STUDY THEME: TRANSFORMED ATTITUDES "STOCKPILING TO SHARING." 2-24-02 Luke 12:13-15, 16-19, 20-21; 21:1-4
PLEASE OPEN YOUR BIBLE TO LUKE12. Today’s lesson is very similar to last Sunday’s lesson. Both condemn greed and covetousness. However, last Sunday’s lesson emphasized "contentment" while today’s lesson focuses on sharing. These two Christian responses to material things are complementary. That is, people who are content with what they have are more likely to share with others. Another difference is that in the first lesson one person—Paul—is the one who moved from covetousness to contentment. In this lesson, two people—the man in Luke 12:13-15 and the rich farmer—represent stockpiling---the poor widow—represents sharing.
As our lesson opens on this week of Passover, in Luke 12:1, Jesus is encompassed by a crowd of many thousands, packed so close that they were treading on one another. Jesus began speaking first to His disciples. They had seen their Master jostled, and heard Him badgered. They had seen men around Him, in whose eyes there gleamed the evil light of murder; and it was inevitable that they would be trembling and afraid. If that evil attitude was taken towards Jesus, what about the attitude toward His disciples.
To comfort His disciples Jesus said, "Men can kill the body, but after that they have no more that they can do." Looking at the little group of frightened men Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid." From vs. 6 to 12 Jesus continued to comfort his disciples.
In the very midst of this message of comfort and encouragement, even as He instructed His disciples how to act when brought before synagogues and authorities, He was rudely interrupted. Can you imagine the audacity or stupidity of anyone who would interrupt this Teacher at this point?
Luke gave no name to this man who interrupted the Teacher. You can possibly think of several. This poor man did not realize that there is more to life than money. It was not uncommon for people in Palestine to take their unsettled disputes to respected Rabbis. According to the general inheritance law recorded in Deut. 21:17, the older son was to receive double the younger son’s portion. We assume this man was the younger brother. Perhaps he wanted an equal share of the inheritance, or perhaps the older son did not want to share at all. Luke does not say. At first it sounds as though the man was uttering a cry for justice; but, as we shall see presently, it was actually an expression of covetousness. The man asked Jesus to tell his brother to divide the inheritance. He did not ask Jesus to mediate the dispute. He asked Jesus to tell his brother to do this.
Possibly he really meant "My brother has all the things; I want some of the things; tell him to give me some things." The life of the world today, apart from godliness, is always conditioned by things. Men are relating their lives to things instead of God. Jesus said a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses. Jesus seemed unconcerned about the implied injustice, and refused the man’s request to arbitrate the family disputed. He did not come to be an arbiter of petty earthly disputes. So Jesus replied, ‘I’m not here to judge or to decide things of that character." "He did not come to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved." He warned the man to beware of covetousness. Jesus did not want to deal with this man’s selfish agenda. He refused to become a judge or an arbiter in this man’s family dispute.
Jesus then turned to address His teachings to His disciples and the crowd that had been listening to Him. No doubt the two brothers heard what he had to say. They needed to hear what he had to say in vs. 15. Jesus used two strong words to warn about the danger of greed. Watch out! Or Beware!" He also said, "Be on your guard." Both warnings should have signaled the seriousness of what He would say. Imagine double warning signs in the highway; They would get our attention.
Jesus warned His audience about all kinds of greed. Although many of Jesus’ followers were poor people, some had wealth. Greed is the desire to have more and more possessions. Greed, however, is not a problem just for rich people. Some rich people are never satisfied with what they have, wanting even more things. Poorer, people, however, can be greedy. Although they have few possessions, they might be consumed with the desire to have what rich people possess.
A greedy person might think that the essence of life is to have lots of possessions. Jesus insisted that a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions. What does life consist of for people today? Some of the usual answers are money, popularity, success, or power. These things might bring temporary satisfaction, but to have a meaningful life we need to know Jesus as Lord and Savior. Jesus said He came to bring us an abundant life. In John 10:10 He said, "I have come that they might have life, and have it to the full." Owning more and more things will not give us this abundant life. Paul said, "for me to live is Christ." Living for Christ means living for others, and this is life at its best.
