Church of the Holy City

Theft and Contentment

Theft and Contentment
Rev. Dr. David J. Fekete
December 29, 2013

Genesis 31:17-42 Matthew 6:19-24 Psalm 49

The Bible readings I selected point to natural and spiritual interpretations of the seventh commandment, which is not to steal. Our reading from Genesis, about Jacob and his wives and Laban bring up just about every aspect of theft that needs to be considered. Our readings from Psalm 49 and from Matthew put the whole issue of wealth in perspective.
The most basic level of this commandment is taking what belongs to someone else. Stealing money, or someone else’s possessions is theft in its most basic level and is a crime we all recognize. There are other actions that are theft, too. Employers who do not pay their workers fair wages, workers who do not perform their jobs honestly, merchants who derive profits that are out of proportion to the goods they produce, and unjust ways of obtaining wealth such as fraud–all these things are theft.
In our story from Genesis, just about every form of theft is described. It is a story about Jacob and his father-in-law Laban. Laban cheats Jacob in several ways. First, Laban makes Jacob work for seven years in order to be handed his daughter Rachel as his bride. Laban, however, gives him his other daughter, Leah instead. So Jacob works another seven years and finally receives his beloved Rachel for his wife. Jacob also accuses Laban of changing his wages ten times in the course of his employment. We see that Laban is quite a dishonest empolyer. But Jacob is a bit of a thief, himself. Through a complicated breeding scheme, Jacob sees to it that his own flocks increase while Laban`s flocks remain the same. This is not accident, but is the result of Jacob`s active intervention with the mating of Laban`s flocks. Then we have the example of Rachel actually stealing Laban`s household idols when she flees with Jacob from Laban`s home. There is a lot of conniving going on between Laban, Jacob, and Rachel in this story. A lot of theft going on.
Psalm 49 and Matthew point to a spiritual way of viewing wealth. For the temptation to steal derives from an unhealthy view of wealth that isn’t spiritual. Psalm 49 tells us in stark terms that wealth has no spiritual value. The Psalmist tells us that wealth won’t keep any person from the grave. It says further that wealth can’t pay God a ransom for our souls. He says in clear terms that only, “God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol,/for he will receive me.” And Jesus gives us the positive side of this same teaching. Jesus says that we should build up treasures that are lasting. He teaches that there are eternal riches which can’t be stolen and that do not decay with time and age. Jesus says, rather cryptically, that “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21). If our hearts are set on heavenly treasures, then we will not crave worldly wealth. And if we do not crave worldly wealth, then we will not be tempted to steal.
When I was growing up, the hippies of my generation, of which I was one, had a different view of wealth. We criticized those who were trying to keep up with the Jones’, as we called it. We distained the quest for money and worldly success. There was a song by Pink Floyd that satirized the quest for wealth. It goes like this:
Money, get away
Get a good job with more pay and your O.K.
Money it’s a gas
Grab that cash with both hands and make a stash
New car, caviar, four star daydream,
Think I’ll buy me a football team.
There was also a song by Jethro Tull that I liked then and still like now, that points to simple pleasures versus the drive for wealth.
I’m sittin’ in the corner feeling glad
Got no money comin’ in but I can’t be sad
That was the best cup of coffee that I ever had
And I won’t worry about a thing because we’ve got it made
Here on the inside, outside so far away.
But when discussing the issue of wealth, I think that we hippies were a bit idealistic. We didn’t seem to have a responsible view of money. For we do need money to survive in this world. Without a healthy view of money, without earning a livable wage, we will be beholden on the charity of others, and we will be a burden to society. For just as the Psalmist tells us the hard fact that we can’t take money with us to the grave, there is also the hard fact that without money we can’t provide for ourselves. The acquisition of wealth is not a problem nor a sin if the wealth is come by honestly. The only issue is what wealth does to us. I think that Psalm 62:10 puts this whole matter into perspective. Here, we find the well-known phrase, “If riches increase, set not your heart on them.” The Psalmist doesn’t say riches are bad in and of themselves. Rather, the Psalmist says riches are a problem only if we set our hearts on them. And a person who sets their heart on wealth is likely to go to any length to obtain wealth–honest or otherwise.
It seems like our society is diseased with a craving for wealth. I saw this trend really take hold in the ’80′s and it has remained since. I think that the excesses of wealth in the ’80′s may have been a backlash against the anti-money attitudes of the ’60′s and early 70′s. I think of that 80′s movie Wall Street with Michael Douglas and Charlie Sheen. Michael Douglas plays a corporate raider whose lust for wealth drives him to insider trading and all manner of ruthless tactics such as destroying companies for the profit it brings him. This movie was made in the 80′s when the lust for wealth was perhaps at its peak in our world.
