But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you

Then one from the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” But He said to him, “Man, who made Me a judge or an arbitrator over you?” And He said to them, “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.” Then He spoke a parable to them, saying, “The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’ So he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink and be merry.”’ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’ So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”

Then He said to His disciples, “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on. Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing. Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor barn; and God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds? And which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? If you then are not able to do the least, why are you anxious for the rest? Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. If then God so clothes the grass, which today is in the field and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith? And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind. For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things. But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you.”

- Luke 12:13-31

In yesterday’s reading, Jesus spoke about the realities that are within us, and that are not hidden from God’s understanding. We must take care of what is inside of us, the values we hold – because to fear those who can kill the body alone is not what we must keep in mind. The one who may take our soul knows all there is to know about us – even the hairs on our head are numbered, even the sparrows are accounted for and known, and we who form this flock are more valuable than the sparrows. We must also be aware of the work of the Holy Spirit, that which is known to us and which is also at work in our lives. It is this we must pay the most attention to, particularly in times of stress or persecution for the confession of faith in Christ. See Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.

Then one from the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” But He said to him, “Man, who made Me a judge or an arbitrator over you?” And He said to them, “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.” A note in my study bible reads, “It was a tradition for respected rabbis to arbitrate personal disputes over property or money. But Jesus refuses to play the role of judge (v. 14) regarding material things, and instead issues a stern warning about greed (v. 15).” It’s quite interesting to note that Jesus is not necessarily criticizing the (presumably) injured man’s feelings, but directing him instead to a better source of worth or values. We enter here into the internal realm Jesus was speaking of in yesterday’s reading – about that which we store within us. The “light” He’s referred to before with which our body may be filled is also a metaphor for values, for worth. Are we going to focus on one sort of abundance – or do we put another first? Jesus has taught that we must choose that which we worship: God or mammon. This is the choice He is emphasizing here. What do we put first? What do we love? He goes to the heart of the question – what is within the heart of the man who asks? Perhaps he’s asking out of greed, or perhaps a sense of justice. We don’t know – the question is, where will he put his highest value? His healing, one way or another, is to be directed elsewhere.

Then He spoke a parable to them, saying, “The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’ So he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink and be merry.”’ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’ So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.” A note reads, “The rich man is a fool, despite his material success, because he vainly puts all his trust in his possessions rather than in God. To be rich toward God (v. 21) is to have a life of close communion with Him through faith and works.” What comes first? Where do our values – and that which therefore creates self-worth – come from? The rich man clearly put all his hopes, all his efforts, toward one thing. He did not put first what needs to be certain and sure, a safeguard he truly needs – that of his own soul, the internal reality or state of his being and true worth.

Then He said to His disciples, “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on. Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing. Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor barn; and God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds? And which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? If you then are not able to do the least, why are you anxious for the rest? Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. If then God so clothes the grass, which today is in the field and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith? And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind. For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things. But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you.” Another note in my study bible says that “this is an exhortation against worry (v. 22) and anxiety (v. 26), not against God-ordained planning and earnest work.” Once again, we are drawn toward the understanding of the awareness of God of all things – and the fact that we are worth so much more than the birds (as Jesus mentioned sparrows in yesterday’s reading). So much of what we do in life is focused on getting material things. What about the things that remain first, and more important? “Life in abundance” is more than the material. It is that which adds dimension to us, enlivens us, teaches us how to live, and to live with life abundantly. It is that which adds that extra depth and width and height to life, which feeds us with spiritual food and nourishment, meaning, and joy.

I don’t think Jesus would ever deny that we need material things to live, we live in a world of material reality. But “material-mindedness” is much more than simply acknowledging the reality of the world and the way it works. To be strictly “material-minded” means that we are without that enlivening spirit of understanding that gives so much to us, that fills our lives with love and meaning, that challenges us to live as truly “incarnationally” as we can – as human beings filled with light. This is not a choice between life in abundance in a material sense and the abundance of the spiritual life per se. (In fact, Jesus indicates quite the opposite, stressing that we need not have undue anxiety about the material things we need.) Rather, the message here is about the power and abundance of the spiritual life, that this must be our focus. If we focus too much on the material – with all the emphasis and stress that goes along with that alone – we are likely to miss the boat altogether. We will miss the light, that which makes us more real, gives us more depth, more abundance, and a greater sense of joy and meaning in our lives. What is first with you? Where is your light, your treasure? What do you make sure you have before all else?