16 Then he told them a parable, saying, “A certain rich man whose land yielded abundantly. 17 And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?’ 18 And he said, This will I do: I will tear down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, ‘Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease, eat, drink, and be merry. 20 But God said to him, ‘You fool! This night your soul is required of you; but what you have prepared, whose will it be? 21 So it is with the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”
the explanation:
While the Lord Jesus was teaching his disciples to trust in God in times of difficulty and hardship (see Luke 21:4-11), “One of the crowd said to him, ‘Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.’” But the Lord Jesus said to him, “Who made me a judge or a divider over you?” (Luke 21:13-14). After that, the Lord turned to the crowd and said, “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for when a man has an abundance, his life does not consist in the possessions he has” (Luke 12:15). Then he gave them this parable, showing them the danger that results from trusting in money instead of trusting in God.
“A rich man whose field yielded abundantly.” The agricultural seasons in Jesus’ time were variable and subject to various dangers, including weather, locusts, and diseases. The Lord shows that the rich man came across a very special and bountiful season, “and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do?’” Nothing guarantees a similar season in the coming years, and the crops now are enough to make the rich man feel secure about his life, so he will not miss the opportunity and return to face the vicissitudes of the seasons.
The rich man expected a limited amount of crops and had built barns that could hold the expected amount, but the crops exceeded his expectations. Wanting to seize the opportunity, he tore down his small barns and began to build larger ones. The poor man thought that by storing the crops he would be reassured about his life and safe from the vicissitudes and dangers of life. He would become fortified and steadfast, unshakable in the face of difficulties, and he would take from life as much as he desired, comfortably eating, drinking and being happy.
He forgot that life is not about food, drink, and luxury. The Lord Jesus demonstrated this truth when He withstood the temptation of Satan in the wilderness. The Lord fasted for forty days and Satan came to Him saying, “If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” The Lord Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God’” (Luke 4:4). The rich man did not know that God is the source of life and that the life-giving Word of God is the food of true life.
“This night your soul will be required of you.” God does not mean to take away man’s life. By this verse, the Lord Jesus wants to show the enormity of man’s deviation and error. The rich man worked hard to secure his continued life, but in the opposite direction, “for whoever desires to save his life will lose it” in faith in God and in love seeking life in the Lord Jesus, “for whoever loses his life for the Lord Jesus’ sake will save it” (Luke 9:24). God is life, and every search for life apart from God is a mirage and an illusion that leads to death and destruction, which is the fate of “everyone who stores up for himself and does not enrich himself in God.”
The goal is for the believer to overcome the obsession with food, clothing, inheritance, and money. Excessive concern with all of these is useless, because “he who is anxious cannot add one cubit to his stature” (Luke 12:25), no matter how great his efforts. No one relies on anyone but God, so the Lord Jesus said after the parable, “Do not seek what you shall eat or what you shall drink, and do not be anxious; for all these things the nations of the world seek, but your Father knows that you need these things. Rather, seek the kingdom of God, and all these things will be added to you” (Luke 12:29-31). He who is concerned with seeking the Lord will not lack anything, but will trample on his needs and will be rich in his poverty and poor for God’s sake in giving his riches.
About my parish bulletin
Sunday, November 20, 1994, Issue 47
