Nothing is more likely to make any group of Christians uneasy than discussing money. It isn’t necessarily the money that makes us uncomfortable; it is asking someone to confront their own preconceived notions, which Jesus seeks to disrupt. For many, the dream isn’t to become like the uber-wealthy billionaires we see plastered in our newspapers and on our computer screens; rather, we want to live comfortably, buy a home, provide for our family, and build our retirement accounts so we can retire at a reasonable age. We build our nest egg to accomplish this. Jesus speaks directly to this through his parable in Luke 12, where he tells the story of someone who builds up a nest egg and then desires to rest upon the work done. In this parable, and in the accompanying argument that led Jesus to issue a dire warning to his followers, there is danger in trying to control our own destiny by accumulating wealth. In doing so, we challenge God’s absolute sovereignty. Humanity always creates idols in our hearts; John Calvin looked upon the human heart as a factory for creating idols, and wealth is a powerful one. Ultimately, Jesus calls us to give up the idea that we can be self-reliant and to understand that God is in complete control and that the Almighty fundamentally sustains us through an active love shared with all of creation.
13 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.” 22 He said to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat, or about your body, what you will wear. 23 For life is more than food and the body more than clothing. 24 Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! 25 And which of you by worrying can add a single hour to your span of life?, 26 If then you are not able to do so small a thing as that, why do you worry about the rest? 27 Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. 28 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, you of little faith! 29 And do not keep seeking what you are to eat and what you are to drink, and do not keep worrying. 30 For it is the nations of the world that seek all these things, and your Father knows that you need them. 31 Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well. 32 “Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. 33 Sell your possessions and give alms. Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. 34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
New Revised Standard Version: Updated Edition (Friendship Press, 2021), Lk 12:13–34.
Our hearts and minds fight against uncertainty at every opportunity. We hate it, and work hard to create environments that are as predictable as possible. The weekend before an election highlights this fact. No matter your political affiliation, your heart flutters at least a little because every election cycle brings a certain amount of uncertainty. This is probably why our media has clung to polling data and made those who build a narrative from it a key part of election coverage. However, especially lately, that data has proven faulty and created a false sense of certainty. Unfortunately, wealth often leads us to believing we are secure, even though the future is uncertain. Jesus highlights this in the parable, as the man believed that his abundance would allow him some certainty and allow him to fully eat, drink, and be merry. As the abundance came, the rich man sought primarily to serve this wealth as he determined that he needed a bigger barn to hold this so that it would in turn provide him comfort in the future. As such, he views his abundance as his salvation. Unfortunately for the man, his wealth would not serve the desired purpose, because it was on the very night that he contemplated the larger barns that he lost his life. Thus, his entire wealth did nothing to improve or extend his life. Death strips away our wealth; thus, it is foolishness to attach our identity to temporary riches. The only certainty in life is that God is present throughout.
We view our wealth as an antidote to our anxieties. I was always told I needed to go to a good university so I could get a good job, make enough money to buy a house, and provide for my family. This lifestyle should help keep a roof over my head, food in the pantry, and a life free from anxiety, right? It is pure folly to fall into the trap that any of this will keep the worries at bay. To confront that, we must let go of our trust in systems and relinquish our faith in wealth, fully placing our trust in the Almighty. Just as Jesus breaks down the myth of self-reliance for the rich man, He invites the disciples to relinquish their everyday anxiety. They need not worry about their lives, food, or clothing, as long as they rest firmly in their faith and rely fully on God. This is not a directive to apathy and idleness, but an instruction to praise that leads to blessing. Jesus points out that the world around us, specifically nature, serves as a theological reminder of the Creator’s care for the creation. Birds are not concerned about where the next meal comes from; they do not hoard food or build storage for it; they don’t create the food, but God provides them with all they need. In the same fashion, the flowers don’t save up to buy lavish clothing; they don’t toil or spin, but God makes them even more beautiful than anything found in Solomon’s royal wardrobe. Since God cares so deeply for the parts of creation that are short-lived, how much more care does the Creator have for us, and thus our financial worry is tantamount to a failure to trust God’s care.
Clearly, the ways of the world have led us to trust the creation over the Creator. Unfortunately, wealth leads to anxiety, and the only way to confront it is to radically reorient our lives into granting God our ultimate allegiance. This comes to us as a direct command from Jesus, who directs us to seek God’s kingdom instead and promises to provide all necessary things. The world chases after wealth to provide, and as such cannot be morally neutral because it directs our attention away from serving the Lord. Our hearts and minds must make the call: whether to follow God’s calling in our life, or to build our wealth. We have a moral mandate to use our wealth to serve God’s mission on this Earth, and Jesus urges believers to build up an unfailing heavenly treasure through generosity. When we give to the poor, the hungry, the unhoused, and the needy, we carry out God’s care for creation; but when we focus our wealth on feeding our own comfort and ego, we show that we prioritize self over God. Ultimately, where we put our money and spend our time tell the story of who we are and what we value. Our heart always follows the things that we truly treasure. Therefore, our connection and use of our wealth provides a clear window into what we truly worship.
The problems Jesus points out about wealth are perfectly demonstrated by the number of self-storage facilities in our towns. Whether you are in a big city or a small town, storage facilities are booming. You can’t help but see the parallel to the rich man who wanted to tear down his barn to build a bigger barn, because we accumulate so many possessions that they no longer fit in our homes, forcing us to rent external barns to store the items that overflow from even our garage. We hold onto things that we rarely use, thinking that we might use someday, hoping that this somehow brings us peace. Unfortunately, it more than likely ends with the scenario that prompted the parable in the first place with our progeny determining what happens to the stuff when we die. Our time on the Earth is limited, and Jesus points out to us that the incessant focus on wealth is a foolish endeavor that wastes the precious time that we have with one another. God is calling us to lay down our anxiety and lean upon the Almighty God to give us everything that we need, because no amount of wealth will be able to give us the peace that we get from becoming fully reliant upon God’s mercies everyday.
