No Fulfillment in Abundance of Possession

Bible Passage: Luke 12:13-21

Introduction:

A few years ago, I met a man in a small town that I grew up in. He was in his mid-seventies. He was known for his affluence in the community. Also, he had recognition for corruption. The wealth he had accumulated over the years, as people said, was enough for his seven generations. Of course, this claim was somewhat exaggerated! But we get the point. He thought, as many others do, that wealth would solve all his problems. If that is the case, we have to ask a question. Why do so many wealthy people find themselves unfulfilled and insecure when they have everything? They are in the height of their career only to find out that the abundance of possessions cannot bring security or joy to their lives. We do not find our security and fulfillment in wealth. Only God secures our destiny and fulfills our longings.

In our Bible reading today from Luke 12:13-21, we have a man telling Jesus to be a judge over the family dispute of inheritance. The relationship between two brothers had broken. He needed an outside intervention to settle it. So, he comes to Jesus. In Jewish culture, the firstborn son gets double portions of inheritance (Deut. 21:17). The younger ones get one. The story does not tell us, however, if there was any injustice toward him.

Back then, people equaled material possessions with God’s blessings. Life evolved around accumulating more. One’s social status, influence, and power would rise with the amount of wealth. In those days, rabbis or teachers smoothed over the family disputes, often mediating conflicts and providing guidance to help families resolve their issues peacefully. Against this backdrop, the man demanded that Jesus resolve his issue. Instead, Jesus questioned the questioner. That would reveal the motifs or assumptions behind the question.

Jesus made his mission clear that he did not come to fix the family disputes. He left it for other rabbis to deal with it. He was more interested in addressing the underlying issues of the human heart. “Watch out,” he warned the crowd about the consequence of greed. “Guard your hearts against all forms of greed.” Greed is synonymous with avarice. It is an all-consuming and unquenchable desire for material possessions. It is defined as an excessive desire for hoarding something more than what one needs. Jesus told the crowd that their life did not consist in the abundance of their possessions.

To illustrate his point, Jesus narrates the parable of a Rich Fool. There was a rich man whose wealth came from a bountiful harvest. He thought to himself that he would need extra-large storage to stuff them. He planned to secure his future. There is nothing

wrong with meticulous planning for the future. He decided to tear down the old barns and build new ones. He told himself to retire, so to speak. He wanted to indulge in his excessive wealth.
“I deserve to have fun after all these years of working so hard. I am going to make up for those lost years. My soul needs not to worry. I have secured my future with my wealth. I will do whatever I want with my money. I worked for it,” he convinced himself. It never crossed his mind what the ramifications would be for those whose lives depended on his farm. Many lives depended on his business. He had no time to think about the impending negative repercussions it would have on those whose backs are against the wall.

God shows up to him that night. He demanded his life from him. At that very moment, his plans for the future were falling apart. He had spent many restless nights to make that wealth. No one would posthumously remember him for his great wealth. It was a dire reminder that abundant wealth does not mean abundant life. In the end, someone would inherit everything he worked for and saved for. The false sense of safety and security and fulfillment smack his face at this dying moment. He sacrificed so much to get where he is today. It cost him his relationship with God. And also with his friend for his futile effort to accumulate more wealth.

Jesus’ warning is what we need to hear today. Those who trusted in wealth will share the rich fool’s fate. The man from my hometown was a career bureaucrat. He had held a few high positions throughout his career. He worked in the agencies where there were constant cash flows. Agencies such as the National Revenue Department and the Customs Department were lucrative opportunities for him to amass a fortune. Knowing who he was, I still asked him what he did for a living. “I am a government official.” His eyes were sparkling when he said that. He smirked and pulled his sleeves up. “What I have added to my inheritance today is a result of my determination,” he bragged. In the meantime, he explained he lost his health going after wealth. He sighed and said it is all worth pursuing wealth so he could now live a worry-free life. “Either you must be a fool or ignorant if you say you have enough,” he said while slightly leaning back, “because without money, you have nothing.” You are nothing!” I simply nodded, not knowing how to respond to him. He sighed and added, “No matter how much I have today, I yearn for more and feel lacking something deep inside my soul!”

Just like the Rich Fool in the parable, this man flourished at the expense of someone else’s work. He sacrificed his health for wealth. He was on quite a few medications. He openly

admitted that the wealth had kept him worrying for nights. Everything he had had not assured him of safety. Nor was he satisfied with what he had. We might be tempted to vindicate ourselves by comparing ourselves with the man from my hometown or the Rich Fool. The degree of wealth is not the issue here. It is how we perceive wealth or how we use it. Consumerism has taken over our life. We only care for ourselves. We have failed to act as God’s people on our obligation toward our neighbors. We have bought the lies of the world that are better. We strive to keep adding more when a brother or a sister next door is dying of hunger and cold. We have forgotten our responsibilities toward our neighbors, oppressed and marginalized. We conduct ourselves as if there is no life beyond the grave, contrary to what we believe. Greed has driven us to go after perishable possession at the expense of everything, including God. It is like a crouching devil on the doorstep to swallow anyone. It has become idolatry that has absorbed all our joy and ruled every aspect of life.

