Today’s text is a relevant one especially given the state of the economy and the priority we put on making and acquiring wealth.  Two brothers are fighting over their inheritance.  Given the tradition of the day it is probably the young brother who approaches Jesus and asks him to intervene.  “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”

We are not told the motivation of the young man.  Was he concerned about his future and looking for a little financial security?  Was he just greedy and wanted his share of the money?  Maybe he just wanted to be treated fairly by his brother.  Whatever the reason he was angry enough at the situation that he sought Jesus to arbitrate the conflict.

Money can be a great divider.  Often times in a marriage conflicts center on issues of money.  The reading of a will can often be a time that brings out the worst in family members.  Even before the person dies people start talking about who gets what.  The brothers in this morning’s text are no different.  Their father has died and they are arguing over their inheritance.  This theme is seen in other parables of Jesus; take the Prodigal Son as an example.  The older brother is angry with his younger brother because he squandered his share of the inheritance and then gets invited back into the family.      

Jesus can’t be bothered with this petty argument.  “Man, who made me a judge or arbitrator over you?”

Why does Jesus refuse to get involved, to get sucked into this family dispute?  The answer is that Jesus sees the root problem in this conflict.  To put it in a word, this was a dispute that sprang from greed.  The older brother wanted it all to himself and the younger brother wanted his share.  The relationship between the brothers was in jeopardy because each was more interested in the inheritance, what was in it for them personally, than they were interested in each other.  Jesus says to them and all who would listen, including those of us gathered here this morning is, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”

Take care; be on your guard are strong words of warning to those of us living in a society that in many ways is motivated by greed.  There are whole industries that exist to convince us that we can not live without certain items.  We are told that our economy will only improve if we spend our money and purchase more stuff.  Often times our status in the community is determined by the clothes we wear, the car we drive and or the house we live in.  We don’t go to school just to learn.  Everything we do fits into our career track and is geared to help us earn more and more money.

Jesus says take care.  He warns us to be on our guard because the sin of covetousness can easily over take our lives.  We want what we see others have because in our consumer society it is all about the money and the stuff.

The problem with finding our self worth in the things that one possesses is that one never has enough.  What is the saturation point?  Ask yourself what is your limit, when will you have enough to make you satisfied and content?  How much must you have in the bank to feel secure?  How big does your house need to be?  What kind of car do you need to drive?  When is enough, enough?

As was his practice Jesus told those gathered a story, a parable to make his point.  It is a parable that has application to those of us living in this high pressure, goal oriented city.

He says, “The land of a rich man produced plentifully…”  Right from the start one’s interest is perked.  Jesus is speaking of a rich man.  Rich people should be the most content of us all if we believe that satisfaction comes from wealth.  Rich people should have few worries about the future.  They, of all people, are self sustaining.

As is often the case, or at least it seems that way, the rich man gets even richer because his land produces an abundant harvest.  Having the best equipment, purchasing the best seed and hiring the most qualified workers paid off.  His investment yielded a bummer crop.

Put yourself in this man’s shoes.  He invests wisely and benefits from his efforts.  He is already well off in fact Jesus tells us the man is rich.  Consider your own situation.  By the world’s standards we are all more than well off.  We live in big homes; even our tiny New York apartments are spacious and well equipped compared to homes in the two thirds world.  We all have access to education and for the most part we have done well for ourselves.  I can’t speak for everyone but the majority of the people in this church are doing okay for themselves. 

What happens if things go well for you?  Your stock portfolio improves, you land a better job, or you come into some money?  What is your response to the needs of the people around you?

The problem of the man in the parable is not that he did well for himself.  God would have us improve our life.  He gives us the opportunity to improve ourselves by going to school.  He gives us good jobs to meet the needs of our families.  He gives us the opportunity to own our own homes.  The plentiful harvest of the rich farmer is not the problem.  After all God was the one who gave good weather; sunshine and rain that lead to the abundant crop.  Our struggle is not with the fact that God allows us to prosper.  He comes to give us abundant life.  So than what is the issue that Jesus draws attention to?  The rich farmer asks the wrong question.  He asks, “What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?”  It is all about him.  Is it all about you?

In his self absorption he takes no thought for the needs of others.  For him it is all self interest.  How can I store this crop?  How can I secure this added wealth?  No thought for those struggling around them.

The problem of world hunger is not one of lack of food.  The world produces enough food to feed the entire planet.  The problem is one of distribution.  God always gives enough he just doesn’t distribute it equally.  He gives the supply and asks us to take care of the distribution.  In the early church we are told that when the Holy Spirit moved those with extra land sold it and gave the money to the disciples to distribute as needed.  The end result was that there were no needed among them.  Those with more gave to those with less and all had enough.  James tells us that if we see a brother in need and do nothing about it our religion is worthless. 

The man asked what shall I do my barn is not big enough when he should have said, having been blessed by God how can I help those in need.

The man decided that the prudent thing to do was to build bigger barns.  Than he would have a place to store his harvest and he could enter into an early retirement.  Everyone wants to retire early and live the good life as defined by the world around us.  The man was so content with himself and his decision that he said, “Soul (notice he speaks to his inner being), you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.”  Sound familiar?  It’s the way most people think.  What I earn is mine to use on myself.  Nothing wrong with a little R and R after all I’ve earned it.

I don’t know about you but I hear this kind of talk all of the time.  No one ever has enough and everyone wants to retire early and certainly everyone wants to live in absolute comfort.  Yet Jesus said, “Foxes have their holes and birds have their nests but the son of man has no place to lay his head.”

The problem with the word of God is that it gives me no peace unless I bring my life into conformity to it.  Just when my deceitful heart gets all its plans in order the Bible comes along and challenges every thing I have set in stone.  The Holy Spirit gives me no peace.  I walk the streets and see the numbers of homeless growing.  I know pastors who have churches in Southeast Queens whose members are losing their homes to foreclosure in large numbers.  The unemployment rate is still over 10% and in some communities in this city it is even higher.  I want to turn my back and make my plans.  I like Cain ask the question, “Am I my brother’s keeper?”  And like with Cain the answer comes back to me with a resounding yes! 

The problem is one of perspective on my part.  We looked at the Lord’s Prayer last week and one of the petitions is, “Give us this day our daily bread.”  We ask the Lord to remind us of where our sustenance comes from, it comes from God.  All that I have comes from him and belongs to him.  He asks me to be a good steward of what he has entrusted to me.

Jesus tells us not to lay up our treasure on earth were moth and rust destroys, but rather to invest in the kingdom of heaven which will reap an eternal reward.  The rich man in our story was to short sighted and too often so am I.  How about you?  He said let me build a bigger barn for my stuff.  He had no guarantee of tomorrow.  He should have said, “I have enough let me invest in the kingdom of God and help those around me,” but he didn’t.  He said let me secure my own future.

“God said to him, ‘Fool!  This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’”  What you don’t want to hear when you stand before the presence of God at the end of your life is the word, fool.  God calls him a fool because he let his stuff blind him to the things of God.  What he had he thought he earned and so he felt it all belonged to him to do with as he pleased.  All that we have comes from God and belongs to him.  He gives us an abundance of things that we might have the pleasure of sharing it with others.

We have no claim on tomorrow.  The time to serve the Lord is now.  To wait might be too late.  What will you do with the things that God has given to you?  Will you build bigger barns or spread the kingdom of God?