C, Pentecost 11 Proper 13 - Luke 12:13-15 "What's the deal with coveting?"
Someone in 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 arbitrator over
you?” And he said to them, “Take care,
and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist
in the abundance of his possessions.”
(Luke 12:13–15 ESV)
Jesus said to the fellow in the crowd, “Man, who made
me a judge or arbitrator over you?” after this man had summoned Jesus to tell
someone to divide an inheritance with him.
But we never hear the answer.
Interesting!
Here Jesus dives under the surface to meet what’s
really going on within this man, but also within you and me! Who is my judge
and arbitrator? Who is your judge and
arbitrator?
The very fact this man asked the question of Jesus to
do his bidding reveals two things. The
first is he was acting as his own judge and arbitrator who had decided in his
own mind he deserved his share of the inheritance. And secondly, he seeks to enlist Jesus’ power
because, although he seeks to be his own judge, he hasn’t the power over the
mind of someone else.
What’s going on in his mind is the very thing that
goes on in the hearts and minds of us all.
When confronted by the mind of God what goes through your mind? When Jesus asks you, “Who made me a judge and
arbitrator over you?” what is your answer?
Your answer will quickly reveal how you understand yourself in relation
to coveting and Jesus’ next comment where he says, “Take care, and be on your
guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the
abundance of his possessions.”
I use to wonder why God gave us the commandments on
coveting! “You shall not covet your
neighbour’s house; you shall not covet your neighbour’s wife, or his male
servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is
your neighbour’s.” (Exodus 20:17 ESV) I
know he gave them to us because we are covetous; that we struggle with greed
and desire, known as avarice or cupidity, but I didn’t understand why God would
have them after the other commandments.
You see, when I want someone else’s stuff the
commandment on stealing would surely stop me from taking someone else’s
possessions. And, when the eye starts to
look around in lust, I hear within “you shall not commit adultery” ring warning
bells in my mind and heart turning me towards repentance and then peaceful
living with God and my neighbours.
And so I pondered the Ten Commandments, knowing the
first three are about my relationship with God and the second table, the other
seven commandments, are about my relationship with people. So why the commandments on coveting?
Surely bad actions against parents and authority are
defended by the command to honour one’s father and mother! Killing, boundary crossing sexual activity,
stealing, and actions of the tongue cover the rest of the commandments so we
are protected in community! So why the
commandments on coveting?
More than ever, the importance of the commandments on
coveting needs to be understood by us today.
Firstly, so we might know what’s going on within us, and then, so we
might be able to serve our neighbour as they struggle to work out what’s going
on in them.
You see, the second table of the Ten Commandments
deals with sins against people. And
while these commandments deal with this, the last of the commandments on
coveting someone else’s stuff and living things, deals not with sin against
other people, but rather sinning against the person of ourself.
Put most simply it’s the body waging war with
itself. Everyone who’s broken a diet, a
personal new year’s resolution or sort to stop smoking knows what is going on
here. When your mind is tough it makes a
decision, no more! But then by evening
it seems the cravings in every cell of the body demands you light up, or slip
down to the shop for that block of chocolate!
Who here has sinned against themselves in this way?
But let’s not get into a game of dissection and
blame, “My stomach, made me do it! My
hand made me do! You and I are whole
people, mind, body, and spirit! Each of
us needs to ponder our relationship with ourselves. Taking time out to do this in God’s presence
is vitally important for the mental and spiritual wellbeing of every person who
walks the planet.
However, as easy as it may be to take the speck out
of someone’s eye, it sure is had to acknowledge the log in our own. Nevertheless, as tough as it is to take a
good hard look at ourself, if we don’t, then we’re no different to a fool
coveting earthly riches in the face of death.
So what is your wealth? What are the riches of this
congregation? How are you arbitrating
and judging your earthly reality? Now we
get to the heart of the commandments on coveting. Now we begin to see and expose why we and the
rest of the western world are so plagued with spiritual oppression and
depression in all its various forms.
It seems covetous behaviour leaves us not even being
able to live with ourselves let alone care for our neighbour in the face of our
perfect inheritance, eternal life! Our
yearning for things in this world leaves us with aching desires! Sexual desire burns us up with cupidity. And even when the we get what we covet, the
pot of gold at the end of the rainbow moves so we never really get what we
chase after.
In his first letter to the Corinthians St Paul tells
those who struggle with this in Corinth, as he does also with you, “The natural
person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to
him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually
discerned. The spiritual person judges
all things, but is himself to be judged by no one.” (1 Corinthians 2:14–15 ESV)
Who is judge and arbitrator over you? Are you about pleasing God or man; be it
someone else or yourself? What do you
covet, what do you honestly want more of...?
The easy thing here is to do what many do today in a
world that is so bound up with individualism.
And it’s also thinking we’ve adopted in the church where we seek to
block being exposed, by demanding faith as an unaccountable personal thing of
the heart. But Jesus himself tells us, “For from within, out of the heart of man,
come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting,
wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and
they defile a person.” (Mark 7:20–23 ESV)
The thing here is blocking being exposed, also blocks
being forgiven. Faith is a personal
thing of the heart. It comes from the
personal heart of Christ crucified on the cross, so we might live out our God
given faith very publically, because we want to, we love to, and because a
covetous world needs us Christians to personally bear Jesus’ death and
resurrection before the world for its sake, Jesus’ sake, and for the glory of
God our Father.
We have heard in Colossians “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are
above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not
on things that are on earth.” (Colossians 3:1–2 ESV)
You and I have a very clear and concise call to
courageously and boldly proclaim, and yes even covet, our treasures in
heaven. Therefore, boldly pray for the
Holy Spirit to give you the desire to be in God’s word, to be in his presence,
to bring the kingdom of God near those who are your neighbours. The more you seek the things of God the more
you will desire the things of God. The
Spirit will see to it when you allow him to immerse you in the Word of God.
Do not let your coveting separate you from God’s
forgiveness. Jesus says to everyone in
this congregation, “Fear not, little
flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions, and give to the needy.
Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the
heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth
destroys. For where your treasure is,
there will your heart be also.” (Luke 12:32–34 ESV) Amen.
