Then he said, “Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own.”
16 Then he told them a story: “A rich man had a fertile farm that produced fine crops. 17 He said to himself, ‘What should I do? I don’t have room for all my crops.’ 18 Then he said, ‘I know! I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I’ll have room enough to store all my wheat and other goods.19 And I’ll sit back and say to myself, “My friend, you have enough stored away for years to come. Now take it easy! Eat, drink, and be merry!”’
20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get everything you worked for?’
21 “Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.”
-Luke 12:15-21 (New Living Translation)
We studied yesterday on the topic of greed. We talked about how our society today measures success. They measure success based on what we have, our possessions. In the parable Jesus told in Luke 12, we see a different picture.
Jesus said, in verse 15, "Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own." We must, constantly, be on guard against greed. We must also be on guard, constantly, about amassing things for ourselves. Jesus said, in verse 21, "Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God." We must live a life that shows our relationship with God. Jesus tells a story in verses 16-20, " Then he told them a story: “A rich man had a fertile farm that produced fine crops. 17 He said to himself, ‘What should I do? I don’t have room for all my crops.’ 18 Then he said, ‘I know! I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I’ll have room enough to store all my wheat and other goods.19 And I’ll sit back and say to myself, “My friend, you have enough stored away for years to come. Now take it easy! Eat, drink, and be merry!”’
20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get everything you worked for?’" In this parable, Jesus is teaching us the value of work, but also of helping others. Here is this farmer who had an unusually good harvest. His harvest was so plentiful, that he had no room to store it all. Instead of taking part of the harvest and using it to help others who are in need, he decides to keep it for himself. He had to build bigger barns to hold the excess crop. Then, in verse 19, we read, "And I'll sit back and say to myself, 'My friend, you have enough stored away for years to come. Now take it easy! Eat, drink, and be merry!'" The farmer would have a life of luxury because of the large harvest. He had earthly wealth. According to the eyes of the world, he was successful. But, he had fallen short in the eyes of God. Verse 20 says, "But God said to him, 'You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get everything you worked for?" He amassed the wealth of the crop for himself, he didn't pass it on to those in need.
John said, in First John 3:17, "If someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need but shows no compassion—how can God’s love be in that person?" If you have the capacity to help meet the needs of someone else, but don't, how can God's love be in you? That is a hard pill to swallow. It's hard to differentiate between who really needs help and who is just acting. This farmer horded his crops for himself, in anticipation of a easy few years. What about you? Think About It.
