Matt Sturdevant: Let’s pray. Father, thank You for your Word and for the Truth that You have made available to us as we open it, read it, and consider it. Your Word is living and active; it’s profitable for teaching, reproof, correction, and training. It’s a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. It’s true, and it will stand forever. Please, open our hearts and our minds; show us what You want us to see from Your Word today. Please give us courage to take the next step that You have for each and every one of us after we hear from Your Word. I ask this in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Well, today we’re continuing our series, Parables: Stories to Live By, where each week we’re taking a look at one of the parables that Jesus Himself spoke to His disciples and the crowds that followed Him around when He walked on this planet more than 2,000 years ago. Last week, we kicked off the series, and I gave you several different definitions of parables. Here’s one for you today: a parable is using a natural object of human circumstance to convey a spiritual or moral truth. We also talked last week how for some the parables can act as pictures, mirrors, and windows. What I mean by that is a picture literally gives us a picture of something. We can see it; we can remember it. We can take it on into the future with us. If you see a beautiful sunset, what do you do? You want to take out your phone, and you want to take a picture so that you can remember it.
Then mirrors reflect truth back to us. When we look at ourselves in the mirror, we may not like what we see. Our hair may be messed up or we may have food on our face, but a mirror reflects the truth back to us. Sometimes, that’s what the parables do for us. Other times, they act like a window. They give us something to look out to the world with a new perspective. I chose this picture of a window for you because after spending several months inside and not getting to see the world, I’d like to look at a window like this. So the question we can ask ourselves is: As a result of whatever parable we’re looking at, how do we see God differently? How do we see ourselves or our role that we have differently? What kind of new perspective do we have?
Last week we kicked the series off, and we looked at the parable of the “friend at night.” Basically, the “friend at night” was about prayer. The main lesson for us was the fact that Jesus gave us a model prayer. He gave us a model to use as we pray to our Father. As we ask, seek and knock, we ultimately trust the Father with the outcome of our prayers. Today’s parable is the “rich fool,” and that’s found in Luke chapter 12. Let’s jump right in and take a look at the parable of the rich fool.
“Someone in the crowd said to him, ‘Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.’ But he said to him, ‘Man, who made me a judge or arbitrator over you?’ 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.’ And he told them a parable, saying, ‘The land of a rich man produced plentifully, and he thought to himself: “What shall I do for I have nowhere to store my crops?” 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.” 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, “Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?” So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.’”
There’s a lot going on here in this parable, and that’s what we want to take a look at today. As we think about this parable, obviously this man is doing pretty well. He’s living the good life for himself. It looks like he’s got a great plan to build bigger barns, and you could say, “He’s living the American dream.” He’s able to be self-reliant, and he can basically just rest for the rest of his life. As he says in his words, he can “relax, eat, drink, and be merry.” Unfortunately though, he was doomed from the start because he wasn’t able to actually enjoy all that he had stored up for himself. I want to look at several lessons that we can draw from this parable, and they pretty much flow right out of the parable as we read it from beginning to end.
We’re all in different places in our own spiritual journey. So as we take a look quickly at several lessons, you might be able to identify with all of them. My prayer is that you can identify with at least one of these lessons. As you hear these lessons and think about your own life, I want to invite you and encourage you to think about what next step you can take. What’s the next step of obedience that God has for you as a result of hearing from His Word today? Here are some lessons from the rich fool.
The first one is this: Life is not about accumulating more stuff. It’s important to think about the fact that we often would agree upon and say that people are more important than things, but not often do we maybe live that way. The parable starts with Jesus answering something. What we talked about last week is a lot of the parables, you have to think about the context of them. What’s said before is usually a question or a statement, then the parable itself is Jesus’ reply and His response to whatever is said. In this case, there was a man talking to Him about a problem he had with his brother, and the problem is over an inheritance.
Let’s take a look again at verses 13 through 15. It says, “Someone in the crowd said to him, ‘Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.’ But he said to him, ‘Man, who made me a judge or arbitrator over you?’ 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.’” There’s some sort of dispute going on between these two brothers over an inheritance. Jesus doesn’t really answer the question that is there but goes straight to the heart of the matter and tells them to be on their guard against all covetousness.
Covetousness is kind of an interesting word. It’s sort of hard to say, and it’s not one we use everyday in our vocabulary. It means an unlawful desire of the property of another or also a desire of gain or riches beyond what we really need. Jesus is going straight to the heart of the matter, and He’s telling them to be on guard against this. Maybe we don’t have an unlawful desire to get something. We would never intentionally, knowingly break the law to go get something that we want, but we all do have a desire to gain. That’s something that’s within us. Over time, the more that you want what others have, the easier it is that your priorities can get a little bit distorted. Again, we would not say that things are more important that people, but when you desire the things that they have, this can sort of be bubbling up even behind the scenes for us.
