Luke 12:13-21
The Parable of the Rich Fool
13 Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide
the family inheritance with me.” 14 But he said to him, “Friend, who set
me to be a judge or arbitrator over you?” 15 And he said to them, “Take
care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed, for one’s life does
not consist in the abundance of possessions.” 16 Then he told them a
parable: “The land of a rich man produced abundantly. 17 And he thought
to himself, ‘What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?’
18 Then he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build
larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19 And I
will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years;
relax, eat, drink, be merry.’ 20 But God said to him, ‘You fool! This
very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have
prepared, whose will they be?’ 21 So it is with those who store up
treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God.”
Reflection:
I. There’s an important advertisement on the margin of my email
page that says: “Muscle Loss May Be the Biggest Threat to Your…”
What's after the …? It leaves us hanging. Don’t you want to know what’s
after the three dots? Muscle loss is the biggest threat to what? Our
life? Our health? Our salvation? Our looks? DO YOU WORRY ABOUT
MUSCLE LOSS? I think it’s something to consider as we age — it’s
important.
I wonder — did Jesus say anything about this? If it’s so important —
why didn’t he say anything about it? Actually — I don’t think there’s
any mention in the whole Bible about the serious issue of muscle loss?
The ad on the internet said IT’S OUR BIGGEST THREAT — and the Bible says
nothing about it. What good is the Bible if it can’t help us with
practical things like our muscle mass?
II. I HAD TO KNOW — so I clicked the ad, sponsored by ALPHA HEALTH
INSIGHTS.
And I knew you’d also want to know — so I clicked the ad and there’s a
picture of a man who says, “I was 70 when everything went wrong.”
Oh no — I’m 70! Is there anything we can do before EVERYTHING GOES
WRONG???
III. He says by 70 we’ve probably already lost half our muscle mass!
And going to the gym doesn’t help. Protein shakes don’t help. Nothing
seems to work!
EXCEPT this incredible plan devised by Dr. Tracy Gapin — a top doctor
from Florida — who advises all the sports superstars. He knows how to
make us strong again! IF WE BUY HIS PLAN, we won’t have to be afraid of
stairs anymore, or lifting for higher shelves, or exercise. We won’t
feel tired, sluggish and slow. Finally, the 70 year old man says: YOU
MUST WATCH DR. GAPIN’S VIDEO — YOU WON’T REGRET IT!
IV. I didn’t see Dr. Gapin’s video — but I still have that nagging
question won’t go away — IF OUR MUSCLE MASS IS SO VITALLY IMPORTANT, WHY
DIDN’T JESUS SAY ANYTHING ABOUT IT???
VI. In the reading today — Jesus does say something kind-of
related. Not about our physical health, directly — but about something
important to our wellbeing. He’s speaks to us today as an economist —
or as a stock broker on Wall Street. He’s talking about INVESTMENTS.
Many people don’t realize that Jesus was a financial advisor.
A man was investing in agriculture — like corn and wheat futures.
Soybeans. He wanted to make a lot of money. So after he filled one
barn with something, he’d build another. He became a billionaire. He
was so happy with his fortune, he had a conversation with his soul. He
said, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat,
drink, be merry.’” In other words, “I’m rich! Time to retire now and
party!” But God had different plans for him. God sent the angel of
death who took the man away from this life. The angel of death deported
the man from this life.
VII. Jesus said that man was a fool because he was rich in money and
things — but not rich toward God.
Turns out all that man’s money — billions — wasn’t important. Neither
was his muscle mass. Jesus said all that matters in our lives is BEING
RICH TOWARD GOD.
VIII. I don’t need to say more about what Jesus means when he says be
rich toward God — because we already know, right? If you ever forget,
just read the 25th chapter of the gospel of Matthew. It’s all there.
But today there’s a special treat -- TODAY WE HAVE A SERMON POSTLUDE!
It’s a true story — something that happened recently like a modern
version of Jesus story of the Rich Fool.
Have you heard of Sunjay Kapur? He’s a billionaire businessman, 53
years old, and a friend of Prince William — who will probably be king of
England in the not too distant future. The two of them often play
together in polo matches. Sanjay has been married to movie stars. He
was married to one of the most famous Bollywood stars Karisma Kapoor for
13 years and they had two children. He inherited A GLOBAL AUTO
COMPONENTS COMPANY — Sona Comstar — from his father and served as
chairman. He had yachts, jets, homes, palaces, and women around the
world who want to be his wife.
A month ago he was playing one of his polo matches at Windsor, England —
with Prince William — and in the middle of the match a bee flew into his
mouth, stung him, and he fell from his horse and died from ANAPHYLACTIC
SHOCK. The last thing eyewitnesses heard him say IN HIS RICH, ENCHANTED
AND FAIRYTALE LIFE was, “I’ve swallowed something.” THOSE WERE HIS LAST
WORDS — “I’VE SWALLOWED SOMETHING.”
A reporter from the English newspaper The Daily Mirror said: “He was
full of life, laughing, joking, then gone in an instant.” He died
quickly — medics didn’t even have time to carry him off the field. He
was only 53 — and he had everything. AND THEN HE DIDN’T.
I hope he had the one thing that Jesus said mattered. I hope he was
rich towards God.