Our reading comes from the twelfth chapter of Luke, verses thirteen through twenty-one. Jesus is in Judea and is surrounded by a great crowd. He is offering them both a word of encouragement and a word of warning. Jesus tells them to keep their eyes fixed on God. Without warning, Jesus is interrupted.
The interrupter did not hear a single word from Jesus, because he is preoccupied with personal problems. His problem is complex because it combines two of life’s most complicated topics: family and money. Some things don’t change; family issues and money issues are still complex. That is why verse thirteen resonates with us. The author quotes the man with these words, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” As a member of the modern clergy, I have never been asked to help settle family estates. In Jesus’s day, it was common to take such problems to teachers or rabbis. As a rule, the older brother always received a double portion of the inheritance. Jesus saw the problem instantly – the Master knew the man’s request was rooted in materialism. In other words, Jesus knew the man’s problem was greed. The man’s priorities were confused. Then, Jesus told the man this story.
The ground of a certain rich man produced a bumper crop. That was a good thing and a bad thing. It was a good thing because his crop was valuable. It was a bad thing because he had no place to store his crop. To the business world, the problem is solved easily, he tears down his original barn and builds a bigger one. Once this bumper crop is harvested and stored, life will be easier. It is a great plan except for one major flaw – the man suddenly dies and is separated from his earthly possessions. Sadly, the man was financially successful, but spiritually bankrupt. That makes me ask an interesting question. How many successful, spiritually bankrupt people do you know? Could it be you are a successful, spiritually bankrupt person?
I have said it a million times, Money is amoral. Money is neither good nor bad. It is how we handle and view our money that makes it good or bad. That is the case in this story. This parable is filled with personal pronouns. Listen to the story again with that filter.
“The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’ “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’
Jesus’s simple story is dominated by personal pronouns. In verses sixteen through nineteen, the word, “I” is uttered six times by the rich fool. Like the man with the problem, the man in the story is consumed with selfishness and materialism. The man with the problem and the man within the story were victims of greed. Yet, the story is not really about money. It is a story about priorities. The man with the problem and the man in the parable’s greatest priority was money. What is your greatest priority? Sometimes our greatest priorities are bad things. How many examples do you need?
Matthew Perry (1969-2023) was rich. At the time of his death, he was worth $120 million. Most of the money came from the TVshow Friends, where he played Chandler Bing. If he had used his fame and fortune for good, then he would have improved many lives. He would have been welcomed by any non-profit. Sadly, that was not his story. His greatest priority was himself. It has been estimated he spent $9 million on various alcohol and drug addictions treatments. He went into rehab fifteen times. Sometimes our greatest priorities are bad things. However, this is also true: Sometimes our greatest priorities are good things. The problem is, our good things aren’t always the best thing.
There is a website called Quora. On it, people respond to all kinds of questions. I punched in the question: what is your greatest priority? People responded in a variety of ways. One guy said the highest priority in his life was survival skills. One woman answered the greatest priority in her life was her clothes, make-up and hair. Someone else said the greatest priority in their life was finding a life partner. One gentleman said, his greatest priority in his life was sex. How do you answer the question, what is your greatest priority? I would bet your answer is close to my answers.
One of my priorities is financial stability. There are four things you need to know about my personal finances. First, I am a fiscal conservative. I am uncomfortable carrying any kind of debt. I have been known to pay the bill before the bill comes. I do not expect to die rich, but I hope I die debt-free. Second, I am terrified of the Internal Revenue Service. I think everyone should be afraid of the IRS. Third, I recognize everything I have in this world is only on loan from God. The last thing I am going to do financially is cheat God. Fourth, I value work. I was raised in a steel town in Northeast Ohio, where work was not just valued, it was expected. One of my priorities in my life is financial stability.
One of my priorities is good health. In January of 1950, my grandmother came home from church and was preparing lunch for her family. She never ate that meal, because she dropped dead from a fatal heart attack. She didn’t get to be my age. My family tree is filled with high blood pressure. Every morning, I get up and take my medicine, so I won’t have a heart attack. My greatest fear in life is not dying, it is lying in a bed in a nursing home unable to care for myself. One of my priorities in life is my health.
One of my priorities are my children and my grandchildren. I am proud of my children, Sarah and Anna. They are good people who are doing well. I believe they are good people for two reasons. First, they were raised in a single community and knew stability. I never longed for them to be Methodist gypsies wandering around the Annual Conference. They are good people because they are a product of a good community. Second, they know Kathryn and I love them and support them. They don’t need us, but we need them. They know we want what is best for them. It goes without saying – we want what is best for our grandchildren, Pippa and Romeo, and are willing to sacrifice for them. One of my priorities is my children and grandchildren.
One of my priorities is my spouse. Kathryn and I have been married thirty-six years. The time has gone fast; I wish I could slow life down. There are so many things we would like to do together. There are so many places we would like to go together. I have never hidden my feelings for her. My life began on the day we met. One of my greatest priorities is my wife. Nothing seems to matter without her. Let me ask you the question again. What are your priorities?
None of those things are bad things. The problem is none of those things are eternal. Someday, I am going to be separated from my material possessions. Someday, there is an excellent chance I am going to get a terminal disease or get in a fatal accident. The problem is, there is only so much I can do for my children or my grandchildren. Kathryn and I would like to leave this world together, but there is no guarantee. It is a cruel fact; the world is constantly changing. The only thing that is completely stable is God. Only God is eternal.
Years ago, I was called by one of the local funeral homes to officiate at a service. I did not know the deceased. I was called for one reason – neither the deceased nor anyone in the family had a church home. They didn’t even know a member of the clergy. However, they wanted to celebrate their loved one’s life. As is my custom, I went to the calling hours to meet with the family. It was a painful couple of minutes for the family. They apologized to me for not going to church. In their minds, they had good reasons. I told them I wasn’t there to judge them, but I was there to help them celebrate their loved one’s life.
As they told me about him, I discovered he was a good person. He would do anything for anyone. He had worked hard and was well respected by his peers. His hobbies always included family members. His absence would leave a great void in their lives. His brother said, “He lived every day to the fullest. He lived as if he was never going to die.” This is the problem: He did die. Sadly, like the man in Jesus’s story, he was economically successful, but spiritually bankrupt.
The funeral service went off without a hitch. His life was remembered. Some of the memories made people laugh. Some of the memories made people cry. The service ended with me giving the benediction. As is the custom, the last ones to view the body were the family members. After I perform a funeral, most family members stay for a few unpleasant minutes. This family stayed for what seemed like an eternity. Numb, they just stood there looking at the corpse. The veteran funeral director, who was a great churchman, motioned for me to come to him. He whispered in my ear, “Russ, I have seen it a million times. People with no faith linger, because once the service is over, it is over. They will never see their loved one again. People with faith are different. They move on because they know there is more. They know they will see their loved one again in heaven. How great of a priority is God to you? American Baptist minister Rick Warren (born 1954) once said, “Living in the light of eternity changes your priorities.”
Russ Adams 