Meeting Jesus - The Danger Of Greed

Today, our passage of scripture addresses one of the ugliest and most obnoxious characteristics that a person can display.

Greed.

Not Creed as in the Apollo Creed. Greed as in the Grinch, Ebenezer Scrooge, or Walter White from Breaking Bad. We see Greed on display in almost every song, television show, or video made today. Some videos go viral when they demonstrate the generosity of an individual, and other videos go viral that highlight the gold digging, greedy hearts of people.  

Today, we want to examine our own hearts – not the heart of the person beside us – and ask ourselves if Greed is a common characteristic in our life. As Jesus was teaching about hypocrisy and how to respond when people experience persecution, somebody from the crowd interrupted Jesus with a question…

Luke 12:13-21

13  Then someone called from the crowd, “Teacher, please tell my brother to divide our father’s estate with me.” 14  Jesus replied, “Friend, who made me a judge over you to decide such things as that?” 15  Then he said, “Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own.” 16  Then he told them a story: “A rich man had a fertile farm that produced fine crops. 17  He said to himself, ‘What should I do? I don’t have room for all my crops.’ 18  Then he said, ‘I know! I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I’ll have room enough to store all my wheat and other goods. 19  And I’ll sit back and say to myself, “My friend, you have enough stored away for years to come. Now take it easy! Eat, drink, and be merry!”’ 20  “But God said to him, ‘You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get everything you worked for?’ 21  “Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.” 

The man that interrupted Jesus had a very specific agenda.  He wanted what belonged to his brother. To understand the context better – we need to know that when the father of a household passed away, it was up to the oldest son to decide how to divide the estate among his family.  

If the son wanted to, he could keep it all to himself.  

If the son wanted to, he could distribute it among his brothers.

For some reason, the oldest son had not yet divided his estate with his brother.  The older brother may have been dragging his feet, he may have been lazy, or…he simply may not have wanted to give anything to his brother. 

When my dad passed away, his six children did not have a problem dividing up his estate – because he didn’t have one!  

When dad died, he was penniless.  The floor of his camper was rotted. His old truck didn’t start. Even his pack of cigarettes was empty. But, as a Pastor, I know I that ESTATE issues after a loved one has died, can really cause division among families today.  Families fight for years over houses, land, bank accounts, and property.

So, maybe you understand how these two brothers felt. The oldest had no obligation to share the estate…and the youngest had no right to claim the estate. We don’t really know who was being greedy in this passage, but we do know this:

GREEDY PEOPLE TAKE FROM OTHERS

One of these two brothers was being greedy – maybe they both were.  Jesus’ response to the man must have left him a little stunned.  Jesus responded to the younger and perhaps to the older brother and said, “Guard against every kind of greed.”

If you are searching for a proper definition for the word “greed” you could call it a “strong desire to have what is not yours.” Jesus is warning about a type of “inner compulsion” a person has, when they desire what other people have…and then, they attempt to take it.

It might be the type of greed or coveting that desires another person’s spouse. 

Or their family.

Or their children.

Or their home.

Or their toys.

Or their title. 

Or their popularity.

Or their recognition.

“Coveting” is this inner compulsion that desires anything that belongs to others – and a greedy heart means you want it so bad, you will lie, steal, or resort to violence to get it. When we struggle with greed we look like kids fighting over a ball on the playground…

Or…Monkeys.  

Sometimes I get lost watching monkey videos on YouTube or Facebook.

I may be lying in bed trying to fall asleep, and I’ll start scrolling through video after video of monkeys fighting over food, snatching things that don’t belong to them, grabbing things from people, or just irritating one another. Confessionally, I have probably watched several hundred videos of monkeys – but I have never seen a generous monkey.  

They are mean to each other. 

They fight over food and shiny objects.  

They slap, pinch, punch, poke, and scream until they get what they want.

They are greedy, selfish, and fun to watch. 

But – it’s not so funny when people who have been created in the image of God, act like a greedy monkey.

So, Jesus then shared a story of a rich man who had so much land and crops, he didn’t have room for it all.  The man “said to himself, ‘What should I do? I don’t have room for all my crops.’ 18  Then he said, ‘I know! I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I’ll have room enough to store all my wheat and other goods. 19  And I’ll sit back and say to myself, “My friend, you have enough stored away for years to come. Now take it easy! Eat, drink, and be merry!”’

