In last month’s article based on Luke chapter 12, verses 13-15. I shared some thoughts on what has become known as the Parable of the Rich Fool (see: ‘What’s Really Important in Life, Part 1’).
To summarize these three verses, Jesus warned us to “watch out!” and “be on your guard against all kinds of greed” (Luke 12:15 NIV). In short, we should be careful not to constantly seek after something else.
In Mark 4:19, Jesus said that the “deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful.” The danger lies in allowing other things to choke out our desire for the things of Christ. Jesus illustrates this point by telling the story of the rich fool.
“The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’ “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. And I’ll say to myself, ‘You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink, and be merry.'”
(Luke 12:16-19 NIV).
All we need to do is count the personal pronouns, and we can identify this man’s problem. He uses plenty of “I’s” in his speech but fails to use his eyes. He is blinded by his own self-interest and fails to realize that it is God, not himself, who is the source of all his blessings. As verse 16 says, “The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop.” This fool either forgot or never understood that God blessed the ground for him to yield a crop. Psalm 24:1 reminds us, “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it…” Personal success often causes us to forget this.
The rich fool spent more time planning for life before death than he did for life after death. He said, “I have plenty of good things laid up for many years.” He didn’t expect to hear the words, “‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?'” (Luke 12:19 NIV). Jesus finishes the story with this admonition: “This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God.” (Luke 12:20 NIV).
This fool, like many, focuses on pursuing the good life here and now—a life that lasts at most 70, 80, or perhaps 100 years—while neglecting the eternal life that follows. I heard a powerful statement on Christian radio last week that summarizes this: “To be consumed with this life is to be unprepared for the next!” What consumes you, my friend—this life or the life to come?
Pastor Bill Ochs
Planned Giving & Trust Director,
Stewardship Leader