“Your Abundance of Possessions”
Text: Luke 12:13-21
8-3-2025
May the words of my mouth and the meditation of our hearts be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, our Rock and our Redeemer. Amen. Reading the sermon title for today, “Your Abundance Of Possessions,” and then hearing the Gospel lesson you may be thinking, “Oh, here we go. Jesus is saying we shouldn’t be rich in this life so Pastor is going to tell us to give more to the Church. Or that we’ve got way too many possessions as Americans and we ought to give more of them away to the poor and live a simpler life.” To be sure, what we call “poor” in this nation would be considered wealthy in many other countries across the globe. Even though I’ve heard sermons on this text that took this approach, that’s not where I’m going because I don’t believe it’s the main point Jesus is trying to make here. So, what is the main point?
Well, do you remember the Gospel account of Mary and Martha from 2 weeks ago? Upon closer examination we find that Martha’s problem was not her industrious work at cooking and serving. Rather, she had a wrong attitude that caused her to have a misguided focus, which was on herself. As a result, she missed out on receiving God’s Word of love, forgiveness, and salvation. Well, we’ve got something similar going on here in today’s Gospel. Contrary to what you may think, the rich farmer in the parable is not rebuked for his wealth or productivity or business expansion. No, his problem was his attitude. And that attitude caused him to lose focus on the abundance of grace God was offering and had already provided to him.
Before we delve into the parable, we need to look at what precipitated it. This wasn’t just an interesting story Jesus told. No, He was addressing the man’s request who asked Him to help settle a family inheritance dispute. It was quite common for people back then to go to a rabbi and ask him to be the judge in such matters. The rabbis relished having that kind of respect and authority. And yet Jesus rejected it. As a Pastor I can understand why. I have absolutely no desire to be involved in your personal financial dealings like this. There are more important spiritual problems that need to be addressed. That doesn’t mean a Pastor can’t or won’t advise you to act Christ-like when you’re settling an estate or making business decisions. But he ought not be involved in the details of it. However, the greater reason why Jesus refused to be involved in this dispute is because this man was totally obsessed with it. He was so preoccupied that he wasn’t paying attention to the words of salvation coming from the mouth of the Son of God who was standing in front of him.
Sadly, that kind of preoccupation still occurs today in the Christian Church. It’s often called the “social Gospel.” And it’s expressed when Pastors and/or the people are mainly focused on the ills of this fallen world. They’re focused on ending all wars, starvation, poverty, pollution, etc. Yes, Christians ought to do what we can in this world to combat those evils. But in churches where they are solely preoccupied with those things, you rarely hear sermons on sin and its damning consequences, nor repentance, confession, absolution and the wondrous gifts of God’s Word and Sacrament. Those are supposed to be our primary focus of importance. The preoccupation with earthly, social issues was clearly seen in the Gospel reading with the man’s obsession over earthly possessions. Jesus pinpointed this guy’s wrong attitude and focus by saying, “One’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.” The parable that then follows was meant to highlight this. Understanding the context and what Jesus was trying to correct will help us grasp the lesson in the parable.
Since we live in a rural area, the setting of this parable makes more sense to us than most people. Who hasn’t driven by the elevators in the area and seen the corn piled high outside on the ground because they don’t have enough bin space to hold it all? There are people in locations all across this globe who are envious of that. They live hand to mouth and the word “abundance” isn’t in their vocabulary. My point is that we can relate to the great blessings that were showered upon this farmer in the parable. What a dilemma to have, huh? So, this fictional man makes a wise business decision. He will tear down his old storage barns and build new, larger ones.
Let’s pause there for a moment to ask a crucial question: Has this guy done anything wrong or sinful thus far? Oh, you might say he didn’t acknowledge that God was the giver of that abundance and didn’t thank the Lord. But let’s give him the benefit of the doubt because the text doesn’t say one way or another about that... yet. The answer is “no,” this man was not evil for expanding his business. And I would point out to you that nowhere in this parable does Jesus say it’s sinful to be wealthy. As in other passages of Scripture we see that wealth and possessions are not the problem. It’s our attitude and preoccupation with them that IS the problem.
This wrong attitude comes out in the very next verse where the man says to himself, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.” Do you recall what Jesus was trying to correct with this parable? He was correcting the false belief that the good life consisted of the abundance of possessions. And that’s obviously at the root of what the rich farmer says here. Resting upon all his wealth, he thinks he can now kick back and finally enjoy life. He was counting on his abundance of worldly possessions to give his soul total peace, rest, and enjoyment.
This is a foolish assumption on the farmer’s part. In the Old Testament reading King Solomon belabors the point that pursuing wealth as if that will bring joy and satisfaction is like chasing after the wind. You can never catch it. If anyone would know, Solomon would. He had it all and yet he found no lasting satisfaction. Someone once asked a multi-millionaire, “How much money is enough?” And the answer was, “One dollar more.” In other words, the goal is elusive as well as the happiness people think it will bring. Besides, as both Solomon and Jesus said, you’re going to die someday and someone else will take over your wealth and possessions. You can’t take it with you. If that’s the case, then what ought to be our focus in this life? Christ tells us that true happiness and contentment can only be found by being “rich toward God.”
That phrase can be a bit confusing because it sounds as though happiness and contentment can be acheived by something we do. However, some of the ancient manuscripts of this verse have a different word there that makes more sense. It reads: being “rich in God.” That fits much better with what Jesus was teaching. We must first be rich in God before we can be rich toward God. Being preoccupied with the abundance of earthly possessions can distract our focus from the abundance of our spiritual possessions which are a gift from God. And that abundance from God is huge! Through Jesus Christ and His atoning death on the cross, you and I have an overflowing treasury of forgiveness available to us. With that forgiveness of sins comes a storehouse full of peace which surpasses all human understanding. God’s love and mercy toward us is an unending flood.
Believe it or not, our Lord really does want us to: “relax, eat, drink, and be merry.” He wants us to find joy and contentment in this life knowing that we have an abundance of spiritual possessions which God showers on us from His heavenly supply. If we are focused on that abundance of possessions, then our circumstances here on earth will take a back seat. When we are resting in that spiritual abundance then our souls truly can relax and enjoy the material blessings that God provides. As Solomon says, “There is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil. This also, I saw, is from the hand of God, for apart from him who can eat or who can have enjoyment?”
Regardless of your income or life circumstances, as you work to survive and thrive in this life don’t lose sight of those abundant possessions God has provided for you personally. Daily remember the abundant grace and mercy you received in your Baptism. Daily remember God’s abundant forgiveness that He showers on you. Daily remember God’s abundant love and salvation that’s yours though faith in Jesus. All of these abundant possessions are yours as we gather around God’s Word and Sacrament. May our gracious God teach our souls to relax, eat, drink, and be merry as we enjoy the abundant possessions of His endless grace. Amen.
Soli Deo Gloria!