New Thoughts (01/13/10-01/14/10)
Under the heading of “Doctrinal Relevance” I have noted that God is a ‘we’. That deserves a bit of explanation, since there is little in the translated text to indicate any such thing. However, as is pointed out by Zhodiates, that matter of ‘is required’ in verse 20 is given as a plural active form. Thus, the plurality of the verb must agree with that of the subject. Who is the subject? The subject is the one doing the requiring, for it is the active voice. Clearly, the fool is not demanding his own soul back. The subject in this statement is left unstated, but may be assumed to be the same God who is speaking. Now, that God is in the singular, and yet we have this active verb in the plural. We might therefore consider it thusly: God the Father, a singular person of the Trinity, is speaking to this man. But the soul that is required is required by the whole of the Trinity.
Were this the sole basis upon which the doctrine of the Trinity was established, I should have good reason to doubt the validity of that doctrine. But, as a more or less accidental or coincidental proof, I can accept that indeed, the plurality of this verb contributes to the acceptance that God is multiple in person while remaining singular in essence. I cannot stretch it so far as to indicate the specifically triune nature of God, for there is nothing here to indicate the quantity associated with this plurality, only that there is a plurality.
Of course, the fundamental focus of this parable is upon the matter of covetousness. That word is not one we tend to hear outside of the church setting, so it may not be all that familiar. We have a sense of it, but it’s remote. So, let’s put it in more common terms. It can be spoken of in terms of avarice, but this, too, has become somewhat archaic. So, let’s break it down farther still. It is greed. Greed we understand. Greed we have known in ourselves from childhood. That greed leads us into doing things we ought not to do is a matter that our parents have hopefully drilled into us from that same childhood.
The problem with greed, in particular, is that it will lead us to do whatever it takes to obtain more of that thing we are greedy for. All consideration of others is gone. All concern for legality is gone. All concern for anything besides getting more and more and more is gone. This is how greed becomes avarice. Avarice is that particularly strong degree of greed that no longer cares how the gain is made, only that it is made. Avarice doesn’t care who gets hurt in the process. Then, we can move into the more clearly criminal matter of extortion. Greed can’t be satisfied! Avarice cannot feed the need. So, extortion comes about. More! More! Feed me!
The brilliant yet troubled author of Ecclesiastes states the inevitable outcome of greed. “The one that loves money will never be satisfied by it” (Ecc 5:10). It is vanity. It is not that vanity we think of, when we consider one who is wrapped up in their own beauty. It is the vanity of futility. All that effort, all that destructive forsaking of any ideals in the pursuit of this dishonest gain, and yet there is not even any satisfaction to be had from it! You will never be satisfied by money, nor by what money can buy. However much you have, you will always hunger for more. However much more you obtain, it will never be enough. The thrill will be gone, but the need for that thrill will remain. It is every bit as much an addiction as any more recognized chemical dependency.
Look! Even as a babe, if you had siblings, you surely knew what it was to want more. You saw what your brother had, and you wanted it. Whether or no you had any right to it, whether or not you had any sound reason to suppose you could have it, you wanted it. And, you would pursue obtaining it by any means available. You would try grabbing it from him. Failing that, you might be inclined to go into a fit of screaming until Mommy should come and demand that he share with you. And, if she would not bend to your will, why you would just bide your time and await the opportunity to snag it while brother dear wasn’t looking.
Greed. Avarice. Jealousy. Covetousness. Somebody has it better than me, and that’s just not fair. I deserve better. For many of us, these things have never really left us in adulthood. All of life is conditioned towards this attitude by the advertising we see, by the training we receive. But, God has a different order for us. God has a better plan. God, Who after all told us that this pattern would never lead to satisfaction, has a path by which we can know true contentment, and it is upon this path that He is setting our feet. It begins with the core message of Christianity as Christ preached it: Focus on the kingdom of God, not this brief earthly life. Turn your eyes heavenward. Life is but a vapor, here today and gone tomorrow (Jas 4:14). Why get so worked up about it? Consider the birds. Consider the lily. Consider the God Who Is your Provider. What are you striving for?
Here in this parable, Jesus is helping us to counter that tendency toward greed, because greed is a root sin. It lies at the base of so much that drives us to do wrong. I say it is a root sin, not the root sin. And, in this, I have solid backing from Scripture. There are other issues that lie even deeper, such as pride. If I had to select a particular sin as being the root, this would probably be it. Pride lies behind Adam’s fall. Pride lies behind greed. Why the hunger to have what your neighbor has, more than your neighbor has, except that you want to be better than him? Why the lust to be like God, greater than God, except that pride insists that you must reign supreme in your own little kingdom? Why sin against God at all, except to prove that you’re better than Him, that He isn’t the boss of you?
But, listen! The quality of your life isn’t defined by possessions. It’s not about how much you can amass, or even the relative quality of what you own. It’s not about owning at all. And, understand this, as well: It’s not just the rich guy that has a problem with greed and covetousness. Neither is he clear of the problem. As was said in Ecclesiastes, chasing after profits is never satisfied. NEVER! It’s never going to be enough. Success is never going to be enough success. Wealth is never going to be enough wealth. You know what? Health is never going to be enough health! Now, here’s a really scary one for us: Godliness is never going to be enough godliness!
