Jesus and the Parable of the Rich Fool…
Luke 12:16~Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully.”
The Rich Fool [the planter of the field] didn’t produce the product that would make him richer, it was the field that produced. In other words: God. God provides the plenty or rewards in life. It is He that prospers the harvest. It is he that makes the land produce.
Yes, the man played a hand in his prosperity by working and planting the field…but what would’ve happened if the field was blighted or suffered drought. God worked through the land as well as the man to produce the fruit. The Rich Fool did not see this though. He saw his prosperity solely as the fruit of his own labors, so they were deemed as his own. The reality is the fruits of his labors were God’s. What did he do with the surplus? The fool misappropriated them. He keeps them for himself. He did not need it all. He was hoarding. There were others [the poor] that needed it more but got none in the story. What did the rich fool want to do? Build more barns. The Bible is not against possessions. It is against the misuse of possessions. So what did all this gain the rich fool. A lot of trouble for his self-centered efforts…
Luke 12:20 "But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?”
What good is a barn, house, life full of goods if you are a walking dead man? Can your toys survive the fire of judgment at your death?
I believe the focus of most humans is always on self. Too often we go about our day without a thought to whom we owe our very existence. That is why it is so tough to convince a "successful" person that they NEED God. Their answer is usually "For what? I have everything I need and I got it without Him!" Just like the rich fool, these "successful" people may die tonight and then what. Their success is for naught. Good topic!
ReplyDeleteI totally agree Pete.
ReplyDelete