The Stories of Christmas | A Little Scrooge in Us

Then Jesus said to the crowd, "Watch out! Guard yourself against all kinds of greed. After all, one's life isn't determined by one's possessions, even when someone is very wealthy."

Luke 12:15 (CEB)

Black Friday is interesting, isn't it? People camp out overnight for deals. They strategize about which store to hit first. They sprint through aisles to grab discounted TVs. And sometimes...they literally fight each other over a sale item.

And we watch all this and think, "How ridiculous. How selfish. I would never act that way."

But then we find ourselves getting irritated when someone takes the parking spot we wanted. Or feeling resentful when we don't get the gift we hoped for. Or making Christmas all about what we want instead of what we can give.

Turns out, we've all got a little Ebenezer Scrooge in us.

In Luke 12, Jesus is teaching a crowd when someone interrupts him with a request: "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me." This person wants Jesus to help them get what they think they deserve.

But Jesus refuses to get involved in the dispute. Instead, he warns everyone listening about the danger of greed. And his warning is clear: Life isn't about accumulating stuff. Your possessions don't determine your value or your happiness.

This was radical in Jesus' day, and it's still radical now. Because we live in a culture that constantly tells us the opposite. We're told that having more will make us happier. That getting what we want is the path to fulfillment. That we deserve to prioritize ourselves.

And somewhere along the way, especially during the holiday season, we start believing it.

The holidays have a way of bringing out our inner Scrooge. We start out with good intentions, but somewhere between Thanksgiving and Christmas, it happens. We make lists of what we want. We hint about gifts we hope to receive. We think about the food we want to eat and the way we want to celebrate.

And before we know it, the season becomes more about what we want to get than what we want to give.

We don't mean to be selfish. We don't wake up and think, "Today I'm going to be like Ebenezer Scrooge." But selfishness is sneaky. It creeps in slowly. It disguises itself as reasonable expectations or well-deserved rewards. And pretty soon, we've made the holidays all about us.

Jesus' warning about greed isn't mean-spirited. It's not about making us feel guilty. It's about protecting us from something that will ultimately make us miserable.

Because here's the thing about greed: It never satisfies. You get what you wanted, and it feels good for about five minutes. Then you start thinking about the next thing you want. It's a cycle that never ends.

Scrooge had more money than he could ever spend, but he was miserable. Why? Because when life is all about what you can get, you're never satisfied. When life is all about what you can get, you're never satisfied.

Jesus is inviting us to a different way of living. A way where life isn't measured by possessions. A way where happiness isn't found in getting but in giving. A way where we find fulfillment not in accumulating more but in sharing what we have.

Prayer

God, I'll be honest, I don't always like admitting how selfish I can be. It's easier to point out everyone else's greed than to recognize my own. But you're right. I do have some Scrooge in me. I make things about what I want. I focus on getting instead of giving. Forgive me for the times I've been more concerned with my own desires than with your purposes. Help me to guard against greed. Remind me that life isn't about what I accumulate but about how I love. Change my heart this season. Amen.