“Take care to guard against all greed, for though one may be rich, one’s life does not consist of possessions.”

(Luke 12:15)

         There is a basic distinction in Christian circles between “what is above” and “what is on earth.” (Colossians 3,2)

         Money for a person tied into “what is above” is nothing more than barter, a way for people to exchange things to obtain that which they need. Money or wealth for a person tied into “what is on earth” often allows money to assume a life of its own. As Jesus says, such a person will store up treasure for themselves.  When that happens, most often such a person will lose sight of “what is above.” That is the real problem connected with wealth and the seeking of wealth.

         What happens when we lose sight of “what is above”?  There was a song by the group Nickelback that sarcastically recounts the mind of such a person.  “I want,” they sing, “a brand new house and a bathroom I can play baseball in.  I’ll need a credit card that’s got no limit and a big black jet with a bedroom in it.  I’m gonna trade this life for fortune and fame ‘cause we all just wanna be big rockstars, and live in hilltop houses driving fifteen cars.” (Song: “Rockstar”)

         The control of possessions plays an important part in Jesus’ doctrine.  He saw all too clearly what the desire for riches and possessions did to the good people of his day, to the people who wanted to better their lives, to the religious leaders, and even to his own Apostles in the person of Judas. But it seems as though the human Jesus can see into the future as well, perhaps into the twenty-first century in particular. The people of the twenty-first century can hear his words as clearly as if Jesus were right in front of them: “Take care to guard against all greed, for though one may be rich, one’s life does not consist of possessions.”

         The words of Jesus give us a straight-forward challenge: where have we placed material goods, money, wealth or possessions in our lives?  Are we allowing material things to overshadow the Christian values?  Have we let our love for material things affect the “things above” in the way we live?  

         This does not in any way deny the importance of money as a means to exist.  It is very much part of our lives to make money, to invest money, even to try to make more pf it. The Gospel does not deny this; what the Gospel does is make us question where we have placed the importance of money and possessions.

         “I want” has been the cry of immature people from the time of the first sin; it still plagues humankind, and gently tricks them into believing that the more we have, the happier we will be. We must listen to Jesus and his words about greed and possessions.