The Rich Fool

Having driven through a ‘sample’ of Storm Bert recently, down the M4 out of South Wales, I was only too aware as I looked at the swollen rivers I crossed, that the same storm brought flooding to homes and chaos to livelihoods. It reminded me of how quickly life can change. The things we rely on and enjoy can quickly be taken from us. Life really is uncertain and unpredictable.

This story is only found in Luke’s gospel. It is an interesting study in its own right of how the gospel authors chose to include what they did, all of them slightly differently, though ultimately drawing on the same sources and inspired by the same Spirit yet producing four different yet entirely complimentary accounts.

It was not unusual for Jesus to tell a parable in response to a question from the crowd or a particular individual and on this occasion it was the former. Actually, it was not a question but a demand. The aggrieved man demands that Jesus tell his brother to divide the inheritance fairly. We have no idea what led to such a disagreement or who was right, but Jesus takes the opportunity to teach on an important subject.

We live, despite the cost of living crisis, in a wealthy country compared to so many, indeed the majority. There is a huge divide across the world between rich and truly poor. Even in our own country, there are those who genuinely struggle whilst the rich spend money like water. I recently listened to a client who told me stories of when he used to chauffer the rich and famous, and I mean the very rich! The stories were entertaining but highlighted the inequality in our society and world.

Jesus refuses to be the judge or arbiter between the two feuding brothers. Then he issues a warning against all kinds of greed, reminding us of an obvious fact: ‘a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.’ (v 15)

Pause there, even before the parable, and we might feel challenged by our relative wealth and comfort compared to many. It is easy to get used to having money, possessions, the trappings of a modern western world life, and to get so used to having them, we cannot imagine life without them. I don’t think Jesus meant we should all impoverish ourselves and give everything away and live in poverty. It is the attitude of our hearts, as always, that He challenges.

The parable illustrates the teaching point He has just made: A man produced a good crop but was presented with a problem. He did not have enough space to store his bumper harvest, so he decided to tear down his barns and build bigger ones to make room for all of his crop. The inference is that this man was the thinking only of himself as he looks forward to enjoying the benefits of his ‘good fortune’ and taking life easy, eating and drinking and being merry.

A similar lie is with us today – lotteries are just that – lotteries! Big prizes are paraded across the media with a message something like: ‘this could be a life-changing amount for you’…

Jesus never holds back! ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ (v 20)

The twist in the parable is what Jesus says last. We might have thought it was about being generous to others, but Jesus actually says: ‘This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich towards God.’ (v 21)

Of course, being rich towards God can also be, and often is, about being generous to others.

I believe Jesus is speaking to us about our attitude to our possessions, but which also includes everything we have, and all that we are.

The world says: Live for the here and now, go on spoil yourself, you deserve it. Jesus says, be open-handed, remembering that you came into the world with nothing and will leave this world with nothing. Everything we have and all that we are as children of God and belonging to Him, are given to us to use in His service. That is more than money and possessions; it is using the gifts and abilities He has blessed us with – every part of our lives surrendered to God in grateful thanks for His undeserved grace and love towards us which he has lavished on us!

One obvious way we can live as distinctive Christians in a greedy world is to have the attitude of heart that Jesus wants us to have – to be rich towards God – and not least at this time of year.