Read Luke 12:13-21

“13 Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” 14 But he said to him, “Man, who made me a judge or arbitrator over you?” 15 And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” 16 And he told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man produced plentifully, 17 and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ 18 And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.”’ 20 But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ 21 So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”‭”

Jesus spoke a lot about treasure. This wasn’t because he was obsessed with silver and gold, but because we are. Knowing that material riches are capable of robbing us of true riches, he reminds us that our hearts both reveal and determine what we truly treasure. It’s not that all rich people are covetous (envious of others’ things), but that all our hearts are susceptible to the pursuit of temporary rather than eternal riches.

The “rich fool” (as he’s come to be known in Christian culture) in Jesus’ story sought to silence the deepest, healthy desires of his soul by telling it to, “relax, eat, drink, be merry”. We may not all be wealthy, but many of us can relate to masking the deep, God-given desires of our hearts with all manner of temporary luxuries. While for centuries people binged on food, drink and sex, we’re taking it to new levels. We have unimaginable access to endless menus, shows, pornography and sports to escape our deepest needs. If we aren’t secure in our own home and lifestyle we’re able to visit the far-flung corners of the earth at relatively low cost! Rather than opening our lives to those who live around us, we can now ‘connect’ online with endless strangers we’ll never meet.

Much of this stems from a covetous spirit. We perceive what others have – a perfect, dramatic or adventurous life; sexual fulfilment; earthly fame; global adventures; large followings or popularity – and we hope that our own possession of such things will fill the gap in our own souls. We tell our souls, “Put aside your God-given inclinations and be satisfied with this popular, short-term solution I’ve found”. We tell ourselves, “You just need a little more ‘me-time’ this week.”

To these hungry souls Jesus says, “Beware!” Covetousness is not just a sign of deep and damaging insecurity, but it leads to a wasted life. In allowing our souls’ inbuilt desire for God and his goodness to be replaced with covetousness, we miss out on the deepest treasures God has in store for us. Rather, Jesus encourages us to “be rich toward God”. Much could be said about what this entails, but maybe the simplest explanation is to allow your soul to feast on God, his goodness, his word (the Bible), his Holy Spirit and the life his son Jesus offers to all through faith.