Today, we tackle the significant issue of greed, particularly in the context of Lent, which calls for self-examination and personal growth. We explore how greed manifests in our lives, whether through possessions, time, or love, and how it ultimately reflects a lack of trust in God. With insights from Walter Brueggemann, we consider the broader implications of living in a world marked by consumerism and exclusionary politics. Through examples from Jesus' life, we see how he chose to act against societal norms, emphasizing compassion over greed. Our goal is to inspire a shift towards generosity and a deeper connection with our faith as we navigate these challenging realities.

Takeaways:

1. In today's episode, we explored the theme of greed and its implications in our lives.
2. We discussed how Lent is a time for serious self-examination to serve Jesus better.
3. Walter Brueggemann's quote reminds us to depart from greed and exclusionary politics.
4. Jesus exemplified selflessness by welcoming outcasts, challenging societal norms in his time.
5. We reflected on how the prophets warned against greed and called for justice in society.
6. Finally, we concluded with a call to embody a non-greedy and generous way of living.

Links referenced in this episode:

1. www.bible805.com

PLEASE NOTE: the software that creates this transcript, was not having a good day as it broke it up in funny ways. I apologize and there isn't anything I can do about it, (I've tried and tried with the hosting company and will again) but all the content should still be there.

Hi, welcome to the Hobo Soul podcast of road advice from the Bible. And from me, Yvon Prehn, someone who's a little further down the road of life.

I'll talk to you every weekday for about five to 10 minutes with periodic longer talks on serious Saturdays. Let's get started with our topic today, which is

Lenten Devotion number 15 Am I greedy?

This is a tough topic today because it challenges us to self examination in areas we don't often look at the greedy nature of our hearts and how that plays out in our lives. But it's Lent a time for tough self examination with a purpose to better serve Jesus. So let's get started.

Today's challenging quote comes from Walter Bruggeman who said,

"I imagine Lent for you and for me is a great departure from the greedy, anxious, anti neighborliness of our economy. A great departure from our exclusionary politics that fears the other. A great departure from self indulgent consumerism that devours creation."

That's kind of heavy, but here's my challenge from that.

"Being greedy at its core means we aren't trusting God. We can be greedy with possessions, with time, with love.

As you think about this statement, think about where you've been greedy and how to change that."

Let's look at this a little bit more.

In our quote, Brueggemann talks about greed in the big world of our greedy economy, our exclusion politics, our consumerism that devours creation. Phew. I get tired simply hearing those true, overwhelming and rather soul crushing realities of our world.

But in that very spiritual exhaustion of feeling like that is a real warning.

Because sometimes when we look at the big instances of our fallen world, we can feel so overwhelmed we just become powerless and we don't do anything because we don't think it'll matter.

When our social media feeds are filled with outrage over the truly crazy events going on in our world, we feel like we're doing something when we give a post alike that condemns mistreatment or injustice. And then we go about our day as usual, maybe with a dark cloud over our heads, but we press ahead. I don't think that's how Jesus wants us to live.

Now consider for a minute the world Jesus lived in. It was controlled by an overwhelming political power. Rome. Rome personified the brutal, greedy characteristics.

Brueggemann mentions that being the reality of Jesus. How did he react in his day to day life? Was he greedy of his status, his fame, his reputation, his time? Was he greedy of his agenda?

Let's just kind of look at how

he went about his day. Now I'm going to just give you some examples from the book of Luke and take some time to read it.

Just, just ask yourself, you know, how

did Jesus react in a greedy, self seeking, overwhelmingly politically powerful, nasty, horrible world? Well, here are some of the things that he did. First of all, he took the time to notice and then welcome an outcast into his inner circle.

It says in Luke 5, 27 and 28, after this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector by the name of Levi sitting at his tax booth. Follow me, Jesus said, and Levi got up and left everything and followed him.

Now any reputation Jesus might have had of being a wise teacher who should have certainly understood the character of various people was completely gone when he called Levi.

