The Parable of the Rich Fool

Luke 12:13-21

Today in Bible study group we did the Parable of the Rich Fool. If you aren't familiar with it, goes like this: There is a crowd around Jesus. Jesus is asked by a man "Tell my brother to divide the family property with me". Jesus responds by asking the fellow "who set me over you to judge or arbitrate?" Then turns to the crowd and tells them the parable, beginning with "Beware! Be on your guard against greed of every kind, for even when someone has more than enough, his possessions do not give him life". This statement is illustrated by the following parable: 'There was a rich man whose land yielded a good harvest. He debated with himself: "What am I to do? I have not the space to store my produce. This is what I will do, "said he": "I will pull down my barns and build them bigger. I will collect in them all my grain and other goods, and I will say to myself, 'You have plenty of good things laid by, enough for many years to come: take life easy, eat, drink and enjoy yourself.'" But God said to him, "You fool, this very night you must surrender your life; and the money you have made, who will get it now?" That is how it is with the man who piles up treasure for himself but remains a pauper in the sight of God.'

Rather than telling the man's brother to share, Jesus says that it is not his place to judge or arbitrate. He then turns his attention away from the man and directs his comments at the crowd. He warns that an abundance of possessions will not give you life. Perhaps the man is to get the idea that having a share of the inheritance was not going to make everything okay for him - that there is something more important than the having of things - and that Jesus was there to tell about it. So, if following in that vein, then the parable is intended to show that having all this stuff did not guarantee that this fellow was going to get to live a long and happy life. That when he dies that night, he'll have nothing. The barns full would give years of ease on earth, but nothing to carry on into the next life. This is the situation of all those who neglect spiritual things in pursuit of wealth.

This has gotten me thinking about what I would do with a good "crop". I think I would likely do the same thing. Put it into a retirement fund instead of barns, but you get the idea. It is our practice to try to give at least 10%, but I have the feeling that is not exactly what Jesus is saying needs to be done. So, what does it mean to not remain a pauper in the sight of God? That's not very easy to understand. Ditching the REB for a minute and going to the NAS helps a little. "... and is not rich toward God." Now this I think I can get my mind around a bit easier. Being rich towards God. Gonna work on it a bit. More later.