Because we believers live in a society in which wealth is identified with life, we are tempted to adopt the secular view as our own. People think, If I just had plenty of money, I could really begin to live. Abundant possessions are the standard of success by which most people judge themselves and others. People who are rich consider them selves secure and successful. Others also consider them the same way. Jesus warned that those who have this attitude are not secure or successful; to the contrary, they have missed what life is all about.
All the pressures of our culture move us toward this identification of possessions with life. T.V. commercials picture the good life in terms of the abundance of possessions. This error is not a modern phenomenon. The Roman writer Horace wrote, "Get money by fair means if you can; if not, get money." A modern example of this advice is that given by one father to his son: "Son, make money. If you can, make money honestly. But if you can’t make money honestly, my son, I still want you to make money!"
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The Jews used to say that a child is born into this world with his hands clenched, that is with his fists clenched, grasping for every thing he can obtain. But he dies with his hands wide open; there is nothing in them. We cannot take anything with us; we have to go empty handed. So why stockpile or hoard things? Why not use them and enjoy them while we live. The Lord now related a parable in order to impress this. This story is called "The Parable of The Rich Fool."
To those who had an abundant supply of possessions Jesus spoke this parable of the Rich Fool. This parable was to teach that riches neither form the real content nor assure the contentment of life, so that it is sheer folly to seek for gold while forgetting God.
Two things stand out about this man:
(1.) "He never saw beyond himself." And (2.) "He never saw beyond this world." There is no other parable so full of the words, I, me, my and mine. A schoolboy was once asked what parts of speech my, and mine are. He answered, "aggressive pronouns." The rich fool was aggressively self centered. It was said of a self-centered young lady, "Edith lived in a little world, bounded on the north, south, east and west by Edith." The famous criticism was made of a self-centered person, "There is too much ego in his cosmos." When the rich farmer had a superfluity of goods the one thing that never even entered his head was to give any away. The man’s whole attitude is the very reverse of Christianity. Instead of denying himself he aggressively affirmed himself; instead of finding his happiness in giving he tried to conserve it by keeping. John Wesley’s rule of life was to save all he could, and give all he could.
The Romans had a proverb which said that money was like sea-water; the more a man drank the thirstier he became. And so long as a man’s attitude is that of the rich fool his desire will always be to get more—and that is the reverse of the Christian way. All his plans were made on the basis of life in this world.
Notice that the man was already rich before the events in the story. Apparently this was not the first time the ground brought forth plentifully for this rich man, but this bountiful harvest presented a problem since it was more than he had room to store in his current buildings.
As the rich farmer considered his options, he said, "This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater." This action would –provide space for him to store all his fruits and his goods. We learn later in the story that all of this was only in the planning stage. It never happened because the man died that night. However, dying was the furthest thing from his mind as he planned for his short-range and long-range future. Vs. 19 gives his long-range plan. After he had finished his project, he anticipated a retirement that would be both secure and enjoyable. The point of the story is there are some things in life more important than the things money can buy. This should not be twisted into meaning that it is wrong to have material things. Jesus was not against us having money. He was against money having us.
This farmer epitomizes the basic selfishness at the heart of human life today. The point of the story is: self is not at the center of the universe. This should not be twisted into meaning that self is not important. Taking care of self is essential. The farmer did not realize that there is more to life than today. He was living entirely in the NOW. We must remember there is also an eternal dimension to life. This should not be twisted into focusing all of our attention on the future and neglecting the present. We read of another such fool in Luke 16. The rich man and Lazarus.
As the story continues you will note that Jesus had something to say to those who had few possessions. He did not intend this story for a few rich people but for anyone who stores up things for himself. Only a fool stockpiles without being concerned for God and neighbors. Riches have no purchasing power after death. They cannot buy a ticket to heaven.
