Scripture
As those of us in the US (and around the world) ponder and
process the election results, our Parable for this week is about the “Rich Fool.”
It is a familiar one about a man who built extra barns for his bounty, but did
not get to enjoy the fruits of his labor.
This parable comes after someone in the crowd said to [Jesus],
‘Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.’ But he
said to him, ‘Friend, who set me to be a judge or arbitrator over you?’ And he
said to them, ‘Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for
one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.’ (Luke 12:13-15)
Luke goes on to relate the parable:
Then he told them a parable: ‘The land of a rich man
produced abundantly. And he
thought to himself, “What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?”
Then he said, “I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger
ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will
say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat,
drink, be merry.” But God said to him, “You fool! This very night
your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose
will they be?” So it is with those who store up treasures for
themselves but are not rich towards God.’ (Luke 12:16-21)
Then he expounds further to his disciples, saying, do not
worry about your life, what you will eat, or about your body, what you will
wear. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing.
Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither
storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you
than the birds! And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to
your span of life? If then you are not able to do so small a thing
as that, why do you worry about the rest? Consider the lilies, how
they grow: they neither toil nor spin; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his
glory was not clothed like one of these. But if God so clothes the
grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven,
how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith! And do not
keep striving for what you are to eat and what you are to drink, and do not
keep worrying. For it is the nations of the world that strive after
all these things, and your Father knows that you need them. Instead,
strive for his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well. (Luke
12:21-31)
Conversation starters
How might the parable and the teaching before and following encourage
us to see what is important. The person (probably a man) in the crowd who wants
his fair share of an inheritance and the fictional rich man who builds useless
barns rather than sharing his bounty are contrasted with God’s total care for every
part of creation. The birds and grass are just as important as humanity. Furthermore,
we cannot really control any part of our lives. We cannot add a single hour,
nor change the past.
Holocaust survivor and psychologist Viktor Frankl said “Forces
beyond your control can take away everything you possess except one thing, your
freedom to choose how you will respond to the situation. You cannot control
what happens to you in life, but you can always control what you will feel and
do about what happens to you.” (Man’s Search for Meaning, first
published 1946) Nelson Mandela acknowledged much the same thing on release from
prison, “As I walked out the door toward the gate that would lead to my
freedom, I knew if I didn't leave my bitterness and hatred behind, I'd still be
in prison.” Mandela made a conscious choice to release hatred, bitterness, and
fear. God calls us to do the same and let God have control of our lives.
Take time to consider, as a friend of mine did publicly on
Facebook, the implicit biases that affect your decisions and your need to
control certain things. For instance, I come from a place of privilege as a
white, middle-class woman with a secure home and enough money for the
foreseeable future. I have a loving husband and health. My children are content,
and… I could go on because, in fact, I am very blessed. Yet, I can feel out of
control and fearful when any of those blessings are threatened in real or imagined
ways.
The Rich Fool in the parable learns that he cannot really
control who gets his bounty. We may feel we have lost control if the election
didn’t go the way we hoped, or we may feel jubilant and think we are in control
if we are happy with the outcome. Both are false. God alone is in control.
Paradoxically God’s control comes at the cost of letting everything go
and taking up the cross. Jesus’ parable reminds us, so it is with
those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich towards God.
Think about a few things in your life that you think you ‘control.’
Ask yourself if that is true or not.
Think about your response when things feel out of control.
Can you share your fear or anger or other emotions with God? Can you open your
hands, even a little, and let God be in control?
We can choose to live for the kingdom—the Reign of God. We
can try to be in right and loving relationship with God and therefore with all
creation and with other humans. Not an easy task. Nelson Mandela stated, “May
your choices reflect your hopes, not your fears.” Maybe, as this image
suggests we simply need to get outside our walls and reconnect in many simple
ways with each other…
