Luke 12:13-21: Healing Greed
Thursday, December 21, 2023
John the Baptist was imprisoned and when he got wind of what Jesus was doing, he sent his own disciples to ask, “Are you the One we’ve been expecting, or are we still waiting?” (MSG) This week we are given an opportunity to give our own testimony.
We know that Jesus had healed physical blindness and blindness of the heart. We have witnessed the miracle of Jesus’ cure of lameness, deafness, and lack of speech. In all cases, Jesus concerns himself with the soul as much as – or perhaps more than – the body. We know that Jesus moves in our own lives and the lives of all humans in all times. So one day . . .
Someone out of the crowd said, “Teacher, order my brother to give me a fair share of the family inheritance.” Jesus replied, “Mister, what makes you think it’s any of my business to be a judge or mediator for you?” Speaking to the people, he went on, “Take care! Protect yourself against the least bit of greed. Life is not defined by what you have, even when you have a lot.”
Knowing that his audience would not understand his words, seeing that they lived in a world that saw wealth as an indication of God’s reward, Jesus told the story often called The Greedy Farmer or The Rich Fool (Luke 12:18-21) If we read his story today, does it speak to us? Does it ask us to change so that we might heal our own greed?
And Jesus concluded, “This is how it is with those who pile up riches for themselves but are not rich in God’s sight.” (GNT)
Do Jesus’ closing words heal or inspire? Do they open our eyes and ears? Do they move our tongues and legs? Do Jesus’ words bring us any consolation or hope?
When we use the scripture links and drop-down menus to explore these verses, we open our ears and eyes. We lose our lameness and our fear of witnessing about Jesus’ Good News.
For a reflection on The Greedy Farmer, click on the image above or visit: https://signposts02.wordpress.com/2013/08/01/6459/
The Noontimes 