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by Sandy Shaw
While Jesus Christ is teaching one man interrupts and asks for Jesus to intervene in a family dispute about money. Now, this man does not appear to want fairness or justice. It is obvious he simply wants more money. We read of this in Luke Chapter 12.
Verse 15. Jesus uses this incident to teach people about a rich farmer who has a massive harvest. We can call these verses, "The tragedy of the poor rich man."
Jesus is saying - Watch out - be on your guard against all kinds of greed - a man's worth does not lie in what he possesses - or in what he owns - a man's bank balance does not make that man valuable.
Jesus says - The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. What an insight in that one sentence! The man was financially rich, but it was not the man who produced the wealth - it was the ground - his path fell among these favourable pastures - and in his wealth he receives even more riches. Those of us in the rich Western world need to hear this. We need to listen to Jesus. Riches can only be handled wisely by certain people. It is easier to receive a million pounds than handle it.
This man thought - What can I do? I have no room left for all my goods. He is so restless. He has been so successful in one way - in one area. He was the sort of farmer who might have been pointed out to younger farmers as an example to follow.
In the eyes of Jesus Christ, he was no example for anyone to follow.
Verses 18,19. This is what I'll do. Look at all the "I's" and "my's". I will do this with my possessions. He was so methodical, but so greedy. He is so tied to all this.
He has no love for God. All he can think about is his possessions - his investments - his goods - and how he can grow richer - materially speaking. We could teach the business world this lesson - what a warning. He is so selfish and so absorbed with himself. There is not a single thought about others.
The world would regard this man as a picture of success and prosperity, but in the eyes of Jesus it is SIN. This poor rich man thought he was going to live for ever.
Such wishful thinking deludes man. He is planning as though he has many more years to live.
What is the point of waiting until the eleventh hour if you only live til half past ten!
This poor rich man is concentrating on the wrong world. He is not interested in fitting into God's plans.
I remember a man saying to me, "I am only in all this for the profit motive - purely for the profit motive." Well - at least he was honest - but he was quite shocked when I replied - and I am only in the ministry for the prophet motive! And, he didn't understand it when I explained that I spelled prophet with ph rather than f.
"You have plenty of things laid up for many years - take life easy; eat, drink and be merry."
You hear people say that - O come on - eat and drink and be merry - it says so in the Bible - and some add - for to-morrow we die. The words are taken out of context totally. There is a basic flaw in what is said – normally, to-morrow we do not die - we live with the consequences of eating and drinking today. There is a price to pay for the eating and drinking - for the undisciplined excess.
O western world - when will you ever hear what Jesus said?
GOD says to this poor rich man, "You fool!" Now, not very often do we read of God calling a person a fool. We can regard a fool as someone who is not very bright mentally. God thinks of a man who is not very bright MORALLY. This man was quite bright mentally. This materially successful and prosperous poor rich man is quite bright mentally, but not very bright MORALLY.
Our country - our nation - our western world - has not been very bright morally over these past 20 or 30 years - particularly in this important area of food - with mountains of food - and decisions made deliberately to cut back on food production.
What does God sometimes do in such a situation?
God says to this poor rich man - this very night your life will be demanded of you. To-night, you will be worth nothing. Who will get your goods?
There is no use praying that that would not happen. There are some areas where prayer is invalid - irrelevant. When we are summoned by God - we have no choice - we have no option - and when He summons us - we have to leave it all.
I remember someone asking - Do you know how much so-and-so left? Yes - everything.
This poor rich man thought he had many years left - he did not even have 24 hours.
Our security does not depend upon wealth - but upon Jesus Christ - and whenever Jesus spoke about wealth - He always spoke in words of warning.
There is nothing wrong in being rich - that can be a sign of God blessing you and rewarding you in this life - but riches have to be handled very carefully.
Materially, this man was rich. Spiritually - he was poor. Now remember, these are words of Jesus, and we are emphasizing the teaching of Jesus.
It is Jesus Who teaches us in verse 21 that such a man is a fool - senseless - capable, but silly and unwise. The man who lays up treasure for himself is not rich towards God. Jesus is not against riches, but against selfishness.
Alexander 'Sandy' Shaw is pastor of Nairn Christian Fellowship in Nairn, Scotland. Nairn is 17 miles east of Inverness - on the Moray Firth Coast - not far from the Loch Ness Monster!
Gifted as a Biblical teacher, Sandy is firmly committed to making sure that his teachings are firmly grounded in the Word.
Sandy has a weekly radio talk which can be heard via the Internet on Saturday at 11:40am, New Orleans time, at wsho.com.
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