Parable of the Rich Fool, Part 5
This Week's Bible Reading: Luke 12:13-21 (focus on verse 21)
Supporting Passage: Luke 16:1-13
If you want to divide a roomful of people, just throw out this question: What is your favorite movie version of A Christmas Carol?
My favorite is sort of an obscure one: the 1962 animated special Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol. I find it funny that the character of Mr. Magoo plays the character of Scrooge. And the icing on the cake? It is a musical with some pretty fantastic songs.
At the beginning of the movie, Scrooge sings these lyrics as he joyfully counts his money:
Ringle, ringle, coins when they mingle
Make such a lovely sound
Guineas and tuppence
And thruppence and bob
Make my ears tingle
And keep my heart throbbing
Money is the only thing that makes Scrooge smile. It seems the more his bank account grows, the more his heart shrinks. By the end of his life, he is a miserable old man who shut out everyone around him. He's about to die without ever having fully lived.
Like Scrooge, the rich fool in Jesus' parable shows us the danger of placing wealth above everything else. As we close out our time with this parable, I want to look at the way Jesus summed it up.
We've seen that Jesus told this tale because a young man wanted him to solve a family financial dispute. After delivering the dramatic final line (see v. 20), I imagine Jesus looking at the man as he says these words:
"This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God." (Luke 12:21, NIV)
Does Jesus mean all greedy people will die an untimely death like the rich fool? As I said last week, I don't think that's the lesson. Jesus loved the man who came to him with this financial burden. He knew the man's heart was being led astray by mammon. And Jesus didn't want him to miss out on the joy of God's Kingdom right in front of him.
Jesus tells this man to be "rich toward God." But what does that mean? We might find a clue by turning to another one of Jesus' stories—the parable of the Dishonest Manager. Let’s take a brief look at it.
The Dishonest Manager is one of Jesus' strangest tales. (It is our supporting passage this week, so take a moment to read it.) The story centers on a man who mismanages his employer's finances. When he's about to be fired, he thinks fast and comes up with a plan. He meets with the people who owe his employer money and cooks the books in their favor. This guarantees he'll have some friends when he becomes jobless. Unbelievably, when his employer learns of this scheme, he is not mad. He pats the man on the back for being shrewd!
At first glance, it seems like Jesus is saying it's okay to be dishonest if it benefits you in some way. But we know that message is not consistent with his overall Kingdom message. We don't have the space to unpack all the details of this parable, but Tim Mackie nicely sums up Jesus' main point like this:
If the [dishonest manager] used his employer's resources to build relationships for himself, how much more should we use God's resources to build God's Kingdom and seek another person's wellbeing? God wants us to be aggressively generous with his money. (Emphasis mine)
The dishonest manager saw money as a tool and used it to benefit himself. As citizens of God's Kingdom, we should also view money as a tool. But rather than use it to build our own little kingdoms, we can use it to build his Kingdom. I believe this is what it means to be rich toward God.
So, back to the parable of the Rich Fool. The time has come to ask the question we've been asking of every parable...
What does this parable teach us about how to live out God's Kingdom in a messy, broken world?
The Rich Fool is a simple tale, but it has the ability to hit uncomfortably close to home. It has challenged me to view my possessions in a new light. Here is what it has taught me:
As citizens of God's Kingdom, we recognize that all our resources come from God, no matter how smart or talented we may be.
In this broken world, mammon (money) will fight for our complete devotion. It promises us security if we serve it, but true security is found in serving Jesus.
And, in God's Kingdom, hoarding our resources leads to a life of emptiness. But giving recklessly leads to abundant life.
It took him a lifetime, but good old Scrooge discovered this paradox to be true. At the end of Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol, Scrooge is singing the same tune but with a twist:
Ringle, ringle, coins when they jingle
Make such a lovely sound
Guineas and tuppence
And thruppence and bob
Give them away
And nobody can rob you
That last line always brings a tear to my eye. As Scrooge throws coins around recklessly, he experiences a profound freedom. Some would label him a fool. But in God's Kingdom, he is wise.
So let's embrace this upside-down nature of the Kingdom and choose to live lives of richness toward God. It may make us look foolish by the world's standards. And if that's the case, well...
May we all be rich fools!
Questions to Ponder:
What do you think it means to be "rich toward God"? What insights about this topic do you find in the parable of the Dishonest Manager?
Do you know anyone whose generosity amazes you? What can you learn from the way they view the world?
What are some ways you can use your resources—however much or little you have—to build God's Kingdom?
What did the parable of the Rich Fool teach you about how to live out God's kingdom in a messy, broken world?
What is your favorite movie version of A Christmas Carol? (Just kidding. But feel free to answer!)
—
Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed this post, click here to subscribe to my free newsletter and receive more content like this.