Luke 12:32-40

FRESH VIEW - The first verse in our passage raises the interesting issue of perception. How do we perceive God? "Do you think God is stingy?" Luke seems to ask, supplying an all caps response, "NO!" "Is God holding out on you-keeping you from having fun?" "NO!" Though we celebrate the generosity of God, Luke seeks to remind readers that God is generous, not miserly nor tightfisted.

BEING GENEROUS - I think the command to "be generous" is more difficult to keep than the command to "be happy," the phrase that Bobby McFarin playfully sung into American proverbia. But why? Why is it so hard to be generous? What lies at the core of our resistance to generosity? Is it a misconception of ownership and stewardship?

NIB ON VERSES 35-40 - Servants need to be devoted to their tasks, refusing to let distractions, fatigue, or delay divert them from their duties . . . in this respect they provide modern readers with a metaphorical measure of complete devotion to Jesus and the kingdom tasks he has given his followers.

 

Never respect men merely for their riches, but rather for their philanthropy; we do not value the sun for its height but for its use. - Gamaliel Bailey

What is your biggest challenge when you think about your own stewardship (as we hear in verses 32-34) and your own faithfulness (as in verses 35-40)?

Perhaps the following excerpt from The New Interpreter’s Bible will trigger some holy imagination as you think about preaching from the gospel lesson . . .

Excerpt from NIB:

Faith in Jesus Christ awakens our consciousness of the spiritual dimensions of life. By so doing, faith allows and even forces us to see our lives from a new perspective. Then we can see that some of the things we have been so concerned about are not all that important. We may also see that we have not given enough attention to important things: family, friends, a more just and peaceful society, or our own personal, intellectual, and spiritual development. When the rat race of materialism threatens to control you, remember Jesus’ words; there is more to life.

Followers of Jesus should be the freest persons-free from anxiety, free from the social conventions of materialism, free with their generosity to others. The lives of Jesus’ disciples count for more than the pursuit of material wealth. They are devoted to higher things. This cluster of sayings offers both the challenge to center one’s life on promoting concerns related to God’s kingdom and the extravagant promise of God’s providence for those who will do so.

What changes would we make if we were as concerned about God’s kingdom as we are about the size of next month’s paycheck, the next harvest, or the next step up the career ladder? What value would we give to reconciling broken relationships, sharing the gospel of God’s love, and working for peace and justice for the oppressed"?

One of Jesus’ most difficult words is this: "Sell your possessions, and give alms" (v. 33). As in other parts of the Gospel, this saying contains a tension between two responses to the dangers of wealth and materialism. The first is divestment: "Sell your possessions." The second is generosity in almsgiving. In our culture, the latter has always been easier to consider than the first. Obviously, there are good reasons why divestment should not become the norm for all Christians. On the other hand, this provocative call needs to be considered. Most of us have possessions we do not need. Yet, we hold on to them while other persons are homeless and hungry. Perhaps it is time for churches to hold "discipleship sales," and call on all who will to sell all the goods they do not need in order to give to charities and human services. Such detachment from our materialism would also be a dramatic declaration of the values by which we live. [1]

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[1] The New Interpreter’s Bible IX (Nashville: Abingdon, 1995), 260-261.