Pentecost VIII: Greed v. Sacrifice

In today's gospel pericope [Lk. 12: 13-21] a man asks Jesus to arbitrate division of an estate between his brother and himself,  Jesus initially asks how he's qualified to do that and then tells a story.  The comment about qualification actually seems to be a significant statement for the separation of church and state.  Rabbis routinely made such adjudications and the government accepted them.  Jesus, in effect, is saying I'm not an attorney, I'm clergy.  Leave religious matters to me, civil matters to judges.
Good lessons.

But of core significance is Jesus' next comment, for he has intuited that the man's motivation is not a desire for justice, but greed.  No doubt, if Jesus had to put on his judge's hat and proceeded, the man would have had a nice backhander for him in appreciation.  Jesus elsewhere tells us that the love of wealth is the greatest impediment to relationship with God. 

In the story, a wealthy man faces the quandary of more stuff that he can store.  He decides to have current structures demolished and build larger ones to hold his inventory.  Then, he reasons, he will have it made and be able to eat, drink and be merry for the rest of his life.   Jesus has God saying in effect:  Guess what?  You are going to die tonight!  Jesus says that is what it is like for those who are generous to themselves and not generous towards God.  But, theologically speaking, why does the attachment to wealth mean spiritual death?  First, it leads us to forget that everything is from God; we don't create anything, we hold it as stewards for God.  Second, attachment causes us to rely on our wealth, and the power it buys, rather than trusting in God.  Third,attachment destroys our sense of priorities, de-emphasizing loving service of others and promoting self-service in the interest of wealth, power, privilege, pleasure, and security.

What then is the antithesis of attachment?  In practice, it is sacrificial giving, putting good works via God's Church and other institutions (and volunteering time and talent) as our very first priority, then trusting God with everything else.  Second, sacrificial giving promotes trust in God, which bring us "the peace surpassing understanding."  We sleep well, knowing that we have done right in a very generous way.   And that keeps us in tune with trust and gratitude for all that we have, drawing us closer to the Divine.