One of the ways that this shows up sometimes is that maybe you're on your way into a store or to a restaurant and you look around and see that there are some other people about to converge at the same time. Maybe you're a little more important than those people. You don’t want to have to wait in line behind them, so what do you do? You walk a little faster, so that you can get in before them. Or usually around the holidays, around Christmastime, there’s often that “it” toy, the thing that all kids want that year. The thing that is hard to get your hands on and if you get one of those, as a parent, it’s really a status symbol for you as a parent to be able to have your kid unwrap that thing on Sunday. As you're there in the store and you see that there’s one on the shelf and you dive to get that toy, you don’t even realize that you stepped on four or five people on your way to get the last toy.
Here are some questions that we can use to guard ourselves against covetousness. I’ve included these in your notes, but the first question is “Do you want something that someone else has?” It’s not necessarily wrong to want something that someone else has. Maybe you need a new pair of shoes, and your friend has a really great pair of shoes. They tell you how great they are, and you want those for your next pair of shoes. But, do you find yourself thinking about that thing that you want? Thinking about it all of the time, probably more than you should be thinking. Well, that’s something to consider.
Or maybe, do you find yourself thinking about that thing that you want when you should be working on something else? Now, it’s really distracting you from doing things that you want to do and that you need to do. Maybe you’re thinking, “If I just could save ten more dollars, I could get that thing.” Now again, it’s not necessarily a wrong thing, but it’s occupying all of your thoughts and all of your attention. Then the third question is “Do you find it hard to celebrate when others get that thing, that thing that you really want?” One of your friends has a pair of shoes that you want, and you can’t afford those shoes right now. But then, another friend gets those same pair of shoes, and you're finding it really hard to celebrate.
If you answered “yes” to any one of those questions, then there might be the possibility that you're going down this path to covetousness, and that’s something that we need to be on guard against. The way to combat covetousness is to remember verse 15. It would be a great verse to remember, to remind yourself of, maybe even memorize. It says, “...one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” That’s a great verse to remember. You can also pray that back to God. You can say, “Father, I know that the Bible says that my life does not consist in the abundance of my possessions. Please help me to control my desire for ‘x,’ and please help me to be happy when someone else gets that thing that I want.” Then, you can ask the Lord to give you that thing, if it be His will, that thing that you want. Those are just some things you can do to be on guard against covetousness.
Another lesson that we see from this parable is this. Anxiety is a natural result of acquiring more financially. Nooo, that can’t be true! If I just had a little bit more money, then all of my problems would go away. Right? That’s what we think. That’s what we often think that my problems are caused by not having enough money, not that money might bring anxiety to me. We think that more money equals peace and happiness and no worries. But, look back at verses 16 and 17. “And he told them this parable saying, ‘The land of a rich man produced plentifully, and he thought to himself, “What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?”’”
You can feel the anxiety rising as he’s saying, “What shall I do?” He doesn’t know what to do. He has nowhere to store his crops. His problem is that he has too much that he doesn’t know what to do with it. Because the reality is that the more that we get, the more that it requires our attention. The more that we have, we just have to think about it more, which can cause some anxiety. We’re having to consider things that we didn’t have to consider when we had very little or nothing at all. We have to think about “What do I do with what I have?” He’s looking for a place to store these crops. So we’ve got to think about what to do with it, and we’ve got to think about how to keep it safe. How do I keep it safe while I’m trying to get more? So, anxiety can build with the more that we have.
That leads to another lesson. Number three is to tell your plans to wise friends who will tell you the truth. The truth that you need to hear—look at how many times in verses 17 through 19 that He uses the word, “I.” It says, “...and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ 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. And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years: relax, eat, drink, be merry.”’” See, he doesn’t run his plans by anyone else. He’s thinking short-sighted because he’s only just thinking from his own perspective. He doesn’t get any input. The book of Proverbs in the Old Testament says a lot about getting input and counsel. Just one example of that is found in Proverbs 12:15. It says, “The way of the fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice.” You see, he could have invested differently if he’d talked to someone. He could have seen the fault in his ways if he’d run his plan by someone else, which leads to the next lesson.
Number four is to choose the right goal in life. “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, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’” Can you imagine being in his shoes at that moment? Just when he thinks he has it all figured out that he’s going to be able to relax and coast and live the good life... You see, there’s so many of us that are just shooting to be in that position. We just want to relax on the porch. We want to sit in a hammock on the beach or be in a cabin by a lake in the mountains, or for some, they love their jobs. They don’t want to stop working; they just don’t want to have to worry and work for money. They want it to all be set to all be taken care of, to just relax, eat, drink, and be merry.
We all have this image of the easy life or what “to have made it” looks like in our own minds. This guy had achieved that for him. In his mind, he had a picture of what it would look like to arrive. He was there; he had it all taken care of, but he wasn’t able to enjoy it. He was not able to enjoy it. What an awful thing to have worked your whole life to be at that moment when you’re getting ready to relax and enjoy and then it’s all gone. It’s all over. What he needed was he needed to have an eternal perspective, because one of the things that this parable reminds us of is that death is the end for all of us. We all need to be prepared for that. There's’ a sense of urgency here that we can find in this parable, and it’s a sense of urgency to invest in the Kingdom of God.
