Eighteen times in his gospel, Luke mentions wealth and its dangers. Mary sings about the difference between the poor and the rich before Jesus' birth. Only Luke says the poor shepherds are the first to hear about Jesus' birth. He notes that Jesus belongs to the poorer class and that Mary and Joseph brought the sacrifice of the poor to Jesus' circumcision in the temple. He reminds those who had two tunics to give one to those who had none.
Yet, Jesus isn't against wealth as such in Luke's gospel. Luke's gospel exhibits a particular interest in the poor and often cautions against greed: A man's life is not made secure by what he owns. The essential thing is to be with Jesus, to be Christlike. That is the real treasure, the genuine pearl. This is a recurring theme in Jesus' teaching. Blessed are you poor, is the first of his Beatitudes. But it was tough for the Jews to digest, as they considered wealth a blessing from God.
The Open Barns
Two brothers tended the farm that their parents left them. The elder was married and had four children. The younger was single. The older brother had his house built on the east side, while the younger one was on the opposite.
After one abundant harvest, the younger brother thought, "It is not fair that my brother and I equally divide the harvest. I am alone, and my brother has a family." Not to embarrass his older brother, he would open his barn at midnight, take one sack of grain and bring it quietly into his brother's barn.
Unknown to him, the older brother thought, "It is unfair that we equally divide the harvest. My brother lives alone, and I have a wife and children to help and care for me." So, at two o'clock in the morning, he would bring one sack of grains to his younger brother's barn. One dark and rainy night, the two brothers bumped into each other in the middle of the field. Both fell, carrying their sacks of grains. When they recognized each other and realized what each was doing, they laughed and hugged each other.
The More Significant Part of Living
This story is the opposite of the story of the rich fool in the gospel today. Whereas the two brothers opened their barns to share their wealth, the rich man in the gospel did not; in the eyes of God, he was rich but a fool. Being foolish means to keep on getting, while being godly means to keep on sharing. True riches we can bring to heaven are those we let go and give away, especially when it hurts.
When we come home at the end of the day and feel tired of not having done so much for what it takes to earn more for a living or of not having accomplished anything, perhaps we have missed out on the more significant part of living that of being happy, being in love and of having peace and serenity. Are those not the real treasures?
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