The Rich Fool

Well, last Sunday we heard of Jesus in the Gospel of Luke, how he had been invited over to the house of a Pharisee for a meal.

And Jesus could hardly sit down at the table before they had found fault with him.

And so Jesus gave them some strong words of rebuke and warning about their hypocrisy.

And then Jesus just walked out.

And the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, they came out after him and they began to attack him with all kinds of questions.

And a very large crowd gathered around to listen.

And Jesus began to warn his followers in the crowd not to follow after the hypocritical ways of the Pharisees who did things to be esteemed by others.

He told his followers to fear God rather than men.

He told them they should not be ashamed to publicly acknowledge him before others.

He told them that when they're brought before synagogues and rulers and authorities, they shouldn't worry or be anxious about what to say.

Because God would give them the words to say through his Holy Spirit.

And then all of a sudden, a man in the crowd calls out to Jesus,

Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.

We almost have to laugh at this guy.

I mean, we wonder, is this guy listening to Jesus at all?

No.

But what he says here has absolutely nothing to do with what Jesus has been teaching about.

I mean, Jesus is talking to his followers about how they should fear God.

How they should trust him.

And this man just sort of totally interrupts the teaching moment.

Totally unrelated.

It's not even a question about something Jesus has said on another occasion.

He's come to Jesus to try and get Jesus to tell his brother to divide the inheritance with him.

We almost have to laugh at the social awkwardness of this moment.

I mean, in the middle of this very large crowd,

this guy's trying to get Jesus to tell his brother what to do.

Because he wants his part of his father's estate.

And Jesus' response to him just makes me smile.

Verse 14.

Jesus replied,

Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?

I love this.

Of course, the answer to that question is nobody.

No one has appointed me to settle personal disputes.

Now, of course, one day Jesus will judge the world at the end.

But at this moment, he has not come to settle people's personal disputes with each other.

So we have to wonder what this guy was thinking.

We don't know.

Maybe he thought he could use Jesus' words as leverage

to get his brother to do the divvying up of the property with him.

Maybe he thought Jesus would take his side

because his brother was treating him unfairly.

Perhaps the man even thought that by calling out like this in public,

in front of all these people,

it would sort of shame his brother into action.

But Jesus just refuses to get involved.

And what happens next probably made him feel pretty embarrassed

for having tried this.

Verse 15.

Then Jesus said to them,

Watch out.

Be on your guard against all kinds of greed.

Life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.

So maybe at first this man had wanted a sort of public vindication.

But what Jesus gives him is sort of a public rebuke.

He warns the whole crowd about being greedy.

And it seems implied here that this was the true heart of this man

who had just called out to him.

Greed.

And one thing we don't want to miss here is the shift.

Notice the shift in who Jesus is talking to.

First it's the man.

Man.

Then he said to them.

So Jesus shifts from talking to this one guy

to talking to his followers in the crowd.

Just like with the hypocrisy of the Pharisees moments ago,

Jesus turns this into a teachable moment for his disciples.

And I think this shift is really important to notice

because it could be really easy for all of us here to say,

Wow, look at that guy.

He sure struggled with greed.

To be able to do that in front of all those people.

But now Jesus isn't just talking to that guy anymore.

He shifts to talking to all of his followers

because greed is something we all need to watch out for.

Greed is a temptation we all need to be on guard against.

And I think what Jesus says here deserves careful consideration.

One thing that I noticed here for the first time just this past week

as I was reading this again,

Jesus says,

Be on your guard against all kinds of greed.

Or as another translation puts it,

Every form of greed.

Every type of greed.

Have you ever stopped to think about

how there are different forms,

different kinds of greed?

Greed has many different faces.

It can show up in many different ways in our lives.

Here are just a few that I thought of.

Of course, there are fights over money and possessions

like we're seeing between these two brothers in the passage.

A fight over who gets what when a parent dies.

