Luke 12:13-21 The context for our parable of the Rich Fool, is again, conflict. Jesus is just leaving a ‘discussion’ with the Pharisees and some ‘lawyers’ in which He says some very direct and offensive words (Luke 11:37-54). ‘Woe unto you…’ is the phrase that He uses repeatedly in addressing these religious leaders. Each time Jesus specifically names as an offense that has all kinds of good religious connotations such as meticulous tithing, being respected, and attention to the details of the Bible and yet because of these men’s attitudes, that apparently positive attribute has become something evil, something that has earned them ‘woe’. As these scribes and Pharisees scurry off to plot Jesus demise (11:53-54), Jesus turns to His disciples and says “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy” (12:1 NASB) and begins to delineate some Truths that we all need to be aware of as we navigate life and our relationship with Father. As Jesus is speaking, someone in the crowd pops up and says “Tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me” (12:13), which is the catalyst for our parable.
The first thing that I see here is this idea of hypocrisy that forms the fulcrum upon which Jesus discussion and teaching turns. Hypocrisy is literally the wearing of a mask and comes from Greek theatre where the characters were known by the masks the individual actors wore. Jesus is pointing directly at and warning his disciples (and us) against this idea of ‘play acting’, of being less than real with Father and His involvement in our lives and behavior. Everything that is covered will be revealed and all the hidden things of our lives will be made known. There is no profit in pretending with the One who knows and who will proclaim that knowledge to all.
The second thing that I see here is the contrast in Jesus’ warning about whom to fear. He tells the disciples that their fear needs to found in the One can kill and then has the authority to cast into hell. Yet that fear needs to be tempered with grace, with the understanding that we have value in Father’s eyes. This is a concept that has always challenged me and I am not alone. We all tend to fall off this balance to one side or the other, to fearing God in His Justice and ignoring His Grace or claiming His Grace without acknowledging His Justice. Both are fundamental parts of His Person, who He is and what He is about and He will ignore neither; both will be satisfied by and in Him.
The third thing I see here is this idea of confessing and denying, that he who confesses Jesus before men will be confessed before the angels of God and he who denies Him will be denied in the same way and before the same audience of messengers. This confessing has little to do with going through the motions and saying some trite phrase, but rather is ‘being of the same mind’. When we ‘confess’ Jesus we are of the same mind as He is, we see ourselves and the world around us in the same manner as He does, we find that balance between Justice and Mercy that is driving Jesus in all that He is doing as Son of Man. The obvious example of this conflict and struggle to ‘confess’ is found in Peter, who had his hypocrisy exposed before everyone when he literally denies Jesus and yet ends up of the same mind as and confessing the One whom he denied.
Of course, the question is what does all of this have to do with this man demanding Jesus make his brother share the inheritance and the rich fool of who is the subject of the parable Jesus tells in response to that demand. The attitude that gets this rich man condemned as a fool is his greed, his thinking that all of his life consists in his possessions and as a result he can say to his soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry” (12:19 NASB). God’s response has nothing to do with his possessions, per se, but everything to do with this man’s attitude and soul. “You fool! This very night your soul will be required of you…” (12:20 NASB).
The beauty and effectiveness of Jesus’ parables is rooted in the fact that each of these parables teaches a lesson, but leaves that lesson to be discerned and extracted by each hearer. Jesus is shoving nothing down this man’s throat when it comes to the inheritance in question, but He is asking him to stop and take stock; what is this inheritance to you and what does your attitude towards it reflect of the reality of your soul, of who you are and what is truly important to you? Basically, Jesus is asking him to remove the mask of hypocrisy and examine himself. The same idea applies to us today and I will leave us to our challenge.
Questions:
