Parable of the Rich Fool, Part 4
This Week's Bible Reading: Luke 12:13-21 (focus on verse 20)
Supporting Passages: Matthew 6:19-34
One of the most sobering things in life is knowing that death can occur at any moment. It is not fun to ponder this reality. But paradoxically, considering our death helps us live life more fully. It forces us to examine our priorities and focus on what is most important.
The rich man in Jesus' parable valued his wealth above everything else. He had life all figured out—the treasure he built on earth would give him security. This was all well and good until he received some unexpected news:
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?" (Luke 12:20, NIV)
We've all received a piece of unexpected news that hit us like a ton of bricks. Maybe it was a scary health diagnosis, the loss of a loved one, or the end of a relationship. In those situations, money may provide a bit of comfort. But it can't fix things completely.
In the rich man's case, the news was grim: Death would come knocking on his door that night. Money and possessions were useless to him now. And the person who delivered this message was none other than God himself. (Here's a cool little piece of Bible trivia you can use at the next party you attend: The Rich Fool is the only one of Jesus' parables where God enters the story as a character!)
At first glance, it might seem like God is taking vengeance against the rich man. But I don't think the man's death is a punishment. God doesn't say, "You have been greedy, so now I will strike you down! Take that!" The fact is, death comes for us all. God is lamenting that this man spent his entire life focused on the wrong thing. Now that death is near, what good are his possessions to him?
It's easy to read the parable of the Rich Fool and conclude that the man's problem was that he had too much. But like most things, the real issue lies deeper. The man's wealth gave him a false sense of control. Instead of seeing money as a tool to build God's Kingdom, he saw it as a way to become invincible.
A lot has changed over 2000 years, but human nature hasn't. The people who lived in the first century lost sleep when they had a bad harvest. In the same way, my stress levels rise when I log in to my bank account and see it depleting. I want to trust God, yet the pull to trust money for my security is real. It feels like there is a battle raging in my heart.
Have you ever felt this way? If so, I'm not surprised. Jesus spoke about this battle in the Sermon on the Mount:
No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. (Matthew 6:24, NIV)
Jesus' words might sound overdramatic. But the competition between God and money is fiercer than we think. In the above verse, the Hebrew word translated as "money" is mammon. Many scholars believe mammon is a form of the word amen. When we say "Amen!" after a prayer, we are agreeing that what was just said is trustworthy. And so mammon—or money—is something we trust in. (Highly ironic when we think of the phrase printed on our dollar bills!)
Scholar Pieter van der Horst describes the power of money this way:
Mammon is personified as some kind of superhuman power that stands in competition to God and, by possessing people, can even keep them from being devoted to God and make them hate him.
The tragedy of the parable of the Rich Fool is not that the man died. The tragedy is how he lived. He trusted in the god of mammon for his security rather than the God of heaven. And mammon is a cruel master. It demands loyalty and doesn't care who you neglect as you serve it. It tempts you to turn your back on family, friends, and those in need. It promises safety and comfort. But when death comes, mammon is silent. It doesn't have an answer.
A couple of months ago, I had a scary experience. It was the hottest part of summer in Orlando, and I was getting lunch with a friend when I passed out in his car. The paramedics think I suffered a bout of heat exhaustion. (I hadn't eaten much yet and probably didn't drink enough water!)
I am okay, but the ordeal has led me to be a bit more contemplative. My death, like the rich man's, can come at any moment. No matter how much stuff I own, I can't control when death will happen. But I want to spend whatever time I have left serving God instead of mammon.
Some days, I'll get that right. On other days, I'll get it wrong. As always, there is grace for us messy, broken people.
My prayer for all of us is to use what we have to build God's Kingdom. It is the only place "where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal" (Matthew 6:20, NLT).
Now that sounds like the true security we all long for.
Questions to Ponder:
Think about a time when you've received unexpected news. How did it change the way you viewed temporary things like wealth or possessions?
How did the rich man's possessions give him a false sense of security? When are you most tempted to trust in mammon instead of God?
In what ways is mammon a cruel master? How does serving God instead of mammon lead to a richer, freer life?
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