But he wasn't greedy with his reputation.

He saw something in Levi, who we

now know as Matthew, and he saw something in him that he reached out to him, he called him when it wasn't socially acceptable to do that. And I think a way to probably fight greed in our world is to not hold on to. Maybe our status or who we want to just associate with are the right

people, but maybe some people that don't seem to matter as much.

Then in another story, Jesus is walking along and he's on his way to

a very important healing.

A leader of the synagogue, synagogue's daughter is dying and he's told to hurry so that Jesus can get there and heal her before she passes away. But in the process of doing that, he's ambushed by a totally what they would have called unclean woman.

She'd been bleeding for 12 years, she was desperate and she sneaks up behind him and just sort of touches probably one of the tassels on the hem of his garment and it says she was completely healed. And he knew that it happened. Now does he just continue on? He's on with his agenda and the

agenda of the most powerful person there

in the city or whatever. No, he stops and he calls her daughter and he, you know, she's just, she knows she's been healed and she's just overwhelmed.

And he doesn't say, why did you touch me? What did you do this? You know, you've stopped me from doing something awful again. He just says, daughter, don't be afraid.

And he says, just go in peace.

Now the person that was afraid was

the grief stricken father because people were rushing out to him saying, your daughter's dead, your daughter's dead. But Jesus just says to him, you too, don't be afraid, just believe. And she will be Healed.

And of course, his daughter was healed.

And there's one more instance of how Jesus didn't look at how the world considers what's important and what you need to hold on to and what you need to be greedy about. But in Luke 6:20 and 20 to 23, he says, blessed and remember, blessed means happy. Happy are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.

Blessed are you when people hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil because of the Son of Man. And I would add a little parentheses there when you aren't greed with your time and your status and the things that the world considers important.

But Jesus says when that happens, people are going to hate you. They'll exclude you, they'll insult you. But he says, rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is

your reward in heaven.

For that's how they treated the prophets.

Now, I want you to notice a little phrase that we usually just talk about the blessed and all that, and that's important, but that little phrase, that's how their ancestors treated the prophets. Now, what's he talking about there?

That's sort of odd when we normally think of the prophets as the ones who just talked about the future and who called people to repent because God's going to destroy you or whatever. But that isn't really what the prophets were necessarily about. The prophets were, as one commentators called them, they enforcers.

And what that means is they reminded the people of the covenant, of the promise they had made with God when he brought them out of Egypt. And he gives them all these different commands, and they said they would follow them.

Now we know one of them dealt directly with the whole idea of greed. Where in the Ten Commandments God says, do not covet.

And the constant refrain of the prophets was that the people were not doing what God told them to do and what they had promised to do. He said, do not deprive the foreigner of justice. Do not take the cloak of the widow as a pledge. In other words, don't exploit those who have little.

Just don't do that.

I'm sick of your fundraising schemes, your public relations and image making. I've had all I can take of your noisy ego music. When was the last time you sang to me? Do you know what I want? I want justice. Oceans of it.

I want fairness. Rivers of it. That's what I want. That's all I want.

Messages Challenges like this, and there are so many, are why the prophets were killed and what Jesus warned his followers would happen if they went against, as Bregman says, the greedy, anxious, anti neighborliness that characterizes our world. And sadly, that might happen to us also. People will not be happy with us if we try to live a totally non greedy life. But we know better.

So let's join Jesus and root out and kill off every form of greediness that spoils our lives.

Let's live in the non greedy, free, open and totally giving of ourselves way of Jesus. That's all for this podcast.

For transcripts, links to related material, and much more to help you learn to know, trust, apply and teach the Bible, go to www.bible805.com for now, let me end with this benediction and prayer.

May you walk each day surrounded by the gracious love of the Father, guided by the gentle wisdom of the Holy Spirit, and conscious of the astoundingly real presence of Jesus, who will walk with you until you're no more a hobo soul, no more a transient wandering heart, but at home in the kingdom prepared for you with your God forever. Amen.