Be Rich Before God

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!