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Sometimes we hear or read of someone who makes it his or her goal in life to become rich, to accumulate significant wealth, to make a lot of money. And it sometimes happens that a person who is single-minded regarding this goal, who pursues this goal shrewdly and energetically, letting nothing else become more important or get in the way of achieving this goal, succeeds. History tells us of many such people. Or, it sometimes happens that a person does not actually start out with the goal of becoming rich, but circumstances bring it about that he or she does come into an increasing amount of wealth and, as this happens, this person’s values and interest become more and more centered in increasing wealth. Money can easily become a god–a jealous god that demands more and more of someone’s love.
In our gospel reading for this Sunday Jesus tells of a man whose growing wealth had become his god, in which he placed all his hopes. Jesus calls him a fool, for the god in whom he trusted would leave him with worse than nothing. Since the false god which had captivated the man in Jesus’ story can take us in as well, let’s listen as Jesus tells us about "The Rich Fool."
Now, when it comes to assessing the figure Jesus makes the centerpiece of this little story, we would have to say that not everything about his situation was bad in itself. It is not bad to become prosperous. Prosperity often is the reward of intelligent, energetic work. This particular man in Jesus’ story was a farmer, and apparently he was a good farmer. He knew his business, and he went about his business well. It also happened that growing conditions favored him. And the result was that he was successful in producing abundant harvests. In fact, he was so successful that he had to deal with another problem–he had not enough storage capacity. His decision to replace his facilities with new buildings with more capacity would seem to be a prudent one. So, then, if this farmer could not be faulted for being successful, nor with making prudent decisions regarding storage, what was his problem? In what way was he foolish?
Well, of course, he was foolish in that he had come to put his faith in the wealth he had accumulated. As he looked ahead to his future, he placed his confidence in the money he had made. He decided that he would live off the wealth he had accumulated, that this would guarantee him a comfortable and satisfying life. He would put his trust for the future in the resources he had gathered together. And that was as far as his thinking went. He forgot all about the God who had blessed him with these resources. He did not think about how these resources might be used to honor and glorify God who had blessed him. He did not think about God’s will regarding the life ahead of him. And he did not think about what would be in store for him when the short, uncertain life we have in this world would end. The reality of his situation would be that he did not have to think about how he would store that abundant coming harvest, for he would not live to see it. In fact, his life in this world would come to an end before the next morning. Jesus concludes his little story with the statement: "So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God" (verse 21).
St. James would later write: "Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit’–yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, If the Lord wills, we will do this or that.’ As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil" (4:13-16).
In his Sermon on the Mount Jesus has this counsel for us: "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in a steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also....No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money....But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things [food, clothing, and the other necessities of life in this world] will be added to you" (Matt. 6:19-21, 24, 33).
To work diligently in this life so we might provide for ourselves and for those who are dependent on us is right and good, and we may look for God’s blessing on our work. In fact, the Apostle Paul admonishes us to be diligent workers, pointing to his own example of diligent labor for his livelihood and concluding flatly: "If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat" (1 Thess. 3:10). But when our desire to accumulate money becomes a goal in itself, then, Paul warns us, look out! You are heading for trouble. Paul advises us: "Now there is great gain in godliness with contentment, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils" (1 Tim. 6:6-10a).
Instead of seeking to become rich in this world’s goods, the Lord in the Holy Scriptures consistently urges us to seek to become rich in the Lord’s grace, a kind of wealth that yields satisfaction not only in this life but in the life that is to come. In fact, we are reminded by the Lord Jesus Himself that the riches of God’s grace is the only kind of wealth that can go with us from this life to the eternal life that awaits us in God’s Kingdom of Glory. This is the kind of investment strategy that will most certainly succeed, for it has the promise of God Himself standing behind it. To a wealthy young man who once came to Jesus seeking His counsel on the sure way to heaven, Jesus gave this advice: "You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me" (Mark 10:21). But, as Jesus could see, this young man was already too far gone. The evangelist Mark reports that this young man "went away sorrowful, for he had many possessions" (verse 22). And Jesus sadly observed to His disciples: "How difficult it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God....Children, how difficult it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eyes of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God" (verses 23, 24-25). The disciples, hearing this, and knowing how trusting in money is a temptation that falls upon us all, said: "Then who can be saved?" To which Jesus gave this reassuring reply: "With man, it is impossible, but not with God, for all things are possible with God" (verses 26-27).
And that is our own reassurance. For, while neither you nor I may be rich in this world’s wealth, we know how prone we are also to put too much trust in our money and possessions. We also have a weak, sinful human nature that is all too eager to look for security in numbers preceded by a dollar sign. That kind of idolatry has a powerful attraction to us, too. But God’s grace is so great that it can reach even into our own hearts and produce faith there through the Gospel. That is why we are here today and each time we gather in God’s house, to receive here His strengthening Word of grace in the Gospel, to receive forgiveness for our failures and strength for our weakness and then to place our trust in Him as our God and to give Him the praise and honor that is due to Him, and only to Him. The Gospel in which we trust teaches us to sing: "The world seeks after wealth And all that mammon offers Yet never is content Though gold should fill its coffers. I have a higher good, Content with it I’ll be. My Jesus is my wealth. What is the world to me?" (Lutheran Service Book, 730, st. 3).
And to that we speak an emphatic "Amen"!