City Life Starter

Written by Paul Lane.

The Word

The Parable of the Rich Fool

¹³ Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” ¹⁴ But he said to him, “Man, who made me a judge or arbitrator over you?” ¹⁵ And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” ¹⁶ And he told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man produced plentifully, ¹⁷ and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ ¹⁸ And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. ¹⁹ And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.”’ ²⁰ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ ²¹ So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”

-Luke 12:13-21 (ESV)

²⁸ And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

-Genesis 1:28 (ESV)

¹⁸ Look! I observed that it is good and prudent to eat, drink, and enjoy all that is good of a person’s^{[of his]} work that he does on earth during the limited days of his life, which God gives him, for this is his allotment. ¹⁹ Furthermore, for every person to whom God has given wealth, riches, and the ability to enjoy them, to accept this allotment, and to rejoice in his work—this is a gift from God. ²⁰ For he will not brood much over the days of his life, since God will keep him occupied with the joys of his heart.

-Ecclesiastes 5:18-20 (ISV)

Reflection

I have reached the age at which people ask me if I am ready to retire, and I must confess that I do not have a good answer for them.  I still feel that there is much for me to do, and I feel that I still have much to contribute.  So, I do feel that the Lord is keeping me happy with my doings.  However, I am not to be a “human doing,” I am to be a “human being”.  That is to say, whether I am working or resting, I am to be what God intends me to be, and at some point, I know that I won’t have the energy to maintain my current level of work.  But that does not mean that my work level goes to zero when I am old.

So, I must ask a few questions; why is the man in this parable of Jesus a fool?  Shouldn’t he enjoy the fruit of his labor?  Also, is the folly that this man has fallen into an eternal sin, or can he still be part of the kingdom of God and go to heaven?

To help us think through these questions, I looked up a passage in Genesis and a passage in Ecclesiastes.  The point of the Genesis passage is to show that work is not a result of the Fall of Man.  Work is not a punishment.  It is one of the ways in which God blesses us. So, at a minimum, this man has chosen an approach to life which is cutting off an avenue by which God is seeking to bless him. 

In Ecclesiastes it clearly says that we should enjoy the fruit of our labor, but that does not mean that we no longer work.  It is the avoidance of work that is the real problem here.  This is Sloth, which is one of the seven deadly sins.  Also, Jesus makes a point of chiding the man for holding on to his possessions with his heart, which is covetousness, another of the seven deadly sins.  Perhaps there is a way for this fool to make it to heaven, but it does not look good.

Application

There is something about this parable that is not very comfortable.  On the one hand, it clearly teaches us that we need to have a mind to work, but at some point, we know that our bodies will break down and not be as effective as when we were younger.  We need to take more and longer breaks as we age.  So, it is easy to feel that we are falling into sloth if we do not produce as much as we used to.  However, the kingdom of heaven is not an auto plant.  God is not judging us by the number of widgets we make each day.  Even if you point to societies relying on its elders more for wisdom than production, God is not creating an equivalent widget to wisdom exchange rate to judge your productivity.

God only asks us to do that which is at hand each day, and it is that which He blesses.  Simply stay engaged with your obedience to His calling, and when that great and terrible day comes, your account will be simple to reconcile.  Will your possessions go to a wiseman or a fool?  That is not for you to know.  Simply trust it to God, and trust that His will is good.

Prayer

Dear God, Your grace is sufficient for me.  If I should win in all my endeavors, teach me to stay humble.  If I should fail at every turn, give me the grace to try again.  If my children are foolish, give me the words to instruct them.  If they are wise, give me the energy to shout Your praises in their presence.  Let my life be lived with the boldness that comes from knowing You and Your ways.  In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.