A
few days ago, we meet the rich young ruler as he encountered the Lord Jesus and
ask him what he could do to inherit eternal life. If we had been standing along
the side of the dusty road that had led him to Jesus, we would have seen him
leave the same way he came...but not in the same state of mind.
When
our young man approached Jesus that day, he was expecting to get a pat on the
back for his well chosen lifestyle and the many good things he had done by
keeping the commandments. In fact, he had bragged to Christ that he had kept
all those commandments that Jesus mentioned from the days of his early youth.
However, Christ told him what he lacked and what was now required for him to do
if he was sincere in his search for eternal life....and as we see from our
nearby proximity, he turns and walks away; head hung low, drooped shoulders,
furrowed brow, a scowl on his face and no swagger to his step. Why? Because he
could not do what Christ commanded him to do.
So
what happens to this young man as the years roll by? Does he change his mind
set sometime later and make the necessary change that Jesus required him to
make? I think not since we all know the old saying, "A leopard can't change its spots." So what happens to
the young man as the years stack up...I think Jesus may have given us a hint of
what became of our rich young ruler in Luke 12:16-21.
In
the verses that precede our focal passage, Jesus is dealing with a family
dispute over an inheritance and tells the petitioner who has asked him to
arbitrate this matter, “Watch out! Be on your guard against wanting
to have more and more things. Life is not made up of how much a person has.”
It is at this point that he turns to his disciples, the crowd and us if we are
listening;
Then
Jesus told them a story. He said, “A certain rich man’s land produced a very
large crop. He thought to himself, ‘What should I do? I don’t have any
place to store my crops." “Then
he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones.
I will store my extra grain in them. I’ll say to myself, You have plenty of grain stored
away for many years. Take life easy. Eat, drink and have a good time.” “But God said to him, ‘You foolish man! Tonight I
will take your life away from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for
yourself?’ And then Jesus brought this wonderful teaching lesson to a
poignant conclusion as only He can when He said; “That is how it will be for whoever stores things away
for themselves but is not rich in the sight of God.”
I
can't help but see the face of that rich young ruler in this story. Lines have
begun to etch his once young, handsome face; his physique is battled and
bruised from years of self-indulgence; aches and pains now greet him at the
start of each new day and remind him that there are less days before him than
there are days behind him. But that has not kept him from pursing his one true
love...wealth and the many things that such wealth can afford him.
I
can see the dilemma that his land manager has presented him as he shares the
news that there are more crops lying in the fields than his barns can currently
hold. What does the master of the estate want him to do? Should he burn the
fields and prepare for next season? Or harvest the crop and give the yield away
to the poor and needy? I can just see the rich man pacing to and fro across his
Persian rugs as he wrings his hands and wipes his brow.
And
then, without batting an eye, it hits him....TEAR DOWN WHAT HE HAS AND BUILD
BIGGER BARNS IN ORDER TO KEEP MORE....THUS ASSURING THAT MANY GOOD AND
PROPSPEROUS DAYS STILL LIE AHEAD!
There
is only one problem with that thought...thoughts like that which throughout his
many years of building his wealth have come with ease, just as natural as
taking a breath. His thought....
WHAT
MATTERS MOST IS.....ME!!!!
We
can see from this story that the thought of sharing his great abundance with
others in need NEVER enters his mind...he is still that same rich young man,
now just trapped in an older man's body. His mind set has never been altered or
swayed from seeking money, things, power or fame. He may still see himself as
"good" but his heart and soul worship his GOD of wealth.
The
saddest part of this story is the reflection of so many of us as we peer into
the mirror. We see closets filled overflowing with clothes we never wear; boxes
and boxes of "things" collected over the years; not priceless family
heirlooms, but STUFF....that unless we have marked the outside of the box, we
have no earthly idea what it is or why we are keeping it.
In
the neighborhood in which I live, almost everyone has a two-car garage;
however, I would guesstimate that less than half of my fellow neighbors can
park one, let alone, two cars in their garage. Why? TOO MUCH STUFF THAT THEY
ARE STORING IN THE PLACE MEANT TO PARK THEIR CAR...and yet, we are each more
like the rich man in this story that we would willingly admit.
I
wish I could offer a happy ending for our rich man in the middle of his midlife
crisis; but the story ends as it will for all of us...at some point in your
life, God will say, "IT IS OVER!"
And since none of us have ever seen a U-HAUL being towed behind a hearse,
we can be assured that you cannot take your STUFF (wealth) with you to the next
life. So, as God asked the rich man as he told him of his final fate...
WHO
GETS WHAT YOU ARE LEAVING BEHIND (my paraphrase)...and my question;
WAS
IT WORTH IT ALL TO GATHER GREAT WEALTH (stuff/things) AND NEGLECT THE THINGS OF
GOD...To be rich toward God and to know His blessings in this life prepares us
for our life of service to come. So, don't get caught up in gaining and holding
on to things...
RATHER...
Keep your hands and fingers flexible so that you do not hold too tightly to the
things of this world, but rather be a conduit of God's grace and abundance in
your life, so that you can serve God anonymously in whatever situation God lays
before you.
If
you do this, then Christ will never have to tell the story of you... as the
rich man who lived a foolish life. Yes, I believe there is a good possibility
that in the continuing saga in the life of the rich young ruler, he became a
very rich man by holding tightly to all he could possess...and then, dying and
leaving it all behind to someone who did not share his same affinity for
things...thus, it counted for naught on
the scales of life.
So
how do you measure up today? Are you ready to tear down barns to make room for
more stuff? Or are you living life, day to day, with an open hand, open heart
and open checkbook?
I
truly believe that if you want to see where your heart truly lies as you live
out your life, waiting and working in service for God, just look at the entries
in your check book or check the charges on your credit card statement....it
will tell you if you are living to share in your abundance or building bigger
barns!
Living
as a Rich man...Wealthy in the Ways of Christ,
WPQ
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