FOOLISHNESS: The Mark of an Idolater

Luke 12:13-21 THE PARABLE OF THE RICH FOOL A mans life does not depend on his wealth (v.15). It is a good thing for us to hear these words in the midst of globalization mania. The old proverb money isnt happiness hardly convinces us any more, and yet, it only repeats the words of Jesus in another form. Just in the parable which was read to us, Jesus illustrates in a realistic and literal way the idea that a mans life does not depend on his wealth, since the man in his parable dies on the day he attains the pinnacle of financial success. His wealth was no guarantee of life, did not provide a life-insurance and no mistake about that. But Jesus is doubtless not referring merely to biological life. The life of person is made of everything which gives him joy and happiness, drive and creativity. That also is not guaranteed by wealth. The parable just repeat what the Psalmist said Fools say to themselves `There is no God! (Ps 14.1). He is the practical atheist. In complete opposition to him, the wise man is he who bases his whole life on God and can say: I gain wisdom from your laws (Ps 119.104). One who deceives and who promotes idolatry is like the guy in the parable a fool. However there seems to be a contradiction in the story- a paradox. The rich man of this parable is a keen businessman in a sense. From the strictly human point of view, his plans are full of common sense. He decides, as a result of a bumper harvest, to go on an early retirement
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so as to enjoy life a bit. This, at least, is better than working steadily up to his last breath, when nothing compels him to do so. Secondly, he knows very well that fortunes have been lost because of inadequate storage; as for him, he will not risk being taken unawares, he will build bigger silos. Finally, regarding his retirement, he sees it as comfortable and generous; our man is not a penny-pincher and knows how to have a good time with the money that a lifetime of work has accumulated. What can be said against that? At yet, the verdict of Jesus cracks like a whiplash: You fool! This rich man had constantly reasoned as if God did not exist, he who is the master of time, and as if he could dispose of the future. Ive got an abundance of goods in store, enough to last for many years, he had thought. This is were he went wrong. His possessions were only lent to him, and this for a period over which he had no control. But he figured that a long life would automatically correspond to great wealth. However, a mans life does not depend on his wealth (v.15). Against death, there is not wealth that can withstand. Heart attacks and cancers do not take fortunes into account. The folly of this man lay in the false security which he drew from his wealth. He should have stake on God rather than on Mammon. Never before as nowadays has security been talked about or sought under so many forms: insurance companies; social security plans, stock options, syndicates, national defense, armament, international treaties, Visiting Forces Agreement. And yet, a fundamental insecurity remains because of death. Must we therefore constantly live in insecurity? Must we accept insecurity as our lot and our fate? Jesus answer: no, trust in the only thing which can give you absolute
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security, trust in God. To believe is to build ones ultimate security, on God. With him, even death acquires meaning. It does not take us by surprise as it did the rich man of the parable, shattering all his beautiful plans. Death is an essential part of ones plans and projects, when one trust in God. It even becomes the supreme fulfillment of the faithful heart, whose greatest desire is to pass on to God, at last. But the rich fool places his security on something that is transitory. The man of the parable relied on another kind of wealth, and he saw his world fall apart under his eyes. He was blinded by wealth and by his own success. He became a captive to his own self. He fell in-love to himself. The parable of the rich fool illustrate the seductiveness and deceitfulness of riches. Their deceitfulness lies in their tendency to give people false sense of security, to fill peoples thoughts and imaginations, and to stifle any involvement with neighbors. Today we may become like the rich fool. When we are captivated by the gods of globalization and have ordered our existence as though God never existed. We begin to accumulate things to create a false sense of security. We begin to subscribe to the philosophy that have more is better- more of this and more of that. We begin to follow the dreams and vision of the purveyors of globalization. We desire to be like them. We become blinded. Since the purveyors of globalization are following a blind god surely they would fall into a pit. When we follow a blind man we would also fall into the pit. We would not realize that we are engaged in foolish things. We become stupid enough to condone things that would destroy ourselves. To mention a few of these foolishness:

 There is an increase in the use violence in settling disagreements and conflicts. We are attracted to the RAMBO solution or the ERAP final option: KILL THEM ALL! Almost nowhere are debts being reduced. Third World countries continue to seek new loans to refinance old debts they cannot meet, and these are not forthcoming unless such countries belttighten-that is, reduce food subsidies and health and education services to the poor.
Environmental destruction is accelerating, not decelerating. Locally, the loss of forests, soil erosion, and overdrafts of groundwater continue. Pollution problems are increasing as water are poisoned or salinated, forests and lake are decimated by acid rain.

