Luke 12:32-40, Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16

 

My nephew has just got back from a trip to Europe. He had a ball. His enjoyment was helped by the fact that he was well organised. He booked his travel and accommodation before he went and everything turned out above expectation. He never missed a flight or a connection. He was ready when he needed to be. We were similarly prepared when we travelled. We’d rather wait for an hour than miss a flight.

 

 

By contrast, I’m forever hearing of people who miss flights, trains or buses because they are trying to cram in too much sightseeing or they’re just plain exhausted. Others end up in substandard accommodation because they mucked up their booking or turn up very late to their hotel because they got lost. Then there are the ones who try to cram too much shopping into their luggage and end up paying megabucks in excess baggage. Nephew solved that one by posting some of his purchases home.

 

 

Jesus told his followers to be ready for him. And he set out what that takes. Set yourself up to succeed. Don’t get distracted. Make sure you’re not attached to anything that will stop you or slow you down when he calls. This doesn’t mean sitting in the departure lounge twiddling your thumbs, but having your bag packed, so to speak, so that you can get up and go when he calls.

 

 

In Luke 12:32-34 Jesus challenges the disciples about their attitude to possessions. He tells them not to be afraid because God wants to give them the kingdom. Their response should be to sell their possessions and use the income to help the poor. Their hearts will then be in the right place, focused on God and not themselves. As a result, their treasure will be in heaven, with God. Nothing, not even an economic crisis, will be able to destroy that treasure.

 

 

This is exactly what his followers did a few years later – you can read about it in the early chapters of Acts. They would sell their property and possessions, and distribute the money among all, according to what each one needed. Day after day they met as a group in the Temple, and they had their meals together in their homes, eating with glad and humble hearts, praising God, and enjoying the good will of all the people. And every day the Lord added to their group those who were being saved. (Acts2:45).

 

 

Why did Jesus tell his disciples to sell their possessions? “To become poor? No. To become free. So much of the ministry of Jesus was about helping people become free. He still does this today.” –Chris Andrews, MinistryMatters.com. The way I think of it, good deeds are like bank transfers. Every time we do good for someone we make a transfer into our account in the Bank of Heaven.

 

 

Selling our stuff is a scary thing to contemplate, but “Jesus knew how afraid the people of his day were. And Jesus knows how afraid people are today. And so he offers us not threats or coercion, but words of comfort. There’s nothing to be afraid of, he says. God is with us and wants the best for us. God wants the kingdom to be ours both in the here and now and forevermore!

 

 

Notice that all of Jesus’ examples in this passage have to do with building our lives around things that can’t be stolen away easily. If we center our lives on our possessions, then our whole lives will be about protecting and keeping those possessions — so much so that we may live in constant fear that they will be taken from us. Even our neighbors become suspect and unworthy of our trust. Will they keep a neighborhood watch out for us? Or might they be the ones who will break in and rob us of our precious possessions?

 

 

As we accumulate stuff, we find we must lock our doors, protect our neighborhoods, circle our wagons, form our tribes, all in an effort to keep that which is most sacred to us safeguarded against potential thieves who might come in the night and try to steal the things that make us happy: our giant screen televisions, our computers and gaming systems, our stereos and cars and boats and jewels.

 

 

In direct contrast to this, Jesus urges us to center our lives on the God who created us and who wants us to inherit the Kingdom of Heaven! Jesus tells us to store up treasures that can’t be taken from us. Jesus says there is more to happiness than stockpiling possessions.” -Heather Lear, Evangelectionary

 

 

Audrey West, sums it up beautifully in ‘Feasting on the Word’:
The less we want to have, the less we need to have. This fact is itself one of the blessings God offers, with compound interest. The less we need to have, the less we need to fear. The less we need to fear, the more we know that a life of giving allows us always to live, not on the brink of destruction, but on the brink of blessing, where we can more readily hear the promise that the ‘Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour,’ desiring not to punish but to bless.”

 

 

I gather it was Winston Churchill who said, “We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give.”

 

 

Now, here’s why Jesus’ words in Luke 12 are paired with the words of Hebrews 11 which says, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Faith requires placing trust in the things we cannot see. It’s true that we can’t yet see God face to face, but does he not give us other ways of seeing? Jesus often used stories to help people understand who God is and what God’s Kingdom looks like. The author of Hebrews follows up his initial statement by recounting some of the stories of God’s faithfulness found in the Old Testament. These stories helped the people to remember and tie their stories and situations to those who had gone before them.

 

 

The same principle still applies today. Stories help us. We receive comfort when we hear that someone else has gone through the same things we are experiencing, and have come out in one piece on the other side. We receive encouragement and do not feel so alone.

 

 

Questions to Consider:
Can we believe the words of our Lord?
Can we let his love and his promises take away our fears?
Can he free us to live with courage and conviction, hope and trust?
Can he inspire us to store up treasures in heaven rather than on earth?

 

Think about your story, your victories and struggles. Now think about those around you; those at work, in your neighborhood, or anyone you may encounter during the week.
Is there someone who could benefit from hearing your story?
Is God calling you to offer your experiences of God’s faithfulness to encourage another in their journey?

 

 

In order to follow where God wants us to go and to do what he wants, we need to hold on lightly to what we have. If we cling on to our possessions our focus will be on our own lives and not on Jesus. Being ready to use our possessions for the good of others, keeping our attention firmly on Jesus and serving him, our hearts will be in the right place. As Jesus said to the disciples, we need to make sure that what is important to us is our friendship with him, and not our toys, or what we own, or how much money we have in the bank. When we make our friendship with Jesus more important than all that belongs to us, we’re doing what Jesus told the disciples to do: we’re storing up treasure in heaven with God. Then we will always be ready to follow Jesus and to do what he wants us to do.