The parable of the Rich Fool forms part of the sixth episode in the section of Luke's gospel that deals with the kingdom and power, 11:1-12:34. This particular episode examines the goal of life: to have, or to live, 12:13-34. The request for Jesus to judge an inheritance matter gives him the opportunity to speak on the relationship between "living" and "possessing", first in a saying, v15, and then in the parable of the Rich Fool, v16-21.

v13. Rabbi's were expected to arbitrate on matters of law, but Jesus is unwilling to play this role. His task is to reveal truth, not settle a fight over an inheritance.

v14. Jesus is not willing to "judge" the issue for he has only one message to the people of his age, and that is, "repent and believe"; this is the path to authentic life. Even to his disciples, Jesus tends to deal with ethical principles rather than specifics.

v15. Jesus points to the natural focus of sinful humanity when it comes to possessions and brings out the powerful truth that real life is not found in possessing. Authentic existence is found in God.

v16-20. The parable does not set out to expose the sinfulness of greed, but rather the futility of thinking that possessing leads to real life. As the preacher puts in Ecclesiastes "I denied myself nothing my eyes desired..... yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done..... everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind." "I hated all the things I had toiled for under the sun, because I must leave them to the one who comes after me. And who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool?" Eccl.2.

v21. Meaning is not found in possessing, but in being "rich toward God." As the preacher puts it, "the beginning of all wisdom is the fear (respect) of the Lord." When it comes to kingdom truth, our eye should be on the coming day of our death rather than the coming day of the Lord at the end of the age. Authentic life ("eternal life") is lost when a person "remains a pauper in the sight of God", v21 NEB.

A very popular Australian TV show some years ago was called "Sea Change". The programme got a big lift with the performances of some top Australian talent, particularly Sigrid Thornton. It seemed initially to be little more than "the life and times of a quaint little Australian community", but as the series developed its underlying philosophical bent emerged. The series toyed with the substance of life, not in a spiritual sense, but at the practical hedonistic level of discovering the path to true happiness, contentment and fulfillment.

Sigrid Thornton played a high-flying city lawyer. She gets out of the "big smoke" and takes up the position of magistrate in a tiny coastal village. She finds, in her close interaction with the village characters, a growing sense of meaning, a meaning she didn't find in the hustle-n-bustle, wealth and power of her big city law career. Along with other "blow ins", escapees from the impersonal city, she begins to find contentment in simple human interaction.

The programme reflected the present trend of escape from the hum-drum, meaningless, frustrating, dog-eat-dog existence of suburban living. The drop-out disease is affecting many, particularly professionals. The endless chase after wealth and the toys of consumerism, with its high cost in personal and family time and space, is increasingly being questioned by those with the power to opt out. Quality life, a life that brings happiness, is increasingly the aim of the affluent.

Sea Change served to expose some of the elements which work to build up a fulfilling quality existence. One programme toyed with the idea of realistic expectations. Happiness (more rightly contentment) is ours when we either live out our dreams, or dream realistically. "Most people's life falls far short of their dreams." How true!

The desire of our farmer friend to build bigger barns is but a first century illustration of the same problem. With all his "good things laid up for many years" he looked with anticipation to the day when he may "take life easy, eat, drink and enjoy" himself. Yet, the pursuit of his dreamed quality-life was cut short in death. Even if his amassed wealth had gained for him the good life, all was lost in death. A person may well "amass wealth for themselves," either enabling free access to the glories of the consumer society, or the more realistic simplicity of family and small community living, but if they "remain a pauper in the sight of God", they will inevitably discover that their "wealth does not give them life."

The sad reality is that Sea Change inevitably failed to discover authentic life. It certainly reminds us of the value of simplicity, affirming the "good" of God's creation, but left us with the false idea that "the grass is greener on the other side of the hill." Contentment is a pleasant state of existence, but it does not touch the true substance of life. Sea Change my have had its resident New Age alternate and its Hindu mystic, but it had no Christian church. In the end, authentic life ("eternal life") is lost when a person "remains a pauper in the sight of God."

1. Is it actually wrong to build bigger barns?

2. If "wealth does not give us life" (NEB), what does and what is it?