We see sort of this greed

raising its ugly head at the end of a person's life.

But even at the beginning of someone's life,

greed is a factor there too.

As children fight over toys,

it's mine.

We see it all the time as parents.

And I don't mean just of our own kids.

I mean of kids in general.

We watch a child gather up all of a particular toy.

And then another kid comes along

and he just wants to play with one of them.

But the child with all of them

refuses to share even one with the other kid.

And so greed is at work in the heart

from the time we are young

as we fight over belongings.

We can also kind of probe into

sort of the meaning of the word greed

that Jesus uses here.

It means to desire more than one's share

or do.

A greedy heart

is never satisfied.

It always wants more.

It never has enough.

It can't be content

with just some of a good thing.

It wants as much as possible of it.

Or all of it,

if possible.

I haven't really thought through this

the full way yet,

but I wonder if our strong impulse

to collect all sorts of things

is driven

by greed.

I have to get them all.

Why?

What's wrong with just having three of them?

How much of our hard-earned money

do we spend on collecting things

that we don't really need?

Coins,

stamps,

cards,

toys,

figurines,

miniatures,

board games,

books,

tools.

Truthfully,

people are known to collect anything

and everything.

And it's often marked by some level

of obsession

and attraction

to a particular thing.

Followed by an inordinate number

of purchases

and dollars spent.

people collect

Coke cans,

McDonald's paraphernalia,

traffic cones.

This lady has a collection

of banana stickers,

water bottle labels,

and yes,

even barf bags.

Can you imagine that?

Come check out

my barf bag collection.

Maybe both.

I don't know.

In fact,

we even collect junk.

Straight up junk.

Because it's always good

to have more stuff

we reason.

There's value in that stuff

we tell ourselves.

Now,

I'm not going to go so far

today

as to try to tell you

where the line is

between an honest

and reasonable hobby

and a collecting

driven by greed.

Only God can truly know

and search our hearts

in those areas.

And so,

I want to encourage you

to open your heart

to Him

and ask Him about it.

Another kind of greed

wants to have

all of something

in order to keep it

from others.

To have it all

for oneself.

Another kind of greed

desires everything

that's new

and shiny.

There's a discontent

that starts to rise

in your heart

over the old one

that's just slightly worn

and doesn't have

all the latest features.

And this one

has 10% more battery life.

And it's made of

aircraft-grade aluminum.

It's got a higher

resolution camera

and a better

accelerometer

if we even know

what that part

of the phone does.

And if I could just

get that one

I'd be happy.

Then there's the greediness

about having only

the things

of the highest quality.

The things that will

last a lifetime

that are built

of the premium

materials.

The solid oak.

The marble

countertops.

The stainless steel.

The top of the line.

And then there's even

that covetous

side of greed.

The side of greed

that wants it

only because

somebody else

has it.

We wouldn't have

even thought of that

but then the neighbor

came out with

that new lawnmower.

There's even

the proud side

of greed

that just

wants to boast

to others

to show off

the stuff

that we get

and accumulate

to others.

The point here

is that greed

has many forms

and faces

and Jesus

wants us to guard

against all of them.

Be on your guard

against all kinds

of greed.

greed.

Life does not

consist

in an abundance

of possessions.

That's the lie

of greed.

That life

consists

in an abundance

of possessions.

That the more

we have

the better

the life.

Jesus says

no.

It's not so.

it does not

consist

in an abundance

of possessions.

Collecting

amassing

having more

having better

is not what

life is about.

True life

is about

something else.

It's about

something far

greater.

And now

Jesus

reinforces

this warning

this big

truth

with the

parable.

he gives

us an

illustration.

And he

told them

this parable.

The ground

of a certain

rich man

yielded

an abundant

harvest.

He thought

to himself

what shall

I do?

I have no

place to store

my crops.

Then he

said

this is what

I'll do.

I will tear

down my

barns

and build

bigger ones

and there

I will

store

my

surplus

grain.