This story that Jesus tells us provides a little bit of insight into the heart of greedy people. 

Jesus reveals to us that:

GREEDY PEOPLE ARE BLIND TO THE NEEDS OF OTHERS

This rich man did not try to discover the needs of the community.  He didn’t say, “I have plenty for myself but other people go to bed hungry. So, I will keep my barn full, and give the extra away.”

No.  

He only wanted to make sure he had plenty of food for today, tomorrow and for his future. He lived focused solely on himself. His FUTURE mattered more than the future of other people. His COMFORT mattered more than the comfort of other people. Growing his real estate portfolio mattered more than growing relationships with PEOPLE.

Greedy people are blind to the needs of other people. And since you are not greedy…How can you and God take care of the people around you right now?

Do you know of a single parent struggling with bills? Write down their name and demonstrate generosity. Write them a check, or hand them an envelope with cash. Be generous with your cash. Do you know of a neighbor with a car that is always breaking down? Write down their name and give them one of the cars that won’t fit in your garage. Be generous with your property.

Or maybe, somebody you know needs some encouragement.  Maybe they are alone, tired, and discouraged by life and they need to know you are praying for them… Write down their name, send them a text right now. Invite them for a cup of coffee and for 60 minutes, let them pour out their heart to you. Be generous with your time,and if people keep coming to your mind, thank God that you are not blind to the needs of others – and seek to love your neighbor through your actions. If you are a follower of Jesus, you have been a recipient of the greatest generosity ever demonstrated.  If you have surrendered your life to Jesus and trusted in Christ as your Savior, God has generously given you forgiveness through Jesus.

God has restored his relationship with you through Jesus.  There is nothing more than God could give than his son. God was not blind to our need for him, so let’s make sure we keep seeing the needs of those around us. If you have grown blind, ask God to open up your eyes to see the needs of others. Then, Jesus shares a hard truth about what God thinks about Greedy people. In the story, the man was patting himself on his back, congratulating himself for amassing and hoarding his property, buildings, and possessions…

He even called himself, “Friend” and perhaps he was his only friend. But God wants us to understand that…

GREEDY PEOPLE ARE FOOLS NOT FRIENDS. 

“My friend, you have enough stored away for years to come. Now take it easy! Eat, drink, and be merry!”’ 20  “But God said to him, ‘You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get everything you worked for?’

We might be tempted to think this man was being wise; he was storing up for a rainy day…he was saving for the future…

He was practicing, “a penny saved is a penny earned.”

Why did God call this man a fool?

God called this man a fool because this man refused to be generous.

He wasn’t being a friend to himself. He wasn’t being a friend to others.

If you truly love and care for yourself, you are going to love and care for others…and that means you will see their needs, talk about their needs, and try to meet their needs. This man was not being a friend to himself by storing up his wealth instead of practicing generosity. When we practice saving, whether it is saving money, or saving stuff in our garage, without practicing generosity, we demonstrate greed. When we live lives filled with greed and focused on ourselves, God calls that foolish.

And, if you have lived up until this moment like a selfish, greedy person, you can change. You can be transformed today. You can experience the extravagant generosity of God’s love. You can surrender your life to Jesus, receive forgiveness for your selfishness and your sin, and be made a brand-new person.

A RICH RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD PREVENTS GREED

So in the story, God called the man a fool.  But as Jesus wrapped up this story, he said to the crowd that was listening, “Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.”

You and I are fools to live our lives with the ability to have a rich relationship with God, and never develop it. We have developed a one hour class called “Grow” that will help you develop a quiet time and “grow” in your relationship with God. It’s a great class for new believers and for old crusty believers. 😊 The class will be offered this fall as part of our Next Steps Ministry.  Pay attention and make sure you sign up for it.

If the words that God spoke to the rich man kind of have kind of poked you in the heart, and you see yourself in that story living as a fool…and, if you would like to begin to live an unselfish life; it begins by dying to your own needs, your own desires, your own life, and acknowledging to God that up until this moment, you have rejected God and lived sinfully and selfishly.  

You can surrender your life to Jesus, receive forgiveness for your sins, and begin to live a brand-new life. If you would like to surrender your life to Jesus, our prayer team will be here at the front of the stage after the close of the last worship song. If you are ready to surrender your life to Jesus, they would love to lead you to a life-changing relationship with Jesus.