Luke 12:13-21

One of the fascinations of Jackson Heights is the number of cars that are Lincolns. When people come from out of town, they cannot believe how we can just put out our hand and get a limousine. Its not a taxi. When I visit my daughter in Binghamton, you get a used Chevy from the bus station.

 The limousine isn’t what it seems. Because the drivers don’t own the cars. I would love to drive a Rolls Royce. I have never been in one. Anyone here been in a Rolls? There’s two ways to get into a Rolls. You can either own it – or be a chauffeur.

 Jesus collects a huge crowd as he starts to discuss finances. The crowd was in the thousands and trampling each other to hear him speak. They were excited common people who just saw him publicly attack the religious leaders and lawyers for unethical financial practices. The Pharisees managed to tithe their money but compensate by increasing their power. And the lawyers didn’t see how they could afford to tithe.

 So Jesus says some direct things and when he pauses, a man in the crowd decides to raise a personal grievance. His parents have died and this guy cannot get his older brother to share the inheritance.

 I am sure that we all have this problem with the Bible. God is talking about some big picture idea that will reform and save the world, and we suddenly think of our own small little problem. We do it with our own children. We sit around the table talking  about world hunger and our kid suddenly reminds us that we didn’t give them school lunch money.

 Jesus tugs the man’s attention to his true problem. He had a greed problem. It sounds like Jesus knew something about this man and his situation. Maybe the older brother had all the money because he had to care for younger brothers and sisters or an ailing mother. For some reason, what looked like a call for simple justice was really an appeal from greed.

 The man’s trouble is our trouble. He could not tell that he was greedy. I honestly believe that greed is one of those areas of life where we fool ourselves so completely that is hard for us to even know whether we are greedy or not. Look at the fights that children get into when they divide their parent’s estate. Look at people who cheat on their taxes. Psychologists tell us that most of us automatically lie when we use numbers. For example, the next time you hear, ‘I can’t afford to live in Jackson Heights, My apartment is at least $2,000 a month’, that means that they are paying $1,000. I get almost no allowance. My parents only give me $10 a week. Change that to 20. Do you like this dress? It was only $300. Make that 6. You see how the principle works and I actually tried this with a friend and it was exactly on target.

 I have never tried this and would find it very difficult. But at a Disciple group meeting of people who are committed to pray for each other as we try to live more faithful Christian lives, imagine each of us bringing our personal budgets, our true income and true expenses and sharing those for supportive yet frank observations from people who care for us.

 Jesus illustrates the problem with the parable of the man who built more barns. This man did not consciously see that he was increasing his greed. He thought that the extra barns showed that he was a success and well supplied for future emergencies.

 What are the symptoms of greed? Self Assurance - You know you are greedy when you have ‘I’ trouble. The man was pleased by just how good he was. Now God believes in empowerment. We are not just supposed to sit around. I love to meet talented people. But I never met a giver who did not have to go back to God here and there and ask for God’s protection. Giving makes you vulnerable, no matter what your skills may be. It makes you realize that God’s help is essential. But most important, giving rids you of too much self assurance. You reduce your greed and probably you never know it. But people around you certainly do.

 Self-satisfaction. At all levels of life, we are part of larger groups who tell us what it is to be satisfied. And a lot of those groups are focused on greed and possessions. If you are a teen, you may not yearn for a house, but you feel like life would be terrific with new clothes and shoes. For the new immigrant, it is not possible to own your apartment, but you feel like annual trips home would be very satisfying. For those who own an apartment, you are part of a group that wishes they had a cottage in here or land back in your country. For each of us, self satisfaction is not a giant step away. We don’t want the Lincoln. But we would like to get just one step up.

 Jesus tells the man that there is never just one step. There are more and more. As you acquire the next level, it raises your sights and you feel like satisfaction is still one step away. That is greed. It is not a sin to provide for the future, it is a sin to own the future.

 The truth is that we own nothing. We are like the chauffeurs of these limousines. Some of us drive ones that are a little newer or a little nicer. The chauffeurs drive those town cars all day and all night. They almost live in them, but they don’t own them.

 Jesus brings the reality based approach to the rich man because he casually tells him that he is going to die that night. No wonder Jesus attracted large crowds. He had a way with stories. But that is certainly true for us too. Life shows us that we own nothing, we are merely temporary caretakers. The family asked the attorney how much their mother left and the lawyer replied, ‘Everything.’

 We are at the month of Thanksgiving. If you are struggling with greed, I encourage you to win this struggle with God’s help. People all the time make new gifts to this ministry and it enriches their life and pulls them from false security. Many of the memorial gifts that we have thought about today were also godly people affirming what really counts in life. You be part of that.

 Giving is a part of worship because it helps us resolve one of our most secret problems. We get so much identity from our possessions and privileges brought by money that many Christians never realize the security and happiness and freedom from worry that victory over greed offers. One of the great things about this congregation is that the number of tithers increases from year to year. As a pastor, it is one of the ways I measure my own ministry among you.

 God is the true owner. There is only one thing we may truly possess. In verse 21, Jesus says that we may be rich towards God.