St. John Lutheran Church
Chester, Illinois
August 3/4, 2013
Pentecost 10 (Proper 13C)
Luke 12:13-21
The Cure for Vanity
And he said to them, "Take care, and be on your guard against all
covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his
possessions." (Luke 12:15 ESV)
In the Name of Jesus, the only Savior of the world,
“Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity.”
(Eccl. 1:2). It’s all vapor. It’s all meaningless. Thus God led Solomon to
discern about striving after material things. And it’s true. You spend your
life working like mad, working your fingers to the bone, and for what? Your
wealth, your possessions will not keep you from the grave. All the stuff you
acquire won’t do you any good once you die. And when that day comes, and it
will, everything you labored for will go to someone else. And as Solomon says,
“Who knows whether he will be wise or a fool?” (Eccl. 2:19). It’s all vanity!
And that’s what Jesus shows so well in His parable. A rich man’s land
produced a bumper crop. And instead of thanking God for such a bounty, instead
of using his prosperity to help anyone else – his own family or the poor in the
community – he is totally turned in on himself and concerned only for himself.
Listen to the language he uses. My crops. My barns. My goods. "What shall I
do?" "This is what I'll do." I'll do this. I'll do that. And since there were
no storage lockers for him to rent, he planned to tear down his barns and build
bigger ones to store the abundant grain and his goods. So he was going to
retire and take it easy and “eat, drink, [and] be merry.”
What he didn’t plan on was dying. He thought he was in control of his life.
He believed that he alone was responsible for his good fortune. He thought he
had it made in the shade. He had, in effect, made gods of himself and his
goods. And for his deliberate failure to trust in God, God calls him a fool. He
was not rich toward God and that very night his soul was required of him. That
very night he would die – still in his sins and without his goods. And for
what? What good did all his possessions do for him then? None at all. He left
it all behind.
Now before you shake you head or cluck your tongue at this man, know this:
not one of us escapes from God’s Word today. We all get caught up in the vanity
of this world. We all treasure our stuff, however much or little we may have.
We all have our prize possessions - for some it’s a collection of some kind,
for others, like pastors, it’s often our books, for still others it may be
their retirement account. The truth is we often value our possessions more than
anything else, even more than we do God or others. You know it’s true.
Furthermore, we often think things would be better if only we had more money.
And why is that? Usually so we could buy more stuff, though for some it’s
because they need to pay the rent and put food on the table or just get a
little breathing room under their financial burden. Still Jesus warns us, “Take
care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not
consist in the abundance of his possessions.” And why is covetousness so bad?
Because it’s idolatry (Col. 3:5).
Now there is certainly nothing wrong with having things. They are gifts
from God after all, and should be received with thanksgiving. But, you see, if
our lives are nothing but striving to collect the things of this world, it‘s
vanity. If everything we think, say and do is directed primarily toward
attaining more of this world’s treasures, if we trust in our possessions for
our security, or hoard them only for ourselves, if we don’t help our neighbor
in his need, or, dare I say, give generously and sacrificially to the Church
for God’s Work, then we are not rich toward God, and therefore a fool. Repent,
beloved. Repent of your selfishness. Repent of your covetousness and idolatry.
Repent of your chasing after the worldly wind.
For your “life does NOT consist in the abundance of your possessions.”
Instead your life consists in being possessed by God. How so? “Your life is
hidden with Christ in God.” (Col. 3:3). After all, Jesus gave up His riches in
heaven to became poor so that we could become rich (2 Cor. 8:9). He left His
throne of glory to die on the cross so your sins would be forgiven. And when
you became God’s child in Baptism, you became one “who pleases Him.” Your life
is found in Christ “for in Him we live and move and have our being” (Acts
17:28). Yes, God has given us life in and through Christ.
And “He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will
he not also with him graciously give us all things?” (Rom. 8:32). Thus He gives
us “wisdom, knowledge and happiness" as Solomon says. He gives us food and
drink and satisfaction in our work. Indeed, such satisfaction comes only from
God as we realize more and more what He has done for us in Christ. And as we
"seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of
God," we find true joy. For when our true treasure is in heaven, our heart will
be there too.
No, our life does not consist in the abundance of our possessions. Thus
Paul told Timothy:
As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to
set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides
us with everything to enjoy. 18 They are to do good, to be rich in good works,
to be generous and ready to share, 19 thus storing up treasure for themselves
as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which
is truly life. (1 Tim. 6:17-19)
That’s the key thought for today. And even if you don’t think you’re rich,
those words still apply to you. For all that you are and all that you have are
gifts from God. He gives you this day, and every day, your daily bread – and
sometimes in such abundance you don’t know what to do with it all.
And yet, our true riches are in heaven. For all that is our Lord’s is
yours. He so wants you to be rich toward Him that He gives you the greatest
riches of all: forgiveness of sins, eternal life, and salvation. He sends you
His Holy Spirit to work in you saving faith in Jesus Christ. It is this gift of
faith that enables us to receive with thanksgiving the gifts He gives in His
Word and Sacraments.
This is how your heavenly Father makes you rich toward Him. He poured out
His only-begotten Son on the cross. He who was rich became poor for our sake.
Christ, who by a word created the heavens and the earth, became as nothing for
us. Jesus poured out His lifeblood to fill your cup, even past the point at
which your cup runs over. Jesus Christ died for you to win the forgiveness you
cannot earn. God demanded the soul of His beloved Son for you on Good Friday,
and His Son said, “Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit” (Luke 23:46b).
And since the Father has given His Son, and given you life, He also gives
you so much more. He gives you “everything that has to do with the support and
needs of the body, such as food, drink, clothing, shoes, house, home, land,
animals, money, goods, a devout husband or wife, devout children, devout
workers, devout and faithful rulers, good government, good weather, peace,
health, self-control, good reputation, good friends, faithful neighbors, and
the like” (Fourth Petition). God also gives us His Holy Spirit to “lead us to
realize this and to receive our daily bread with thanksgiving.” God has blessed
us richly with His temporal gifts to us. And even if the devil and the world
take these away from us, we are still rich, for our Lord has showered on us His
eternal gifts.
So, to lay up treasure in heaven is to continually receive with
thanksgiving all that our Lord gives, especially in those things you need for
your soul. Through the forgiveness of sins given in Holy Absolution, through
His Word which is read and preached in your hearing, in the Body and Blood of
your Lord Jesus God makes you rich toward Him and rich unto salvation. He gives
you true riches which last forever, and “when Christ who is our Life appears,
then you also will appear with Him in glory” (Col. 3:4). Because of this
promise, when God requires your soul, you will not hear “You Fool.” But rather,
“Come you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you.”
Thus it is with those who are rich toward Him, those who are possessed by Him.
In Jesus’ name. Amen.
The peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds
through Christ Jesus.
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