2004-08-01 The Best Things in Life.doc Page 1 of 2
The parable we hear in today’s gospel lesson is known as the “parable of the rich fool. It is
one of those powerful stories that invites us to take a look at ourselves and our basic commitments
and consider what difference our faith makes as far as it concerns the most practical matters of our
lives.
The occasion of the parable is a question from someone in the crowd who approaches Jesus
to ask him to serve as a judge in dividing an inheritance. Evidently, this man feels he didn’t get
what he felt should come to him, even though it had probably been divided according to the Law of
Moses, which says the older brother gets twice as much.
Jesus, however, senses the greed behind this question and refuses to be drawn into the role
of judge. But rather than lecturing him—which doesn’t do much good anyway—Jesus tells a
story—this parable—in the hope that it will help this man to get—not what he thinks he wants—but
what he really needs—which isn’t more money or more stuff.
In the story, we’re introduced to a rich man—that’s all we know about him, but we
immediately know some more from Scripture. First, we know this person’s wealth is a sign of
God’s goodness and God’s blessing. We also know Scripture gives many warnings about the wise
use of wealth. Which is an important theme in Luke’s gospel almost from the beginning, where we
hear Mary’s Song, the Magnificat: “He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud
in the thoughts of the hearts. He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the
lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty.”
So we are prepared to expect a reversal of fortune for this person who has been blessed by
God already and even more now with this abundant harvest.
There is no reason to think there was anything underhanded or unjust about how this
abundance came to be. Nothing except sun and soil and rain and hard work and good stewardship
have joined together with God’s blessing. And this also means God asks something in return, i.e.,
grateful and faithful stewardship—and again from Scripture we know that means preparation for the
lean years that will surely come as well as an awareness of being part of the whole of God’s world.
But, as we will see, this rich person has built up a wall (or a box) around himself, and this
abundant harvest pushes him in deeper. You see, it seems that, as he sees the world, is no one else:
no family, no employees, no friends, no community, and no God—only himself. And so we hear
him as ponders—to himself of course—what he will do with such abundance.
It’s all about him and his future. Listen: what shall I do? I have no place to store my crops. I
will do this. I will pull down my barns; I will build larger ones and there I will store all my grain
and my goods; and I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years;
relax, eat, drink, be merry.”
Interesting, isn’t it?
He appears to be so disconnected from his soul—i.e., who he really is—that he talks to it as
if it were outside himself. I wonder where he thinks his soul is—but let’s hold that question.
Look at this poor, rich person, so blessed by God, such a small world, all of his own doing.
The problem, as he sees this abundance from this box he’s built around himself, is there is not
enough room to store the crops—all the crops, all for his use. All he can think of is himself and the
future he imagines.
Too bad he can’t see outside that box.
Maybe if he did he would see what the world looks like through God’s eyes.
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