Thou fool; this night thy soul will be required of thee. Luke 12; 21 

Luke 12 21

 

Should a Christian be rich? A trust fund manager or A pension plan salesman?

It doesn't look it from this passage.

Why Fool?

The way it reads in the old version makes it sound like a bad bargain. God has got his beady eye on you and if he thinks you are getting too big for your boots he will haul you up before him and ask to see the condition of your soul. And if it is not up to scratch then........

It all seems a bit hard. All he was doing was to try and have a comfortable retirement - yet he gets condemned.

Does this mean we should neglect making plans and trying to take care for ourselves and spend our time looking after our souls?

No. And if we look at the new versions we will see that.

The word translated ‘soul’ should be ‘life’. Greeks thought of soul. Hebrews like Jesus thought of life. 

And when Jesus uses the word fool, maybe he means it as a matter of regret. "You foolish man! You're wasting your time". Rather like a child on the beach trying to keep back the sea with a sand wall

Foolish man, Jesus says, how do you think you can guarantee your comfort, when you can't even guarantee your life. Your barns might be here tomorrow morning but you might not be.

Plans & Circumstances

But this isn't just about fat cats with big bank balances. It is about us all. For this reason.

Like the man in the parable, we all want to feel safe. We spend most of lives planning for it and working for it.

We do try to get a decent job, and a decent house. Put a little bit away, get a job with a pension. Make sure we claim everything on the tax or on the welfare that is due to us.

We try to sort the diet out and avoid cholesterol, and sugar and all the other foods that are supposed to do us harm.

We go for our regular screenings, health checks and jabs.

We might even be trying to win the lottery to help us to get through.

And all with one aim - so we can say to ourselves, I've thought of everything, planned it all out, made provision - I'm safe now!

But in our heart of hearts, we know we can never get to that - for the same reason. Apart from the obvious threat of death, disaster can come out of a clear blue sky.

Or disease can strike us down. Our relatives can get into trouble with the police, marriages can break up.

That's why Jesus looks at our anxious attempts to feel safe and says - don't be so foolish - you can't be safe by planning and putting away. Life itself is very uncertain.

There is only one thing you can do, he says, and that is to put your whole trust in God.

Work through the "yes, but". I am amazed at what some people make their lives out of. They have lived the "yes but".

What difference does it make?

   The most obvious thing is that it strikes at the fear and anxiety inside.

   It holds you fast when things start to go wrong. You know that your life depends on the love of God - not on fickle circumstance

   It stops you being self-centred. It amazes me how folk with plenty and who have been blessed bore others about their misfortunes. You are free to help others less fortunate than you are.

   Finally, it gives you the space to enjoy life. You don't spend it all trying to fend off circumstances, or putting in place what you need to enjoy life. You take each day as it comes, put yourself in God's care and take the blessings the day has.

You finally learn that you are safe - not because suffering will not come your way, nor because you can protect yourself from them all, but because living or dying, suffering or rejoicing, God will hold you

 Underneath are the everlasting arms.