In all this passage the thought which Jesus forbids is anxious thought or worry. Jesus never ordered any man to live in a shiftless, thriftless, reckless way. What He did tell the man to do was to do his best and then to leave the rest to God. The man who never remembers that there is another world is destined some day for the grimmest of grim shocks. There is a "Payday some day" for each of us.
"I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry." Several things are worthy of note in these words. The rich man assumed he had plenty of possessions—enough to provide for a secure future. He also assumed he had many years to enjoy them. His words at the end of vs. 19 were a familiar saying. Those who planned to live in sinful and sensual indulgence often used this saying. This may have been what the farmer meant. He had been a hard-working farmer: perhaps he intended to live in the fast lane after he retired. On the other hand, he may have meant only that he intended to enjoy a life of leisure, free from the pressures of daily work.
From the perspective of many in the listening audience, perhaps nothing seemed unusual or alarming in the man’s thinking and acting to this point in Jesus story. They may have been thinking to themselves, "Good for him. What a lucky fellow to be able to stockpile his resources. His wealth must be a sign that God is really looking out for him."
The surprise in the parable for the man and for the people who heard Jesus tell the parable comes in these vs. 20-21. God called the man a fool. God always has the last word, and His viewpoint is different from that of the world. God did not accuse the rich man of some of the sins elsewhere condemned in wealthy people. For example, there is no hint that the man had gotten his wealth by being dishonest. Nor was he accused of exploiting those who worked for him. And he surely was not a thief who used violence to get his money. No, there is every reason to believe that the man was an honest, hardworking farmer. Why then was he called a fool?
First of all, there is no mention of any relationship to God or concern for others. How would a person of faith and love respond to the bountiful harvest? For one thing, a believer would thank God for these blessings. The man was so self-centered and preoccupied with his possessions that he had no time for God. A person with love in his heat would also be thinking of the opportunities for helping others that came with his new prosperity. Instead of thanking God and sharing with others, the man took personal credit for his good crop. Notice the repetition of the words I and My in vs. 17-19. He considered himself and his hard work the reasons for the good harvest. By ignoring the needs of others, the man became guilty of the sin of selfishness and indifference to the needs of others.
Another foolish thing he did was to assume he could buy security with money; and closely related was his assumption he would live forever. Wealth is never secure. We may speak of financial security, but Jesus warned that earthly treasures are subject to all kinds of hazards. Jesus said in Matt. 6:19, "Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal." Of course, the ultimate folly of the mirage of financial security is the shortness and uncertainty of life. James 4:13-16 is a warning to business people against presuming they will be here tomorrow and the next day to continue to continue to buy and sell. The rich farmer discovered the danger of such presumption, but he found it too late to help him.
When God confronted him on the night of his death, He asked him, "Whose shall those things be, which thou has provided? We are not told who inherited what he had called his barns and his crops. The question emphasizes that the one thing for sure was they were no longer his. He should have realized hat much earlier. None of us owns what we call our own. We only have the use of our possessions for a limited time. All things belong to God, and we are to be good stewards of what is His.
Jesus stated the lesson of the parable in vs. 21. The goal of life is to be rich toward God. From a negative point of view, this means that we will not become preoccupied with laying up treasure for ourselves on earth. To do so is deadly.
Tolstoy told of a man who was promised that he would have for his own all the land that he could walk around between sunrise and sunset. He got an early start and walked with confidence that by the end of the day, he would be the owner of a vast estate. As he walked, he kept extending the boundaries of what he wanted. The farther he went, the faster he walked. He burned with fever, but one word drove him on—"more." He threw off his shirt and boots. He felt his heart beating like a drum but he forced himself to go on. Just as the sun set, he threw himself forward as he reached out for the goal. And as he did, he dropped dead. But he got his land--for they took a shovel and gave him a strip of soil six by two. When I renewed my driver license Monday the young lady said, "They will cover you until 2006." I asked if she could give me a warranty that I would still be using them. She said "No. But if you are not I’ll meet you over there." Even the Okla. Tax Commission gives no guarantees.
