Parable of the Rich Fool

Fear, greed and excessive need is like an all-consuming fire..

Abide in Christ!

Defeat greed’s fire by receiving the free gift of God’s grace in our Lord Jesus Christ!

God’s grace overcomes our greed!

What’s at the end of our lives?

“But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own all the things you have prepared?’ So it is for the one who continues to store up and hoard possessions for himself, and is not rich [in his relationship] toward God.”
Luke 12:20-21

We cannot take the things of this earth into our next afterlife – either earthly possessions consume us like fire, or we are able to overcome greed’s fire by the free grace of God in our Lord Jesus Christ!

Jesus wants us to invest into Him a deep spiritual relationship so that we may become rich in mercy, wealthy in hope, firm in faith, prosperous in peace.

Have you begun asking the Heavenly Father how to be rich in your spiritual relationship, and started receiving rewards He has prepared for you above in Christ Jesus?

Arbitrary possessions keep us away from God

One of the multitude said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” But he said to him, “Man, who made me a judge or an arbitrator over you?” He said to them, “Beware! Keep yourselves from covetousness, for a man’s life doesn’t consist of the abundance of the things which he possesses.”
Luke 12:13–15

The context of Jesus’s parable begins with a typical-looking tort, argument, petty squabble, between brothers over family inheritance, status, structuring of wealth estates echoing similar situations in times of Old Testament history (e.g. between brothers’ birthrights and blessings, spiritual inheritances, Cain and Abel, Isaac and Ishmael, Esau and Jacob, Joseph and his brothers…)

So what’s the big deal? Sounds like the elder brother is just asking for his fair share of the family fortune, right?

Jesus sees things with eyes of eternity. Truthfully, the brother is being rather selfish and acting petty in his complaint over small matters. If only he could have realized the true treasure before him, Christ Jesus Himself, the Son of God manifested in the flesh, right in front his very eyes!

Aren’t we asking too little from Jesus in terms of fairness, justice, and riches? Jesus is offering all of us the promise and reward of eternal life!

Christ is willing to give us: a seat at His Holy table, an everlasting heavely inheritance, invitation to best banquet feast, the wedding supper of the Lamb [Matthew 22:1-14, Revelation 19:9], True gold, white stones with new names, membership, and new citizenship as members in New Jerusalem the Kingdom of God!

Beware that you take home a lesson, that you learn from this brother’s mistake and not repeat the curse and cycle of covetousness. Don’t forsake the free gift of everlasting life in exchange for some simple temporary thing of the world that soon vanishes with a breath of time, as Esau abandoned his own inheritance, blessing, and birthright for one bowl of soup [Matthew 4:4, Hebrews 12:6].

Our stakes are set even higher now that the Kingdom of God is at hand, now that matters of eternity are now part of the equation: our heavenly estate, spiritual gifts, and inheritances as children of Christ Jesus.

Jesus resolves the curse and cycle of covetousness between brothers “inherited sin” responding with the Truth in an important teaching point, lessons hidden in a parable: Pearls of Wisdom

He spoke a parable to them, saying, “The ground of a certain rich man brought forth abundantly. He reasoned within himself, saying, ‘What will I do, because I don’t have room to store my crops?’

He said, ‘This is what I will do. I will pull down my barns, and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. I will tell my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years. Take your ease, eat, drink, be merry.”‘

“But God said to him, ‘You foolish one, tonight your soul is required of you. The things which you have prepared—whose will they be?’ So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”
Luke 12:16–21

Jesus wisely responds with a parable revealing a deeper spiritual truth, regarding riches that the world offers opposed to God’s heavenly riches in a righteous relationship with Jesus Christ.

Christ cares about the condition of our souls more than anything else in the world. After we exit our earthly existence, material possessions are also left behind to be divided as another stranger’s inheritance.

Compare Solomon’s observance on worldly work and rewards, which he with sardonic nihilism calls a “chasing after the wind.” Now one more than Solomon is here:

Christ Jesus, the Author of Salvation and Judge of the Living and Dead, who has the right and power to demand our very souls this instant, recalling them back like life in terms and analogy of a loan —

Let’s begin a new chapter then in life, being rich in our soul’s relationship with God! Storing up treasures in faith and good works going to His Heavenly Kingdom.

Ecclesiastes

Futility of Work by King Solomon

26 To the man who is pleasing in His sight, He gives wisdom and knowledge and joy, but to the sinner He assigns the task of gathering and accumulating that which he will hand over to one who pleases God. This too is futile and a pursuit of the wind.
Ecclesiastes 2:26