November 12, 2023: Saving, Storing and Dying - Michael Hidalgo

How much anxiety, worry and fear stem from what we do or do not possess? It’s interesting to note that consternation over possessions is actually what leads Jesus to tell this story. A man wants Jesus to help him get his share of his inheritance. It makes sense, if he’s been cheated out of his share that he would want what’s coming to him. Jesus, however tells a story that insists true life is not the result of amassing possessions. In this story Jesus masterfully uses the first-person pronoun when speaking of the rich fool. His words are filled with “I”, “my”, “myself” and “me.” His pathetic situation of being wealthy and yet isolated is glaringly obvious to the hearer (see Isaiah 5.8), yet he is blind to his situation. It’s a hard story to hear because in so many ways it reflects back the desires so many have to attain wealth, amass possessions and get more and more. The message Jesus delivers is straight forward: The wealth you make in this life will give you all the life you will ever have. What God wants for us is to be wealthy in our hearts toward him, for then we will enjoy life now and the life to come.