And I'll

say to

myself

you have

plenty

of grain

laid up

for many

years.

Take life

easy.

Eat

drink

and be

merry.

But God

said to

him

you fool

this

very night

your life

will be

demanded

from you.

Then

who will

get what

you have

prepared

for

yourself.

This is

how it

will be

with whoever

stores up

things for

themselves

but is

not rich

toward

God.

So

this

parable

is about

a farmer

who gets

an

exceptionally

good

harvest.

The man

was already

rich.

He was

a rich

man.

But then

God blesses

him with

this unusually

good harvest

and the

yield is so

great that

he doesn't

have enough

storage space

for all

the crop.

And so

he comes

up with

this plan

to tear

down his

barn or

storehouse

and build

bigger ones.

The

translation on

screen here

misses it a

little bit

but some

others have

sort of the

detail.

It's not

just a place

to store

his grain

but all

his goods.

There I

will store

all my

grain

and my

goods.

And what's

maybe surprising

about this

example up

till now

is that it

doesn't sound

all that

bad.

Does it?

I mean it

kind of sounds

almost prudent

doesn't it?

He's thinking

ahead.

He's dealing

with the

problem of

not having

enough space.

We do

this too

right?

We've run

out of

space in

this home

or in

this vehicle

and so

let's sell

or leave

this one

let's get

a bigger

one right?

What's

wrong with

that?

But notice

the attitude

and the

thoughts

of the

rich man.

First we

notice that

there's

absolutely

no mention

of God

or of

giving

thanks to

God.

That's

totally

absent.

Next we

notice that

this man

seems only

concerned with

himself.

Look at

all the

pronouns

he uses.

What

shall I

do?

I have

no place

to store

my crops.

This is

what I'll

do.

I will

tear down

my barns

and build

bigger ones

and there

I will

store my

surplus

grain and

I'll say

to myself

even the

sentence is

totally

directed to

himself.

I love

the English

Standard

Version.

It gives a

very literal

translation.

I will

say to

my soul

soul

you have

ample goods

laid up for

many years.

Relax

eat

drink

and be

merry.

money.

This man

is storing

up only

for himself.

He is

thinking

nothing

of others.

There is

no thought

to giving

or sharing

the surplus

with anyone

or even

selling it

to those

around who

may be

in need.

It's all

about piling

it up

for me.

money.

And then

we notice

what his

plan is.

His plan

now that

he has

accumulated

so much

is just

to relax.

To take

it easy.

To indulge

himself

with food

and drink

for his

own pleasure.

Now

strictly

speaking

he may

legally

have the

right to

do whatever

he wants

with his

crop.

It's his

crop.

He could

keep the

whole thing

for himself.

But when

we factor

God into

all of

this

let's

ask the

question

has God

put him

on earth

and blessed

him with

this wealth

so that he

can use it

only for

himself

and indulge

himself for

the rest

of his

days?

In

fact

God has

created

work

with an

inherent

goodness

to it

such that

by our

work we

bring benefit

to others

we help

others.

This man

now that he

has more

than enough

for himself

he says

I'm not

even going

to do

that anymore

I'm just

going to

take it

easy

I'm going

to relax

I'm just

going to

live off

what I've

accumulated

and it's

all about

me.

I have

all I

need.

