The Gospel today may disturb us — and rightly so. The question of “This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?” in one way or another stirs our thoughts, or it may even frighten us.

Let me share an illustration I came across — from the 1987 movie Wall Street. I haven’t seen it myself. I do not know whether any of you have watched it. However, the movie echoes a modern version of Jesus’ parable.

One of the leading characters in the movie, Bud Fox is a Wall Street stockbroker in early 1980’s New York with an ardent desire to get to the top. Working for his firm during the day, he spends his spare time working on an angle with the high-powered, extremely successful but ruthless and greedy broker Gordon Gekko. Bud Fox finally meets with Gekko, who takes the youth under his wing and explains his philosophy that “Greed is Good”.

Gekko explains his philosophy: “The point is, ladies and gentlemen, that greed, for lack of a better word, is good. Greed is right, greed works. Greed clarifies, cuts through, and captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit. Greed, in all its forms; greed for life, for money, for love…… has marked the upward surge of humankind.”

As I reflected, I realised the global financial market starting from Wall Street to the ends of the earth operates with Gekko’s philosophy. Ethics aren’t even part of the conversation. No concern for climate change or ecological damages. No limit for making money even at damage to God’s creation. The one and only thing these people are not aware of is, if this very night their life is demanded of them, whose will be all the money in their bank accounts and stock markets. A will may be in place. Their wealth will not give an extension to their life.

This philosophy of greed is good stands in direct contrast to Jesus’ message: “Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.” – Luke 12:15

The ongoing global financial crisis seems to have occurred because there were more listening to the Gordon Gekkos of the 21st century than to Jesus. The parable Jesus tells the crowd suggests that there was some Gordon Gekkos in that first century crowd also. This passage invites each of us to ask: Does Jesus’ message truly touch our lives, our choices, our priorities?

In the parable, we meet a successful farmer/businessperson who was amazed about the abundance of his possessions. He glories to himself that his crop has been so bountiful that he has no place to store the grain. He spoke only to himself. He planned only for himself. And in doing so, he disconnected — from God and from others. He failed to learn how life is connected to God and to others.

This leaves open the possibility that the farmer is finally taken away from his goods. He gathered all the wealth but lost his life. Jesus teaches through the parable that the meaning of life is not found in the abundance of possessions, nor does wealth guarantee life. The question for us is, have we built barns so full that there’s no room left for God’s grace?

When we replace God’s love and God’s grace with the self-serving wealth like of the rich fool in the parable or the Gordon Gekko of today, we too will lose the life Jesus so desired for us.

St Paul in his letter to the Colossians said: (3:1-2). So, if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.

The challenge with this parable is not just to point our fingers at those with excessive wealth, but to help all of us to examine how our economic life is set up to create selfishness and disconnection from each other.

The parable does not say that wealth is bad, but wealth taking the place of God is the worst that can happen to a person. The basic message for us is, to set our minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. We need the things that are on earth to live, but we do not live for those things.

The question, “This very night your life is being demanded of you and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?” will not bother us if our minds are set on things above where Christ is.

Empowered by God’s Spirit, may our lives be evidence of divine love and purpose. May we nourish others with that same love — and live not for what is stored in barns, but for what is eternal. Amen.