Whoa! Are you sure about that, Jeff? Yes, I am. To begin with, we are strongly assured by the Scriptures that we’re never going to attain to true godliness in this life. Frankly, apart from what God in Christ is doing in us, we’re not even going to approach it, let alone perfect it. But, then, hear this part. “Godliness is great gain, when it is joined with contentment” (1Ti 6:6). Isn’t that something? Apart from contentment, it’s just another goad, just another desire that will never be satisfied. That’s what was happening with the Pharisees. They started out so strong. They wanted nothing more than to do as God instructed. But, over the long years, they discovered that the goal of righteousness doesn’t stand still. The bar gets raised higher the better we do at it. This is as it should be, understand, but the heart of a man tends to forget that. The heart of a man grows discouraged. It isn’t satisfied with having come this far. It wants to be that far. And, apart from the inner accompaniment of the Holy Spirit working alongside us, that sentiment will lead us first into dissatisfaction, then into discontent, then into disassociation. We will find we want nothing to do with righteousness at all because we are tired of discovering that we don’t measure up. We are tired of not being satisfied, so we begin to look for other ways to attain satisfaction. We start looking for what we can do, and what we can do is sin.
But, when that godliness is joined with contentment! Well! But, first I must come to understand how that can happen in the first place. How can I be content with where I am on the godliness scale when I know that God requires more, that I want more? Should I strive for godliness or should I be complacent? If I’m content with where I am, how is it I would ever improve? As to this, I have only one answer. Certainly, I must strive for godliness, as He has instructed me. But, I must make this pursuit in the power of God Himself, as He works in me. If I am forever cataloging my sins and being brought down by the impossibility of ever seeing them all set aright, then I do myself no favors, nor do I make any progress. If I simply look benignly at those sins and do nothing about them, I am no better off. If, however, I look at each of these sins as God brings them to light, and if, having seen, I turn to God seeking what He would have me do in this specific case at this specific time: Now, if I move, I move with God and if I bide, I bide with God, and I am content. What progress I make, if I make progress, I am well pleased with because I see clearly that it is He Who is at work and He Who is accomplishing, and He Who does the work is faithful to complete it.
That being said, I am not full convinced that the contentment spoken of in 1Ti 6:6 is intended to be so directly associated with the matter of godliness. It may well be that the issue being addressed there is as it is here: the matter of covetousness. Godliness is great gain, when you join it with contentment as to your worldly possessions or lack thereof. Perhaps we would do better to understand it that way. I would say, however, that such contentment with our worldly condition is in itself an aspect of godliness, for it stems from understanding that God is the God of Providence. He provides, and He provides perfectly, and He perfectly provides for our good. That being the case, wherefore should I complain? I have no cause at all to do so.
Yet, the warnings are abundant as to the great danger of this love of money. It is there again in the letter to the Hebrews. Have a character free of the love of money. Be content! He said He would never desert or forsake you, and He is surely trustworthy, so fret not (Heb 13:5). As I said, knowing He is Who He is gives us every reason to be content and no reason at all to be anxious. Are you not worth more?
The more fully we come to understand this, and thereby to be content with whatever lot God has set up for us at this time, the more we can focus on His kingdom rather than this brief earthly life. The more convinced we are that He is in control and He has our provision well in hand, the more contentedly we can go about our labors, the more we can, even as we work, have our mind on heaven. God knows your needs. He knew them before you did, and He’s already got you covered. So, get on with it. Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Work may need ever so much attention and concentration, but still, you can do it with Christ. Work may be demanding of you, but it is He Who is at work in you and through you. Keep your thoughts upon Him and see if it doesn’t go more smoothly.
The other aspect of this issue of greed is, as I have noted already, that the world around us does everything in its power to give us cause to be greedy. Every message we have from the media, and particularly from advertising, is that our life is defined by the quality and quantity of our possessions. If your clothes aren’t sharp enough, nobody will think well of you. If your hair isn’t the right length, the right color, the right style, then you’ll never get a man. If you aren’t driving the latest vehicle, living in a house at least two sizes larger than you need, if your lawn isn’t perfectly green and trim, then you’re a failure and everybody knows it. If you’re not stepping on anybody and everybody to get ahead, then you just don’t have what it takes.
Through all these things and more, we are trained to measure the quality of our life by the quality of our stuff. And, Jesus comes and turns the whole thing on its head. That’s not it, He says. The quality of your life has nothing to do with your possessions. It doesn’t matter how much you have. The rich sinner, apart from the redemption God has given, is just as eternally dead for all his stuff. The poor but repentant one, having laid hold of the grace of God, is just as eternally alive for all his current lack. The measure of life is not to be found in these seventy or eighty years of life on earth. That’s nothing, measured over against the endless eons of life to come. Will those eons be spent in God’s kingdom, or forever banned from that kingdom? If you want just the least sense of which way you might want to choose, think of it this way: Would you really want to live forever in a world such as we know it? Do you really want an eternity of anxiousness over what tomorrow brings, of concern over whether violent crime will finally overtake you and yours? Do you really want to be forever worried as to whether your government will be for you or against you? Yet, all of these must be amplified a thousandfold before they begin to compare to the torments of eternal hell. If we have the Holy Spirit as a foretaste of our home in heaven, we have life on earth as a foretaste of life outside the gates.
