What are some mistakes for us to avoid in the Parable of the Rich Farmer (Luke 12:13-21)?
And what kind of fool was he?
Luke 12:13 - 21
ESV - 13 Someone in the crowd said to him, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me. 14 But he said to him, "Man, who made me a judge or arbitrator over you?
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Asked February 19 2021
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Jack Gutknecht
Supporter
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Tim Maas
Supporter
I would say that the farmer's overriding mistake was to concentrate solely on the amassing of material wealth for his own ease and comfort in this temporal life, with (1) no regard or thanksgiving for the role that God had played in providing his prosperity; (2) not using or giving any of his assets (that he would in any event have to leave behind upon his death, which might occur at any time) in service to God or others; and (3) no consideration of his eternal state after his earthly life was over. (All these considerations played a part in God Himself calling the farmer a fool.) The parable is intended to caution listeners to avoid those same attitudes or actions, rather than being like the man who asked Jesus to arbitrate between him and his brother over matters that were purely temporal and material, while not recognizing the spiritual and eternal truths and needs that Jesus alone could impart or satisfy.
Jack Gutknecht
Supporter
Jesus said in Luke 12:15, "Then he said to them, 'Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.'” I am doing some memorizing in Psalm 119 and am loving it, nice short verses. One applicable one here is Psalm 119:36: "Turn my heart to Your testimonies and not to covetous gain." Other cross-references to Luke 12:15 are Hebrews 13:5 (“Keep your life free from the love of money”), 1 Timothy 6:6–10 (godliness with contentment is great gain). "If a poor man told you that wisdom was more important than money, it would be easy to dismiss his instruction as an invalid comparison from a man who had never known the power and benefits of wealth. But that is not the case in this proverb. Solomon had riches, glory, and honor exceeding any king before or after him. He knew all about money and its benefits. But he told you to rank wisdom and understanding much higher. "Did other rich men make this comparison and conclude the same? Indeed! First, consider Solomon in other places as well, since he was the richest man of history (Pr 3:15-18; 8:10-11,19). Then consider his father David (Ps 19:7-11). And then also consider the rich men Job (Job 28:12-28) and Moses (Heb 11:24-26)." --https://letgodbetrue.com/proverbs/index/chapter-16/proverbs-16-16/ A proverb such as Proverbs 16:16 is only valuable if applied. Many chase money—do you pursue wisdom with the same drive? Just 1% of your day is 15 minutes in God’s Word and prayer. What would 10% look like? (Proverbs 16:16 says, "How much better to get wisdom than gold! To get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver.")
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