Parable Of The Rich Fool Series

"Parable of the Rich Fool"

Luke 12:13-21

A sermon for 8/7/22 - Ninth Sunday after Pentecost

Pastor John Bright

Luke 12 “13 Then one from the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”

14 But He said to him, “Man, who made Me a judge or an arbitrator over you?” 15 And He said to them, “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.”

16 Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. 17 And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’ 18 So he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.” ’ 20 But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’

21 “So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”

Pause right there. Those words I just read; they were “Breathed by God”! God wants you to hear His Word right now! So, what is your response? Do you want to transformed by that Word or do you want to be informed about the words? You have to choose.

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“Native tribes used to catch monkeys by hollowing out a coconut and filling it with rice or other delicacies, then leaving it tethered to a tree for a monkey to find. A monkey would reach in and grab the desired delicacy and be trapped because the hole had been deliberately made just big enough for a flexible hand to enter but not for a closed fist to leave. In short order, the monkey went from getting his dinner to being someone else’s dinner.”

“Clearly it was not the coconut that was the trapping the monkey. Rather the true trap was in the monkey’s own mind, the monkey’s greed, the monkey’s attachment to his physical possessions, the monkey’s unwillingness to “Let Go.”

https://nscblog.com/uncategorized/the-monkeys-fist-an-ancient-parable-for-modern-times/

How many of us find ourselves – like the monkey or the rich fool – holding on tightly to our possessions? I have warned you before – don’t be concerned with having things but never let the things have you!

The Set-up, v. 13-15

Luke 12 “13 Then one from the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”

14 But He said to him, “Man, who made Me a judge or an arbitrator over you?” 15 And He said to them, “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.”

As usual, when dealing with these parables in Luke’s Gospel I need to express my thanks to Harry N. Wendt. His book, The Parables Jesus (1997), opened up a whole new way of seeing what Jesus was teaching by looking at it from the point of view of the folks in that day.

The man who approaches Jesus is not asking for help. He is making a demand because he has already determined what is the right outcome. Behind all this is what the man is NOT saying – “Since you are a rabbi, tell my brother he is wrong!” So, we shouldn’t be surprised when there is a sternness in the reply of Jesus.

Let me ask you a question – do our prayers ever sound like this man who comes to Jesus? Have we already determined what is right and who is wrong? Have you ever prayed for God to change the other person so the conflict will end?

When Thomas played sports, sometimes they asked “the pastor” to pray before a game. I prayed for safety. I prayed for them to have fun. I even prayed for the coaches to have peace and calm. I never prayed for our team to win. If I see evil – no problem praying for the victory of God’s Holy Angels. I never pray against a person – Ephesians 6 “10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. “