Luke 12:13-21

Posted by DJL on Oct 15, 2013 in Daily Bread | 1 comment

Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.” But he said to him, “Friend, who set me to be a judge or arbitrator over you?” And he said to them, “Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.” Then he told them a parable: “The land of a rich man produced abundantly. And he thought to himself, ‘What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?’ Then he said, ‘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. And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.’ But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich towards God.”

So what’s so bad about building bigger barns?

When you think of it, if you’ve had a big harvest, isn’t it prudent to build bigger barns to store the additional harvest so that nothing goes to waste? I mean, isn’t this just good stewardship?

Why, then, does God call this rich farmer a fool?

Not, I think, because he’s building bigger barns, but rather because he only considers his own interests, needs, and desires. Listen again, to the conversation he has with himself: “What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops? 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. And I will say to my soul, ‘Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.’”

This rich man, perhaps grown apathetic to the needs of others because of the insulation his wealth provides, has no concern beyond the contentment of his own soul. He has no empathy for others; no sense of the needs of his neighbors; no sense of how his blessing could be a blessing to others; no sense of connection to anyone. In this sense, he is a fool, locked in his own little world and oblivious to the presence, humanity, and need of all others.

It’s easy, of course, to see the foolishness this rich farmer succumbs to – but how do we avoid that same fate ourselves? How, that is, do we avoid forgetting that God always blesses us so that we may be a blessing to others? How do we avoid thinking that our blessings – whether of health, achievement, or wealth – are not finally or ultimately our accomplishments but are also gifts from God intended to be shared gratefully with others?

I don’t think there’s an easy answer. The great allure of wealth is that it creates a false sense of self-sufficiency and security. But one thing we might do is seek out the company of others and remain open to their needs. From Genesis on, the biblical witness testifies that we are created to be in relationship. And as we continue in those relationships and seek out more, always open to the needs of those around us, we are more likely to live into our identity as the beloved and mutually interdependent children of God.

Prayer: Dear God, help us to see the needs of others as invitations to live into our full humanity and grow in our identity as your beloved children. In Jesus’ name, Amen.