Luke 12:16-21

November 23, 2008

Every parable Jesus spoke relates in some way to His Kingdom. He did not come to teach the golden rule, nor did He come to “bring peace on earth,” as Christmas cards often teach. He did say, “Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.” (Matthew 10:34) This sword of Christ is sharper than any razor, and cuts to the deepest parts of our hearts. Todays word is the sharp word of truth, cutting to the heart of what it means to be a Christian.

The rich man is each of us - not because we are necessarily materially wealth, but because each of us is pulled to the “security” of this age. So this farmer puzzles over his good fortune, his abundant crops: “What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?” So he hits upon a plan - he will tear down his barns and build bigger ones, to store everything for years to come. For what purpose? So that he can spend his time eating, drinking, and being merry.

The reason this farmer is “everyman” is that the real question is not about wealth at all. The real question for each of us is this: “Where is the treasure of my heart?” This may not be about money at all. Each of us is tempted toward the “security” that this world offers - money, sex, power, pleasures - these are certainly popular “securities” nowadays. But ultimately, like the farmer of the parable, anyone who sets his heart on this world God calls a fool!

So, again, each of us is presented with a series of crucial questions to answer. Where is my heart? Where is the treasure I truly seek? Where is to be found my true happiness, and my true joy? We seek such things in this world because of distorted passions, such as lust, envy, covetousness, or gluttony. These are abnormal, in reality. They are unnatural, and signs of a heart aimed at this world.

Where our hearts are, there will be our treasure. If our hearts are in the world, it is this dying world that we will find. If our hearts are There, in God’s Kingdom, then the eternal life in that Kingdom is what we will find!

In the end, the Lord spoke to this man whose heart was set on this age: “You fool! This night your soul will be required of you...” We will most certainly be judged. There is no doubt about it. All the things we have yearned for in this life will then belong to someone else. And yet... something else is possible! If we take heed, and live unto God, and yearn for that Kingdom Christ has shown us, then we will know how to live rightly here in this world, and we will have treasure in heaven. This treasure for God’s faithful ones will never tarnish, nor be given to someone else - for it is the eternal treasure of Life.

Father Mark