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Luke 12:13-21
| 29.08.2010, 15:11 | |
| Rev. Tatiana Cantarella Psalm 107:1-9, 43; Hosea 11:1-11; Colossians 3:1-11; Luke 12:13-21: "MINE!" Two older men lived side by side for many years and never fought, never argued, and actually never really disagreed. One day, one of them said, "may be we should try to fight, to see what it is like?” "I guess we could”, said another, "but I don’t know how fights happen.” "Look”, said the first, "I will take a brick, we’ll put it in the middle and I will say ‘it’s mine’ and you will say, ‘no, it’s mine’! And it will start the fight”. They put the brick in the middle and the first said, "It’s mine!” The other said, "no, it’s mine!” And the first replied: "ok, it’s yours!” And so they parted, not being able to fight with each other, and never considered doing it again. ☺ At the center of our gospel story about property stands the problem, which we all dream to have: what to do with abundance? It’s a story about a man who had incredible luck and became so rich, that he doesn’t know what to do with all that he now has; it’s a story about a man whose land yielded great harvest. This parable is often called the parable of the foolish rich man. But initially Jesus doesn’t tell us anything about the man’s foolishness, he simply tells about the one whose land gave an extraordinary crop. However, it is clear that a man was already initially rich, because he owns land and one day his workers came and said to him: "boss, you got to see that! The harvest is everywhere!” There is so much of it that the barns will not fit all that the land yielded. Jesus speaks of something that only happens once in a lifetime: the barns are overflowing! But imagine how much harvest the land should bring that there is not enough space in the rich man’s estate to store it! Jesus intentionally underlines the extraordinary nature of the situation; imagine how much stuff there was! So much, Jesus says, that the rich man takes radical measures – to tear down the barns and to build new ones, huge ones, so that he can store up EVERYTHING THAT IS TRULLY HIS. It’s important to remember that such extraordinary harvest in the time of Jesus could only mean one thing to his listeners: it was a blessing, a miracle, a gift of God… it also probably reminded them of two other stories from the history of the Israel. The first story is that of Joseph when he was made a chief over the land of Egypt. Remember when he saves the country having predicted that after the seven years of abundance there will be seven years of famine (Genesis 41:35-36)? An abundant harvest reminds that there will also be a barren time. Abundance is a reminder of need. When abundance comes one must do something in order that no one will be in need. Another story, which Jesus’ words must have reminded his listeners was when Israel walked in the desert on their way from Egypt into the promised land. God sent them manna every day but on the sixth day they should have gathered twice as much in order not to harvest on the Sabbath but to have what would be necessary on that day (Exodus 16:22-27). In other words, great blessing is accompanied by a responsibility to see that everyone will be provided for. Preparation for the future and saving the abundance in the tradition of the Israelites meant preparation not only for your own future but for the future of the whole community. And it is at this point that the story takes an unexpected turn. From our point of view the rich man doesn’t do anything bad. There are no bribes in the story, no stealing, no harsh treatment of his workers. This man is not a crook, he is just a lucky man who had a great fortune and who is now trying to be careful and rational lest he loose what he gained. But in Jesus’ eyes and in the eyes of most of his listeners this man has two big problems. First of all, he doesn’t see anything or anyone beyond himself. He thought that the blessing given to him was truly HIS. Look how overloaded this proverb with the possessive pronouns "my” and "mine” and the pronoun "I”: "what should I do? I have nowhere to put MY harvest… I will gather all MY crop, all MY goods and will say to MY soul: many things YOU have stored for many years: rest, eat and drink and be merry.” One thing that never crossed his mind was to share all this with others. This man is no Joseph who was ready to use the land for the good of others. This man gathered the fruit of this miracle (totally unmerited miracle!) and nothing indicates that he intended to share it with anyone. He assumed that the harvest is his and he should gather it for his good, so that he can have security for his own sake. This man exhibits an attitude opposite of that which Christ was teaching and exhibiting. Instead of denying oneself, this man is establishing himself, instead of looking for a blessing of giving, he is looking a blessing in gaining and storing. Ancient Romans had a saying: "money is like seawater, the more you drink it the more you thirst”. And until this man’s attitude changes he will always desire one thing – to have more – and it goes against everything that the Lord has taught. This man saw nothing beyond himself and his own desires. For a good reason, then, Paul in his epistle to Colossians, having named the number of vices that a Christian is to take off as an old garment, crowns the list with "greed” and says that greed is "idolatry” in its essence. Greed is present where God is replaced with other gods: possessions, power or security. Greed is not only related to money – greed is a basic attitude of a person who always desires more and is selfishly convinced that what he or she has belongs only to him or her (it can even be people, or relationships, one’s own qualities or the joys of life or health, you name it). Greed, the desire to have more, is idolatry also because one’s desires usurp the place of God in a person’s life, so that a person no longer sees that life is not about what is MINE and YOURS but about that "Christ is all in all”. That is what saddened Hosea the prophet, who said that the more God called the people the more they went from him (Hosea 11:2). They didn’t realize that it was God who "healed their wounds” and "drew them to himself in love”, that it was Him, who "lifted their burden and gently fed them” calling their attention to heavenly things. They thought that all they had was naturally theirs. The rich man in the parable is foolish in contrast to the one whom David in Psalm 107 calls "wise” – the one who understands and knows where all things come from and that no person is ever independent. The truly wise understand that a person would always be in trouble and vanish from the face of the earth if it wasn’t for God who stays near them. The problem of this rich man was that he could not see all that, he only saw himself and what he considered "rightly his”. The second thing that we see in this man was that he didn’t see anything beyond earthly reality. All his plans are built on the life here and now. There was once a conversation between a young ambitios man and an older wise man. The young said: "I will learn a profession”, "and what then?” said the old man. "Then I will start my own business”. "And