procession out to the cemetery then everyone will

leave and go back to Friendship Hall to eat ham sandwiches and potato salad - except for

you - because youre the one they put in the ground.

Now remember, greed hides. We think of greed, and we think of miserable grasping

misers like Ebenezer Scrooge. But thats not the picture in the parable. The man is

content, happy, at ease - because of his wealth stored in his barns.

So ask yourself - does your joy and peace in life come from what youve got saved up?

From that nice paycheck you pull down? From the inheritance youre sure youre going

to get when someone dies? If so - watch out. If you base your security and your joy on

5


6/8

those things, you will hold on to them like a wolf guards a kill; if they are threatened you

will likely lash out; and if they should be taken away, the whole foundation of your life

will be kicked out from under you. Youll be utterly lost.

Or come at it from this angle - do you worry all the time about money and think that if I

just had a little bit more Id be at ease, Id be ok? You may legitimately need more - andif thats so, ask God whos promised to provide for our needs - but be careful - if you

think your future depends on getting more money, youre setting yourself up for greed.

So whats the cure, the vaccine, for greed?

1. Radical experience of grace

Read vs. 32 & 33 - he doesnt say if you sell and give, God will let you into

kingdom, forgive your sins, God will save you - he says the opposite - youve

been given the kingdom, and only when see this, given the kingdom apart from

your works, will you be free to sell and give in radical ways

1 Peter 2:9 - we are Gods treasure

2 Cor 8 - Jesus Christ, rich, became poor that we would become rich

We will never be free in regard to money until you see that God has given you his

ultimate treasure - Jesus - who lived in poverty - who liquidated everything for us,

the poor, to pay for our sins on the cross -when Jesus says you have money in

wrong place its because you lack inner wealth of knowing that you are treasured

by Jesus

Is Jesus Christ your treasure? If that concept makes no sense to you, if it sounds

weird and over the top, then I suggest you have an opportunity to take a deeper

step of faith, and discover the riches of Jesus Christ who meets the deepest needs

of our hearts.

2. Be rich towards God - what Jesus says at the end of the parable

Means investing in the Kingdom of God - to bring people to Christ, to relieve

suffering, to end injustice

Interesting that secular people are doing this - God using this for his purposes I

believe

Gates & Buffet - over $50 billion being spent to lift people out of poverty,

cures for sickness

6


7/8

Andy Grove - came to US as refugee after Russian invasion of Hungary in

1956 - went to City College of NY, married, had family, eventually ended

up as one of the founders and CEO of Intel

Not piling it up - only leaving a small inheritance to his two daughters -

but giving bulk of fortune to cancer research, scholarships at City College,and to the International Rescue Committee, which got him safely to US.

Kingdom needs people with resources who use them correctly

making wealth encouraged

Wealth and wealth creation and enjoying material pleasures a good in the

Bible

Judeo-Christian world view more positive about the world than other

major religions - world not an illusion like in Hinduism and Buddhism,Greek and Roman world views saw material creation as bad and spirit

good

being poor not seen as something that ennobles, material pleasers to be

enjoyed, world is to be restored, a material world - not spirit realm, God

going to renew this material world so it works right

In Genesis, Adam and Eve are gardeners - tend the garden - gardeners job

to make it productive - not watch it like a brinks security guard - more like

a broker, want it to be productive, used for investment - God created us to

take undeveloped resources and make them productive - which meanswealth

Earn and save and invest and give if those are your talents - but then:

3. Practice radical sharing

Sell your possessions, Jesus says, and share the proceeds with others - this is how

wealth was stored -not in banks or CDs or investment portfolios - it was in stuff -

and what Jesus is saying is dip into your savings in order to give to help others -

give radically and give out of capital and lower your net worth - and if you cant

money is too important to you

Closing

My family will no longer play Monopoly with me. Its because I play to win, I want to

7


8/8

1. Kenneth Bailey, Through Peasant Eyes, p. 58. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1980.

2. Quoted in Thomas Friedman, This Column Is Not Sponsored by Anyone, in The New York

Times, May 12, 2012.

crush the other players, bankrupt them, take their properties and pile up those $500 dollar

bills.

I once heard a commentator talk about playing Monopoly with his family and he just

happened to have a lucky night. He landed on all the prime properties and bought them

up, and he started putting hotels on all of them, and everybody who came around theexpensive section of the Monopoly board had to pay him enormous rent every time they

landed. And his streak was going so well, and he was having such a good time, just

enjoying the $500 Monopoly bills stuffed under the board on his side.

He was really enjoying this immensely, and then he said, "All of a sudden, the game was

over." He was feeling so good and he looked at those $500 bills stacked up and all the

property he owned--but the game was over, and he had to put all the money and all the

hotels, and all the property back into the box and close it up and he didn't have anything.

One day YOURE going to go into a box, so to speak. And theyre going to take all your

stuff, and put it in boxes and parcel it out to your family and heirs. All thats going tomatter is what you did with what God gave you in life. You can be a fool, or you can

trust God. Your call. Amen.

Endnotes

8

it all goes back in the box

Documents