The Rich Fool

XVIII Sunday “c” Luke 12, 13-21 Someone in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, tell my brother to share the inheritance with me.”He replied to him, “Friend, who appointed me as your judge and arbitrator?” Then he said to the crowd, “Take care to guard against all greed, for though one may be rich, one’s life does not consist of possessions.” Then he told them a parable. “There was a rich man whose land produced a bountiful harvest. He asked himself, ‘What shall I do, for I do not have space to store my harvest?’ And he said, ‘This is what I shall do: I shall tear down my barns and build larger ones. There I shall store all my grain and other goods and I shall say to myself, “Now as for you, you have so many good things stored up for many years, rest, eat, drink, be merry!”’ But God said to him, ‘You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you; and the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong?’ Thus will it be for all who store up treasure for themselves but are not rich in what matters to God.”

It is pretty obvious the point of the parable of the Rich Fool in today’s gospel, “you can’t take it with you.” But the first part of the gospel and the first reading from Ecclesiastes put it in a larger context. Jesus is warning us not just of the dangers of riches but the danger of using them for yourself and not being mindful of those who are in need. That is the very definition of greed. It is one thing to have more than I need, but it is another thing to hoard them when others are in need. Jesus is saying much more than reminding us that we will die and that we can’t take anything with us. I would like you to consider more closely the reading for today. “There was a rich man whose land produced a bountiful harvest.” Who produced a bountiful harvest? The land! An abundant harvest, from the land is a gift from God. Obviously we contribute to the process, but it is a gift from God. It doesn’t matter what you do for a living, we need to remember that whatever we have is a gift from God. This is more obvious when you are working the land, but the same is true, for a doctor in a hospital, a cook in a restaurant, or a streetsweeper on the street. Our work is a gift from God. Our work should put us in touch with our relationship with the creator, obviously the rich fool has forgotten this. He didn’t realize that the harvest was a gift from God, he thought it was a result of his work. Unfortunately the rich fool had not relationship with God. Now this is where the story starts to get funny. The man has this strange conversation with himself. He asked himself, ‘What shall I do, for I do not have space to store my harvest?’ The rich fool’s conversation with himself shows how lost the man was. He has not only forgotten his relationship with God, he has forgotten his relationship with other people as well. Everything is too much my and I, there is no ours and we. Instead of thinking how he could use the bountiful harvest he only thinks of himself. He probably couldn’t even use all the riches for himself. It reminds of the quote of John D. Rockfeller when they asked him how much was enough and he answered, “more” For the greedy there is never enough. There is always the desire for more, there will always be the need to build more and bigger grain barns. I shall say to myself, “Now as for you, you have so many good things stored up for many years, rest, eat, drink, be merry!”’ What are you going to do with this great harvest? “Oh, I know what I should do. I will build more barns. Oh what a great idea, you are so clever, why didn’t I think of that?” This poor man doesn’t even have a wife or children to talk to. He has no friends, he only has himself. He may have wealth, but that is all that he has. He has no relationship with God, he has no relationship with anyone. But God said to him, “You fool! This very night your life will be is be demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong?” whose will they be?” Here the rich fool has his big surprise. He has allowed his greed to destroy all his relationships-with the land, his community with himself and with God. All that he has done, was for nothing. And you can bet that no one will show up at his funeral. But before we laugh too hard at this rich fool let us look at ourselves. Let us consider the possessions that we have. Remember that whatever you have, your education, your health, your wealth, your job and family. Remember that all of it is a gift from God. Or more than just a gift, remember that they belong to God and God simply allows us to use them for a short while. Secondly remember that what ever you have is meant to be shared. If God has blessed you you are called to share those blessings with others. Jesus warns us of the dangers of greed. If we remember that all things are a gift from God; and that whatever blessings we have are meant to be shared, we won’t be alone in this life and you probably will have people who will show up at your funeral.