Jump Start # 3247

Luke 12:20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared.’”

Our verse today reveals the stunning, shocking and sobering words of God. This comes from Jesus’ parable about the farmer who wanted to tear down his barns and build larger ones. His plans and goals were to take it easy after that. He had everything mapped out in his mind. This was going to work. This was going to be good. Everything was set.

Then comes the horrific words of our verse today. This very night. Tonight. Now. Not next week. Not next month. Not down the road. Not in a year or two. Not even tomorrow. Now. Tonight, you will die. No time to make alternative plans. No time to contact others. The sand in the hourglass was empty. He would die and he would die with plans in his head for tomorrow, but no tomorrow would come for him.

Jesus told this parable as a response to someone who had interrupted Jesus with the demand to settle a family problem about inheritance. “Tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me” is what the person asked Jesus. Did the brother keep it all? Did this man get his lawful share but he wanted more? None of those things mattered. Rather than listening to Jesus, this man wants Jesus to settle a family dispute over money. The Lord who had nothing, was not about to get tangled into that mess. That was not His purpose for being here. So, Jesus, rather than telling the other brother what ought to be done, tells this one about a greedy farmer who died suddenly. The greedy farmer represents the man with the question who interrupted Jesus.

Understand, the issue here is not about barns. It’s not about how large your barns are or how many barns you have. You and I have all torn down barns. Most of us live in larger homes than what we started out with when we were first married. Many of us own more cars, more TVs, and such like. When first married, I could put my entire life’s possessions in a four-door car. No way today. I couldn’t even get my library in such a space. The issue isn’t barns, it’s hearts.

The farmer never includes God. He never thanks God. He never plans to help God. It was all about himself. It’s mine, he thought, even though it was God who sent the rains and the sunshine that made his crops grow. Without God’s help, the farmer had nothing. He doesn’t seem to acknowledge that.

This night your soul is required of you. Give that some thought:

First, if this were true of us, we too would have some plans that would never be completed. The farmer who thought he was rich, was really poor. He thought he had years. He didn’t even have another day. He thought he controlled the future. He couldn’t even control the night. When we forget our place and when we leave God out of our lives and plans, we easily could find ourselves in the same place that this farmer was in. Whether death, or the coming of Jesus, there will be books unfinished. There will be sermons that never got preached. There will be letters that were never received and good that never was completed.

Second, someday our soul will be required of us. This isn’t shocking. This isn’t new news to us. It is appointed unto man to die once, Hebrews tells us. That divine appointment is always kept by God. The farmer was ready for tomorrow but he wasn’t ready for today.

This tells us that if there is some unfinished business, we ought to finish it. Need to apologize? What are you waiting for? Need to forgive? Best get about doing that. Need to get serious about the Lord. Now is the time. Our farmer in this story didn’t know. I expect he would have done a few things differently had he known, but he didn’t. And, likely, most of us won’t know either. We expect another day. We just know that we’ll be around tomorrow. That’s the way the farmer thought. He was so wrong.

Third, all of this reminds us that God is more important than anything else. Character and faith are far more valuable than barns and stuff that we put in those barns. One may have the finest collection of something, but when our soul is required, that collection will not help us. The God who owns the whole world is not impressed with the collections we have.

The parables of Jesus often involve pain and very unhappy endings. Only in the world of Disney does everyone live happily ever after. These parables do not make nice bedtime stories for children. They were intended to awaken us and drive a stake into our hearts to see how serious the Lord is. The parables were shocking in that culture. There were not intended to be nice, loveable stories. They often were a slap in the face. The very idea that a Jewish boy feeding pigs comes home to a celebration. No way. A man beaten and left for dead is ignored by the religious establishment. How embarrassing. Parables did that. This parable, about the barns, does that.

This very night…someday that wil be true of each of us. Are you ready, as the old hymn goes? Are you ready, are you ready, are you ready for the judgment day? If not, you ought to do something about it, and you ought to do it right now!

Roger

Jump Start # 2435

Luke 12:20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?’”

