What shall I do?

Luke 12 16-21

The Parable of the Rich Fool

13 Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”

14 Jesus replied, “Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?” 15 Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”

16 And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. 17 He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’

18 “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. 19 And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.” ’

20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’

21 “This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich towards God.”

Harvest is a good time for looking back.

I look back into my early days and I remember services with a “magic lantern” a primitive – but fascinating and highly polished contraption for showing slides.

There would be the usual display of produce, and sometimes a meal as well – always welcome to a young boy – but just occasionally the preacher would bring the magic lantern out and, not being used to television or even the cinema, we watched spellbound as the familiar stories were illustrated with hand painted slides. I remember the Sower was always popular, as was the story of the Wheat and the Tares. I’m not sure that progress has much improved on it really. I am totally committed to new technology – but there was a special aptness that linked the harvest and the Magic Lantern.

I’m afraid I can offer you no pictures this morning save those that may arise in your imagination.

Imagine the scene on the hillside as Jesus rebukes the Pharisees, advises his friends, and draws lessons from the flowers and birds that surrounded them all. Suddenly there is a shouted interruption:

13 Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”

Someone with a grievance – hoping that Jesus will rule in his favour. Someone who will go away disappointed – his priorities all wrong.

There are always such voices clamouring for attention. Some legitimately like those heard at the recent world summit, clamouring for a fair share of the world’s resources – but many others asking for more and more.

When Jesus replies he leaves the man with a story about an embarrassing harvest, and a lesson about real priorities.

I remember the stories that featured on those early magic lantern shows. There was always the Parable of the Sower – and there was this story too with its dark message of doom.

I would like you to consider three aspects of the story:

The problems of harvest

o The problem of surplus

o The problem of selfishness

o The problem of the soul

The problem of surplus

It was an immense embarrassment to the farmer – that out of astonishing providence he has “no room”.

Some would say this was a most unusual problem – but in actual fact in our society, and many other western societies it is a common problem.

The goodness of God the creator has provided us with more.

That surplus is built into the very fabric of harvest isn’t it?

Each plant bearing seed has reached that point in its development where there is not only the provision of food – but of seed grain to provide yet another harvest in turn.

Built into the very fabric of God’s faithfulness is the possibility of harvests yet to come, and the opportunity to prove His faithfulness in another season.

God is always prodigal in His giving – the problem is not with Him, but with us.

In the light of God’s generosity and faithfulness “WHAT SHALL I DO?”

I will praise Him for His goodness

I will make sure that I recognise the source of every success

Psalm 116

12 How can I repay the Lord

for all his goodness to me?

13 I will lift up the cup of salvation

and call on the name of the Lord.

14 I will fulfil my vows to the Lord

in the presence of all his people.

But of course in the story before us the farmer did not immediately think of God at all.

His problem arises simply because he has no place for God in his life.

It will always be “What shall I do?”

And his answer declares it:

The problem of selfishness

18 “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. 19 And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.” ’

I do not hear him consult anyone else. He seems indeed a very lonely man for all his success.

Over and over again I hear him say “I…”

It isn’t that he is lacking in practical wisdom. I believe he would have been in turn:

a demolition expert

a builder

a store man

and

an entertainer

God had not only given to him the remarkable harvest of his land – but He had given to him too the ability to plan, construct, demolish and store efficiently.

Amongst the harvest produce here today there is evidence of that invisible bounty as well – the knowledge and experience and technical aptitude to prepare and store and preserve what God’s bountiful harvest provides.

He is indeed a completely SELF SUFFICIENT PERSON in all matters of daily life.

I do not hear him talk to his wife or family (assuming he had one)

Nor to his labourers and servants

This is something he feels qualified to DECIDE FOR HIMSELF

What a lonely man!

He even talks to himself – perhaps no one else would listen – they did not feature in his planning at all.

But most of all he is unaware of the very One who had made his success possible.

He answers his own question, formulates his own plan, anticipates his own pleasure.

He will have a party of ONE no doubt.

All he has to live for now is pleasure and ease.

The problem of the soul

20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’

21 “This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich towards God.”

The last word in this one-sided conversation belongs to God.

Two things are left out of his reckoning:

God the giver of every good gift

and

The fragile nature of his own life

The rich man lived life as he saw it to the full – but in reality his was an entirely one dimensional life –

No thought of the future

No gratitude to God

No consideration of his own soul.

I watch as the magic lantern slide is changed…

The farm is in ruins, the profit has been wasted, and the final reckoning is before God.

It is a problem of the soul.

As Jesus says in His explanation

21 “This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich towards God.”

Jesus does not deplore his planning, nor does he wish him a poorer harvest – what he longs for this man is a spiritual dimension to his life – a place for God in his reckoning – before the inevitable reckoning that all will give one day to God.

WE can imagine all kinds of alternative endings for the story –

The family consulted and the bounty shared out

The poor of his village rewarded for their labours

The surplus distributed where it would be needed