We continue to manufacture weapons of mass destruction. If the present trends continue, the world in 2000 will be more overcrowded, more polluted, less stable ecologically and more vulnerable to disruption than that of the world we live in now. If we choose to continue to behave as though there is no God. How foolish have we become. This reminded me of story of a foolish fox, which I would like to share it with you.
The Talmud tells a parable about a wily fox who outwitted himself. He found an unattended vineyard, with luscious grapes visible just beyond a high fence. He could not jump over the fence. At last, however, he discovered a small hole in one of the boards of the fence. He squeezed and squirmed his way through it. Nobody came through the vineyard, and for three days the fox lost himself in uncontrolled gluttony, gorging himself with the luscious ripe grapes. At last, unable to bear the sight of another grape, he staggered to the hole in the fence and tried to crawl through. Alas! His stomach was so stuffed and paunchy that he could not get back through the small hole. How was he to make himself smaller? There was nothing to do but fast. And fast he did, for seven full days. Only then was he able to get outas thin as he had been when he had come in. He had suffered so much that it quite wiped away his gluttonous pleasure.

Have we become so foolish that we would not recognize God justice and judgment? I hope not. The parable is a reminder to all of us. Not only to the rich. If a person is rich in anything, whatever, rich in talent, intelligence , know how, popularity, character, love, and enjoys that wealth without reference to God, that person is no less in danger than the man of the parable. That is why prosperity and success may sometimes be harmful to us, whereas failure and trials may be beneficial. Not that we should run after failure and trials in a sorry and unwholesome way. But, while positively seeking success, we must know how to accept limitation when it present itself. Recognizing ones limitation or mortality has the advantage of bringing us back to reality. On this very night you will lose your life (v.20). The essential thing is precisely that we belong to the Lord. It matters little whether we belong to him in success or in failure, in life or in death. None of us lives to himself and none of us dies to himself. If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lords (Rom 14, 7-8). In other words, all is ours, we are Christs and Christ is Gods (1 Cor 3,23). The Scripture affirms the truth that despite the suffering and evils that exist in the world, God remains in control of all events. Hence, Christians do not deny the reality of evil and death. We face suffering and evil with the hope and assurance of the promise of God that at the end of time God will triumph over evil and death. God has a plan for

us. That this world of today where death, pain and sorrow exist is only temporary. Christians know that the day is coming when there won't be any more tears and crying, because there won't be any more bad things happening. That may be a long time from now, but we know that day is coming, so we rejoice. For we have the assurance that Jesus has overcome death. It will cease to be mans enemy. For in Christ, death is not the final destiny.

In Pauls writings we find this expression the unsearchable richness of Christ (Eph3,8). And indeed, Christ is rich of God: In him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily(Col 2,9). But his greatest desire is to share his wealth with us. For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ that though he was rich, yet for our sake he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich (2Cor 8,9). Thus to become rich of Christ is the only wealth that matters, since he is our sole treasure. The choice in favor of Christ is really the only one that matter. When everything else is wanting he is always, utterly unreliable. By following Christ we entrust ourselves to God. A Christian can keep rejoicing and giving thanks to God despite the pain and suffering in the present life. A Christian can face these unexpected happenings with serenity and faith in God's providence. Adversities, suffering and failures in life can be understood to be the way God is dealing with us to test and increase our faith; providence uses our affliction to bring us closer inwardly to God, to trust, obedience, humility and submission. Perhaps
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we have trusted too much in our earthly success and so in our own wit and capacities - then failures can bring us to a deeper sense of transitoriness of success and the limitation of our own powers. Or adversity can become a challenge and a trial for us and so a means of strengthening our denial of self, our obedience and so our dependence on God. It can also provides us with opportunities for sacrifice not only for the gospel but for "any just cause." Adversity sent us by providence, can draw us out of ourselves to the service of others. Finally, adversity can awaken in us the consciousness of our own past sins; through afflictions, pain and failures providence is chastising us. Reminding that we have been seduced and deceived by the new idols of our time.