Somewhere in the immense crowd, a man is able to garner Jesus' attention. (Lk 12: 13-21) He wants Jesus to arbitrate a division of property between himself and his brother. Such arbitration of disputes by a rabbi was not unusual. However, Jesus recognizes this request as motivated by greed, and not a desire for justice. For that reason he refuses and uses the encounter as a parabolic teaching moment. Jesus speaks of a rich businessman who, without thought for God or neighbour, frets over growing possessions and decides to tear down his old buildings and erect newer, larger ones to hold his stuff. God speaks to the rich fellow. He calls the man a "fool" (the same word Jesus uses of Pharisees who are motivated by greed, and neglect justice and the love of God.) God informs him that he will die that night, and all his plans be for naught. So it goes, Jesus says, with wealthy folks who do not put their assets towards God's work.
In numerous texts, from Dives and Lazarus, to the Rich Young Ruler, to the Eye of a Needle, our Lord has emphasized that wealth is the single greatest hazard to a person's spiritual health. As the author of First Timothy tells us,"the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil." (6:10) In other words, the problem is whether and how one's wealth is distributed and the character deficiency is attachment.
How can anyone misunderstand Jesus' view of greed? And, yet, in our society many prominent religious leaders are turning tricks for the wealthiest, and building up enormous treasures on earth for themselves. Many mega-churches now appear to be little more than tax-free cover operations for transferring donations from the pockets of parishioners to the pockets of their pastors. Jesus must surely be weeping.
Attachment leads to other spiritual disorders. First, we may see that it causes us to forget that everything we possess is from God. We bring nothing into the world, take nothing out, and we do nothing except by blessings we have received. There are no self-made men: we create nothing. Our natural God-given talents allow us to succeed. There is nothing wrong with "reverent" entrepreneurship.
Second, attachment leads us to a lack of trust in Providence. The reality is that if we are lavishly, unconditionally generous, we can trust God to take care of us. Years ago we were challenged to make sacrificial gifts to charity every month, and then trust God with the rest of the budget. That has never failed us. My charitable giving now exceeds the ten-percent biblical tithe; and we have always been truly blessed in that. One cannot outdo God in generosity; and trusting in God's Providence makes us better stewards -- better managers of resources -- which include time and talent, as well as wealth.
Third, attachment leads us to self-justify, to imagine that everyone starts on a level playing-field, that our moral superiority entitles us to a disproportionate amount of the world's goods. We are attracted to the nonsensical and popular "prosperity theology" of today, which Jesus would never recognize. And, on a global scale, tens of thousands die daily from preventable causes, because we have the means, but not the will, to provide for the basic needs of humanity.
Fourth, attachment causes us to lose our sense of priorities. When God is said to demand "no other gods in my presence," we can take that to the bank. The Deity we worship demands to be first in our lives. If wealth accumulation -- and the security and lifestyle it brings -- is more important to us than anything else, then it is our god, and the God of Israel is not. In all things, let us turn away from the idolatry of false values to worship the Living God who wants to be our number one..
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