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Imagine an enormous open field in the midst of rolling hills. Because the thin grasses have not tasted rain for months, beige, not green, dominates the meadow. A layer of late summer dust hangs heavily over everything. The ground is strewn with rocks. Cicadas buzz in a scraggly, distant tree.

This place serves Jesus as an assembly hall. The Master preaches in a corner of the field, over there, surrounded on two sides by a high stone wall stacked by generations of farmers trying to clear the harsh land of stones that continue to push through the thin soil. Jesus chose this makeshift pulpit well. In the absence of microphone and amplifier, the stone wall becomes a soundboard to project his voice. A very large crowd gathers to hear Jesus.

The Master's preaching style differs from what is common today. Instead of transitioning his thoughts with commentary and reasoned connections, he strings not necessarily related pearls of wisdom along a stream of consciousness. Yet certain themes recur -- sin, forgiveness, fearlessness as the necessary attitude for victorious living.1

Jesus tells his audience to rely on the Holy Spirit in times of peril, and then he is interrupted. A man in the crowd blurts out, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me."

It was common practice to take unsettled disputes to respected rabbis. Jesus must have had that reputation. However, there is a time and place for everything. This man should make an appointment to discuss such a personal matter. Instead he interrupts the Master in mid-thought. This behavior speaks volumes about him. "Hey, Jesus, I really don't care to hear about the Holy Spirit. I really don't care that there are thousands of other people listening to you. I want you to drop everything and take care of my issue."

We all have encountered people like this. They live in a world bounded on the north, south, east, and west by themselves. A friend tells of hosting the after-performance reception for a noted pianist. For more than an hour, one guest after another approached the pianist to gush over him. He thoroughly enjoyed every over-blown compliment. Finally, the pianist called for the attention of the crowd. "Enough of you saying flattering things about me. Let me tell you how wonderful I thought my performance was."

This self-centered character in the crowd jumps to his feet and demands the Master give him undivided attention. "Jesus, stop talking and deal with my issue. I don't care about the needs of the rest of the people here. I am not getting my share of the family inheritance. I want you to do something about it right now!" This spoiled little adult/child then stomps his foot and threatens to hold his breath until he turns blue.

The Bible does not identify this man. The area is not well-populated, however, and we can assume everyone knows him. We don't know his name, but let us call him Eleazar and say that he lives in the village just over the hill. His father died last year and left the shoemaker business and a few gold coins to the older brother. Eleazar is not destitute. He farms a few acres on the outskirts of the village. By the standards of the time, he is comfortable. He is not, however, satisfied. He wants part of that cobbler business and a couple of those gold coins that were left to his brother. The Master knows his story. Eleazar has told it before. Jesus, however, does not want to get sucked into Eleazar's family fight over the inheritance. Few things are more dangerous than an outsider wading into another family's battle over money. Wisely, Jesus sidesteps Eleazar's demand. "Friend, who set me to be judge or arbitrator over you?" Then Eleazar sits down. He is disappointed, but everyone knows he will continue to complain to anyone who will listen.

Now, Jesus must find a way to get back the crowd's attention. They lost interest in the Master's discussion of the Holy Spirit the moment Eleazar brought up the topic of money. It set their minds wandering. "I cannot believe Eleazar is bringing up that inheritance again. I get so tired of hearing him talk about it." "He complains that he is being cheated, but he has more than most of us. I wish I had it as good as Eleazar." "I wonder if my father will leave me any money? That would sure be nice."

Because he knows those thoughts float through his audience's minds, Jesus turns the discussion to how material possessions do not ensure happiness. "Be on guard against all kinds of greed," Jesus says, "for one's life does not consist in the abundance of possessions." Without specifically mentioning him, apparently Jesus thinks the problem with the family inheritance is Eleazar's greed and not his brother's failure to share. Eleazar just cannot get enough.

Remember the scene from the 1970s movie Jaws. The marine biologist from Wood's Hole arrives on a New England island resort to help the local sheriff deal with an increase in shark attacks. Locals manage to catch one very large shark. They think this might be the one attacking swimmers. The marine biologist does an autopsy. From the belly of the beast he pulls one large fish after another. Before he is finished, a large pile of fish is removed from the belly. This shark has an enormous appetite. Then the biologist pulls out an electric blender. Then come several chunks and bits and assorted pieces of this and that. He reaches in again to extract an old Louisiana license plate. This shark's appetite knows no limits. It will eat anything!

