Read it: Luke 12:15
Live it:
You probably saw “greed” in the title for today and thought you were going to read all about greed in the context of money. However, in our scripture reading today, Jesus warned us to be wary of every form of greed.
The Greek word for greed in Luke 12:15 is pleonexia, which can translate to “the desire to have more.” We can be greedy for someone’s talents, friends, family, or money (See, you were right, we are going to talk about money). Often, we think that having more will bring happiness, and then we acquire it, but the happiness just isn’t there.
What if we instead focus on cultivating a better attitude and desire? There’s a story I’ve heard often that is called “The Old Man at the City Gates.” In the story, two travelers enter the same town. The first guy comes into the gate and asks a wise old man at the city gate what the town is like. He asks the first guy what his last town was like. He says, “Awful—unfriendly people.” The old man replies, “You’ll find the same here.” Later on, the second guy comes to the wise man and asks what the town is like. He asks the second guy what his last town was like. The second guy says, “Wonderful—kind neighbors.” The old man replies, “You’ll find the same here.”
In the story, two travelers enter the same town—one expecting hostility, the other expecting kindness—and each finds exactly what he expects. The lesson is that our inner attitude shapes our outer experience, just as greed or gratitude shape how we see life. Jesus’ warning against pleonexia—the endless desire for more—reminds us that true contentment isn’t found by changing our surroundings or accumulating possessions, but by changing our hearts. Like the travelers, we carry our perspective with us wherever we go; if we bring gratitude, we’ll find joy, but if we bring greed, we’ll always feel empty.
Pastor James