Worldly wealth worthless in the eternal hereafter

Jesus told us it is foolish to focus on what is temporary

For many Christian churches the month of November marks the end of the liturgical year.

The liturgy during this period reminds us that all things will come to an end, including our lives. This is not a morbid exercise because even though we do not know the time or place of our death, we can still be prepared.

Jesus helps to put all of this in focus with a simple parable.

In the Gospel of Luke, we read, “The land of a rich man produced abundantly. And he thought to himself, ‘What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?’ Then he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.’ But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God.” (Lk.16:16-21)

Clearly, this man was prepared for life, but not for death. He was rich with material possessions; however, he seemed to be spiritually bankrupt.

The parable tells us that this individual was a very successful business person. He was so successful that he had to build bigger barns in order to accommodate his wealth. The problem is that he could not see beyond his wealth and foolishly focused only on this world. Jesus says that he was not “rich toward God.” What does this mean?

A few verses later, Jesus states, “Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions, and give alms. Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Lk 16:32-34)

Clearly, the rich man loved his wealth more than God because it demanded most of his time and attention. When it came to his relationship with God, he was stingy. He felt very secure because he had treasure on earth; however, he neglected storing treasure in heaven.

We live in a world where we can be so easily distracted. Often these distractions can be found in our preoccupation with things. We can accumulate so much that when we run out of room we simply “build bigger barns.”

Just because we want it, do we really need it? How much is enough? We are much more than just a consumer society.

Many news outlets reported on the recent cyber shopping frenzy that annually takes place in China. This one-day event reached an astonishing $30.8 billion in sales. In North America many businesses are preparing for Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Impulse buying will be encouraged in order to increase sales. People will be pleased with their great deals and more “treasures” will be stored here on earth.

What about treasure in heaven?

There is a familiar saying attributed to Benjamin Franklin that states, “but in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes” (Letter to JeanBaptiste Leroy, 1789).

Are we prepared? According to Jesus it is foolish to simply focus on what is temporal and temporary. We need to embrace what is eternal. Here we will find God who is our greatest treasure.