Our verse today comes from the parable of the rich farmer. This is not a happy story. It doesn’t have a good ending. Folks don’t live ‘happily ever after’ in this one. Jesus told this story as part of a response to someone who wanted Jesus to settle a family dispute about an inheritance. Throw in the topic of money, and family members, best friends, and work partners can become bitter enemies. Money is something that everyone wants and very few believe that they have enough. The love of money distorts our vision, changes our priorities and invites all kinds of trouble and problems. The thirst for money can be a drug and like drugs, it can consume us and control us and lead us to doing things that we never thought possible.

The man who asked Jesus to settle the family squabble about inheritance had a greed problem. In this parable, the rich farmer is the man who asked Jesus the question. He needed to see where he was at.

Now, there are some impressive things about this farmer. First, he’s successful. I couldn’t do what he did. Farming isn’t easy. There are so many factors beyond your control, such as weather, soil conditions, and bugs. Too wet in the spring, too dry in the summer, too wet in the fall can be disastrous for a farmer. This guy, the farmer in Jesus’ story, was sharp. He was successful. He was not only very productive, but it had made him rich. Second, he’s forward thinking. He had great plans. The current barns couldn’t hold all his crops. He had plans to expand. Larger barns. Many wouldn’t know what to do. Many would be afraid of the risks. Not this farmer. Full steam ahead. Third, he saw an end point in his future. Stay at it, build those new barns and then take it easy. Taking it easy and being a productive, rich farmer do not fit in the same sentence. He was looking to retire. He was going to slow down. He was going to let the crops in his new barns be his future. On paper, all of this looked great. This wasn’t a pipe dream of some young guy who never worked a day of his life. All the pieces were coming together and this farmer knew what he was doing.

Except he made one large mistake. He didn’t know. There were a series of things that he didn’t know. What he didn’t know changed this story. What should have been a picture of success turned into a tragic story of loss.

First, he didn’t know what time it was. The pop group Chicago had a song, “Does anyone know what time it is?” We can tell the time by our watches, but that’s not the time the famer needed to know. He was figuring on a future. He was counting on the barns, the crops, and himself. He didn’t know that he was going to be taken out of the equation. He never counted on dying, at least not then. Not now. He thought he would see the completion of the barns. He thought he’d get to enjoy the results of his hard work. He thought he’d finally get to rest. He simply didn’t know what time it was. God didn’t give him a week to get things together. God didn’t even give him another day. The text says, “This very night.” Too late to make secondary plans. Too late to contact someone else. Too late to make adjustments. The farmer went to bed and never work up in this world again. His soul was cast into eternity. Had he known, or had he been mindful of these things, he may have made other plans.

Someday will be our last day. For many, they will never know it is their last day. The day may begin as every day begins. Nothing special. No notice. No indications. But by nightfall, they have been ushered through the door of death and will not be coming back. Our farmer was prepared to live but he was unprepared to die.

Second, he didn’t know how poor he was. Now on the surface and in the bank, he seemed to be very well off. The text even calls him “rich.” Yet the story ends with these horrific words, “…not rich towards God.” He had a zero balance when it came to God. And, it wasn’t that he was a “Bad” person, as society uses that word. Nothing in the story points to drunkenness, sexual sins, abusing neighbors, theft, mean spirited, unforgiving or cheating—you won’t find that there. By all indications, he was honest as a farmer. But what you do find, by his own words, is a lot of talk about himself and no mention of God. It’s his crops, his barns, his future, his plans. Me. Me. Me. He doesn’t thank God for the favorable weather that allowed him to be productive. He didn’t thank God for his health that allowed him to do what he could. He didn’t indicate that he was glad to have so much so he could share with others and give more to the Lord. Those thoughts don’t cross his mind. It’s all his and it was all going to be used for him. Rich as he may have appeared, he was poor to God. An empty heart that has no purpose, and a life void of God is truly a waste. The steps of this farmer are followed by the masses today. Back in Jesus’ story, neighbors would be impressed with how well this man did. They would have envied having the ability, finances and need for larger barns. Most would be happy with a single barn. This guy had many barns. And today, it’s not barns, but the size of a house. It’s a sports car. It’s the latest and the greatest. I get notices from some online auction sites about up-coming auctions. One caught my attention the other day. It was an estate sale of a “reverend.” I was hoping for books. Nope. High dollar jewelry. Very expensive watches, worth thousands of dollars. Expensive art. High quality antiques. I looked at all the listings and was amazed that this was an estate belonging to a “reverend.” We can get more impressed with stuff than we can faith, conviction and commitment to the Lord. It’s better to be a poor farmer who walks with the Lord, than a rich one who doesn’t know the Lord. Without God, success is defined by what you own. But with God, those are simply things and what really matters is faith, love and trusting the Lord. This world is not our home and someday all these things will be destroyed.

