Luke 12:13-21 “Bigger Barns”

Our story this morning starts with the man who shouts out to Jesus from the crowd, “Teacher, help me to get what I have coming to me!” He wants Jesus to judge over his brother, so that he himself might get the inheritance from his father. We do not know this man’s name, but in fact we do know him. He is the one that thinks that life has been unfair to him. You know him! He is the one who has waited in his life for things to come his way, but then discovered that his brother gets the jackpot, not him. He is the guy who hates his brother because his brother is driving the better car, living in the bigger house, and seems to have had an easier time of it from the very start, though he may not be deserving of this.

We have a word that describes this man. We do not use this word in the vernacular anymore. Maybe we do not use it anymore because we do not think that it is a problem anymore: the word is “covet.” Our text today avoids the word by changing it out to “greed.” It is not the same, though greed is bad.

The very last of the Ten Commandments that Moses took down off Mount Sinai directly written by the hand of God says, “Thou shalt not covet.” (Exodus 20:17) You shall not covet your neighbor’s ox, or his wife, and so on! Maybe we do not think that it is wrong today to want what others have, but God thought it was important enough to list it in the Ten Commandments alongside of stealing and murder.

I do not know if you all can recall that scene in the movie “The Silence of the Lambs” in which FBI agent Starling is asking Dr. Hannibal Lecter about a serial killer she is trying to find. He asks her, “What is his basic nature? What feeds his need to kill?” She fumbles with the response, and finally he answers the question for her: “He covets what he cannot have.”

Psychologists will tell you that the emotion of anger is caused when we are not getting what we think we need or want. Anger is the basic emotional outcome therefore of coveting. This man who comes before Jesus asking for his inheritance is angry with his brother even though his brother has done nothing to deserve this anger being directed at him.

We look over at others in anger, thinking “Why can’t I live his life? Or, her life?” Why am I stuck with this life when I look over and see others apparently living better off than me?

Within the context of our scripture for today, I want to point out that part of the problem with this man wanting his inheritance is the system of primogeniture. The first son in the family inherits the title and possessions of the father. The second son gets nothing. All of the other siblings are to look up to the first son in the family as the new patriarch of the clan. So, why would this man go to Jesus to ask him to have his elder brother give him some of the inheritance? Well, the simple fact of the matter is that if the second son wants to inherit, then he has to get rid of the first son! So, asking for money in this case is preferable to fratricide. You just pay off your would-be murderer! Or, you could as the first son go ahead and have your little brother murdered before he murders you. It was a very flawed system of familial inheritance.

Yet, this system of inheritance is still in play in Britain today. It is fascinating to see how the power is passed off to King Charles III but then eventually to his two sons, the eldest being the inheritor of the crown eventually.

When Jesus answers this man back saying “Life is not about abundance of possessions!” we all are cheering Him on! We live in a world today that likes to say, “He who has the most toys in the end wins.” Yet, honestly, we do not get a trophy in this life for finishing with the most junk piled up in the garage, not even the most money in the bank.

We know what life is about. Forrest Gump says that life is like a box of chocolates. We know that that is not really true! Here on Kauai life is about the perfect mango that falls naturally from the tree just as you are walking under it. Life is not about not knowing what you are going to get, but rather knowing for sure that God’s blessings can hit you in any moment.

One eye-opening conversation I had with my uncle while I was at his bedside in Germany recently was that he still harbored some animosity towards my father, his brother, because of inheritance when my grandparents both died. There was no will, so the inheritance went to probate court, where my father convinced the judge to grant him more of the inheritance because he had four children; whereas, my uncle had none. My uncle did not agree but thought the inheritance should have been 50/50 between the two sons. Now my uncle is on his deathbed and is still hurting after so many years. And, he is about to meet his brother up in heaven. I just do not know how that is going to be there.

The huge irony of this passage is that although Jesus says that he is not judge and arbitrator—he really is! One day we will all be before Jesus as the Book of Life is opened. So, we might as well reconcile with our brother today rather than have to explain ourselves in heaven!

Isn’t that just the stupidest thing? It does not matter what a brother has. The fact that I had a brother growing up is that blessing from God that I should not miss! What more could I have ever asked for from God—except I also had two sisters! We should only ever just want our brothers and sisters—not what they have—just their love and care in our lives.

Jesus tells this man a parable. We call it today the parable of the “Rich Fool.” A farmer has a good crop. The mango has fallen upon his head! He has received that blessing from God. Yet, somehow he thinks he has earned himself the right to take early retirement for the rest of his life. He is going to build bigger barns to hold it all. A barn was a huge protected storage house made of stone and surrounded by walls in those days. So, he is going to try to protect what he has for himself.

What is interesting to note is the foolishness of this idea from the very start. If you look in verse 18 of the pew bible it says “grain.” The reality is that the Greek word here is “fruit.” It denotes that it is something that spoils much like fruit will once it is picked.

We know from the story of Joseph in Egypt that in the day one could store wheat up to seven years. That was the time of plenty that the Bible mentions. However, for the day that was really just about as long as one could safely keep wheat, or grain, stored before it would naturally go bad. Today we have systems of vacuum packing products that gives them a much longer shelf life. Still, nothing lasts forever. It is foolish to think such.

I want to focus finally on the last line of today’s scripture: “So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich with God.”

Have you ever wondered what God’s real name is? Some people say that it is “Jehovah.” But, for sure, our scripture here today tells us that God’s name is “Rich.” I know that I am talking nonsense. Just wanted to make sure you were still listening!

The Greek word here for what has been translated as “rich” is πλουτος. Yes, this is like the dwarf planet Pluto, or Mickey Mouse’s dog. It literally means “plump.” Therefore, the Pastor Olaf translation here runs, “We are not to plump up ourselves, but rather plump up God.”

This man in the parable says he is going to sit back on his haunches and “eat, drink, and be merry.” To be sure, this is a biblical quote from Ecclesiastes 8:15. The people in the crowd around Jesus probably would have recognized it. We still recognize it today as it has been repeated so very often. If you go into a bar, there is usually this quote hanging on a wall somewhere. It is always taken out of context! You have to read everything around this verse. It clearly states that most of life is our toiling in the sun, and that at times God gives us cause to eat, drink, and be merry. The bible does not say that you should stop toiling: “. . .For this will go with them in their toil through the days of life that God gives them under the sun.”

This quote does not say that we should sit around plumping up. It says that God has given us work to do. And, God has given us blessings to celebrate. Whatever we do, it is to make God great—not ourselves. Do not make bigger barns, but make bigger God!

Jesus himself did not come down from heaven and go through his sacrifice for his own sake. Jesus never entertained the idea that he was going to get anything from any harvest except our souls back to God! Please, Lord, let us not forget what the true harvest is all about!

You want to build bigger barns here on earth? Don’t forget, as we read in John 14, God is preparing mansions in heaven for us! Barn or mansion, your choice! Death on earth, or life in heaven. You decide! I am going to commend you to be rich in God!

Amen.