55. Greed

[Pastor Ralph]

Please share your thoughts on one or more of the questions in this lesson. 

[hanks]

1. Count the number of times you find the personal pronouns "I," "me," "my" in verses 13-21. What is the significance of this? 
Having counted 13 of these personal pronouns, this tells me that this is all about self, self, self - selfishness, self-interest, self-centred, self-loving, self-serving, self-seeking. All about self - no mention of God or any other person. It is about one who lives only for themselves; this is a self-centred concern for oneself, without a thought about our Saviour or about the needs of others. Romans 8:5 warns us about these people who live according to the flesh. They live to gratify the desires of their corrupt nature, and to the body, which in a few short years will return to dust. But true believers live according to the Spirit, and are occupied with the Word of God, prayer, worship, and Christian service. Greed is often an expression of this selfishness, and that a person can become a slave to whatever controls them (2 Peter 2:19) – in this case greed/covetousness. Our Lord and Saviour exposes this self-centred approach to life as a fatal mistake, as seen in our world today, where all kinds of passions and pleasures are pursued. This is a world which is horribly enslaved and in need of rescue by God our Saviour (Titus 3:3). 
 

[hanks]

2. How would you define greed? What other areas of life besides material wealth can greed affect? 
A strong/selfish desire for more and more and still more. Besides material wealth there can be an excessive/greedy longing for power, for honour, for prestige, for position. I would imagine it could apply to anything that a person wants in excess of their needs. In both Eph 5:5 and Col 3:5, Paul calls greed idolatry because it places earthly possessions and passions ahead of God in the person’s life. I think in our materialistic world today this sin of greed/covetousness is the one we all are most prone to. Greed was Satan’s sin – he coveted something better, rebelled and was cast out of heaven with a third of the angels. Adam and Eve were not satisfied with the things which God gave them in Eden. They wanted more, and the result was that their sin brought death and damnation into the world. Greed is a sin which, ever since the fall, has brought ruin and destruction, misery and unhappiness to so many. 
 

[hanks]

3. Does concern for justice in financial matters always involve greed? (12:13) How can you tell if it does or not? 
I don’t think so. For example, a person can legitimately inherit a fortune and accept it with gratitude not demanding more than their share. And so, it is with any legal and legitimate financial matters. There is obviously no greed involved. It is when the person is not satisfied and demands more that greed is involved. Which might be the situation we have here, the brother not satisfied with his inheritance, wants more than his share. The greedy brother is not following the ideal of living in harmony with his brother, but rather loved riches more than his relationship with his brother. 
 

[hanks]

4. Is it more likely for a poor man or a rich man to be greedy? Why did you choose the answer you did? 
I’m 83 yo and I’ve had a friend in both camps. Both have since passed on, so I feel free to mention them. My one friend was brought up in a very poor family, and by means of study loans he managed to graduate as a medical doctor. After a few years in practice, he started accumulating all sorts of things, as if in a frenzy. He had 10 cars, woodwork machines, cameras, suits – everything in excess. He bought a farm and built a shed on it, and would go to auctions and buy just about anything he could get his hands on. All to be stored in a huge barn he had built on the farm. It was not that he would ever use the items bought. It was just to have it. An example of a poor man who got greedy. Then my other friend, he had his own construction company. He retired extremely wealthy and was living on a 28-acre property. He had more money than he could ever use. But, I must say, he was most generous in supporting several missionaries as well as our church. After about a year of retirement he decided to build an extra 14 new homes on his property as this would generate several extra millions. An example of a rich man who got greedy. It’s not for me to criticise either one, for I know how easy it is to fall into this trap.  
 

