Is it wrong to love things?

Luke 12:13-21

13 Someone in the crowd said to him, ‘Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.’ 14But he said to him, ‘Friend, who set me to be a judge or arbitrator over you?’ 15And he said to them, ‘Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.’ 16Then he told them a parable: ‘The land of a rich man produced abundantly. 17And he thought to himself, “What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?” 18Then he said, “I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.” 20But God said to him, “You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?” 21So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich towards God.’

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I am an American.  I love my house and all of the comforts it provides (especially the air conditioning during the hot summer months).  I love my car: it is not anything fancy, but I think of it as an extension of myself.  It is more than transportation; the way it drives is a direct reflection of my personality.  I know I am not the only one who feels this way.  In the United States, we have a deep love for our possessions.

When does love become greed?  My heart fills with dread as I ask this question because the answer is pretty clear.  If an object is nothing more than a tool, a thing that serves a clear purpose but does nothing else, then it should be appreciated–and so should the people who design and make the tool–but feeling love for a tool is a waste of emotion and time.  How much love would we give each other if we stopped loving objects?

This topic is complicated, however.  Just about anything having to do with humans is complicated.

There are objects, and then there are man-made items created to express human emotion.  People should feel profound love for a painting, for example, because a painting is much more than a tool.  It is, of course, an object–it is a canvas with paint brushed on it–but a painting is created to move people’s emotions.  The same can be said for a car.  Driving enthusiasts rave about the sensations they feel through the steering wheel, the gear shifter, and even the driver’s seat as the vehicle is in motion.  A car is a lifeless machine, but when such a machine is designed and built to evoke human emotions, it becomes far more valuable.

When Jesus says, “‘one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions,’” He does not mean we should throw out Monet’s paintings or sell the car that you keep in the garage.  If we threw out everything that fills us with joy and all of the other essential emotions, what sort of life would we lead?  What Jesus discourages, however, is the coveting of objects.  A landowner who stores more grain than he could ever consume is ignoring the hungry people around him.  The person who keeps an art piece in his own home and never shares it with the world is depriving others of a fulfilling experience.  Even cars are meant to be shared.  I am surprised how often driving enthusiasts drive their vehicles alone when nearly every car sold today has at least one passenger seat.

Many think Jesus demands us to give, and yes, there are causes that need donations.  What He seems to demand in today’s passage, however, is for us to share what we have with others.

I wonder how fewer things I would own if I regularly asked myself, “With whom am I going to share this object?”  A person who has much should share his wealth with his community.

Is it a sin to be rich?

Matthew 19:23-30

23 Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Truly I tell you, it will be hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.’ 25When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astounded and said, ‘Then who can be saved?’ 26But Jesus looked at them and said, ‘For mortals it is impossible, but for God all things are possible.’

27 Then Peter said in reply, ‘Look, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?’ 28Jesus said to them, ‘Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man is seated on the throne of his glory, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold,* and will inherit eternal life.30But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.

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In the United States, there appears to be a growing movement towards simplifying one’s life. Truth be told, it is not a new movement: nearly every major religion in the world has its hermits who abandon all possessions and live simple lives of prayer and poverty. With the dominant role that the computer and satellite technologies now play on our lives, however, there appears to be growing interest in pulling away from the digital chaos.

The movement is not limited to spiritualists. If you search the Internet, you will find a number of websites that show readers how to live a simpler life. There are people who swear to have found happiness after getting rid of most of their belongings. There are people who have quit their jobs, sold their large homes, and moved into so-called micro homes (also called “Tiny Houses”) that offer no more than three-hundred square feet of living space. I have found a number of blogs and videos created by people who have chosen to live in RVs instead of houses or apartments, and they all claim simplicity as one major reason for the change. These small homes have limited storage space, so the resident must reduce his or her possessions to the bare necessities.

Is it shocking to learn that these people feel liberated after they have given up so much of their possessions? Many of them claim to feel as if a heavy burden has been lifted off of their shoulders. Owning a lot of stuff causes stress, and once these people give up their stuff, much of the stress evaporates.

In the New Testament, the apostles choose a similar life with Jesus. They give up their careers, their homes and families to travel from town to town with their teacher. With little to no money, they rely on the kindness of various supporters for shelter, and often they have to sleep outdoors.

But what about all of the other people who do not make this sacrifice? In today’s Gospel passage, Jesus tells them that a rich person will have a very hard time reaching the kingdom of heaven. In fact, He says, “‘it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.’’