The farmer had no idea how poor he really was.

Third, he didn’t know who would now take possession of his possessions. That night he died. All his stuff went to someone else. It may have been family. It may have been sold. It may have been neighbors who bought his land. It may have been other farmers who got his equipment. None of that matters. He was in eternity and someone else was enjoying what he never got to. Someone else took over. The stuff stays here. The work stays here. The plans stay here. The barns stay here. The productive fields stay here. The money stays here. It all stays, but the farmer left. He didn’t think about that. That wasn’t in his plans. His plans included him being here.

Now, a sharp person will have a will. A wise congregation will be thinking of a legacy. Who will preach when our preacher is no longer around? Who will be the next shepherds, when these are no longer around? The kingdom is bigger than we are and those are thoughts and discussions that wise stewards ought to have.

Fourth, this farmer didn’t know that the story could have had a different ending. He could have been rich towards God. He could have been thoughtful and thankful. His problem wasn’t being productive. Being rich isn’t a curse. His problem was that his heart had no room for God. And, it isn’t a matter of squeezing a little space in the back row for God to fit in. It’s about allowing Jesus to live in us. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me, is how Paul stated it. With God, he still would have died. With God, however, his death could have touched others and his example could have helped others spiritually. He could have been an example of godliness. He could have made a difference in the lives of others. Rather than being known as the rich farmer, who could have been known as the godly brother. Kindness, joy, spirituality could have been his conversations rather than crops and barns. It didn’t have to end this way, but he didn’t know that.

And, as Jesus tells this story, we must look in the mirror ourselves. How will our story end? What is it that we are not aware of? How could our lives have a different ending? We don’t have to follow the steps of this foolish farmer. While there is life in our bodies, we can make changes. Do our plans include God? Does our conversations thank God? Barns, crops, future…but where’s God?

Sure makes a person think about himself doesn’t it…

Roger

Jump Start # 2242

Luke 12:20 “But God said, ‘You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?’”

Our verse today is the shocking news that the farmer in Jesus’ parable heard from Heaven. The man was prosperous. He knew how to grow crops. He was industrious, hard working and thinking about the future. He had positioned himself to be able to expand his storage. His intentions were to tear down his existing barns and build larger barns. This was to be his retirement. After the construction of the new barns, he was going to slow down. His words were, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry.” One more big project before he heads into retirement.

But in the parable, something happened that he had not anticipated. He didn’t figure on dying, at least not at this point in his life. He was counting on more time and more years. He had worked hard so he could enjoy it. God had other plans. And, with the harshest word ever used in the Bible, this farmer is called a fool. The Psalms tells us that the fool is one who says there is no God. The contrast is sharp in the book of Proverbs between the wise and the fool.

Why did God call him a fool? Because he was one. He lived as if God never existed. He lived as if he was in control of the universe and had his life in the palms of his hands. He didn’t. He never did. God is in control. Each day is a gift from Heaven. And, with that, God asks this farmer one question: who is going to own what you have prepared? The farmer was not going to enjoy the fruit of his labor. The farmer was not going to see the benefits of his work. Someone else would take over, move in, and enjoy all good stored up for many years. The farmer worked it, but someone else would benefit from it.

Many sermons have pointed out how many times in this short parable that the farmer refers to himself. Me, myself and I, seem to be the most important things in this man’s life. Making plans wasn’t wrong. Expansion isn’t wrong. Retiring isn’t wrong. Even enjoying the fruits of our labor is something Solomon talked about a long time ago in Ecclesiastes.

