Luke 12:13-21
The Foolish Rich Man
A man
suddenly appeared from the crowd and approached Jesus. He wanted Jesus to
arbitrate an inheritance dispute between him and his brother. But Jesus refused
to intervene in this family dispute. Instead, Jesus warned the man to be on the
guard against greed, because one’s life does not consist in an “abundance of
possessions” (v.15).
Following
that, Jesus told the Parable of the Rich Fool in vv. 16-21:
There
was a rich man whose land produced an abundant harvest. The rich man said to
himself: “What shall I do? I don’t have enough room to store my crops! I know!
I‘ll pull down my barns, and I’ll build bigger ones! Then I’ll be able to store
all the corn and all my belongings there. And I shall say to my soul, Soul,
you’ve got many good things stored up for many years. Relax! Eat, drink, have a
good time!”
But God
said to the rich man, “You fool! This very night your soul will be demanded of
you! Then who’s going to get all the things you’ve got ready for yourself?”
That is how
it is with someone who stores up things for himself and isn’t rich before God.
The
ancient agrarian society was characterized by a huge disparity in wealth
distribution. The wealthy ruling elites made up a small number, against a large
number of peasants who were barely able to make ends meet by working on their
tiny plots of land.
The rich
maintained their status and multiplied their wealth by demanding the payment of
tribute from the poor. As such, when “a rich man” is mentioned in the story,
Jesus already creates a plot and character that automatically invites judgment
from his listeners.
The rich
man of the parable had enjoyed an abundant harvest, and he wanted to tear down
these barns and build bigger ones. Perhaps he was thinking about stockpiling,
hoping for a good profit should his produce fetch better prices in the future. By
then he would be able to “relax, eat, drink and be merry” (v.19).
This
parable reveals a very sad side of this rich man. See what feels his mind: “I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods”
(v.18).
There is
no mention of his family or community. He only knew that everything he had was
his: my crops, my barns, my grain, and my goods. He only made decisions by
himself without considering his friends.
In the
Palestinian setting of the first century where the rich man is situated,
everybody’s business was really everybody else’s business. Privacy was an alien
concept. Jesus’ listeners would have easily envisioned the rich man to be lonely
and selfish.
Suddenly,
God interrupted. God called this man, “You fool!” (v.20).
“Fool”
is a very strong word. It is the same word in Psalm 14:1 “The fool says in this
heart, there is no God.” A fool is one that refuses to acknowledge dependence
upon God, or the existence of God. He thinks he has become so successful that
he no longer needs God.
“Your
life being demanded of you,” says God. The word translated ‘demanded’ has the
idea of paying back a loan. This rich man had forgotten that his life was not
his own, but on loan from God—who could demand return at any time.
This emphasizes
the idea that the man was just a steward of his possessions; he is not the real
and ultimate owner. He could not live a second longer if it is not ordained by
God.
God is
the creator, source and foundation of life. Our Lord Jesus has redeemed our
life from sin by his precious blood. We must not forget that our life is simply
a gift or a loan from God, and not a right for us to live the way we want to.
The
Parable ended with these words from God; “And the things you have prepared,
whose will they be (v.20)?
The rich
fool’s plan for storing up material possessions for his future had been
frustrated. He had either not read or simply ignored the words in Ecclesiastes
2:18-19, which says: “I hated all my toil in which I had toiled under the sun,
seeing that I must leave it to those who come after me and who knows whether
they will be wise or foolish? Yet they will be master of all for which I toiled
and used my wisdom under the sun. This also is vanity.”
Jesus
continues, “So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are
not rich toward God” (v.21).
The rich
man of the Parable is in many ways exemplary. He is a person who works, plans,
saves and seeks to protect his belongings. He expects to enjoy what he has
acquired and to make his future as secure as possible. There is nothing
inherently wrong to conduct life in such a manner.
The flaw
that beset him, however, was not a life of work and prudence. Instead, it was his
life being consumed by his possessions, and the meaning and value of his life
depended on them. This is greed. This is idolatry. The man and his possessions
were so intimately tied together that they were inseparable.
Notice
how much he uses personal references such as ‘I’ and ‘my’. The parable
provides an example what one ought not to be like. The person whose identity is
tied up with his or her possessions, status and achievements—and who is driven
by acquiring more and more of them—can so easily end up unaware of the call of
God and the needs of people around him or her.
The
alternative is a life that is ‘rich toward God’, meaning that the one who is
rich in the eyes of God; one who is devoted to invest the abundance of our
possessions for the furtherance of God’s kingdom. This includes building local
church ministries; mission works and works of mercy that having eyes open to
the needs of others, and be generous in giving towards the needs.
Greed is
almost an invisible sin. We are constantly
driven to upgrade to a bigger house, a bigger car, the latest smartphone and
luxurious travels. Greed pushes us to
build ‘bigger barns. While building the barns we lose our sense of neediness.
We lose our need for God, and our care for people who need these things most. And
the worst is we are consumed by anxiety and fear………
By
telling this parable to the man who came to him, Jesus essentially ignored the
man’s right to his share of inheritance and exposes his greed. By not
adjudicating for the man, Jesus is not distancing himself from the problem of
people. Instead through this parable, Jesus calls both the rich and the poor to
reconsider their life and priority. Even the poor will find their security only
in God, not in clothing, food or drink (12:27-31).
Jesus warns
the peasants not to be like the rich. The rich would find out, sooner or later,
how little control they really had over their lives and even on their
possessions. He reminded his listeners: Don’t be fooled into thinking they have
it all. Don’t be fooled into desiring what they have. Don’t be fooled into
aspiring to be like them.
The rich
man character was typical in the days of Jesus. His world view, thinking and
outlook in life reflected the social system of his days. Jesus intended to
provide a typical representation of an oppressive landowner, from the ways he
treated the peasants working for him, so that he could continue to amass his
wealth and finance his excessive luxury lifestyle. Such people assume exclusive
ownership of all that they have. Their lives revolve around themselves so much
so that God is even excluded, and the poor ignored and the needy forgotten.
Look
further; this rich fool is also typical in our society today. Looking a little
bit further and we might even find this man lurking in ourselves. Jesus' message
to the listeners in a small Palestinian village is as relevant in our global
village today. Our lives and possessions are merely on loan from God. Wealth
and possessions can destroy us if we do not curb an insatiable desire for more.
On the
contrary, we are to use our lives and possessions for the expansion of God’s
Kingdom. One essential way is to pledge our offerings to finance local church’s
ministries so that the gospel and different forms of aids could reach out to
more people, touching and changing their lives. And ultimately more and more
people will turn to Christ and God’s name be glorified.
Jesus is
urging us in verses 31-34:
This is
what you should search for: God’s kingdom! Then all the rest will be given to you
as well. Don’t be afraid, little flock. Your Father is delighted to give you
the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give alms. Make yourselves purses that
don’t wear out, a treasure in heaven that lasts forever, where the thief
doesn’t come near and the moth doesn’t destroy. Yes: where your treasure is,
there your heart will be too.”
After
listening to the parable, what did the man who came to Jesus for arbitration went
on to do? This we do not know. But we know what we will do, for we are
responsible for writing the ending for ourselves.
The rich
man in the parable has no chance to reverse his fate for his life has ended
regretfully. However, as the Word of God spoken to us today, we have the chance
to write the ending for ourselves.
May God have mercy on us; help us to step forward to be rich before Him!