Eleazar has the same problem. Nothing will satisfy him. He is an eating machine. Of course, he doesn't see it that way. Eleazar claims all he wants is for his brother to divide the inheritance with him. In truth, he is like the man who claimed that all he wanted was the land that adjoins his. When he acquired that, he said that all he wanted was the land that now adjoined his. The more he acquired, the more he wanted.

Getting more of the family inheritance will not satisfy Eleazar. More money will only increase his desire. Eleazar has what has been called "Sea-water Syndrome." The more the thirsty attempt to quench their thirst with salt water, the thirstier they become. By its nature, seawater creates thirst. It does not satisfy thirst. For Eleazar, trying to satisfy his craving with money equates to trying to satisfy thirst with salt water.

At this point, Jesus launches into a parable. These are the little stories with the surprise endings that the Master regularly told to illustrate life principles. "The land of a rich man produced abundantly. And he thought to himself, 'What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?' Then he said, 'I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.' "

Let me pause to draw your attention to a couple things. First, notice that the land produced abundantly even though the technology to increase production scientifically did not exist. Other than the obvious natural fertilizer, chemical additives and soil science were centuries into the future. The rich man just happened to own fertile land. He does not, however, have any trouble taking credit for the abundant harvest. He calls them "my" crops.

Second, notice the interesting way the rich man handles the storage problem. He does not build more barns. He tears down the old barns and builds larger ones. That solution reveals volumes about this fellow. More than increasing storage, he wants to impress the neighbors. "Cost is no object to me. Tear down the old barns." This man obviously has more money than sense. In a cash-strapped economy, he shows no concern for getting the most "bang for the buck." His money decisions are so curious that behind his back the neighbors start referring to him as "the American."

Jesus continues his parable by noting the man has a dream. The day will come, he thinks, when I will have enough. "And I will say to my soul, 'Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.' "

Can you imagine the conversations this man has with his family? "I know I work seven days a week and never get home for meals. When I get those new barns full, however, I will have plenty of time for the family. Kids, just a couple more good years at the farm and we will take that vacation. We will go surfing at Caesaria Maritima on the Mediterranean coast. Yes, my darling wife, I know if I had just added barns instead of building new ones we would have money to send Johnny to college, but better times are coming. The day will come when those barns will be full and I can say, 'I have enough.' "

That day does come, but it does not bring the total joy he expects. When the barns are full he thinks to himself: I can eat, drink, and be merry. But God says to him, " 'You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?' So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God."

Contrary to what you might be thinking, death is not punishment for his greediness. God is not fickle or capricious. Death is a normal event in each life. No matter how much wealth you acquire, no matter how successful you become, no matter how many barns you fill, you are going to die. Death always comes one to a customer. This fellow simply learns his appointment with the Grim Reaper comes the same day he tosses the last bushel of wheat into the last grain bin in the last barn.

When God says of him, "You fool!" it refers to the fact that he spent too much of his life building barns and filling them with grain and not nearly enough time building his life and filling it with good things.

The poet from Detroit, Edgar Guest, reminds us of the principle the rich man forgot:

Out of this life I shall never take
Things of silver and gold I make
All that I cherish and hoard away
After I leave on earth must stay.

Though I have toiled for a painting rare
To hang on my wall, I must leave it there.
Though I call it mine and boast its worth,
I must give it up when I leave the earth.

All that I gather and all that I keep
I must leave behind when I fall asleep.
And I wonder often what I shall own
In that other life when I pass alone.

What shall they find and what shall they see
In the soul that answers the call for me?
Shall the great Judge learn when my task is through
That my spirit had gathered some riches, too?

Or shall at the last it be mine to find
That all I had worked for I'd left behind?

"You fool! You think you filled those barns with grain. You think you did it with hard work and Yankee ingenuity. But you need to know that happened by God's grace. God supplied the fertile ground, the rain, and the sunshine. You cannot take credit for that. God did it for you. If you had only understood this truth, your life would have been so much more satisfying. If you had only trusted God's grace more and not thought you had to rely so heavily on your own strength. If you had only realized how many riches were yours for the enjoying -- the beauty of the sunset, the smell of the new-mown hay, the love of your family. Instead, you frittered away your years filling those barns and taking credit for doing what you never could have done without the grace of God. You fool. You fool!"

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1. William Barclay, The Daily Bible Series: The Gospel of Luke (Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1975), pp. 160-162.