This farmer had a disease that is most dangerous to Christians. It’s not a medical problem but a spiritual problem. It can’t be cured by medicine, only by faith. The farmer was a practical atheist. That’s the most deadly form of atheism. It’s often found in the heart of folks that go to Sunday worship. You won’t find these folks sending a check to the National Atheism Foundation. They are not posting anti-god statements on Facebook and Twitter. They aren’t saying unkind and blasphemous things about God. They haven’t written books supporting the theories of evolution. No, practical atheism is the hardest spiritual disease to detect. On the surface and in the minds of those who have this, they are Christians. They would admit that they love the Lord and believe in Him. Many have been baptized. Many own a Bible. Many will be found in church on Sunday. In theory, it seems that they are doing everything that believers do and are showing that they oppose atheism.

The difference is found in day to day living. Just like this farmer in Jesus’ parable. The plans do not include God. The language never thanks God. They live as if there will always be a tomorrow and they live as if everything they plan will come about. Their practical, everyday life, is without God. And, that is practical atheism. No prayers. No reading the Bible. No thankfulness. Completely secular. Completely earth bound. Completely living as if everything they dream and plan will be, just because they dreamed it and planned it.

The shocking thing about this parable is that it can mirror our lives so easily and quickly. We get so busy shopping, going to meetings at work, taking care of the house and the pets and the kids, watching some TV here and there and each day looks like the last one, and it that, God can’t be found.

Maybe this is one of the greatest benefits of Wednesday evening Bible classes. Mid-week. Between Sundays. A gentle reminder of what the farmer forgot, God. Get together and open God’s word. Get together and bow our heads to God. Get together and encourage one another spiritually. The word is taught. God is praised. Our hearts are encouraged. And, before we realize it, God is placed back in the center where He belongs.

With God at the center, we realize that death comes. We realize that following death is a judgment. We realize our choices, everyday, even today, can make all the difference in eternity.

Sometimes it’s hard to get out for Wednesday evening services. It’s dark this time of the year. It’s cold. You’ve gotten home and your body just wants to stay home. It’s tempting. Just wrap yourself up in a warm blanket, put on a ballgame or a holiday movie and stay in. Block out the world, the troubles and lose yourself for a few minutes in rest. Boy, that sounds wonderful doesn’t it. But right there, so simply, we’ve pushed God out of the picture. Not on purpose. Not because we are mean. We just didn’t think about that. We don’t think about that little old widow, who with her walker will be at church services tonight. She’s there and we are home wrapped up in our blanket. That seems backwards. We don’t think about that family with small children who will be out at services tonight. All the coats, hats, bags that they bring. You’d think they were traveling to the Alps with all the stuff they carry in. Yet, they will be there.

And, it shouldn’t be the guilt that drives us to the church building on a Wednesday evening. Being there because we have to be there doesn’t do anyone, especially ourselves, any good. No, it’s not the guilt, but it’s the fact that I can stand right with Jesus’ farmer so easily. It’s the thought that I can go through a day without any thought of God and it doesn’t seem to bother me. It’s the thought that I can become so secular that practical atheism is a part of my world. Have I forgotten that everything that I enjoy around me is a gift from the Lord? Have I forgotten that the very talents that I have are given to me by the Lord? Have I forgotten that I need to feed my soul every day? Have I forgotten that I need encouragement to keep me from becoming like Jesus’ farmer? Have I forgotten that my presence at Wednesday Bible classes helps others?

No, it’s not guilt that gets us out of a warm house on a dark Wednesday night. It’s the need, the benefits, the reminders, and the communion with God.

The farmer in Jesus’ parable from what we are told, wasn’t a “bad” person. He was a good farmer. He wasn’t caught stealing, fixing prices, cheating others, on in bed with a neighbor’s wife. None of those things come from the story. He was simply a farmer who benefited from the rain that God sent and the sun that was a gift from Heaven and the agricultural principles that God established to be successful but who never gave God any credit nor did he ever consider that each day could be his last.

And, so it is with us. We walk among the blessings of God every day. Each day, we are closer to our last day. The sadness in Jesus’ parable is not that the farmer died. The farmer ignored God. He lived as a practical atheist. That’s the shame of this parable.

Wednesday evening, good time to show myself and the Lord that I am a believer!

Roger

Jump Start # 280

Luke 12:20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night our soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?”

