Read Luke 12:13-34
Just when you thought you’d seen it all, I’m here to tell you that you haven't. A few years ago, a U.S. company came out with a toy that took the market by storm. He's an action figure called, Invisible Jim. Why is he called Invisible Jim, you ask? You guessed it. There is no Jim. All you get is the packaging. There is a space where Jim should be, but seeing as he's invisible (although being invisible you wouldn’t actually see him)… anyway, Jim just isn't there. But that didn’t seem to stop some parents’ money from disappearing. It was reported that Invisible Jim was selling briskly in Britain for about $2.80 a piece.
Some of the boasts made on his package are "lack of darting eyes" and "realistic fake hair, as not seen on TV." And then there’s the further lure of "camouflage suit sold separately." The company says they received no complaints about the empty boxes. And at just under $3.00 a box, I’d imagine the company has no complaints either. Good marketing. Good packaging. Empty box. Sounds a lot like the warning Jesus is giving in this reading.
In this portion of Luke chapter 12 we find Jesus speaking for several verses on the topic of money. And this was not unusual. Jesus talked a lot about money. Sixteen of his thirty-eight recorded parables were concerned with how to handle money and possessions. In the Gospels, an amazing one out of ten verses (288 in all) deal directly with the subject of money. Which leads us to a very direct warning from Jesus.
"Beware! Don't be greedy for what you don't have. Real life is not measured by how much we own." Luke 12:15
Beware. Jesus' words are very plain. Material wealth can fool you into thinking your life is rich when actually all it is… is cluttered. In the end, it doesn’t matter what has come into your life, but Who has come into your life. And that Who has to be God. Reading from verse 21, let's hear just how Jesus summed up His point.
"Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God." Luke 12:21
A rich, deep relationship with God is eternal. Everything else is only temporary. A person who goes through life focused on accumulating wealth will soon find all they have is an empty box covered in foolish promises. The most valuable treasure one could attain can only be found on the inside. And sadly, when most of us look on the inside all we see is an empty God-shaped space that only He can fill. And before we start feeling hopeless at the prospect of where to begin, let's hear what Paul had to say to the people in Corinth about their new beginnings.
"All this newness of life is from God, who brought us back to Himself through what Christ did. For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ." 2 Corinthians 5:18, 21
To be made right with God. That's what life is all about. Everything else we could pursue is just a distraction from our real prize, our ultimate goal, our eternal treasure ... an intimate relationship with God. If we possess that, we are definitely, infinitely, immeasurably rich.
And that's not an empty promise.
