Luke 12- Andy's thoughts

I suppose that we are now at the halfway point. Steve, I think it is a great idea to pause and take the whole weekend to catch up and reflect.

I think that there are a few really succinct and powerful verses contained in the chapter-

Dear friends, don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot do any more to you after that. But I’ll tell you whom to fear. Fear God, who has the power to kill you and then throw you into hell. Yes, he’s the one to fear. -4,5

This is a very sobering statement. This is not some wishy washy feel goodery. It is a trenchant fact. We ought to have a clear and reverent fear for God. He has more power than anyone else we will ever encounter. While I don’t think that t God is like others who may hurt me out of greed, selfishness, pride, or cruelty, I do think that God’s power is right to be respected. I had a professor who had us reflect on the fact that God’s power is good and his goodness is powerful.

God could be like the gods of the Greeks or Romans or Egyptians or Phoenicians. God could be like them and demand human sacrifice to appease the gods. But God is not like them. He offers divine self-sacrifice for humans. And so while it is great to worship God for being so loving toward us, let us not lose sight of the fact that God could take us all out.

Yes a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God. -21

I would not be the first to comment on the hollowness of consumerism and its detrimental effect on Christianity. But I have to say a few things about it here. We are constantly bombarded with the message that we need to get more. More money, more property, more security, more stuff. Yet ultimately, it is all going to burn. Goodbye 401K. Goodbye house. Goodbye insurance and tenure. Goodbye cool toys.

We work so hard to buy stuff. We work so hard to secure our possessions. We work so hard to secure our jobs, our status, our lives. Why? I think it comes from a deep seated belief that possessions matter. Advertising agencies make billions of dollars preying upon this belief. I was reading a book recently called Sway: the Irresistible Pull of Irrational Behavior. The author talks about why smart people do dumb things.

One of the main factors is what he calls the fear of loss. He says, “We experience the pain associated with a loss much more vividly than we do the joy of experiencing a gain.” Essentially, it is basic human psychology that drives us to make bad decisions in order to protect ourselves from the perception of loss. We pay extra money for services we don’t need “just in case.” We go out of our way to guard ourselves just so we don’t lose something we perceive to be valuable.

All of this leads us to make horrible decisions on a regular basis. The end result is that we live diminished lives and avoid taking healthy intelligent risks. So perhaps we work 10 hours a week of overtime for years- just so that we can potentially ensure our position at a company. Perhaps we stay in a mediocre romantic relationship because we are afraid that we can’t do better. Perhaps we linger in a ministry that doesn’t suit us because we fear that things will fall apart without us.

This type of thinking subtly reflects a lack of faith. Do we really believe that God won’t provide for our families if we don’t spend time away from our families? Do we really believe that God can’t provide a right mate for us when he leads us to make changes? Do we really believe that God cannot fulfill his mission in the world without us?

Jesus is calling us to reset our priorities. He is calling us to reconsider the joy that awaits those who set their joy in the Lord. He is calling us away from the incessant cry of materialism and calling us to the peace of right relationships with himself. Will it really be so bad for us to abandon the American dream in exchange for joy and peace and contentment in God himself?

Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be. -34

I believe that this verse reinforces what I was talking about before. We all have something that we highly value. We can discern these valued items by where we spend our time, money, thoughts, and emotions. If we are spending a lot of time at work- then we reveal that we value money and status. If we spend a lot of money on buying the latest toy- we value those toys. If we think a lot on ourselves- we value ourselves. This isn’t rocket science.

Jesus is calling us to be aware of what we have been valuing. If the desires of our hearts end up being something other than Jesus- he is calling us to make a change.

You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected. -40

This last verse is also highly sobering. Jesus is telling us that we should be in a state of constant vigilance. (I am totally picturing Professor Moody talking here.) It is so easy to procrastinate. It is so easy to imagine that we have all of the time in the world to get our lives and priorities in order. Jesus is telling us that this isn’t so.

I know that it is easy to buy into a thought process like this- “I know that following Jesus is important. But I just want to do a few ‘fun’ things first. I’ll take care of the important things later.” When I catch myself buying into this mindset, I have to ask- If I really believe that the things Jesus are calling me to do is important and good, then why am I settling for something less? I am only diminishing my existence by procrastinating on the work and values of the Kingdom of God.

Steve- you asked about the bit on the thief that is mentioned. I don’t think that Jesus is saying that he is a thief. I think that he is giving a lesser story to illustrate a greater reality. If a homeowner knew that a thief was going to try to break in, that homeowner would take steps to prepare. If a disciple knows that Jesus is returning , then that disciple would also take steps to prepare. I think that is all that is intended with the discussion of the thief.

Application:
• Where are we spending our time, money, thoughts, and emotions?
• What do our actions, daytimers, and checkbooks reveal that we value?
• If Jesus came back today, what would we wish we would have done or be found doing?