  Our verse today comes from the parable of the rich farmer. He was successful in many ways. The story begins by telling us that “he was very productive.” He had such a large harvest that he had no place to store his crops. He comes up with a plan. He’ll tear down his current barns and build larger barns. He then reasons, ‘I will say to my soul, ‘Soul, you have many good laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry.’” His life was all planned out. Everything was set. Retirement was on the horizon. He had positioned himself well. Except, all of his plans necessitated that he be alive. His life surrounded the present and not the eternal. God called him that night. He died. He had prepared his fields, barns, and retirement but not his eternity with God. Preachers often point out the number of times the rich farmer refers to himself—”this is what I will do;” “my crops;” “my barns;” “my grain;” “my soul.” The word “I” is used 6 times and the word “my” is used 5 times. All this in four sentences. He sure liked to talk about himself.

  Jesus told this story to answer a request. Someone wanted Jesus to settle a family inheritance problem. Grown kids and inheritance—a recipe for a good old fashioned squabble and fight. Jesus wouldn’t get into that. He was not the “law of the land,” first of all. More than that, He didn’t come for that reason. Had He gotten in the middle of that dispute, He would have opened the door for every land issue, neighbor problems, and people complaining that someone’s dog bit them. The mission of Jesus would have been greatly derailed. He knew that. Instead of jumping in the inheritance battle, He tells the story of this rich farmer.

  The parable ends with this principle, “So is the man who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.” That’s the point. That’s the main point of just about all that Jesus taught. That’s the point that most miss today. The newspapers, the TV commentators, talk radio are all concerned about the massive debt this country is in. If nothing changes, we’re on a course of bankruptcy, they tell us. I’m not an economist, balancing the check book and running the household budget baffles me some days, but more alarming that all this is the bankruptcy toward God. How many are just like this rich farmer? They have zero in their God account. They’re busted and broke spiritually, and worse, they don’t know it.

  What is Jesus talking about? He’s not talking about earning Heaven, because we can’t do that. He’s not implying a giant balance in the sky and as long as the good side has more than the bad side, we’ll be ok. No. All sin, any sin, one sin is deadly. Just ask Adam and Eve. Just ask Lot’s wife. Jesus is talking about a life that includes God. The rich farmer was stuck on himself. His plans included tomorrow. But he does not control tomorrow. He was not given a tomorrow. Our passage says, “THIS VERY NIGHT.”  This reminds me of a neighbor who baked a cake for a shut in. The gift was so well received that she decided to bake another cake the following week. This continued on for several weeks until one day the lady stopped. She didn’t bake a cake. Her shut in neighbor called and bitterly complained, “Where’s my cake?” We are so used to having a tomorrow that we almost demand it. Each day is a gift, a gift from God.

  Being rich toward God includes a life that is thankful for each day. It is a life that includes God in the plans. James teaches us to say, “If God wills…” We are not in control, God is. Being rich in God means having a life that reflects God. Such a person is obedient to God. They consider what their decisions would do to the glory of God or their relationship with God. One who is rich toward God reflects the spirit and attitude of God. Compassion, kindness, generous, thoughtful—these are a few of the characteristics of a heart that is rich toward God.

  Some have suggested that the farmer should have given extra grain to neighbors, possibly. What about the poor? Possibly. But more than that, here is a person who is busy, his schedule is full and his dreams involve everything but God. He thinks if he can get the new barns built, then he can sit back, take it easy and everything is set. Life is not defined by the car you drive, the brand name of clothes you wear, but your relationship with God.

  He died. He had nothing in his God account. God didn’t cross his radar. God wasn’t in his plans, schedule nor heart. All his barns went to someone else. His crops? Someone else got them. His house, his stuff—all gone. All he carried with him across death was an empty soul. It makes you think doesn’t it? Sometimes we get too wrapped up in stuff and trying to be somebody and forgetting about the most important one and that is God.

  You need God. You need Him today. You need Him in your plans, your schedule, your home and mostly in your heart. You need to talk to God, today. You need to remember God, today. You read to thank God, today. You need to walk with God, today. You need that because you may not have a tomorrow. The rich farmer didn’t. You may not finish school. You may not get married. You may not retire. You may not build those barns you need. You may not…but if you’re rich in God, it’s ok. If not….well, you know the outcome.

  Today! Not tomorrow. Today. Rich toward God, today!

Roger