Luke 12:16-21

Luke 12:16-21 And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’ “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’ “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ “This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God.”

The rich man's focus in life was on himself: his needs, his desires, his entertainment, his fulfillment. But Jesus says that kind of lifestyle is not being rich toward God. Later on in this homily, Jesus indicates that pagans basically live a self-centered life. They tend not to look out for anyone but themselves. But Jesus warns Christians not only to love and care for those who are close to us, but also to love and care for our enemies. Jesus' definition of living is completely different from the world's concept of living. He places God and his purposes front and central in our daily lives. Without God being uppermost in our lives, we are not as spiritual as we suppose, and for sure we do not truly comprehend the Spirit-led life. We might be religious, maybe even wear the name of Jesus stenciled on our clothes, but we are still pagan in our outlook and actions.

Our American culture orients us towards the pagan god of mammon. A really successful person in our culture will have enough money to take life easy; eat, drink and be merry. How many of us are working day and night, not just for sustenance, but for an eventual life of ease? Even today, many retired people spend most of their money and energy on themselves. As they congregate in Florida, Arizona, and other sunny environments to get as much from life as possible, they remove themselves from their extended families to enjoy life without distractions. They place life entirely in the context of the pleasures of living, eating, and drinking: a life of ease.

Such self-absorption is the American Dream, success in the capitalistic system. This goal motivates many of us as we work, plan, and worry about our futures. This is why our homes and garages overflow with possessions as we attempt to live a comfortable life of riches and material goods. Most Americans find it hard to conceive of any other lifestyle or any other purpose for living. But Jesus said the rich man was not rich toward God? He focused on gaining as much as he could for himself and not for God. His spent his energy for himself and not for God, choosing a lifestyle centered on self and not God.

Every farmer knows good weather and great soil produce a bountiful harvest. Consequently, the rich man obtained wealth from the blessings of God, yet he did not give back from his earthly bounty to his heavenly Father. As with the prodigal son, he intended to spend his wealth on himself. Jesus titles this man a fool because he lacked good sense, not knowing he was made in the image of God for GOD'S PURPOSES. Sadly, he was a man bound for destruction. Well, my Christian friends, we are not fools if we live for Christ, if we commit our energy, goods, and money to him. However, we are fools if we live only to satisfy ourselves, wasting our energy on our own endeavors, acquiring and accumulating all the world offers to satisfy ourselves. As soldiers of the cross, our focus should always be on others, on God's plans for us in his world. A life of love, obedience, and service separates Christians from pagans, and places us in the camp of the Lord.