Preaching and the Land - Luke 12:13-21

Only in Luke's gospel do we have Jesus' encounter with a man demanding that Jesus play the role of "judge and jury" between him and his brother.  After stiffly rebuking the man, Jesus tells the parable of the Rich Fool.  In this teachable moment, he instructs as to "true richness."

Since this text for Sunday is a parable, we might ask if the Fifth Gospel offers us any assistance with interpretation and application.  Here are a few insights:

• If parables are earthly stories with heavenly meanings, then some of the details might enrich our understanding of Jesus' teaching
• The setting for Jesus' encounter was somewhere on the road up to Jerusalem
• Rabbis were often called upon to offer judgments and decide between individuals
• But Jesus refused the role imposed by one of the brothers
• "Barns" in the 1st century rarely fit our images of the same

Grain Silo at Megiddo

• The brother's understanding of barn may have been like the underground silos of the day but on a smaller scale

With water sources limited in the land and rainfall always variable, the farmer was wise in planning for the future.  But he is most foolish to depend solely on himself in this life.  God is the source of water and crops, the future and the present, and the Giver of true richness.