Jesus was so tired after the strenuous debates with the members of the Sanhedrin and the Saducees. He sat in the temple near one of the 13 collection boxes called the Trumpets. His head was dropped between His hands. He looked up and saw many people casting their offerings into the Trumpets. And then there came a poor widow. All she had was two mites; the smallest of all coins; worth one-sixteenth of a penny. But Jesus said that it far out valued all the other offerings because it was everything that she had. He was more concerned with the motive, than the amount.
Here was a contrast in those who gave the offerings; the rich gave their affluent gifts from their abundance. The widow gave her two coins. Notice the contrast in the response. The religious leaders of the day would have signaled the gifts of the rich as being most significant. Jesus recognized the widow’s gift as being the most significant. It was her bread money, all she had to live on. We should be careful never to call our offerings "mites" unless they are all that we possess. The influence of this woman is still moving multitudes toward the treasury of the Lord. Jesus did not say she cast in more than any one of them. He said she cast in more than the whole of them.
You will note from this Scripture that our blessed Lord is deeply interested in what we give to God. His arithmetic—his method of bookkeeping—is altogether different from ours. God looks at giving to His work and sharing with others in qualitative, rather than quantitative, terms. Bigger is not always better in the Christian value system.
No one who gave as the widow gave will ever suffer because of it. God will reimburse him in His own way and time. God will make it up in some way for whatever we give to Him. God is quite aware of the financial situation of each individual and our ability to give.
There are two things which determine the value of any gift:
Someone draws a picture of a man in church, heartily singing:
Were the whole realm of nature mine That were an offering far too small; Love so amazing, so divine Demands my life, my soul, my all,
While all the time checking his purse to make sure it is a dollar and not five dollars that he will put into the offering plate which is immediately to follow.
George Mueller said, "God judges what we give by what we keep."
Does God expect us to give Him all that we have? In Luke 18:18-24 Jesus told the rich young ruler to sell all that he had and give it to the poor. He did this because the man had placed his trust in riches. The Lord does not ask each of us to do that, but He does ask that we place at His disposal ourselves, and all that we have. Many people give nothing to the Lord or to others. Like the rich farmer in today’s lesson or the rich man in Luke 16 who let the beggar die at his gate. Others give only the leftovers. Some—like the rich in Luke 21:1-- give large amounts but they never give so much that they really miss it.
God rejoices over sacrificial giving. This is the kind of giving Christ Himself did. Paul in 2 Cor. 8:2 commended the Macedonian believers for sacrificial giving. Then in vs. 9 he showed how such giving reflected Jesus’ giving: "For we know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich."
Today’s lesson is moving from stockpiling to sharing. This is how contentment relates to sacrificial giving. Stockpiling is storing up for possible future needs. There is a difference between reasonable saving for the future and stockpiling. Stockpiling and never sharing is sinful. It shows a lack of faith, love, and contentment. Many people in our society are like the rich farmer in Luke 12:16-21. They devote most of their time and energy to laying up wealth. Too many people have allowed themselves to get caught up in maintaining a higher standard of living than they need. Thus they never seem to have enough for the present or to store up enough for maintaining their desired standard of living. Those who live with gratitude and contentment learn that they do not need as much for themselves and also learn to trust God to provide for their present and future needs. All too often we Christians sound like the man who interrupted Jesus. We seem more concerned about our financial situation than about our spiritual well being.
Sacrificial giving expresses great devotion to God, contentment with what God has given, and strong trust in Him to provide for future needs. In nearly every church there are members who are no longer able to attend church, but some of these people regularly send in their tithes and offerings to the church. Often these are people on small fixed incomes. They are like the widow of Luke 21:1-4.
I GUARANTEE YOU WILL ENJOY THESE NEXT FIVE LESSONS AS WE STUDY "THE EIGHT DAYS THAT CHANGED THE WORLD." WE BEGIN NEXT SUNDAY IN JOHN 14 WITH "KNOWING GOD." A.V. DAUGHERTY 2-24-02