Parable of the Rich Fool, Part 3
This Week's Bible Reading: Luke 12:13-21 (focus on verses 18-19)
Supporting Passages: 1 Corinthians 15:12-34; Isaiah 22:1-14
There is a subtle lie about money that is easy to believe. It goes something like this: If we have more money, we will become more generous. But the parable of the Rich Fool is a warning that the opposite is true. The more money we have, the more we are tempted to stockpile it.
Last week, we saw how the rich man's abundant harvest led him to trust in himself. And now he has a problem. The ground has given him such a surplus that he has nowhere to store all the extra crops. I'm sure the people listening to Jesus' story wished they had that problem!
The man thinks fast and comes up with a solution:
Then he said, "This is what I'll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. And I'll say to myself, ‘You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.’” (Luke 12:18–19, NIV)
The man's first reaction to abundance was to build bigger barns. Having more resources didn't automatically make him more generous. It turned him inward and led him to hoard the gifts God gave him. And this seems like the most practical thing to do. We even have a more diplomatic way of phrasing it: We don't hoard our wealth; we build it.
In the eyes of the world, this man isn't a fool. He is wise. And you know what? It's hard for me not to see this man as wise, too! I want to save for the future and make sure my family has enough. Is that really so bad, Jesus?
This is why it's important to remember the context of the parable. A young man came to Jesus worried about money. His main concern was about getting his share of the family inheritance. He thought it would be smooth sailing once got his piece of the pie. And I can relate to that. So often, I believe things would be better if I had a little bit more money. But Jesus wants us to see that in God's kingdom, unexpected freedom comes when we live life with an open hand.
The rich man in the parable had a plan set for the rest of his life. He was going to "eat, drink, and be merry." It sounds like a lot of fun! But there is something ominous about that phrase. When used elsewhere in scripture, it gives a sense of foreboding despair rather than joy.
In the book of Isaiah, the phrase paints a picture of how God's people celebrate when they should be mourning their sin. And in the New Testament, Paul uses it to describe how empty life would be if there were no hope of a future resurrection:
If I fought wild beasts in Ephesus with no more than human hopes, what have I gained? If the dead are not raised, "Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die." (1 Corinthians 15:32, NIV)
In Jesus' parable, the phrase echoes this same feeling of hollowness. The man thought his stuff would make him free. But it came at a high cost. He had to build bigger barns to protect all he had accumulated. And what would it give him in return? At best, a few short years of luxury. (And, as we'll soon see, he didn't even get that!) Meanwhile, he missed out on participating in the hope of God's present and future kingdom. He missed out on seeing all the beautiful ways God wanted to work through him to bless others. To use language from the previous parable we explored, he buried his talent.
I don't want to wait to have a bigger barn to become more generous. But generosity isn’t always easy. That’s why I need to practice it.
There is an exit off the highway that my wife and I take to get home after church. As we roll to a stop at the light, I usually see a man standing by the side of the road. He is holding a sign asking for help. At that moment, I think, "I really need to make little baggies of food, water, and toiletries to give to people I see who are in need."
I am not proud to admit I have not done this yet.
Here's the honest truth: I don't need more money or resources to do this small act. Having more stuff won't make me more generous. If I am not doing it now, I won't do it no matter how much I have.
It's easy to feel guilty about this. But as I said at the start of this series, there is no shame with Jesus. He came to free us from the shackles of greed and anxiety and show us a better way to live.
And even if we’ve failed at this way of life a million times before, Jesus is gracious. He gives us new opportunities each day to blow the doors off our barn and be generous with God’s gifts.
Questions to Ponder:
What do you think of the man's plan to build bigger barns and enjoy life? How are his actions wise in the eyes of the world?
Take a moment to read this week's supporting passages. What meaning do they bring to the phrase "eat, drink, and be merry"?
Have you ever believed that having more money would make you more generous? What small ways can you practice generosity this week without needing a bigger barn?
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