December 12th THE PARABLES
December 12th THE PARABLES
The Foolish Farmer (Luke 12:13-21)
The Foolish Farmer (Luke 12:13-21)
He told the people, "Be careful to guard yourselves from every kind of greed.
Life is not about having a lot of material possessions."
Luke 12:15, GOD'S WORD® Translation
Life is not about having a lot of material possessions."
Luke 12:15, GOD'S WORD® Translation
Context: This parable was part of Jesus’ reply to a man who asked him to arbitrate in a matter of the eldest son receiving double inheritance (Deut 21:17). Money was only a symptom of this man’s greater problem of covetousness. He needed “to guard [himself] from every kind of greed. Life is not about having a lot of material possessions." So, Jesus related the story of a man who lived to enjoy his run of unbroken prosperity being faced with his imminent death.
Meaning: This foolish man thought the world revolved around him as number one: “What shall I do because I have nowhere to store my crops? … I will do this; I will tear down my barns ...” In all, eleven personal pronouns. There was no thought of sharing with others, no thought of God (Deut 6:10-12), no thought of eternity. It is significant that in the Lord’s Prayer the first person singular never occurs, but “our Father ... give us”.
Application: Riches cannot give depth to our life (but shallowness); nor length (tycoons can die young); nor breadth of spirit (but narrow selfishness); nor height (do billionaires grow taller?). A rich Christian, though, knows the security of the multi-dimensional love of Christ (Eph 3:14-19) and employs material things for the good of others to the glory of God. The man wanted Jesus to arbitrate in a small claims court. But at the end of the story we hear about a much bigger court of judgment and a far more important verdict. Is Jesus your defence in this High Court?
_____________________________
Wealth is no measure of worth.
Wealth is no measure of worth.