One fifth of the Ten Commandments is concerned with the human proclivity to covet. Luther explains, W e are to fear and love God so that we do not desire to get our neighbor s possessions by scheming, or by pretending to have a right to them, but always help him keep what is his. Luther writes, W e are to fear and love God so that we do not tempt or coax away from our neighbor his wife or his workers, but encourage them to remain loyal. Greed causes us to act in ways we would never imagine. Think about how we treat each other in the settling of an estate.
Parents die and leave their children an inheritance.
Suddenly siblings, who had been getting along, plunge into a feeding frenzy. Consumed by their own greed, they covet what is the rightful share of their brothers and sisters. They assume that the same dark impulses driving one is also driving the other. They know instinctively not to trust anyone. One brother shows up at the house at night to load the car only to discover that the expensive stuff was slowly being pilfered over time by a sister.