The Nazareth Page  - A gospel meditation for your home

August 3, 2025 – Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Luke 12:13-21

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I was sitting with my dad watching on TV what used to be called “the ticker.” It showed in real time the value of various holdings on the New York Stock Exchange. My dad had retired from his business years before, but he enjoyed keeping track of his wealth in stocks. He was in his 90’s at the time. To ensure accuracy, he kept a pencil and pad on his lap in which he dutifully recoded any change in the value of his current “wealth.”

After a few minutes of sharing this activity with him, I casually said that he reminded me of Jack Benny who often visited his basement vault (on radio!) to count his money. Jack was a notorious miser, not known for generosity. My dad smiled and looked at his only son and said, “I’m not counting my money. I’m counting yours.” We both smiled.

Concern and interest in personal wealth is as old as when we humans departed cave life. Today, everyday we hear about people whose “claim to fame” is that they are exceptionally wealthy. Billionaires!

Even Jesus was aware of this valuing of wealth. So, he begins today’s parable with an opening sure to create interest. “There was once a rich man …” And people listened. He then described a someone who had so much grain (an indicator of wealth) that he had to enlarge his storage spaces. Certainly, such expansion impressed the neighbors.

Then Jesus went on to describe what real wealth was in God’s eyes. It wasn’t a matter of dollars and cents. It was related to how generous one is in helping others, especially meeting the needs of the poor, the hungry or anyone who lacks what’s needed for survival. Read the rest of the gospels to learn all that encompasses.

Perhaps you have heard references to “zero sum” calculations. This means that if you give something to someone else, you become “poorer.” But that’s not the mathematics that Jesus advocates. In fact, one way to understand God’s math is to say that the more you give to others, the more enriched you will be. The ultimate challenge is to give all of what one has for the benefit of all those in need.

This is how Jesus lived and how he died. Not by accumulating riches for himself, but by sharing his life with all those he encountered. A bit like my dad.  

David M. Thomas, PhD