“I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me” – Matt. 25:35-36

Sam, a young African student, was graduating from the University of Connecticut with a Doctor of Philosophy degree and so he wanted his friends to celebrate with him. The ceremony went well, and we all gathered in the reception hall for lunch.  

It was a buffet and the queue grew steadily around the tables of assorted dishes. As people ate amid some intermittent congratulatory speeches, the hall suddenly went quiet. All eyes turned to Yaw, one of the friends from Bronx, New York. He had just finished his selection and was making his way to his table. He had Mount Everest in his hands. With a broad smile, he sat down and dug in. I am sure people took bets around the tables on his ability to scale the mountain before him to the summit. But he was not one to disappoint. He cleaned the plate so well that the dishwashers had less than one plate to wash. I know my American friends can eat, but our Ghanaian friend surpassed them all that day.

It reminds me of how much people eat without restraint. The taste of the food dictates the amount they eat. That is why obesity has become a health issue in many parts of the world. Somehow, we have come to think that the richness of the dinner table determines how achieved one is in life.

Jesus condemned the greed displayed in the affluence of the Rich Fool (Lk. 12 13-21). The man had a good harvest that overflowed. His attitude was to stack them up in extra warehouses, sit back, congratulate himself, eat and drink, and be merry (19). “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ (20).

Jesus’ point was that abundance of material possessions does not make for a meaningful life. Being rich in God is abundant life (15, 21b). The man was rich in material possessions and ate well to his heart’s pleasure but was destitute of God. That is why Jesus called him a fool, for material possessions do not have eternal consequences; only riches in Christ do (16:19-31; 1Tm. 6:6-10).

So, what is your life? Is it about food and drinks and all kinds of material things, or you are storing “your treasures in heaven where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal” (Matt. 6:20)? Then feed the hungry; clothe the destitute; give to the needy and to worthy causes in the church, your community, nation and the world (Matt. 25:34-37).