[hanks]

5. The rich man seems like a wise agribusinessman. Where does Jesus fault him? What was the man's error? 
He might think that he is a wise agribusiness man, but he does not realise that it is through the providence of God, that he has had a bumper crop. He has his future all planned out - my barns, my fruits, my goods, my soul - not a thought of gratitude to the Lord who made it all possible. God calls this man “Fool,” and a fool he was indeed, for he seemed to think that he had no need of God whatever, that he himself had everything under control. The man’s error was his refusal to honour God as God, and a refusal to be grateful, “For although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him” (Rom 1:21a). He did not even think of how he could use this wealth to enrich his neighbour, or his community. Instead, he asks how he could find a place to store all his wealth. The last thing on his mind was gratitude towards God – with no concern for following OT law of giving the firstfruits of what he had received from God. He is described as rich. Jesus does not say being wealthy is inherently a bad thing, what is bad is when your heart and your soul are tied up in your wealth and your material possessions. He is described as a fool. This does not mean that he is unintelligent or uneducated. There is a difference between stupidity and foolishness. He is a fool because he placed his confidence in his wealth, and an insatiable desire for more; failing to give God the glory and worship He deserves. 
 

[hanks]

6 How does one become rich towards God? (12:21) 
We do this by first seeking His kingdom and His righteousness. That is, we put God first in our lives and serve and obey Him in everything we do, and He promises to look after our future needs so that we will never lack life’s necessities. We have come to realise that earthly riches do not bring us joy and happiness, instead they bring loads of cares and anxieties. With it comes hardness of heart and we seem to forget that our riches cannot secure us from the grave. Death comes upon us suddenly, unexpectedly, and awfully - all the wealth we have accumulated will not lessen our pain or fear or prolong life for one moment. What a fool, what a wasted life. To be really rich, Jesus says that we must be rich toward God by laying up treasure in heaven. Paul says that we do that when we are rich in good works, generous, and ready to share. We are rich towards God when we start thinking of our eternal treasure in heaven, when we are rich in grace, and rich in faith, and rich in good works. When our name is inscribed in the Book of Life, when we are an heir of God, and a joint heir with Christ! This is truly rich! We should think of ourselves standing before God, giving an account of what He has entrusted to us. 
 

[Irmela]

1. Count the number of times you find the personal pronouns "I," "me," "my" in verses 13-21. What is the significance of this?

It shows that it all revolves around "self", the big "I".

The man who wanted the inheritance divided was obviously distressed and wanted his desire seen to urgently, that he did not think things through properly and just interrupted Jesus with what He was doing. 

In the parable that Jesus used, He used the pronouns "I, me, my" ten times to show how the desire of this man (his greed) revolved around himself. 

It was important because it brought home the fact that with greed we are consumed with ourselves and do not think clearly ahead of us. 

 

[Irmela]

2.  How would you define greed? What other areas of life besides material wealth can greed affect?

Greed can take all sorts of forms. Anything desired in access of what is really needed. 

{In the passage, covetingis described to be the desire for something that is not yours or to which you do not have a right to.} 

After reading this passage in the Bible several times I think it is much more than just wanting more possessions. (Clinging to them).

Greed can be desirous of getting attention immediately and the way you want it, not even in the normal way. 

This man, who wanted the inheritance split up should have used the legal authorities of his neighborhood or community. Instead his motive pushed him away from the norm and he greedily hoped that Jesus would give a quick-fix answer in his favour. 

Greed can be in wanting more "me-time". Not wanting to share your alone time with someone in need. Otherway round also, greed can be wanting excessive time with another person, if it is convenient or not. 

[Irmela]

3.  Does concern for justice in financial matters always involve greed? (12:13) How can you tell if it does or not?

 No, I don't think so. 

I guess one would need to know the full story and judge accordingly. When the person is prepared to give up the financial gain rather than fight for it, that would certainly reflect that no greed is involved. 

[Irmela]

4.  Is it more likely for a poor man or a rich man to be greedy? Why did you choose the answer you did?

The answer provided by "hanks" is scary. It really makes the warning of Jesus make sense: WATCH OUT! BE ON YOUR GUARD AGAINST ALL KINDS OF GREED; A MAN'S LIFE DOES NOT CONSIST IN THE ABUNDANCE OF HIS POSSESSIONS. 

I was privileged to know a very humble, God-fearing, wealthy family. If you did not know their status in life and met them anywhere you would never know that there was any difference between them and any others (financially). They continued to live a normal modest lifestyle, caring for those in need (not in a pushy way). Giving God honor always. 

