Luke 12:16-21
Find a place and time free of distractions for the next 7-10 minutes. Take a moment to settle into your surroundings and then begin to recognize your breath. As you breathe in, call on the name of Jesus and become aware of his presence with you. As you breathe out, open your mind and heart to receive whatever Jesus has for you today.
As we listen to Jesus’ answer to the person in the crowd, read Luke 12:16-21 noting anything that stands out to you.
Jesus always sees below the surface, all the way down to our true motives. And for the person in the crowd the deeper motivation is greed rather than justice. The story Jesus tells illustrates the tragic emptiness that awaits those who set their sights on earthly gain rather than on God. It’s not wealth or hard work that Jesus condemns with this parable - Jesus is pointing out the tragedy of pursuing material riches while neglecting the pursuit of God and God’s Kingdom.
The rich man in the story has much more than he needs, but rather than share his abundance, his greed for more leads him to hoard his hard-earned wealth. He doesn’t recognize the generosity of God – the fertile soil, his ability to work – and he doesn’t acknowledge that these good things are gifts from God.
Stop to think about your life for a moment. Do you recognize that everything – material, physical, spiritual, emotional, mental – is given to you by God? Is there anything you have that you might be holding onto tightly because you believe you have earned it? Share any thoughts or feelings about this with Jesus.
Read Luke 12:16-21 again.
In God’s Kingdom realm there is no greed. Everyone has enough, and everyone is committed to the well-being of everyone else. Justice, or righteousness, is only possible when we are trusting God for our own needs and caring for the needs of others. And justice is one of the key markers of shalom.
To experience shalom in our own lives we must practice contentment, compassion, and generosity. And these are possible only when we are focused on a rich relationship with God.
Meditate on this idea for a while. How have you seen yourself growing in contentment, compassion, and generosity? What might this tell you about the quality of your relationship with God?
Talk openly with Jesus about this and then get quiet and listen to him.
What might Jesus want you to realize or do after meditating on this parable?
How will you respond to that?
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