Luke 12:13-32
“And Then?”
BY: Ken Sauer, Pastor of East Ridge United Methodist Church, Chattanooga, TN
A young man and an older man were having a conversation about the future.
The young man said, “I’m gonna learn a trade.”
“And then?” asked the older man.
“I’ll set up my business.”
“And then?”
“I’ll make my fortune.”
“And then?”
“I suppose I will grow old and retire and live on my money.”
“And then?”
“Well, I suppose that someday I will die.”
“And then?” came the last stabbing question.
Kind of bleak, isn’t it?
Could even be sort of scary and cause a bit of anxiety to rise up within us.
Is that all this life is about?
Or is it about a whole lot more?
“Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.”
Our modern world seems to be built on anxiety.
We see it on the faces of people hurrying to work…
…cutting one another off in traffic…
…tying their tie in the rear-view mirror or fixing their hair.
We see it even more as people travel home, tired but without having solved life’s problems.
Faces are weary, puzzled, living the unanswerable question as to what it all means.
We often thrive on setting higher and higher goals for ourselves, and each other, and then we worry all day and all year about whether we will reach them.
If we do reach them, we will set new ones.
If we don’t, we will feel as if we’ve failed.
Is this really how we are supposed to live?
Our Scripture passage indicates that these problems are nothing new.
Many of Jesus’ listeners only had enough to live on, and there was always the very real possibility that, one day, they wouldn’t have even that!
Most of them would maybe have one extra piece of clothing, but not more.
As with many of us, one disaster—the family breadwinner being sick or injured, for example—could mean instant destitution.
Talk about a recipe for anxiety and unhappiness!!!
And, boy, we sure do know now that anxiety itself can be a killer!
Stress and worry can cause disease, or contribute to it—producing the “wonderful cycle” of us worrying about worrying.
But, as with much of what Jesus says, His teaching goes right to the heart of the way we are.
It sure makes good sense at every level, but it also goes much deeper…
…all the way to the very center of our world!
At the beginning of our passage, it has been speculated that Jesus is teaching the people to rely on the Holy Spirit in times of distress…
…and then He is interrupted.
A man in the crowd blurts out, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”
It was a common practice to take unsettled disputes to respected rabbis, and Jesus must have had that reputation at that time.
More than likely, the man was not destitute.
His father had passed away and left his money to the older brother.
The younger brother, who interrupts Jesus, probably farms a few acres of land on the outskirts of town.
By the standards of the time, he’s comfortable.
He is not, however, satisfied.
He wants half of that inheritance that was left to his brother.
Jesus, though, wisely refuses to step into the middle of this family feud: “Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?...
…Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a [person’s] life does not consist in the abundance of his [or her] possessions.”
Greed can be a horrible thing, really.
I mean, when is enough finally enough?
Greed can steal our very lives, our very souls!
And fights over family inheritances?
How many brothers and sisters no longer even speak to one another because of such things?
I mean, is it really worth it?
So, Jesus uses this interruption as an opportunity to talk about greed, how material possessions do not bring happiness, and that when we live within the Kingdom of God, right here and right now, we can relax in the knowledge that God is in control!!!
Jesus launches into a 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.’”
Now keep in mind, that this land produced a whole lot of crops long before our modern technology kicked in.
There was no genetic engineering, no pesticides, no additives…just good old natural fertilizer.
And the rich man just happened to own this really awesome land.
But this doesn’t stop him from taking the credit, “my crops!”
Also, notice how he handles the storage problem.
He doesn’t just build more barns.
He tears down the old barns and builds bigger ones.
Obviously, cost is no object!
In a cash-strapped economy, it doesn’t seem to bother him much that many of his neighbors barely have enough to eat.
What does he do when he passes the beggar on the side of the road?
What goes through his mind when he sees children whose bellies are bloated from starvation?
In Jesus’ parable, the rich man used the pronoun “I” six times; “my” is used five times; and even a “you” is used for himself.
And Jesus calls Him a “fool.”
It’s interesting that, the Book of Leviticus, instructs farmers to practice “inefficient farming”—on purpose…
…to actually leave some of the harvest lying out in the field.
This is so that those who are hungry can go back into the farm to scavenge the leftovers.
It’s called “gleaning.”
What if every farmer decided to harvest it all, and simply build bigger barns to store the surplus?
Many of their neighbors would starve!
It’s too easy to forget that the land is God’s land, the crops come from God, the good harvest is because of God’s grace and it is for everyone!!!
What if we all thought that way about our paychecks or our inheritance, even?
Talk about some anti-anxiety medication!!!
The farmer in the parable was spending all his time and energy thinking about himself.
What or who are we expending our time and energy on?
We become rich toward God when we are rich toward others.
After the parable, Jesus goes on to instruct us not to worry.
And reflecting on the birds and flowers isn’t meant to encourage some kind of romantic nature mysticism.
Instead, Jesus wants us to understand the overflowing grace of God, learning to trust in Him, and also imitate Him.
God loves to give good gifts, and at the heart of all that—“Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.”
And that Kingdom, as the Lord’s Prayer suggests, isn’t just reserved for the after-life.
It is what is going on in the lives of every individual who accepts it, and in every individual who trusts that God is in control, and thus storing up for oneself barn loads of “stuff” while the rest of humanity struggles makes no sense whatsoever!!!
To paraphrase something Martin Luther once said, “If a person’s heart trusts in God’s divine grace, how can a person be greedy and anxious?
Living one’s life within God’s Kingdom means knowing that one is acceptable to God, therefore, they don’t need to cling to money.
They use their money cheerfully and freely for the benefit of their neighbor.
In contrast, people are envious and anxious because they don’t trust God.
Faith is the motivating force behind generosity.”
When God says to the rich farmer in the parable, “You fool!” it’s because he spent his life building barns and filling them with grain and not nearly enough time building his life and filling it with good things..
God supplied the fertile ground, the rain, the sunshine.
Who can take credit for that?
It is God’s grace that matters.
And God’s grace frees us from the anxiety which causes us to fritter and fret the hours away!
A young man and an older man were having a conversation.
The young man spoke up, “I will learn a trade.”
“And then?” asked the older man.
“I will set up a business, and give much of what I earn to help my church and my community.”
“And then?”
“I will make more money, provide for my family, care for the poor, tithe to the church, cheerfully give to those who are in need.”
“And then?”
“I suppose that I will grow old, enjoy my family, children and grandchildren. I will give my time to the mission of my church. I will be fulfilled and happy.”
“And then?”
“Well, I suppose that someday I will die.”
“And then?”
“There is no need to be afraid, concerned or anxious; God has been pleased to give me the kingdom.”