The apostles find this concept shocking. Even though they are willing to give up a lot, it is clear from their reaction that they can’t imagine everyone being required to do so.

Can everyone give up the nice home, the closet full of clothes, the countless computer gadgets? There’s no way.

So are the rest of us doomed? Have my nice home and two family cars locked me out of heaven?

I suspect much of the Bible cannot be read literally because the writer plays with our biases. Perhaps the most common bias is that wealth is a sin. In any historical time period, there are many underprivileged people, and it is natural for them to resent those with money. This view misses the point that Jesus makes, however. He does not say that rich people are doomed; instead, He says that it will be difficult for the rich to enter heaven. Difficult, but not impossible.

The sin of greed occurs when one accumulates a large amount of money and then never uses it. The same can be said for hoarding a lot of possessions.

Unused wealth is wasteful: it does not help the community.

Used wealth, on the other hand, can do a lot of good. When Jesus suggests that the wealthy should get rid of all that they have, I don’t think He wants them to throw away all of that money. If you are fortunate enough to acquire a lot of money, then you should use it to help people. Of course, many wealthy people fail to do this because it is difficult to give up your possessions. I believe this is why Jesus says, “‘it will be hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven.’”

When you possess a lot, you must give it back to the world.  Only then can you find peace.

The Magnificat: To Be Lifted Up

Luke 1:46-55

46 And Mary said,
‘My soul magnifies the Lord, 
47   and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour, 
48 for he has looked with favour on the lowliness of his servant.
   Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; 
49 for the Mighty One has done great things for me,
   and holy is his name. 
50 His mercy is for those who fear him
   from generation to generation. 
51 He has shown strength with his arm;
   he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. 
52 He has brought down the powerful from their thrones,
   and lifted up the lowly; 
53 he has filled the hungry with good things,
   and sent the rich away empty. 
54 He has helped his servant Israel,
   in remembrance of his mercy, 
55 according to the promise he made to our ancestors,
   to Abraham and to his descendants for ever.’

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The Magnificat is one of the most important gospel passages for Christians. In it Mary purportedly says,

“[God] has brought down the powerful from their thrones,

and lifted up the lowly;

he has filled the hungry with good things,

and sent the rich away empty.”

Is this true? Does God lift up the people who are lowly and fill those who are hungry with good things? Cynics would look around them and see plenty of evidence of the opposite. There are many people starving in the world, and many wealthy people do not appear to be turned away in any state close to “empty.”

On days that are particularly depressing, my heart begins to side with the cynics, but I am glad to write that most days I have a more positive view.

To better understand this passage, one should look at the words above very closely. Notice that the Gospel of Luke says that God lifted up the lowly. The words do not say that God made the lowly rich or made them powerful. The lowly people of the world did not suddenly take over the Roman empire. I’m sure a handful of lowly people found various ways to accumulate wealth in that time, but most low ranked people remained in the their status from birth to death.

It is not monetary wealth that the Christian God offers. There are many Christians who become rich, but there are many more who never accumulate much or any financial wealth. Financial advisors from all over the world would probably argue with me, but I believe Jesus does not see money as the thing that represents success.

So if you are not wealthy, I think this passage should offer you very good news. Since the passage does not say that God will “lift” us to wealth, God does not mean for wealth to be the ultimate goal for any of us. The “lifting up” that this passage mentions is a spiritual one.

Picture yourself in a forest. Imagine that you have been walking up a gravel path for some time, and despite the green pine trees around you and the colorful flowers on the ground, you are getting tired. Then, you reach a clearing, and you see a number of benches there. There are also large umbrellas set up to shade you from the sun. It is a welcomed place of rest, but once you sit down and take a long swig of water from your canteen, you look straight ahead and see that the clearing is in fact the edge of a hillside that looks out to a valley and more hills. It is such a beautiful scene of green and gold colors that you wonder if you have hiked a trail that leads straight to heaven.

This moment of awe has been experienced by countless people. Hikers, campers, and all sorts of outdoors people have described this sort of experience, but you will hear similar experiences from people who attend art exhibitions or people who go to symphony performances. It is the sort of awe that fills you with a warmth greater than any typical earthly experience can give you.

This awe is God lifting you up, and when it happens, you are never the same person afterwards. You still have all of life’s problems to face, and yes, unless you are insanely wealthy, you still have to worry about how to pay your many bills, but you will always remember the moment when you reached heaven. That experience, dear readers, is the gift that God promises everyone, and once you receive it, you are among the wealthiest people one earth.