There is an interesting angle brought out by the Darby translation of verse 15. “for [it is] not because a man is in abundance [that] his life is in his possessions.” This actually rather focuses my thoughts on the other side of the equation. We may think that it is only those who have so much who are caught up with this issue of covetous acquisitiveness. But, it’s not. It’s the common sin of mankind. Even those who have little fall into the trap, thinking life is all about what one has. Thus, they suppose themselves cursed and forsaken of God because they do not have the fancy car, the fine house, the trophy wife. God must not love me. I may as well do as I will. The solution remains the same: Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look to heaven. Know that your Father in heaven has your back. He has provided, and He has provided as best serves your true need. Don’t get caught up in this race to own the best. The Best already owns you, and that is really all that matters.
Now, I really must reinforce the fact that it is not wealth per se that is the problem here. Scripture nowhere says that wealth is evil. Indeed, Scripture says that nothing, no material object is inherently evil. It is the use we make of it and the mind we have towards it that determines. In other words, it is our thoughts and deeds that are good or evil, not the objects we use to instigate and abet. The issue with the man in this parable is not that he was so productive. The issue is that, seeing the productiveness, his attention is all on himself, what he can gain by it, what ease he can take because of it, and every thought for God is far away.
This is no new message, of course. From the days of Israel’s desert wanderings, the warning was there. When it is well with you, your vineyards are bursting with grapes and your fields full of grain, you will forget Me. That is the danger for the rich man. It is far easier for us to depend on God when we have nothing else to hold onto. It is this that makes it so difficult for the rich man to enter into heaven. He is so well provided that his natural inclination is to suppose he is, as it were, set for life. Yes, but the life he sees ends at the grave, no matter how many its days. And, in the grave, rich and poor are alike. All that you have stored up in this earthly life will avail you nothing at that point. As Jesus notes here, somebody else will have the benefit of it all, because you will be gone, and you won’t even have a say as to who gets your goods. If they choose to ignore your will, what recourse have you? None. Dead men can’t complain.
So, we arrive at the conclusion of the parable: “That's what happens when you fill your barn with Self and not with God” [Message]. Don’t be filled with self! I must decrease, He must increase. That is not for John alone to understand, it is for all of us. Whatever we are in this life, whatever good there is, it is all Him. It is all the outflow of that One Who is at work in me to will and to work in accord and in harmony with His own perfect and good pleasure.
Indeed, I arrive at what strikes me as the great and central point of this whole thing. It lies below the surface in God’s message to the man of this parable: “Your soul is required of you.” That business of being required is a recall. It is God demanding the return of what is rightfully His own. Think of the parable of the talents (Mt 25:15-30). You have been granted the loan of this soul for the span of this life. But, He Who loans you this soul expects return on what He has given. It is not sufficient to have preserved your own soul unsullied. As if you were able to do even that! No! He has set you as a laborer in His vineyard of earth, and He expects that your labors will be of advantage to Him. He expects return with interest.
But, the key here is that we live as a loan. Truly, our life is not our own, whether or not we accept that and understand it to be the case. For blessing or for punishment, each one of us shall one day here the call, demanding the return of that soul which was loaned to us, and in that calling, there shall be an assessment, a judging as to how well we have done with what was lent us.
We live a life on loan. That is the phrase that just jumped out at me as I first wrote it down. “Life on loan.” That is the condition of man on this earth. If we are decent, we are inclined to take good care of what is loaned to us by others, better care than we would take for our own things. It’s on loan, after all, and must be given back at some point. At the very least, we don’t want to take on the burden of replacing it, should we cause damage to it. How much greater care, then, would we take of our own soul if we recognized that it was borrowed? How much greater care would we take if we would be mindful that first, the time will come when we must return it and second, when we do, we shall be accountable for replacement cost if it is damaged!
Lord! This is one of those things that You set as a shining memory in me. It is like that point years ago when You put me in mind of the high priest’s headdress with its marking of, ‘Holy unto the Lord’. I pray that you would make this thought as central and significant to me as that was. This is another of those things that You speak into my life that I may be strengthened by it, to walk more fully upright in the blessing of Your good graces. Let it be so, Holy God! Let me, from this day forward, recognize that I am living a life on loan. Let me, knowing that this life I live is Yours, seek to discover from You daily what You would have me do with it. Let me, knowing that it is a precious property to You, be the more careful as to how I keep it so long as You continue to leave it in my care. Let me return it to You in that day not only free of damage, but with a return demonstrative of my gratitude to You for the use of it. Yes, and let me be content with all that You provide, be it little or be it much. Free me, O God, from all grumbling. My inheritance is sweet, for it is all in You. Bring me to the understanding that I am already in my inheritance here and now, that Your Provision for me here and now is just as sweet, for You have arrayed it for my eternal benefit.
