WALDROP: Greed — it’s worse than we thought!

esus’ lecture is interrupted by a young man whose father has died; he wants his share of the estate. However, the oldest brother could legally delay the settlement indefinitely. Who can fault this man for wanting to get on with his life and fortune? Well, Jesus can and he does. Why?

Here is someone whose material interests outweigh his spiritual ones, reducing God to a property divider and making a mockery of Jesus’ classroom. How does Jesus reply? Tersely: “Who made me your probate judge?” Then, he makes him an example to the rest of the class: “Pay attention to this and guard yourselves against greed of all kinds. A man’s life is not what he possesses, no matter how rich he is” (Luke 12:13-21).

We do not know if he heard Jesus out or if he left upon hearing his motives for coming to Jesus being laid bare to all around him, including himself. But if we are to understand Jesus’ teaching, we must understand what he meant by the word “greed.” It may not be what we usually think it is; especially if we understand greed to mean merely “wanting too much.” That is too easy, too vague, too general, to have any real bite to it. When did Jesus’ teachings not have any bite to them?

In the language of Jesus’ day, greed (pleonexia) does not merely want a million dollars when a thousand dollars is sufficient. Greed begins at wanting anything over that last thousandth dollar! Why? Partly because the first dollar above the necessary thousand may belong to someone else who might not be able to meet their needs without it (and that person could be you!). Furthermore, Jesus said that there are many “greedy” sins; so he used a word that takes the vagueness away from any self-serving understanding of it. When greed is vaguely defined, we can move well into it and never know when or how we got there.
According to Jesus, greed involves wanting more than is necessary, more than is enough, to meet our needs. Is that what you understand when you hear it or use it, or have you fallen for the growing propaganda that says: “Greed is good” (from the 1987 movie, “Wall Street”)?

This teaching was difficult not only for the young man who interrupted class that day. It was difficult for the entire class. So Jesus told a parable that bites to the core of our being.

Why, here comes an innocent-looking young entrepreneur. He’s had a good year and his land “bore good crops.” Ahh, but here comes the rub. He begins to “think to himself” (v.17), not to God: “This isn’t enough. I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones where I can store my grain and all my other stuff” (v.18). Then, he talks to himself again: “I’m a lucky guy (not blessed, only lucky). I’ve got it made for years to come. I’ll take life easy, eat, drink and enjoy myself (not God, v.19).”

But, suddenly, someone else enters this man’s conversation with himself. His monologue becomes a dialogue — and not a pleasant one at that. God tells him: “You fool. Tonight you die. Who will get all your ‘stuff’ then?” (v.20).

Finally, the question, “How much is enough?” is, indeed, legitimate, personal and difficult. In addition, another can also be asked. If we are wondering whether we have fallen into greed (and shouldn’t we sometimes wonder?), we might ask of ourselves: “How much can I do without?” Have you asked it lately?