well then

comes the

voice of

God

in this

parable

and as

we expect

it's a

word of

rebuke

verse 20

but God

said to

him

you fool

this

very night

your life

will be

demanded

from you

then

who will

get

what you

have prepared

for yourself

this is

sort of

the surprise

and the

irony

the man

at first

he just

appeared to

be prudent

but God

straight up

calls him

imprudent

fool

why

because he's

not thought

about

God

or others

but only

of himself

he's not

thought about

where he

stands with

God

after his

life is

over

but only

of his

life

here and

now

he has

been

wicked

selfish

and greedy

and because

of that

will come

punishment

from God

and he

has spent

the life

that God

gave him

making

preparations

for

himself

but God

says

you're not

going to

get to

do

what you

planned

with this

great

harvest

because

you will

not

live

many

years

I'm

taking

back

the life

I gave

you

tonight

and then

there's a

sobering

question

God asks

here

then

who will

get

what you

have

prepared

for

yourself

and the

answer is

not you

but

someone

else

you will

not get

all you

have

prepared

for

yourself

but

somebody

else

will

and

here's

the

irony

he

spent

his

life

storing

up

things

for

himself

only

to

lose

it

all

when

he

dies

Jesus

himself

gives

the

moral

of

the

story

in

verse

21

this

is

how

it

will

be

with

whoever

stores

up

things

for

themselves

but

is

not

rich

toward

God

let's

not

miss

that

word

whoever

just

like

with

the

man

in

the

crowd

this

is

not

just

a

story

about

one

man's

foolishness

selfishness

and

greed

Jesus

says

this

is

a

picture

of

how

it

will

go

for

whoever

stores

up

things

for

themselves

but

is

not

rich

toward

God

Jesus

is

warning

his

disciples

he's

warning

us

so

that

we

don't

make

the

rich

fool's

mistake

we

are

not

to

store

up

things

for

ourselves

but

we

are

to

store

up

things

for

God

we

are

to

be

rich

toward

God

that's

kind of

an odd

phrase

but

I think

the

parallelism

here

helps us

understand

it

greed

is the

passionate

pursuit

of

earthly

things

for

ourselves

for

our

own

benefit

but

we

are

to

passionately

pursue

heavenly

things

for

God

for

his

gain

for

his

name

and

his

glory

and

his

kingdom

and

his

pleasure

I think

that's

what it

means

to be

rich

toward

God

only

then

will

we

receive

from

God

the

commendation

that

I

think

we

all

long

to

hear

well

done

good

and

faithful

servant

so

how

do

we

do

this

how

do

we

learn

the

lesson

that

Jesus

wants

us

to

learn

here

and

how

do

we

respond

to

this

well

let

me

just

point

us

back

to

the

first

thing

Jesus

said

back

up

in

verse

15

he

said

be

on

your

guard

against

all

kinds

of

greed

be

on

your

guard

against

it

normally

when we

use

that

phrase

it's

it's

about

external

dangers

right

like

be

on

your

guard

against

thieves

or

identity

theft

or

whatever

but

here

Jesus

tells

us

to

be

on

our

guard

against

something

that's

inside

our

own

hearts

that

can

happen

in

our

own

hearts

greed

is

not

just

a

behavior

it's

a

sinful

attitude

or

desire

of

the

heart

that

leads

us

to

act

in

greedy

ways

and

so

how

can

you

guard

your

heart

against

greed

I

think

the

first

thing

to

do

is

to

pray

to

ask

God

to

convict

us

and

to

reveal

to

us

the

ways

that

we

have

been

greedy

the

greed

that's

in

our

hearts

to

help

us

understand

and

see

that

within

us

and

of

course

as

he

does

we

need

to

repent

of

that

we

need

to

confess

it

to

God

we

need

to

ask

for

his

forgiveness

but

often

times

we

don't

even

get

to

that

because

like

the

two

men

that

we

heard

about

do

we

even

see

the

greed

in

our

own

lives

others

may

see

it

but

do

we

and

so

we

need

to

pray

we

need

to

ask

God

to

show

it

to

us

and

again

let me

put

before

you

those

famous

words

of

David

which

you

can

use

in

your

own

prayer

to

God

about

this

I

love

these

words

from

Psalm

139

23

and

24

he

says

search

me

God

and

know

my

heart

test

me

and

know

my

anxious

thoughts

we

could

put

greedy

thoughts

in

there

too

see

if

there's

any

offensive

way

in

me

and

lead

me

in

the

way

everlasting

!

