Real life and real living are not related to how rich we are!

Luke 12:13-21

Then someone called from the crowd, “Sir, please tell my brother to divide my father’s estate with me.” But Jesus replied, “Man, who made me a judge over you to decide such things as that? Beware! Don’t always be wishing for what you don’t have. For real life and real living are not related to how rich we are.” Then he gave an illustration: “A rich man had a fertile farm that produced fine crops. In fact, his barns were full to overflowing—he couldn’t get everything in. He thought about his problem, and finally exclaimed, ‘I know—I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones! Then I’ll have room enough. And I’ll sit back and say to myself, “Friend, you have enough stored away for years to come. Now take it easy! Wine, women, and song for you!’ But God said to him, ‘Fool! Tonight you die. Then who will get it all?’ “Yes, every man is a fool who gets rich on earth but not in heaven.”

Food for thought!

Today's gospel reading is by all standards difficult to understand. For instance, building a barn is normal work for a farmer. No one would ever think of it as a moral failure. No farmer was ever reprimanded by his pastor or put in jail by the police for building a barn. What went wrong?

The answer to this question is in what Jesus said immediately after today's gospel. Jesus said to his disciples, "I therefore tell you, do not worry about your life--about what you are to eat; nor about your body--about what you are to wear. Worry was the problem of the man in the gospel. He over worried about his future; he thought he would live long; he thought he would have enough stored away for years to come. And he didn't live as long as he wanted. God told him: 'Fool! Tonight you die.'

Two things stand out about this man.

(a) He never saw beyond himself. Did you notice how frequent the man used the words I, me, my and mine. There is no mention of others. This man was too rich of himself. He was too self-centred. He lived in a little world, bounded on the north, south, east and west by himself. When this man had a superfluity of goods the one thing that never entered his head was to give any away some. His whole attitude was 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.

(b) He never saw beyond this world. All his plans were made on the basis of this life. There is a story of a conversation between an ambitious young man and an older man who knew life. The young man said, "I will learn my trade." "And then?" said the older man. "I will set up a business." "And then?" "I will make my fortune." "And then?" "I suppose that I shall grow old and retire and live on my money." "And then?" "Well, I suppose that some day I will die." "And then?" came the last stabbing question.

The wo/man who never remembers that there is another world is destined some day for the strongest of strong shocks. Let us include life after death in the equation of our life and in our planning and in our living and in our being and in our doing, and in our shopping and in our talking and in our listening.