Perhaps you already know the parable about the rich man.......notice he is rich at the beginning of the story.......who has a bumper crop of grain and cannot sleep because his barns are not big enough to hold it all, and what will he do?build bigger barns!!!!
Most of us have had a dilemma that has managed to keep us awake at night. A conflict in scheduling, a difficult relative, a problem at work, the noise that the car is making. The list could go on forever. There is a wonderful release of pressure when the solution presents itself. build bigger barns!!!
Now he can relax. In fact, in view of his improved economic state, he can eat, drink and be merry! It is time for him to roll over and slide gently into a night's good sleep.
Except......tomorrow will not come. Tonight his soul will be required of him. Tonight he returns to his maker. Who, then, will inherit all those possessions he has stored up so faithfully? Whose will they all be? That's Jesus' parable.
So, is this rich man greedy.....or prudent?
I would ask what point Jesus is trying to make, but Jesus is very clear from the beginning. "Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one's life does not consist in the abundance of possessions."
So, what is greed? Wanting more than you need? with a little on the side, and some put away for a rainy day, and some put aside for the children, and some put aside for wild adventures?
Can greed be a lifestyle? A value system?
Can you be poor and be greedy? Is wealth always a sign of greed?
Tomorrow we ask: Where in this story does the rich man go wrong? Because we already have enough difficult questions for one day.
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