Rich Fool

July 31, 2016   Pentecost 11                           Luke 12:13-21

I must confess that I did not watch much of either party’s political convention.  The older I get the less and less I can stand political speech.  Perhaps I’m wrong, since I didn’t watch any, but I assume both parties have dished out plenty of political dirt, impossible promises, and half-truths.  It all sounds good, but it never becomes reality.  Sometimes what I wouldn’t give for the straight truth – tough as it may be.

Our gospel reading from Luke gives us some straight truth about business and safety and money and power.  And when you look at this straight truth you easily see why people prefer the lies of our politicians.  If Jesus were to speak at one of our political conventions I can almost guarantee you he would be booed beyond anything we’ve seen recently.  And he’d probably be chucked out midway through his speech.

Jesus is still journeying to Jerusalem with his disciples.  This particular moment there happens to be a crowd around.  A man in the crowd says to Jesus, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”  This may seem to be a bold request, but a rabbi (or teacher) could be expected to give a ruling on the inheritance laws in Numbers and Deuteronomy.  Since this man is asking for help it is safe to assume that he is not the oldest son.  The oldest son would have automatically gotten just about everything.  But apparently he does expect to receive something significant.  His brother isn’t cooperating and this younger son wants Jesus’ support.

In our world an inheritance can be a big deal.  We create wills to determine how our assets are to be distributed and there is a whole legal system to make sure it happens and happens properly.  So, with something so important what is Jesus going to say?  The straight truth from Jesus is that isn’t not important at all.  If I extrapolate Jesus’ teachings from what Luke’s gospel says I think Jesus would teach that our entire civil justice system is unimportant at best and a bastion of evil at worst.  Jesus would say it is people conflicting over resources like money and property; both of which are irrelevant to eternal life and God’s kingdom.

But Jesus’ harsh straight talk is only getting started.  Right after he says, “Friend, who set me to be a judge or arbitrator over you,” he tells the parable of the rich fool, and this one hurts even more.

By all wise business practices this rich landowner should be commended.  By some means he has come to own a successful farming operation.  Through his management his land has produced a bumper crop – a crop so big he cannot store it all.  He has a number of choices before him.  He could sell the excess, but that wouldn’t be very wise.  I know from my own experience in farming that selling a bumper crop at harvest time is a sure way to get a low price.  Everyone has had a good year and the market is flooded.  If possible, you hold onto the grain and wait for prices to rise.  You may end up holding onto the grain for months, or even until almost the next harvest to get a good price.

Commentator Joel Green notes that this landowner also has the choice of creating temporary storage for his grain.  He could build something just to hold this year’s abundance, then remove it in the future.  But he doesn’t choose this path.  Instead he chooses to tear down his existing bins and build bigger ones.  Apparently he thinks future years’ crops will also be good.

            All of this makes good business sense.  This is a wise businessman who has a successful business and is planning for future growth.  But is he the hero of his story?  No.  Apparently Jesus not only has little use for civil law he also has little use for good business!

            Keep in mind this is a parable, not a true story.  And to make it all a bit perplexing, on September 18 we’re going to read the Parable of the Dishonest Manager.  In that parable Jesus praises a corrupt and shrewd businessman for his shady dealings.

            Ultimately something deeper than good or bad business practice is going on here.  This is not a course about business ethics.  In the parable of the rich fool Jesus is bringing out a few very difficult truths.  One of them you know well.  Money can’t buy happiness.  Those whose lives are centered around getting more and more and more are caught in a downward spiral.  They’ll never be happy.

            Another truth you probably also know.  Money and possessions can easily give us a false sense of security.  The rich fool thought he could sit back for ages to come and live the good life.  He had land.  He had crops.  He had money.  In other words he had security; or so he thought.  Look at his words.  He doesn’t acknowledge God at all.   He says, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years: relax, eat, drink, be merry.”

            God is going to get the final word though.  “You fool!  This very night your life is being demanded of you.  And this things you have, whose will they be?”

            Our politicians promise that a robust economy and a strong military and a solid justice system will provide safety and prosperity for the nation.  Not so.  God is not, never has been, and never will be, bound in even the slightest way but nations or governments or politics.  God is God; end of story.  Perhaps the only really true thing that comes from our government is the ironic statement we put on our money, “In God we trust.”

            The final and ultimate reality underlying what is wrong with this rich man is also a trap we easily slip into.  We think the things we have are ours.  They’re not.  We think that titles and deeds and receipts give us ownership of property and cars and stuff.  But they don’t.  The earth and everything in it belongs to the Lord.  We are wise to remember that.

            What Jesus does teach about possessions and status and power is advice we are very wise to take.  We are stewards of them during our lifetime, and nothing more.  They are God’s property.  They are tools we can use in service to others and thus in service to God’s kingdom.

            Let me end with a little parable of my own.  An elderly woman just entered a nursing home.  She kept to her room.  Every minute she sat in her chair holding back tears and torn apart by shame.  Why did she feel this way?  Because her mind was swimming with images of her friends looks when the found out she was out of money and her house had to be sold to cover expenses.  She felt the rejection of her children and grandchildren.  They’re lives were too busy to visit.  But other residents had family whose priorities were different and visited regularly.  Apparently she failed as a mother too.  She looked at her arms and hands and legs and feet.  She looked at her sagging belly.  She remembered all that they used to be able to do, but not anymore.  She couldn’t even go to the bathroom by herself anymore.  How embarrassing!  TV was full of happy, wealthy good looking people who were getting life right.  They were vital and capable.  She was a failure with no purpose, no value.  All she had left was to wait around to die; and that couldn’t come soon enough.

            But God said to her, “Why do you cry?  I made you.  I claimed you as my daughter.  You are my own and I am always with you.  These things are truly yours.  They always have been and they always will be.  There is no shame in one made in my image.  Live, embrace, and share the good news of what I can do.”  The woman’s challenge was to embrace that, her true reality, and not the loss she felt over things that never really were her own.

            May you find true value in God and God alone.  And may you always find joy and contentment in what God is doing through you.