Our text begins with Jesus being asked to resolve a disagreement between two brothers. Traditionally, the older brother would be given twice as much as a younger brother for an inheritance. Also, the inheritance should not be expected until after the father died. It is likely that the man who complained in verse 13 ignored both of these details. If and when the father died, an inheritance would be distributed to the two brothers. Apparently, the brother making the complaint to Jesus wanted more than his share from his father and a part of the share that should’ve gone to the other brother. This man indicated his own dissatisfaction for the situation. No matter how we look at it, the complaining brother had no grounds for complaint. Jesus told a parable in the rest of our text about a man who was extremely successful but one who had more interest in possessions than the well-being of his own soul. Let us turn our attention to the key figure Jesus mentioned in this parable.
The man was prosperous. Certainly, his peers would have been eager to offer worldly honor and applause for the accomplishments that he made. (Psalm 49:18) He was the owner of the seed. He was the owner of the ground. He was the owner of the crops. He was the owner of the barns. The test of his character was in the basis of his prosperity. This was a greater test than if he had found himself in a difficult situation. He took the initiative to pull down his barns and replace them without any consideration for other people. Perhaps there were those nearby in need of food or shelter, but the prosperous man gave no thought to such an individual.
He found himself in a predicament according to verse 17. He asked himself, “What shall I do?” The solution he reached was all about himself. He took no account for the fact that God was aware of his internal debate. The question he presented to himself was the result of a plentiful harvest. It was a harvest that he did not recognize was a blessing from God. It was heavy on his mind what to do yet he had no consideration for God. He sought no divine guidance. It was as if he was unconscious to how important the situation was for his own future that did not involve crops but eternal destiny. The answer he provided himself was an indication of his character.
He made a tragic decision by saying that he would tear down his barns and build bigger ones. Up until this point he was only impressed with his own success. By the decision he made, the man brought upon himself a commitment to follow his own desires. By leaving God out of the discussion, he set himself on the road to tragedy. At first, he debated the problem. Then he committed himself to his solution. This is what the person did in verse 13 who came to Jesus. He assessed the problem as he saw it. He decided there had to be a solution that would be in his favor alone. The man in verse 13 and the man in the parable shared the same problem and reached a decision that was automatically in his favor without taking a whole picture into consideration. Both men voted God out of their deliberation. Both men schemed as only a mortal could scheme.
According to verse 19, the man in the parable allowed pride in his life as he told himself to take life easy. The theme of the parable for all of us is to be careful not to absorb our lives in selfishness and gratification. He became a self-centered man even though he may not have been that in the beginning. He was ignorant of his own spiritual poverty and the needs of the world around him. The man in verse 13 who asked the question of Jesus displayed his own ignorance for the sake of gain whether it was just or not. The path that he set himself upon was not unnoticed by God because God challenged the motives of his living that would eventually cost him his life. Too many people in this world are self-satisfied, who do not take God into consideration. It is a matter of trust whether it be in God or human abilities.
Verse 21 calls attention to the goals and accomplishments of the obsessed man who leaves God out of his thinking. To be rich in this world can mean poverty in eternity. Think of the riches that there is in Christ by just considering his grace and his glory. Remind yourself of the price he paid so that we don’t have to pay. Consider the privilege we have to share with others the unsearchable riches of Christ. (Ephesians 3: 8)
Christian Writer 