Where we worked with the poor we noticed that they do not  store much worth on material goods. (If they had something, fine, if not, so what). Whatever they were given, they were happy with for then. If it had been taken by someone else the following week, it did not matter. Also it was easily exchanged for food. 

I guess the difference is being poor and staying poor ;  being poor and working yourself up to a new level and no longer being poor. Your status in life changes. Then it is easier to hold onto what you worked for and easier to hoard instead of share. 

 

[Irmela]

5.  The rich man seems like a wise agribusinessman. Where does Jesus fault him? What was the man's error?

A man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.

The man did not give God honor for blessing his land to yield such an abundant crop, as it did. Nor did the man think of sharing with the poor in his community. It was all self. He focused on goods and not on God. On material wealth and security, not giving God a thought. (Eat, drink and be merry) Eternity did not enter his picture. 

[Irmela]

6.  How does one become rich towards God? (12:21)

By laying up treasure in heaven. Living humbly for God now in giving to the needy, doing good deeds, helping someone on their feet by teaching them to do something instead of begging, praying, teaching about God, fasting, etc. all those things if done for God is like laying up treasure in heaven or becoming rich towards God. 

[Katy]

Q1. I counted nine personal pronouns , I did not count the first one used by Jesus, in verse 14. The significance of all these personal pronouns is the total absorption with self. No thought is given to anyone else not even to God. As Christians we are called to carry our cross and follow Jesus, only in this way can we be disciples. Luke 14v27. There is no place for being absorbed by ourselves, if we are to love and serve Our Lord and Saviour.

Q2. Greed is wanting more and more of something beyond what is good for us, or more than we need. Greed can affect many areas of life, but food and drink spring to mind. Today in the West we have so much food that many including myself, find it hard to control our eating and it results in greed. At the same time many many people do not have sufficient to eat! Alcohol is another area of greed especially here in Ireland. It is the norm in most household for children to see their parents driving alcohol and most children have started drinking by their early teens, which progresses to more and more, resulting in greed and addiction. Most young people don’t know how to enjoy themselves without alcohol. 
Q3. I don’t think concern for justice always involves greed. God is a God of justice. God has no objection to us getting justice if we have been wronged. Provided it is to have a wrong put right and not to obtain something that does not belong to us as we see in this portion of Scripture. If we are seeking justice we need to examine the motives of our hearts do we just want  justice our are we seeking more than what is ours? Jesus warns us in Luke 12v15. “ Watch out ! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed. A mans life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.”

Q4.I find this a very interesting question! I don’t know the answer. Everyone is different. Who is to say a poor person would not be greedy if he found himself in a position where he could be greedy, but how can we judge? Maybe he would become greedy for fear of ever having to go hungry again or buys lots of possessions because he is used to having nothing. I would hope he could see beyond his own needs and be able to share his new found fortune with those who need it. As for the rich man, I have known/ read about  rich men who are very generous to certain charities and others who spend millions on buying art, while children starve. Some have a social/ moral conscious while others don’t! As Christians we must ensure we husband our resources well and not become greedy for the baubles of this world. Especially as long as there are hungry children in this world or people without clean water or children being sold into prostitution. 
Q5.Jesus faults him for his total lack of thought towards God. He was a good agribusiness man because God gave him gifts and abilities, but he acts and thinks as though it was all down to himself. No thought or consideration toward God. He didn’t even seem aware that God decides on every breathe he takes. He was planning for the future never doubting his life was going to continue or looking to God for guidance. It is a warning to us!

Q6. We become rich towards God by living our lives humbly, following His footsteps. Instead of being greedy ourselves we should give to the needy, help those around us who need help or are lonely, study His precious word , pray, fast , help in our church family. Spend our time in thinking about things that are pure, right, noble, lovely, whatever is admirable,if anything is excellent or praiseworthy. Philippians 4v8.

[Old Jerry]

Count the number of times you find the personal pronouns "I," "me," "my" in verses 13-21. What is the significance of this?

 

A. The meaning is that they are only thinking of themselves and not thinking of others.

 

How would you define greed? What other areas of life besides material wealth can greed affect?

