JESUS AND THE BARN BUILDER

Text: Luke 12:13-34

Introduction: Jesus loved to tell stories and a lot of them were about money. Thirteen of the 34 parables Jesus taught had to do with money. In the Luke 16 parable of the unjust steward, the topic was stealing money. In the well-known story of the prodigal son, we read about wasting money. And in the account of a rich farmer in Luke 12, we are introduced to a man who loved money.

Jesus was in the middle of a sermon on some really heavy themes, when there was a rude interruption. “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me” (Luke 12:13). This may have been a younger brother who felt he had been shortchanged. The rule of thumb for the division of a father’s estate was two-thirds to the eldest brother, one-third to the younger brother, and the family farm to the eldest brother. This young man wanted Jesus to step in and solve the issue. He represents many today who are glad to come to Jesus as a problem solver, a judge, a teacher, or a good example. But in Luke 19:10, Jesus made His mission clear. “The Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

But Jesus was not finished with this issue. He shifted from His sermon to some teaching about greed and the meaning of life. The tenth commandment warns about coveting, and He sensed that this was the man’s real problem. So he told the parable about a barn builder (Luke 12:15-21). But before He began, He gave a warning: “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses” (12:15). This is a warning for us all!

The Story: Jesus introduces us to a wealthy farmer who has a bumper crop and decides to expand the farm. We learn the following:

• He was a good farmer. There is nothing in the story to picture this man as anything, but a really good farmer. He buys good seed and uses the very best fertilizer. His investment pays off in a bumper crop.

• He was industrious. Farming is hard work! I was brought up in a big city in New York. I had an aunt who lived 40 miles away on a farm. It was a treat to visit the farm—a new world of chickens, cattle, horses, barns, and fields of corn. Rarely did my aunt visit us, but when she did it was always brief. She had to get back to the farm at milking time. Through her I realized the long hours needed to be a good farmer. The rich farmer in the text had to work hard to produce a bumper crop.

• He was progressive. He was heading for an expansion program. Bulldoze the old barns, and up with the new!

• He was ready to retire. He had thought through his retirement carefully. He was ready to take his “ease; eat, drink, and be merry” (v.19). In today’s terms, we might say he was ready to try out the new rocking chair, check out the new restaurants in town, afford the very best wines, and travel to exotic places.
• He was a fool. The leaders in town probably considered this farmer successful, but God did not. He said to him, “Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?” (v.20).

• He was buried. The funeral service would be held in the synagogue in town he was always too busy to attend. Community leaders would wax eloquent in their eulogies: What an example of hard work this man was. But God had the last word. He had missed life! He wasn’t rich toward God (v.21)

The Rest of the Story (Luke 12:22-31): Why did Jesus add more teaching? His disciples and faithful followers were with Him. They had shunned greed and abundance and been rich toward God. Did He have a word for them? He gave them a do not worry teaching reminiscent of the Sermon on the Mount: “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about your body, what you will put on. Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing” (vv.22-23). Then He gave examples from the lesser to the greater. Though ravens and flowers are cared for by Almighty God, you are far more valuable. We are His children, and He is our heavenly Father. We are a part of the kingdom of God.
I had a funeral for a lifelong friend at the same time as Michael Jackson’s funeral was held. As I stood in the cemetery, I could not help but see a contrast. Michael’s funeral was viewed worldwide, but there were only 15 of us at the graveside of my friend. Michael’s casket was gold, her’s was modest. At Jackson’s funeral, eulogies abounded; but nothing was said about being rich toward God.

Before my friend’s committal, I asked if anyone wanted to say something about Virginia. A couple from Russia was thankful that she met them at the airport and introduced them to Jesus. A daughter who had wandered away from God, put her hand on the casket and said tearfully: “Let me tell you about my mother. When I took the prodigal’s road and finally came home, she never said, ‘I told you so.’ Instead, she taught me to sew, paid for violin lessons, and helped me raise my David and Jonathan. She loved me unconditionally. Mother was rich toward God, and I rise up and call her blessed.”

We become “rich toward God” on the day we experience “the riches of His grace” (Eph. 1:7) as demonstrated on the cross of Jesus—the day we understand the riches of our inheritance in Christ (v.18) and invite Jesus to be our Lord and Savior. If you haven’t already done so, will you pray and today ask Him to save you?