Jesus is not condemning riches or wealth. What he is condemning is dethroning the rightful place of God in man’s life with material possessions. He knows our hearts are corrupted. Greed leads to the idolization of wealth. A person’s heart is where their wealth is. It leads to finding one’s security, well-being, and solace in the abundance of their wealth. In the madness of consumerism, God becomes irrelevant.

And this is what the Rich Foolish did in the story. He revealed his foolishness with the progression of the parable. Firstly, He fails to acknowledge God’s providence in his abundance. Secondly, he revealed his self-serving heart. He amassed the harvest and decided to keep it to himself. His unsympathetic action and greed blinded him from recognizing that the earthly possessions are temporal. Jesus condemns the lack of compassion and our trust in earthly possessions. We cannot find our security on them. The Rich Foolish lacks the basic understanding of possible destruction of earthly possessions through moths, pests, or natural disasters. His plan was counterproductive to society. Thirdly, he clearly and unmistakably ignored the very fact a person cannot foresee the future. Death is inevitable. Finally, our richness is not measured by how much we accumulate in the world but what we do with the least that God has given to us. How should we live then?

We have a perfect role model in Jesus Christ. He has shown us our true security and fulfillment are found in him. The accumulation of wealth and prosperity effectuates false confidence in our lives.

Life may seem to be safe and secured when we have more than enough. Egotistic view on wealth serves none but only themselves. In the parable, temporal and spatial gains in the world impair the rich man’s ability to seek the shalom of others. Seeking instant gratification disposes him of the sight of eternity with God.

God is concerned for his people. With this story, Jesus communicates to the crowd that he is deeply concerned for his people. He is concerned about their eternal destiny; he is anxious about people seeking fulfillment and security in the wrong place. With a closer look at the story gives us a clear picture of the man withdrawing from the business. Indulging in eating, drinking, and engaging in pleasure cannot bring fulfillment. This is contrary to the creation mandate. It is a self-deprivation from engaging with the creative world. The best use of God-given resources is to make “tools of service that benefit others and enable them to be in a position to serve God better.” He is not going to share his abundance with his neighbors. He has no concerns about who worked for him. His action could cause a greater negative impact even on the regional economy. But Jesus tells the crowd that money cannot buy true happiness, fulfillment, and security. God alone can satisfy the restless soul. Our success can bring us wealth. Yet, we could still be impoverished. Only the relationship with God and people with a proper reference to God can be fulfilling. It is a reminder to us that our true treasure is stored in heaven.

I read an incredible story of a billionaire named Philip Ng Chee Tat. He is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Far East Organization Center Pvt. Ltd., Singapore. He is the richest man in the country. He also happens to be a devout Christian who recognizes brokenness in all humans. People look for their fulfillment and happiness in search of wrong things in the wrong places. “I have discovered all of us are broken; we all have a missing piece. For me, I discovered the missing piece was God in Jesus Christ,” the business tycoon said. When he found this missing piece, that made him whole. After finding God in Jesus Christ, he said he achieved happiness and a fulfilling life.

A self-made billionaire is saying this. He felt his life and all his wealth did not make any sense until he found the love of God. “It sure beats a lot of money and material things that you may have. It starts with accepting you are broken and there is a missing piece. For me, personally, that missing piece is our Lord Jesus Christ,” he reflected on his past. For him, all his wealth cannot replace Jesus Christ.

We cannot meet our own deepest longings for fulfillment or search for security. St. Augustine of Hippo writes in his book Confession (Lib 1, 1,1-2,2.5,5: CSEL 33, 1-5), “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.” Jesus is the only life-giving source. No matter how much we have, the earthly treasure cannot last forever. Material possessions and finances can help to a certain extent, but they ultimately cannot provide eternal fulfillment or salvation, which is only found in Jesus. But not a single person had survived death. God has given us a one-time temporal life. It has meaning. When we divert all our energy to accumulating wealth, we lose the meaning and purpose of our entire life. All we have to do is redirect our focus from the earthly possession to the heavenly possession. Jesus draws attention from the crowd and points to himself. “I am your need. I meet your every need. I alone can meet your longings. I can fix you if you redirect your sight from the earthly possession to me.”