 

A. I define it as getting more than you can use. I think some of the ways is like on Facebook when a person wants to friend more people then they know just so they can be known.

 

Does concern for justice in financial matters always involve greed? (12:13) How can you tell if it does or not?

 

A. It doesn’t always mean concern for justice in financial matters. Usually if a rich man is suing a poor man that is usually greed. If a poor man sues a rich more than likely it is for justice but that is not always the case.

 

Is it more likely for a poor man or a rich man to be greedy? Why did you choose the answer you did?

 

A. It more likely that a rich man is greedy. A greedy person has more than he can really use and is likely just to want more. A poor man could be just getting by.

 

The rich man seems like a wise agribusinessman. Where does Jesus fault him? What was the man's error?

 

A. The man’s error is that he didn’t take God into consideration. He was only thinking of himself.

 

How does one become rich towards God? (12:21)

 

A. By studying his word and talking to him daily.

[haar]

1. Count the number of times you find the personal pronouns "I," "me," "my" in verses 13-21. What is the significance of this?

I think there are about 9 (nine) times in all.

2.    How would you define greed? What other areas of life besides material wealth can greed affect?

Greed is excessive craving for money, material or anything for our personal use alone without considering that God blesses us to be stewards to him and to take care of the poor and needy.

 

3.    Does concern for justice in financial matters always involve greed? (12:13)

Not in every case.

How can you tell if it does or not?

When it is not selfish.

4.    Is it more likely for a poor man or a rich man to be greedy?

Both the poor man and the rich man have the possibility to be greedy.

Why did you choose the answer you did?

The average human being is generally selfish and self- centered and can always crave for more at the expense of others.

The rich man seems like a wise agribusinessman. Where does Jesus fault him? What was the man's error?

He was very self-centered - thinking only about his comfort without thinking of the need. Furthermore, he was not rich towards God

5.    How does one become rich towards God? (12:21)

He did not do what God said that he owns everything and that we should share our riches with the needy.

[faith & hope 2017]

1.  In verses 13 thru 21, I counted eleven uses of the personal pronouns "I," 'me," and "my."  The significant of this count of the uses of the personal pronoun clearly indicates that the person(s) has an excessive amount of trust in their own abilities as well as having total reliance in their possessions.   

2.  I would define greed as being an attitude or character of one who is possess with quantity whether than quality.  Greed is the desire to want more selfishly than what is sufficient.  For some it is achieving the "best," the "greatest," by any means necessary.  Beside material wealth, greed can be seen in sports, political arenas, corporative structures and sometimes in family settings.  

3.  No, concern for justice in financial mater does not always involve greed.  I have personally witnessed family torn apart (destroyed) because of financial inheritance whereas siblings tried through legal matters in an effort to gain more than what was allotted.  On the other hand, I witnessed some families where the division of financial inheritance was amiable.  Most time you can tell through acts of selfishness. 

4.  Both a poor man and a rich man can possess the character of greediness.  A poor man who is not accustomed of having anything can willfully withhold his abundance from others who might benefit from it for selfish reasons.  Likewise, a rich man who is accustomed to having the abundance regularly can also willfully withhold his  for the reasons of obtaining power and authority over others.

6.  Christians, believers of Christ, can become rich toward God by adapting a lifestyle of holiness and humbleness, by being obedient to His Word (studying, meditating and applying), praying, fasting, and giving generously of time and to the needs of others.  

[Godswriter]

1. Count the number of times you find the personal pronouns "I," "me," "my" in verses 13-21. What is the significance of this?

 

A. It is 12 times and it says that the person was more self-centered than other centered when it comes to their wants and needs. The Scripture is straight forward about this because a person who is greedy is also not humble either because they are also full of pride and seeking their own instead.

 

2. How would you define greed? What other areas of life besides material wealth can greed affect?

 

A. I would state it as being materialistic, love of money, love for self and status seeking people pleasing and approval seeking.

