You shall not covet… Exodus 20:17
Jesus said, “Foxes have dens and birds have
nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head”. Matthew
8:20
... I have learned to be content whatever the
circumstances. Philippians 4:11
Do you ever feel like slinging a brick at your television?
I do, but fortunately we don’t keep a ready-to-hand supply of bricks in our
living-room. My problem can be summed up in a single word: adverts. The
psalmist in Psalm 139:22 is talking about his enemies when he says “I hate them
with a perfect hatred” (KJV), but I must confess that I tend to apply that
verse to adverts; they’ve become something of a pet hate of mine.
Am I going a bit over the top? Well, yes, of course. But
sometimes a little exaggeration helps to make a point. I’m sure there are
adverts which are honest, realistic and sometimes genuinely amusing. But so
often they are vulgar, shallow, gross - and just plain dishonest, not to
mention downright stupid. (And the money that must have been poured into
producing them…!)
My wife and I have a fairly elderly car which runs pretty
well and is looked after efficiently and inexpensively by a friendly (if very
greasy) mechanic. No problem. Ah, but wouldn’t we be much happier if we had one
of those glitzy, glamorous cars which only ever seem to go sweeping through
glorious scenery on empty, sunlit roads – and which never get snarled up in
traffic jams or scraped by a careless driver talking on his phone instead of
concentrating on the road? Answer: no, not really, not once the initial buzz
has worn off.
And as for “must-read” books, “must-see” films, “must-have”
clothes, etc, etc, etc… grrr! Who has decided on that “must”? Oh, and that very
pleasant drink called coffee – well, pleasant certainly, but it’s just a drink,
isn’t it, for goodness’ sake?
All right, I’ve calmed down now, and I invite you to ponder
the three Bible passages at the top. They touch on the related themes of covetousness
and contentment…
You shall not covet -
Exodus 20:17.
This is the last of the Ten Commandments, and it’s
particularly interesting because it’s the only one which is about attitudes
rather than actions; coveting is something that goes on in your mind and
heart.
But though that’s so, its great danger is that it so
readily leads to actions, even to sins like murder, stealing and
adultery. Even if we don’t give way outwardly, it turns our personalities crabby
and shrivelled, over-preoccupied with what our lives might be, rather
than encouraging us to roll up our sleeves and get on with the far more
fulfilling job of living Christlike lives in the situations we are actually in.
A question to ponder: are miserly, acquisitive people ever
truly happy?
Jesus said, “Foxes have dens and birds have
nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head” - Matthew
8:20.
Jesus is speaking to an over-enthusiastic lawyer who has
made a rather rash pledge: “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go”. And it’s
as if he is saying, “Well, that’s wonderful. But you need to be aware that if
you do indeed follow me wherever I go you must be prepared to sacrifice any or
all of the normal comforts of life which most people take for granted. Are you
sure you are ready for that, really ready?” (Matthew doesn’t tell us how
the lawyer responded to the challenge…)
But we get the point, which is for us as much as for the
lawyer: following Jesus is indeed wonderful, but count the cost! Among
other things, say goodbye to materialism. Don’t even begin to swallow the lies
of the slick advertising executives; they will only lead you astray.
... I have learned to be content whatever the
circumstances. Philippians 4:11
This, of course, is the apostle Paul, writing to a church
for which he had a particular affection. He has been going through a hard time,
and the believers in Philippi have given him material help, for which he is
grateful. But he adds an interesting note: he is not simply “content” with what
he has, but he has “learned the secret of being content”.
From which two things emerge. First, contentment is a
“secret”, not easy to define or recognise; and, second, it has to be “learned”,
implying that it doesn’t come easily, and certainly not automatically. We don’t
know how well-off Paul was in his pre-Christian days, but quite likely he was
fairly prosperous, so to have to adjust to his new life as a Chrisian (see 2
Corinthians 6:3-10!) must have required some determinedly gritted teeth, to put
it mildly.
Over all this, of course, hovers the great saying of Jesus:
“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their
cross daily and follow me.” For us that’s pretty much a figure of speech –
we don’t expect to have to take up the cross in a literal sense. But for those
who first heard it, it was anything but - it was stark, literal reality…
Jokes aside, the advertising industry, dedicated to the
false gods of greed, jealousy and discontent, seduces us into worshipping an
idol. Well, we know what we must do about that, don’t we? Somebody pass me a
brick, please…
Father, I am so prone to be seduced by the idol
of materialism or self-centredness. Please forgive me! And please help me to
learn the precious secret of contentment, that Jesus alone might be my
all-in-all. Amen.
The Greek philosopher Socrates (c 470-399 BC) is reported
to have said, as he strolled through a market in Athens, “Who would have
thought there could be so many things I can do without?”
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