Open

your

heart

before

God

to

the

possibility

that

you've

been

falling

short

of

what

God

has

for

you

in

this

area

of

your

life

does

your

monthly

budget

reflect

a

generous

heart

and

kingdom

priorities

or

does

it

reflect

the

accumulation

of

possessions

stuff

that

you

didn't

need

but

bought

because

it

looked

good

on

the

shelf

or

because

someone

else

had

one

think

back

over

the

past

few

years

are

there

some

spending

sprees

or

big

purchases

you can

think

of

that

deep

down

inside

you

know

we're

motivated

by

greed

and

have

you

owned

that

and

confessed

that

to

God

or

are

you

just

sort

of

trying

to

pretend

like

it

didn't

happen

or

continue

to

justify

those

things

to

yourself

to

ease

your

guilt

here's

the

good

news

if

we

confess

our

sins

God

is

faithful

and

just

and

he

will

forgive

us

our

sins

and

cleanse

us

of

all

unrighteousness

because

he is

merciful

gracious

and

loving

he is

eager

to

forgive

us

for the

times

we

have

wasted

or

mismanaged

what

he has

entrusted

to

us

Jesus

died

to

atone

for

all

of it

so

that

we

don't

have

to

carry

that

guilt

with

us

through

the

rest

of

our

lives

some

practical

things

we can

do

to

guard

against

greed

one

is

to

actually

have

a

budget

to

have

a

plan

for

what

we'll

do

with

the

income

God

gives

us

because

it's

really

there

on

the

page

that

we

can

prayerfully

evaluate

what

we're

spending

on

and

who

we're

!

spending

on

and

how

much

who

we're

giving

to

and

how

much

another

practical

thing

we can

do

to

guard

against

greed

is

to

minimize

our

time

just

letting

our

eyes

wander

over

stuff

that

we

don't

need

if

off

the

top

of

your

head

you

know

that

you

don't

need

something

from

that

store

chuck

that

flyer

straight

in

the

garbage

don't

even

open

it

if you

live

in

town

here

chuck

it

in

the

recycling

bin

or

if

you

know

there

is

something

you

need

from

that

store

just

flip

through

it

fast

looking

to

see

if

it's

in

there

and

on

sale

and

if

not

throw

that

thing

away

the

same

principle

applies

to

scrolling

on

Amazon

or

wandering

through

stores

just

to

kill

time

there's

always

some

sort

of

sale

on

and

there's

no

end

to

the

new

and

shiny

things

that

we

can

buy

you're

not

missing

out

on a

once

in a

lifetime

opportunity

to

get

that

thing

we

have

to

take

our

boredom

somewhere

fruitful

and

productive

discontentment

and

greed

rise

so

quickly

when

we

spend

our

time

just

wandering

through

the

stores

or

scrolling

online

discovering

all the

things

that we

don't

have

and

that

we

didn't

even

know

that

we

needed

and

when

we

do

come

across

something

that

we

want

to

buy

another

practical

thing

we

can

do

that's

probably

necessary

for most

of us

is just

practice

slowing

down

see it

but then

walk away

from it

pray about

it

do I

really

need

that

how has

life been

without that

thing

if I've

been

managing

well

enough

is it

really a

tool that

will increase

my

productivity

and help

me in my

work

or is it

just a

toy

is it

just

something

I

want to

have

so

that

I

can

play

with

it

and

add

it

to

my

collection

sometimes

choosing

just to

delay

a few

days

or a

week

or even

a month

or two

on larger

purchases

helps us

to just

get over

that

urge

to have

it

and then

we might

even

realize

we didn't

even

really

want it

in the

first

place

or need

it

we might

realize

that

there's

other

things

more

important

that we

need

to be

saving

for

or

giving

to

or

spending

on

so

practice

just

slowing

down

take

a deep

breath

and

just

walk

away

if

the

Lord