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Pastor Tom Johnson, July 31, 2016
It’s not the response the person wanted from Jesus. Jesus will not tell the man’s brother to divide the inheritance with him. Instead of solving the argument, Jesus will reveal the source of conflict. Jesus warns the man and the crowd of the danger of greed. “Watch out,” Jesus says, “Guard your hearts and minds from the deceptive power of greed.” Greed has a way of sneaking into our hearts, Jesus warns. Greed can keep us from living life meaningfully. “One’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.” Life is not about the stuff we own—material wealth—our money or belongings. Life is not a game or a race to see who gets the most stuff. And so Jesus tells a parable to illustrate his point. A rich man has such a good harvest that he does not have enough room to store it. He decides to tear down the old barns and build larger ones. Seems harmless enough. The problem is the inner dialogue that God hears—his heart which God knows. “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.” “You’ve got it made now,” he says to himself, “you are can look forward to a long life of plenty, pleasure, and happiness.” “You fool!” God interrupts his thoughts, “This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?”
Jesus tells this story point out the rich man’s poverty. He, in fact, is not rich in life—he is poor. He lives in poverty. And he will soon die in poverty. He is poor in relationships. He is so lonely that all his conversation is with himself. He has no business partners to negotiate with. He has no friends to consult with. God’s words, “The things you have prepared, whose will they be?” is a disturbing question. It seems that he has no family—no one to give his things as an inheritance. He is so self-centered that has no friends or family or he has driven them all away. He is not unlike the man who began this conversation. He also seems to have the same poverty of relationships. He is fighting his brother over the stuff left behind presumably after their father or mother died—two children torn apart by greed. The rich man is poor in wisdom. He does not seem to realize how short life can be. He takes his good health for granted. He does not invest his money but hoards it. He seems to think that this one year of plenty is a guarantee of years of plenty to come. The rich man is poor in generosity. He is not concerned with sharing his wealth with family, friends, or strangers. Those who may be starving or hungry for his surplus of food do not even seem to cross his mind. The rich man is poor in faith. That is, he does not trust in God for his things and his future but his good fortune. He is poor in humility—giving himself credit and himself the pat on the back. He is poor in thanksgiving to God for all his blessings. He is poor in praise—he does not give God the glory for richly providing for his needs of the body. He is poor in prayer—instead of speaking to God he speaks to himself without realizing that God knows every thought and intention of the heart. He is poor in mission—he does not seem to know that we are all called to be a blessing to others.
You’ll remember that Jesus tells this parable to the man who had a dispute with his brother over an inheritance. He tells this parable to the crowds. And now Luke includes it in his Gospel so that we all can be warned about the deceitfulness of riches. James in his letter gives the same warning:
“Let the believer who is lowly boast in being raised up, and the rich in being brought low, because the rich will disappear like a flower in the field. For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the field; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. It is the same with the rich; in the midst of a busy life, they will wither away” (James 1:9-11).
That is not to say it is a sin to be wealthy. It is not a sin to build barns or save. It is a warning that riches are fleeting, life is short, and we should not be so preoccupied with things of this world that we forget about the things of God. “So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God”—rich toward God. Jesus ends his lesson on this profound phrase “rich toward God.” But what does it mean? And how can I amass this wealth toward God? It is already ours in Christ. It has already been given. God has enriched this world. God continues to enrich us. God has made us rich in his Son, Jesus Christ.
God enriches our lives with wisdom. We realize how short life can be. God enriches our lives with generosity. We want to give back because of all we have been given. God enriches our lives with faith. We trust in God to take us through years of plenty and years of want. God enriches our lives with humility. We know that it is only by God’s grace and mercy that we live and love God and our neighbor. God enriches our lives with thanksgiving. We have all we need for this body and life because of him. God enriches our lives with praise. We give God alone the glory for enriching our lives now into eternity. God enriches our lives with prayer. We have someone to talk to—our Creator and Redeemer in a daily, hourly, minute by minute relationship. God enriches our lives with mission. We get to enrich the lives of those around us. We are so richly blessed. In Christ, we so richly bless. We are rich toward God.
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