I think things have toned down a bit since then, but in many ways, the trend started in the 80′s continues. We still have luxury products pasted before our faces in the media. Competition for the title of most popular luxury automobile is the marketing gimmick behind one brand that wants to dethrone Cadillac, BMW, Lexus, and Mercedes.. I think of the astronomical salaries paid to entertainers and sports figures that defy all manner of logic. One television comedian I know of has a collection of 60 Porsches. He rents an airplane hangar to keep them in. I remember one athlete who was interviewed on television. His interviewer asked him if he deserved all that money and if he earned it. The athlete responded that it isn’t a matter of him earning that much money. He said that it is rather “what the market will bear.” What the market will bear–not whether he is worth that much. I guess it’s not my place to judge, but I can’t help feeling that these extreme salaries are a form of theft. And I don’t even want to start on those bank CEO’s who ruined the world economies and still retained obscene salaries and even bonuses.
Long ago, John Calvin made an interesting statement. He said that merchants and manufacturers were not allowed to earn a greater profit than their product is worth. In other words, charging a higher price than the product is worth is a sin. I like this idea in principle. However, Calvin did not tell us how to calculate what an honest profit would be. I think that in some cases, we may have an indication when companies are charging more than a just figure for their products. Drug companies come to mind. There is no justification for the huge disparity between what pharmaceuticals charge in the US compared to what they charge for the same drug in Canada. Our society says that the laws of supply and demand are what dictate price or wages. There is no correlation between price and worth or cost of production. It`s all what the market will bear.
But most of us are in much more modest relations to wealth. We still have a call as Christians. As Christians, we are called to act justly in our employment, and not to defraud our employer of work time for which we are paid. And we are called to be content with the allotment of wealth that we are earning. The real challenge is not to lust after huge wealth, but rather to reign in our desires for material goods. For wealth is always relative. I have heard extremely wealthy individuals say that they always want more. It is this wanting more that is the problem. Unless we master our desires for money and goods, we will never have enough.
In the highest spiritual sense, stealing means taking credit for God`s good deeds. We violate the seventh commandment when we think that the good things we do are from our own power. We thus steal credit from God. When we think we have earned heaven by our good deeds, we are taking personal credit for the power that belongs to God. When we make someone feel good, when we do someone a favor and we feel good from the deed, the temptation is there to get puffed up with pride for the good person we are. I am not saying that we can`t have confidence and self-esteem. But the good we do is God working in us, and to God alone goes the merit, the credit, and the glory. In fact it is harmful to our souls when we think we deserve heaven for our good deeds. Thinking this way will actually deprive us of the heavenly joy that flows into our spirits when we do give God credit for goodness. Even as we strive against evils in our character, and come to actually be better persons–even this is not our doing, but God working salvation in us. When our minds are on God, and when we credit God with all the acts of goodness around and through us, then we feel heaven`s joy in us. Paul said it well,
Continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose (Philippians 2:12-13).
Finally, as Christians we are called to love heavenly goods, not worldly goods. We are taught to seek God`s kingdom first. We are told that true wealth is a full heart–a heart of gratitude, a heart of brotherly love and sisterly love, a heart of love for God. When good deeds are what we truly seek out of life, then our hearts are set on heavenly treasures. These endure for ever. These are what refine human into angels. These are the keys that unlock the mansions of heaven and give us eternal peace of mind and joy of heart.

PRAYER

Lord, we acknowledge that all we have is from you. We acknowledge that all we do is by your power. Help us to remember and give thanks to you for all the good we know, for all the good we do. Lord, sometimes we struggle in this life. Sometimes we wage war against demonic forces that seek to choke out your heavenly influx. But even in these times, we know that it is not we who struggle, but you who struggle in us. May we always be open to your goodness, your peace, and your love.
Lord, many are our wants. But our means are limited. Lord, help us to restrain our desires for excess material goods. Help us to remain content with what we have and with what is within our means. For if we are content with what we have, we have all we need and want.

And lord, we ask that you watch over those who are struggling and enduring hardship, be it sickness, poverty, or national unrest. Send your peaceful spirit to turmoil. May aid come to those in need and may all the nations of the world come together in good will to help nations that are suffering from natural disasters or internal strife.

Send the power of your healing love to those who are sick. We know on faith that in every trying situation, good can come. May we find the good in trouble, and healing where there is sickness.