Living Rich Towards God

The context of the story we are given today is found at the beginning of this chapter, where in v1 we learn that Jesus is talking to a large crowd, one gathered by the thousands it says, so that they trampled on one another. It is in this crowd that he first began to speak to his disciples. This conversation takes us through v12 when suddenly someone from the crowd shouts out to Jesus, which is how our reading today begins.

The man is trying to get Jesus’ attention so that Jesus might arbitrate a clear problem he’s got with his brother and their inheritance. Jesus shouts back, in essence, “no way, man” and then says this: “Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one's life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.”

The way I hear this first part of the story is that it’s like when a person shouts out at a famous person on the street (I’ve frankly only seen this on like instagram), or shouts out at the lead singer of a band while at a concert for this person of fame to do something for them. It’s totally insane, but it’s insane because this person shouting out just got so caught up on what they wanted or what they couldn’t have or get on their own, or something they are unwilling to do for themselves that they yell out to this person with more power than they have to try to get it for them. I’m always amazed at the gall these kinds of people have when they shout for requests like this. 

And Jesus’ admonishment to this man is very clear:  Watch out for losing sight of what’s important/getting lost in possessions at the expense of the very things that make up your life––your relationships, your mind, your heart.

And then Jesus tells “them” a parable, I’m assuming it’s the whole crowd at this point––or at least those who could hear him. And so we get into the parable. 

There’s a rich man who had a bountiful harvest and he was trying to figure out what he should do with the excess. He decides to build bigger storehouses so that he’ll have what he needs in the future. Quite pleased with himself he decided to head out to eat, drink, and be merry, when God steps in (one of the few times that God speaks in the entire gospel of Luke) and calls him a fool (one of my favorite biblical burns) and tells him that he could die tonight and then what would come of his possessions? 

And then that great line: “So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God."

It’s that but in this verse that makes it funky, for me. but that he was not rich toward God. 

In this parable it’s not about the possessions (the fool isn’t reprimanded for the bountiful harvest or for having the bounty), it’s sort of about what he did with them, “so it is with those who store up treasures for themselves…” But again, that but right there makes it so that it’s actually more about the fact that he was not rich toward God as he stored these things up for himself. 

So, of course, what does that mean? What does it mean to be rich towards God?

I don’t think this means giving money to the church. I don’t even think it means necessarily giving money to humanitarian aid or non-profits doing direct work. But I do think we get a clue if we continue reading, which the lectionary didn’t give us, but first off we’re not meeting next week so we’ll miss what the lectionary has for us next week, but second because in that very next verse, v. 22, we get a therefore (which I learned should always cause one to stop and ask what is the there for?). So let’s keep reading. 

Jesus now turns back to his disciples and says “therefore, I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat, or about your body, what you will wear. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing.” He goes on and on about how not to worry and why, and then at the end of this long narrative about how not to and why not to worry about your provisions, he concludes with this in v. 31: “Instead strive for God’s kingdom and all these things will be given to you as well.”

Here’s what I think it all means.

I think it’s a matter of vision, of how we see and walk through the world around us. Are we living in God’s economy? God’s kingdom? Or are we living in a world of our own making, where we are gods, with God’s kingdom simply far off in some distant future?

And just to be even more clear, I don’t believe that this means, as it did in the Christianity of my youth, that we don’t put money into a retirement fund because God will provide, or that we don’t care for the earth now because at the end of time it will all burn away anyway. Or that we just give money to the church without paying attention to our bank accounts and what we actually have––a give until it hurts sort of mentality. I don’t think this is striving for God’s kingdom or being “rich towards God.”

Remember where this story started—brother calling out from the crowd and Jesus’ response that greed can come in many forms. That our possessions, security, safety, inheritances, retirements, health—all of these things can make us lose sight, can warp our vision for where to find the kingdom of God, the reign of God, literally where God lives. This brother got so caught up in his request and in the worry about the family dynamic and the possessions he may or may not have, my hunch is that he lost sight of who was before him, God was literally right there.  

Likewise the rich man in the parable was rich in what he had stored up for himself and for his future but was not rich toward God. He did not have a life rich in the things of God. The Kingdom was all around, God was right there, but he did not build a life rich in that kingdom. 

I can’t tell you where God lives. I would be a fool if I thought I could. I wish it were that easy, but scripture doesn’t give us those answers. Instead we’re told how to find God and God’s kingdom: store up treasures, sure, but don’t spend your days worrying about what you have and don’t have, instead spend your money and invest your money and your time in ways that act and live as if the kingdom of God were already here. “This very night your life is being demanded of you.” Live like this. Strive towards the kingdom of God––build it, find it, seek after it, give your money away to it, spend what you have, there, that is, wherever you find the kingdom of God. And in this you will find yourself rich in God.