 

3. Does concern for justice in financial matters always involve greed? (12:13) How can you tell if it does or not?

 

A. No it only happens when we are more concerned with our own affairs. When you turn everything into an issue. 

 

4. Is it more likely for a poor man or a rich man to be greedy? Why did you choose the answer you did?

 

A. I would say that it is more than likely for the rich because they constantly want more money more possessions and what not. Because when you look at the Scriptures, a classic example is Nebuchadnezzar where he thought he was the one who thought he was God and thought he was the one who made the kingdom of Babylon.

 

5. The rich man seems like a wise agribusinessman. Where does Jesus fault him? What was the man's error?

 

A. His desire to build bigger and better and then enjoy his life without thought about eternity. Did not consider his eternity.

 

6. How does one become rich towards God? (12:21)

 

A. Daily communing with Him through His Word and prayer.

[kreilly]

Count the number of times you find the personal pronouns "I," "me," "my" in verses 13-21. What is the significance of this?

The significance for me is the conviction about how often I do this as I go through my day.  When I get up--what do I want to eat?  When I get to work--what am I going to work on first?  When I get home--what do I want to do now?  Most of my day is so focused on myself and thinking about what I want rather than asking the Holy Spirit what He has planned for me.  I really need to change my mindset.  

How would you define greed? What other areas of life besides material wealth can greed affect?

I think most people already gave a good definition about unhealthy or excessive desire for things.  I think Irmela brought up a good point about how people will begin to go against what is right (even to the point of breaking the law) as greed becomes more and more of a stronghold in their life.  First, people may compromise their principles/integrity, then this can erode further as they become more caught up in their desires.  Greed and addiction are tied together.  People can be addicted to almost anything.  This goes back to a point Hanks made that greed can become idolatry if we give in to it.  Whatever we are greedy for and seek after or pursue with all of our heart--that becomes our idol/god. 

Does concern for justice in financial matters always involve greed? (12:13) How can you tell if it does or not? 

No, if we have been financially wronged and are truly seeking justice then no greed is involved.  

Is it more likely for a poor man or a rich man to be greedy? Why did you choose the answer you did?

I can only speak from an American perspective, so I don't really know anyone who is poor to the degree that occurs in other countries.  In America, I don't find much difference.  Greed is a condition of the heart.  I know poor people who spend the little bit they get on cigarettes, drugs, and alcohol rather than feeding their children.  That's greedy. I do think, however, that it is extremely difficult to be rich without having a skewed view of what seems "normal" for the amount of possessions a person should have.  It is difficult for a person to be rich and realize how little he/she can live on and use the rest to bless others and glorify God.  Being rich is a great temptation to spend money on oneself.   

The rich man seems like a wise agribusinessman. Where does Jesus fault him? What was the man's error?

I think his greatest error is not tithing.  As I mentioned before, greed brings with it the temptation to compromise and do the wrong thing. 

How does one become rich towards God? (12:21)

Matthew 25:35-40 reminds us that when we bless the "least of these" we are blessing Jesus HImself.

[George L]

1. Count the number of times you find the personal pronouns "I," "me," "my" in verses 13-21. Eleven. What is the significance of this? The persons primary concern is self.
2. How would you define greed? Overpowering desire to hoard things to one self. What other areas of life besides material wealth can greed affect? Ones position in organizations, meetings, etc. The best guest seat comes back to mind.
3. Does concern for justice in financial matters always involve greed? (12:13) If there is concern on anyones part the greed is expected within the frame of the transactions ahead. How can you tell if it does or not? The attitude of the speaker and or their words used about others.
4. Is it more likely for a poor man or a rich man to be greedy? Rich. Why did you choose the answer you did? While all greed may be driven by fear of not having ‘enough’. I take greed to be present when the gaining is into posession of one with no true need. Call it hording to self, unwillingness to countenance anothers ligitimate desire for the thing.
5. The rich man seems like a wise agribusinessman. Where does Jesus fault him? In retaining beyond his present need. What was the man's error? Hoarding beyond a reasonable back stock for normal cycles of farm prosperity.
6. How does one become rich towards God? (12:21)  Giving into the needs God sees from our have. The world may not be carefull with what it choses to call charitable. God is pleased when we listen to the Holy Spirit’s still small voice on what, where, and when.