It’s really easy to say that I want to use my resources, whatever those might be—time, money, talents. I will use my resources when I have more of them, not right now while I just have a little. I need that for me, but I will use my resources when I have more. But then if we wait until there’s more, there’s the possibility that that might be too late because that day may never come just like it didn’t come for this rich fool. Let’s be clear about something here. Jesus is not saying that possessions are bad. He’s not saying that money is bad but what He’s saying is that He’s reminding us to be careful. To be careful that we are not pulled away from the things of God, that we’re not pulled away from the things that really matter, but that we would be rich towards God, which is our fifth lesson.
To be rich toward God throughout our life… talking about this man, he lived his life, but he didn’t get to enjoy his life. The problem for him was not that he had fields that were too fertile or that he had barns that were too big. The problem was that that’s all he cared about. That was the total focus of his entire life. It consumed him. As a Christ-follower, we’re called to have a different goal, a different aim, a different perspective with our finances and even with our lives. We’re called to be rich towards God. Throughout the entire Bible, God’s Word teaches us that God is the Owner of everything. Every good and perfect gift comes down from our Father. He expects us, as His followers, to use our resources to use what He gives us to advance His Kingdom and His goals while we’re here on this planet. Part of that is using the financial blessings that He gives us to advance His kingdom.
Maybe you're not in the habit of giving or tithing. Maybe it sounds like an awful thing to do to have to give some of your hard-earned money to God. But here’s the thing; as Christ-followers, we understand that He owns all of it. He actually owns 100% of everything that I own. I’m actually getting to manage it for Him, and what He asks for me to do as His follower as His steward is to take the first 10%, to take the firstfruits, to give it back to Him, and He will bless the remaining 90% that I get to keep to provide for my family and provide for my needs and some of my wants and be a blessing to others. We get to keep the rest of it, but we’re called to be rich towards God. I don’t know what your current financial practices are. Maybe you’re giving; maybe you’re tithing. Maybe you’re giving much more beyond that, but the question we all have to ask ourselves is “What does it mean to be rich toward God?”
That’s kind of a scary question to ask when you really think about it, but one of the things that is always a great encouragement to me is when I hear the stories of people who ask that question. What does it mean to be rich toward God? Throughout history and even in recent history, there are times when God’s people are on mission together. They’re working toward a big goal, and there are financial resources that need to be pulled together. God’s people ask God, “What does it mean to be rich toward Him?” in this moment and in this situation. There are all kinds of stories of people who give up vacations. They take the money that they had set aside to go on vacation, and they give that to God’s work. Or, they take money that they’ve been saving to buy a new car, and they give that money to God’s work. Or, they maybe have an extra car that they sell, and they give that money. Or, I’ve heard of people giving sizable chunks of inheritance because they have everything that they need, but they want to be a part of what God is doing and what God’s work is.
The reason they do that is because they asked Him, “God, what does it mean for me to be rich toward You with what You’ve given me?” That’s the answer that He gave them. That’s how they were called to be obedient. They were not letting the things of this world be more important than people and expanding God’s Kingdom here on this planet. There are many, many ways to be rich towards God, and we need to ask Him, “God, how do You want me to be rich toward You?” While we're making bigger barns, how can we be rich toward God? The interesting thing that happens over time as we give of what we have to God’s work and to God’s people is He actually draws our hearts closer to Him and our hearts closer to whatever that mission or that thing was that we got to be a part of.
See, here’s the thing. God’s not after our money. Ultimately, it's not about the money, but it’s about our hearts. It’s about having our whole-hearted devotion to Him. That’s one of the ways where we often show where our heart is, but it’s ultimately about our hearts. Possessions, money...none of that is evil in and of itself. We need money to live on; we need money to accomplish God’s mission, but be rich towards God. Don’t just store up things for yourself, which is the final lesson to seek God’s Kingdom. Then we’ll be taken care of.
Right after this parable, He’s talking for several verses about anxiety that people have and not to be anxious and not to be worrying. Then, He ends with this. He ends with “Instead, see his kingdom, and these things will be added to you.” After telling people to be rich toward God, He says to seek God’s Kingdom first, and then, He’ll take care of you. He promises to give us what we need. Not all of our wants, not everything that we want, but He promises to take care of our needs.
As we wrap up, I want to ask you to consider: Has today’s parable been like a picture for you? What do you have a better understanding of? Or, maybe it’s been like a mirror. Have you seen some things going on in your own life or your own heart that have reflected back to you? Or perhaps, how has it been like a window? What new perspective have you gained? Is it a perspective about God or a perspective about yourself? How has God spoken to you today through the parable of the rich fool?
Would you join me in prayer? Father, thank You that life is not simply about accumulating more stuff. Thank You that as we connect with others we can get input from people so that we can make wise decisions. Please help each and every one of us to seek Your Kingdom first and to put our hope and our trust in You as we do that You will take care of our needs. Please show us what it means to be rich toward You with all that You have blessed us with. I pray this in the name of Jesus. Amen.
