Reflection on Luke 12:32-40

“I feel disconnected from God,” he finally said after trying for minutes to describe his spiritual state. “It’s not that I don’t believe in God. It is just that I don’t sense God as being that important in my life at this point.”

It was a brutally honest statement from someone who was considering leaving the church.

In coming in to talk to the pastor, he wanted to be clear that he wasn’t leaving the church because of some sort of slight or disagreement. The people in the church were just fine.

The problem went much deeper, and in the same way that some couples just slowly lose connection with one another over time and end up divorcing, this man kind of felt like it was his time to separate with God. More to the point, he felt like the separation had already happened and he just now had mustered up the courage to tell someone.

“I’ve been there,” said the pastor. “Many, many times I’ve been there. Imagine having to write a sermon while feeling that way! It stinks.”

The man smiled and relaxed a little in his seat.

“What do you do when you feel that way pastor?” the man asked honestly.

To that question, the pastor suddenly stood up, reached into his pocket, dug something out, and smacked it down on the table. The man leaned forward to see what it was. The familiar green of the $20 bill was revealed upon closer inspection.

“I don’t get it. You pay God to come into your life again? Where would you even drop off the money?”

The pastor laughed. “Not quite.” Then he simply said, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

You may not know where the pastor is headed with this, but I would like to tell you that there is some wisdom in where he’s leading this man. After-all, it is Jesus who first tells us, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” So it is not an ingenious invention of the pastor.

But, before we continue, let us pause for a second because I've come to realize that most of us understand this phrase backwards. I’ve even heard it spoken backwards from the pulpit.

Most of us understand this as saying: “The thing that is most special to us, that is where we will put our money.”

But New Testament scholar Mark Allen Powell points out that Jesus is not saying that. That idea is actually backwards to what Jesus is actually saying. How the power of money usually works, and advertisers know this very well, is that when we spend our money, we also put a little of our heart into that investment.

Take smart phones for an example. I’ve known people who sing the praises of their iPhones after they have purchased one. They love the ease of use. They love the features such as the fingerprint identification to access the phone; that way you don’t have to be typing in a pass code every time you use the phone. And, iPhone users will staunchly defend the quality of their phones in an argument against those evil and unenlightened Android smart phone users.

Of course, Android users will similarly go on and on about their phones and the virtual reality capabilities of their phones.

It is called brand loyalty. We use our money to buy a phone, and in return, the company gets part of our heart…part of our loyalty. Wherever you place your treasure, you will give away a little bit of your heart.

Whether its Apple vs. PC, Chevy vs. Ford,. Case International vs. John Deer, Pixar vs. Sony, salt vs. pepper, cat vs. dog…do not even get people started on the cat vs. dog one…each time we invest our money or time in something, we also invest some of our heart.

The thing is, part of this investment of heart makes us blind to the realities and shortcomings of the thing in which we have invested our money. No one wants to be the one who spends foolishly. So we defend our choices of iPhones and Androids, dogs and cats, and we refuse to mention the troubles and faults in our choices. Dogs make you get up early in the morning. Cats do not. Just saying for me that is an issue. Just saying dog people. Just saying.

You can see this sort of loyalty in a different way during the political season. When people invest their money in and attention toward a particular candidate, something amazing happens, that candidate becomes Jesus Christ! Not literally, but all the sudden, that candidate can do nothing wrong, even though an outside observer can see that they are human and obviously do things wrong.

But, that is how treasures work. Where you put your treasure, is where you your heart ends up. Where you spend your resources of money, time, and self is what you will end up treasuring like a gleaming gem.

This leads me to wonder, where does God spend God’s resources? Let us see.

In the beginning, God made a peaceful space in the chaos for us, the gem of God’s creation.

In Jesus, God chooses to spend time with us, especially if we are poor and trapped in sin.

In Jesus, God chooses to pay a life for a life on the cross. God chooses to pay for you…for us…to trade our sins for his peace. This is all done for our benefit. God so loved Apple Corp.? No, “God so loved the world…” We are where God spends God's resources.

The man picks up the $20, looks at it, and asks the pastor, “So, what am I supposed to do with this?”

“Spend it," the pastor replies.

“Spend it. On what?”

“Spend it on something that the Lord cares about. Spend it on something that Jesus would care passionately about. Spend it on the poor. Spend it on a special Olympic athlete. Spend it on someone’s medical care. Spend it on something that the Lord would spend it on.

You see, when we feel separated from God, it may be because we no longer participate in the same activities.

Just like sharing rounds of golf together has actually saved some marriages, sharing in the activities that God cares about just may provide what you are seeking.

‘Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also,’ Jesus says.

So, invest some of your treasure into God. Just maybe your heart will follow and you won't be so disconnected.”

If you are reading this now, I invite you to do the same. Do you feel disconnected with God? Take some of your gifts this week, (and I really, actually mean it), and spend them on something that Jesus would care about.

After-all, it is God’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Follow God's example and share some of that kingdom of mercy, and maybe…just maybe...your own eyes will be opened to the mercies of God in your life.