Bigger Barns

Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”
Jesus replied, “Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?” Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”
And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’
“Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’
“But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’
“This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.” Luke 12:13-21

I find it fascinating that whenever someone came to Jesus demanding that He correct the behavior of another, the complaint backfired on the complainer (see Luke 10: 40-41, Martha). The reprimand was always directed to the one doing the whining. OOps! There are lessons to be learned here, but perhaps not the ones we anticipated.

Lesson #1: Jesus was not here to arbitrate earthly disputes. His mission was of eternal consequence and entirely spiritual in application.
Lesson #2: This dispute was all about greed. The brother who controlled the inheritance apparently didn't intend to share. The younger (?) brother probably couldn't think of anything else. Greed has a way of consuming those who indulge in it. Both were "me-firsters." Each category of lust develops its own personal characteristics. People who lust after money will usually justify anything to get it and organize their daily lives around acquiring it. The love of money is a 24/7 way of life.
Lesson #3: We don't know what tomorrow will bring. So you're rich, your crops have yielded abundantly. How will you conduct your life in view of this good fortune? By hoarding the produce for yourself? Building bigger barns? Opulent self-indulgence? Counting your money rather than seeking the Kingdom of God? Securing your wealth rather than securing your soul? Well, you're a fool. You will die tonight, and then all your hoarded treasure will belong to someone else, to do with as he pleases.

Lesson for me: be careful what I whine to Jesus about. He's likely to show me my own shortcomings rather than give me satisfaction regarding my complaints of others. So far, in following Him around the gospel of Luke, that is what I've observed. A favorite Bible teacher of mine used to admonish: "the place you don't wanna be is between God and the one He is disciplining. In that position, the discipline will come directly to you" (my paraphrase, of course). Thank you, Lord, for putting the petty details of my life into perspective for the long term. We sheep need your constant care and correction.