Each chapter of our reading in Luke today has at least one Parable of Jesus’ teaching. Parables are stories from everyday life in which Jesus adds a surprising twist in order to highlight or bring conviction of a spiritual truth in our life. It forces us to think below the surface in order to understand, in a deeper manner, the ways of God in our lives. It seems like Jesus especially reverted to this form of teaching as opposition to his ministry grew. In Luke 11:15, he was accused of healing and exorcising demons by the power of Satan. We see this pattern in each of the first 3 Gospels.

Don’t Be A Fool!

The first Parable in our reading today is the Parable of the Rich Fool in Luke 12:16-21. It appears in an extended section (Lk. 12:13-34) on the proper view of material possessions in our life. It begins with a warning against greed by Jesus in Luke 12:13-15. The section begins when a man wants Jesus to arbitrate in an inheritance dispute between his brother and himself. Jewish rabbis were often called in such cases to bring God’s wisdom to bear on the situation.

In this particular dispute, Jesus refuses to get involved by siding with one party over another. But what he does do is address what the root issue is many times in such disputes – greed. And often, not always to be sure, the problem on both parties’ part is greed. They both value the possessions more than the relationship. A greedy person thinks that the most satisfying life consists in things, but this is a distorted perspective according to Jesus (verse 15).

As part of Jesus’ teaching on the danger of greed, he tells the Parable of the Rich Fool. The problem with this man is not that he experienced a great harvest or that he wanted to build a bigger barn. The problem was that this man’s preoccupation became himself, to the exclusion of God and others. This man’s main security was in his possessions. The Parable is filled with me, me and me, with no thought of anyone else. He is living like he will never die and that he will never have to reckon with God. He has a greatly reductionist view of life. According to Jesus, he is a fool!

Many people live their lives this way. That is why Jesus goes on to give a proper view of material possession in Luke 12:22-34. Jesus teaches that our main focus should not be on “things”, like food and clothes. Look how the Lord takes care of the ravens that have no barns, and look at how beautiful He clothes the lilies, which are here today and gone tomorrow. We are not to worry, but we are to trust the Lord to provide the necessities of life. This doesn’t mean we are to be lazy, but it does mean not to waste our time and energy by being anxious about material things.

We are not to live our lives like God is not there in this life or like He won’t be there in the next life. In the passage before this extended teaching on material possessions, Jesus exhorts us not to fear those who can only kill the body, and after that can do no more (Luke 12:4). But he says we are to fear God: “Fear him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him” (Luke 12:5).

Be A Wise Steward!

A proper view of material possessions is to be wise stewards of them, and to use them in faithful service of our Lord. This is one the truths Jesus teaches in Luke 12:35-48. We are to be watchful and faithful. Those who are given much, much will be required (Luke 12:48). Faithful stewardship of the material things we are blessed with is a major theme of biblical teaching.

Our reading today closes in Luke 16 with 2 Parables teaching this very thing: The Parable of the Shrewd Manager (Luke 16:1-15) and The Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31).. In many ways, the rich man in this latter Parable was like the rich fool in Luke 12:16-21. He lived his life like God wasn’t there in his life. He also lived like Lazarus wasn’t there, starving by his front door. And like the rich fool, he was in for a very rude awakening when he came face to face with the Lord, and had to give a reckoning of his life to God, in the next life.

QOTD: Are you living your life like God is there, both in this life and in the life to come?