Treasures

Luke 12:13-21

August 3, 2025

 

            Back in 2016 country artist, Brandy Clark, a favorite of ours, released the song, Broke, on her album, Big Day In a Small Town. If you haven’t heard this or any of her albums, I highly recommend them. The song, Broke, is what the title suggests, a song about being broke. The chorus is a classic. It goes: “We're broke, we're busted, our Chevy truck is rusted. We're high and dry, ain't enough apples for the apple pie. If we had a penny, we sure couldn't spare it; sitting on the porch drinking generic Coke. We're broke”

            Another line in the song confesses to the fact that because the folks described in the song are so very, very broke, they are secretly wishing that grandma would croak. That line always makes me think of movies where a rich patriarch or matriarch of a family dies, and all the other family members gather like sharks for the reading of the will. And you can see in their eyes and their mannerisms just how desperate and greedy they are for whatever riches might be in store for them. Perhaps they have also been secretly wishing that grandma would croak, so they can get their hands on some cash. And if grandma, or grandpa, doesn’t leave them what they expect, what they think they need or deserve, then all heck breaks loose. Family members turn on other family members. Children turn on parents, and siblings turn on siblings. It is a mess. It might be better to be broke.

            We don’t know the complete back story of the man who reaches out to Jesus from the crowd, but we do know that he wanted the rabbi to settle a dispute between him and his brother over an inheritance, so I think we could make some intelligent guesses as to what might have been going on. Clearly, these two brothers are in conflict over family wealth. The one brother decides to turn to a higher authority and comes out of the crowd and asks Jesus to settle the argument between them.  

            “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.”

            Moses might have agreed to do this, but Jesus will not be drawn into this kind of argument.

            “Friend, who set me to be a judge or arbitrator over you?”

            Be careful, Jesus tells him. Watch out for greed in all the ways it shows itself, whether it is over an inheritance or something else. Life is not about an abundance of possessions.

            If the story stopped right here we would have enough to talk about for a lifetime. This is a room filled with intelligent, thoughtful people, who combined bring lifetimes of experience and wisdom to the table. Every single one of us could preach an impromptu sermon on the dangers of materialism. We all know, at least intellectually, that in the end our possessions don’t mean as much as the people in our lives. We understand, whether we have experienced it or not, that possessions can be gone in the blink of the eye. Things wear out, break, and fall apart. Things can be stolen or lost or destroyed.

            Probably all of us know, as well, how hard it is not to be owned by our possessions. We may logically and intellectually realize that things we have don’t really matter, not in the long run. But we live in a world of things. We live in a culture that makes it seem that if we just own the right clothes, or goods, or toys, than we will be better people. We may not want to buy into the belief that our stuff gives us status, but we are all susceptible to it regardless.

            And even if I don’t believe that my stuff gives me status, I do hold onto things because of the memories that are attached to them. Things that my mom gave me, or my dad passed on to me, are treasures to me because they came from the people I love so dearly. I think I worry deep down that if I lose or let go of the thing I’ll lose the memory as well.

            But Jesus warns the people in this crowd then and those of us hearing these words now about greed and placing too much value on what we have and how much we have. As I said, if we stopped here, we would have enough to discuss and learn from for a lifetime. But Jesus doesn’t stop. Jesus goes on to tell a parable about a rich but foolish farmer. This farmer does not store up his grain as a stopgap for years when a plentiful harvest is just a memory. He focuses solely on himself. He is the only subject of his discourse. There is no discussion about sharing his harvest. He converses with his soul and assures his soul that he and it are okay. All is well. He has taken care of himself, so now he can relax, eat, drink, and be merry. But guess what? All is not well. That very night his life is demanded of him. And upon his death, what will happen to his stuff? What will happen to the treasure he has stored, to the things which he has prepared? Jesus ends by saying that is what happens to those “who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God.”

            I guess I could just tell you, me, all of us, not to be greedy. Share what we have, and don’t put too much stock in our stuff. It fits. It works. It is important to remember. But I think there is more going on here than just greed. I there is more at work than a farmer wanting to keep his harvest for himself. So, let’s retell this parable in a new way.

            An executive, a professional, a professor, a manager, a pastor – you fill in the blank – made a good living, and she said to herself, “I will not only add money to my 401(k), but I will also start an IRA and diversify my portfolio. I will invest my money wisely and I will hedge my bets against the future. I will create my own security and ensure my life will be okay. My future is set.

            It seems to me that there are different kinds of greed. There is the kind of greed that is based solely on the idea that whoever has the most toys wins. But there is also the greed that is driven not by wanting more, but by fearing there isn’t enough. When I read this parable about the farmer, I didn’t see him just wanting to keep everything for himself because he is greedy. I see him trying to keep his wealth because he’s scared. He is trying to create his own security. He

stores up out of anxiety. He wants to know, to be guaranteed, that he will be okay. So, he stores up, stockpiles, and socks away to ensure just that. The tragic twist is that he and his future collide that very night.

            I think Jesus was not only warning about greed, about wanting more and more and more, he was also warning about the anxiety that fuels that endless desire. When we read the verses following the ones we read today, we’ll hear Jesus reiterate this. Don’t worry, he says. Don’t be anxious. All the material treasures in the world won’t keep you safe. So, do not worry about the riches that can bind you. Instead be rich toward God.

            But what does it mean to be rich toward God? Does that mean upping the amount we put in the offering plate each week? Does it mean giving away more because I trust God more than I trust myself? The answer to both questions is a resounding “Yes!” But I think there is even more to this than only giving away. I also wonder if Jesus is trying to make us understand what treasure really is. Maybe Jesus wants all who will hear to understand that the true treasure and the most significant way we can be rich toward God is to be rich toward others.

            I’m not talking only about charity, although there are plenty of people doing the hard and often thankless work of kindness that could use financial help. Our offering today for Presbyterian Disaster Assistance speaks to that. But I am also talking about the relationships we foster and the community that we cultivate. This week in my lectionary group, one of my colleagues stated that he thinks that a sad aspect of the parable Jesus told is that the farmer put off eating, drinking, and being merry. The farmer mistakenly believed that he could do that when he had enough, but because we have no clue as to what tomorrow will bring, we should enjoy life now. We should enjoy the good gift of God’s creation now. We should relish the beauty that God gives us, the abundance that God provides now. Stop thinking and planning and worrying only about the future if it costs you the present.

            Honestly, some of the best meals I have ever enjoyed had nothing to do with the food on my plate. They were about the people I shared those meals with. They were about the stories we told and the laughter we shared and the memories we made. If there was one blessing from Covid, from being in lockdown is that my family had more intentional meals together. Our daughter Caroline would come every few weeks, as long as we were all healthy, and we would eat together. We would sit outside on our deck and Brent would play his guitar and we would enjoy being together, and I have no memory of what I made or what we cooked. The treasure, the riches, were not about what we ate or what we owned, but about who we were with.

            And that kind of treasure doesn’t just come from the people we know and love. That treasure can be found standing in a checkout line and being kind to the person in front of you or behind you, better yet being kind to the person checking you out, or the people sitting on the curb out front asking for help. Being rich toward God means being rich toward God’s children, all God’s children. Being rich toward God means recognizing that the treasure we really need is already ours. Look around; the real treasure is sitting next to you, behind you, in the pews on the other side of the aisle. The treasure is waiting beyond these doors. Be rich toward God, be rich toward God’s children, and then we will have the treasure we seek. Thanks be to God.

            Let all of God’s children say, “Alleluia.” Amen.