Awash with Greed

overcoming-greed-500x500Living in the Spirit
August 1, 2015

Scripture Reading: John 6:24-35

When they found him on the other side of the lake, they said to him, ‘Rabbi, when did you come here?’ Jesus answered them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For it is on him that God the Father has set his seal.’ –John 6:25-27 

There is an ad running on TV now for some kind of asthma medicine. It includes a talking gold fish flopping around on a solid service out of water, gasping for breath. I think the gold fish is not only an apt portrayal of the way an asthma sufferer must feel, but it also seems to me, it is a great illustration of an American society overcome with an epidemic of greed. We cannot get off the hard surface and back into our source of life.

The news is blatant with greed like the need to deflate footballs to win big games, thus cheating to win at any cost except for the financial rewards of the big win. A man paid $50,000+ for the right to kill a beloved lion in Africa. Politicians will say anything to fire up support among the masses, but their policies only seem concerned with maintaining the backing of the people who own them. We have an unaccountable disconnect between the need to actually pay for the services required to support the common good and the resulting necessity of taxation. We all want our cake and to eat it too.

Jesus called his followers out on this very issue in our scripture today. “Hey, man, this guy is handing out free bread and fish. Let’s go.” While Jesus did meet the immediate need for physical sustenance, he wanted the people to prioritize their lives toward seeking the eternal nurture of God’s abiding love.

Prayer: Lord, heal us of the greed that overcomes us. Help is to see the better way and to follow it. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights reserved.