what then?” "I will build up my estate”. "And then what?” "I guess I will get old and retire and will live off my estate”. "And then what?” "Well, I guess I will die”. "And then what?” followed a burning question. Neither this young man, nor a man in the parable remembered that life is not limited by several decades of walking upon this earth. "To whom will you leave all you have prepared?” Jesus doesn’t answer this question but it’s really a rhetorical question. It’s easy to imagine the people that surrounded the rich man, who neither knew the meaning of his death, nor his intentions to use everything for himself, the people respectfully burying him as appropriate for a man of his caliber in that society. They burry him, for he has no one else to whom he can leave his riches! There is an intended irony in this story – the gift of God, despite the intentions of this man, will be given to others, rather than used by this man for his own sake. God gives it all back to those for whom it was meant, for that night the man dies. But don’t think that this death was sort of a punishment from God; Jesus doesn’t say anything to make us think that God was retaliating the man for his self-confidence. This man simply dies a sudden death, like many people die, even those who think that they wisely secured themselves against the troubles of life… Если и есть в этой истории намек, от которого Иисус не может удержаться, так это о том, что произойдет дальше. "кому же достанется то, что ты заготовил?" Иисус не отвечает на этот вопрос. Но не трудно представить, окружающих этого человека людей, тех, кто не знал ни смысла его смерти, ни его намерений использовать все для себя, людей почтительно хоронящих его, как полагается подобного ранга человеку в обществе, раз которому некому оставить свои богатства! И в этой истории намерено присутствует ирония – Божий дар был использован для других, а не припрятан для себя. Как заметил один писатель в своей книге "Вот и притча", эта притча не относится к радикальным притчам Иисуса. Это притча, основанная на глубокой традиции Израиля, которая передавалась из поколения в поколение, традиция, которая учила, что земля (и все на ней) принадлежит Богу и должна использоваться для всех. И эта традиция достаточно радикальна для людей, который привыкли думать, что то, чем они обладают принадлежит им. It is important to note that Jesus told the parable in response to someone who was worried how the family inheritance would be shared and whether he will receive a just portion of it. One of the responsibilities of the Israel’s teachers was to judge such matters on the basis of the law. I don’t think there is anybody among us who is not familiar with a similar situation? Who doesn’t want to receive what was rightly his or hers? But how many family quarrels, arguments, broken relationships and hurts take place because of such matters? Most of the problems arise what we all begin to assume that the gifts that are given to us are something that rightly belongs to us and when no one else or no one else’s needs matter to us like our own. Most of us are much better at this "it’s mine” – "no, it’s mine” game than the two men I spoke of in the beginning. But Jesus didn’t want to participate in this quarrel because he was not just another teacher of the law. In His coming the Kingdom of God drew near and for God’s kingdom the way this rich man chose was the foolish way. He was thinking about his own wellbeing and acted as if there was no God forgetting that his life could end any moment and all his plans would be reveled in their ultimate emptiness. People hoard things out of deep fear – life seems so fragile and unpredictable and to secure it one needs to save things up. Yet, the paradox is that these savings are even more fragile than the earthly life itself. But life is not just another several decades of walking upon this earth. The Scripture reminds us today that life is much more, that there is eternal life in God that we need to hold on to. Hosea reminds us that God calls the people to the things above, to what is eternal and Paul reminds us: "if you have risen with Christ, seek the things above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God… for Christ is all and all”. Only lifting one’s eyes from the earth and realizing that only in Christ one can have absolute security in life, one is freed from fear and constant trying to "secure one’s life” gaining and hoarding. One is freed from fear realizing that life is the gift from God, who not only created all things but gives us spiritual freedom and teaches the right attitude towards life and things. And don’t think that this story relates only to the rich people, it relates to all of us who have as least something. Jesus is not speaking against the rich or those who are luckier than us, but to us if we still have not understood that there is only proper attitude towards Him and His creation: realization that there is nothing that is mine or yours, but there is just you and I and above all of us there is Christ. And while there are many people who gather their treasures for themselves their whole lives, we are called to be the people who are "becoming rich in God”. To be rich in God is only possible for those who are united with Him, those whose life is hidden with Christ, who have the seal of the Holy Spirit. To become rich in God means to grow in the knowledge of Christ and to be continuously filled with the things of God. Paul clarifies that in Eph. 3:16-17 saying: "I pray that from his glorious, unlimited riches he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. 17 Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him.” "Make His home” means to be the host, not the guest that comes every now and then for a few minutes during Sunday worship or during a short prayer when our circumstances become too tough. To become rich in God means becoming rich with faith. James writes: "Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him?» (Js. 2:5). Richness of faith consists not only in believing that there is God but in a free worship and submission to Him as the Lord, being obedient to Him from the heart that results in prayer "may Your kingdom come and Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven”. To become rich in God also means becoming rich with good deeds, because faith without them is dead. Like an artist without paint and brush, or paint and brush without an artist cannot create a picture, faith without deeds and deeds without faith cannot create in us the image of God. To become rich in God means to be filled more and more with Him and less and less with self. To become rich in God means to be enriched by his mercy. To be merciful means to be able to so understand the condition of another person, that you begin to see the world with their eyes, think of things and problems as they do, being able to feel for and know how another person feels. It was these things that the person in the parable has missed. He was too busy with himself, his own opportunities to see the blessing given to him for blessing others and the opportunity to become rich in God: rich with his nature, mercy, love, generosity and goodness. | |
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