The Reverend Kirk T. Berlenbach

Proper 13, Year C

August 1, 2010

“Jerk.” “Dork.” “Weiner.” Insults. Name calling. We have both received and given them and for the most part, they are simply words. But then there are those terms or words that cross the line and constitute an insult that we cannot simply overlook. Such words often are the most base and derogatory of terms often having to do with ethnicity or gender and when they are used they tend to provoke a heated response if not a fight. Of course such terms are not universal. What might be a mortal insult in one country is a harmless remark in another. For example when I lived in Vancouver I learned that the surest way to get punched in the face by a Newfoundlander was to call them a “goof.” For me the term was hardly even an insult I quickly learned that it was never something you wanted to say to a Newfie, that is unless you wanted to fight.

In his Sermon on the Mount Jesus warns us against using such gravely insulting terms. He said that the language we use can be sinful, and if we use the most scornful language it is as bad as an act of murder. Now the word that Jesus uses to illustrate this point is “fool.’ And he tells us that if we call somebody a fool, it is such an evil act that we "will be liable to the hell of fire” for it. (Matt 5:22) Like “goof” this term it is not a particularly grievous insult to us, but for Jesus and the people of his time, it was one of the words you didn’t dare use unless you were prepared for the consequences of using it.

And yet, in today’s Gospel Jesus himself uses that term in a parable. (Luke 12:20) If Jesus, who warned especially against using a the term “fool” used the term we can assume that he knew what he was saying. So it would be good to know just what this man did to merit Jesus using the gravest of insults.

It happened this way. One day while Jesus was teaching, a man in the crowd interrupted him. He said, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me."  But Jesus answered quite sharply. He refused to be an arbitrator between the brothers. Instead, he warned against "all kinds of greed." To really illustrate the point Jesus tells a parable and it is here that he uses the term “fool.”

The parable is the story of a prosperous farmer. One year he brings in a bumper crop. The right weather conditions combine with his hard work and careful management and his fields are simply bursting with produce. Such a harvest meant not only that he would have plenty to eat but also would set him up with wealth for years to come. In fact the crop is so abundant that he has to build larger barns just to hold it. It is a farmer’s dream come true. So why does Jesus then deride this man? From what we can infer he is an honest man who has worked hard for his wealth. Nowhere does Jesus condemn him for defrauding his neighbors or taking advantage of his workers. Indeed, this man is the very picture of respectability. He is hard working and a good manager. He has earned his success and enjoys what everyone else would call a good life. Yet G-D calls this man a fool. The question is, why?

The most obvious answer is that he failed to remember his own mortality. Before he can enjoy the fruits of his labor and good fortune, the farmer just drops dead. Although he is a good planner he seems to have considered every future scenario except that one – the one that is guaranteed for all of us. The man is a fool because he believes that his ample goods will safeguard his future against any and all possibility but it cannot protect him from death. As a result, the bumper crop that he so carefully cultivated wind up in the hands of others and he loses not only his wealth, but his life.

But that hardly makes him unique. Most of us wander through life in denial about the reality of death. So it does not really explain why Jesus treats him with such scorn. Well, then perhaps it is his wealth? After all, Jesus has very few nice things to say about those who are rich and often condemns money. However he never says that wealth or possessions are inherently evil. Rather, what Jesus does is to point out that wealth and material possessions can become an enormous obstacle between us and G-D and one that readily prevents us from living as G-D intends. Indeed, in this parable the farmer in the story is not criticized for storing up his treasures; he is criticized for storing up his treasures while not being “rich towards God.” And it is his attitude towards wealth which in turn reveals much more profound spiritual problems.

If we start to look beneath his successful and respectable facade, we find that our farmer has a painfully shallow understanding of life. Everything is measured in terms of wealth. As a result he is totally self-absorbed. Eleven times he uses the first-person ("I" and "my") and never "our" or "their." He lives for himself… he plants for himself, builds for himself, reaps for himself, speaks to himself and thinks only of himself and his sudden death is what ultimately proves him to be a fool. Does he thank G-D for his good fortune? Does he offer a tithe to G-D in thanksgiving? Does he share anything with his neighbors? No, he focuses only on himself figuring that he can be self-sufficient and secure solely because his barns are bursting.  Of course in the end we find out how very wrong he was and why Jesus called him a “fool.”

Even though most of us don’t have to worry about managing a fortune we still have to struggle with the same issues. At the heart of the issue is one simple question; what do we truly value? What gives us our sense of value? In a culture that is obsessed with material goods and wealth it is hard for even the most committed Christians to avoid getting sucked into the trap of the rich farmer. Although we may not be as rich we still act like him. His anxiety about the inadequacy of his barns mirrors our own preoccupation with our possessions… we protect them with security systems; we try hard to invest them safely, and in general we worry about them and about trying to get more. So long as we look to them for our value and our security we cannot find the true and lasting security that comes from rooting ourselves in G-D and in G-D alone. Indeed, this is the only security that can stand against the illness, misfortune and calamity that strikes each one of us… and it is the only thing that can stand against the certainty of death. When we root ourselves in that, we find that the anxieties of life no longer loom quite as large. As a result, we are freed to stop worrying if we will have enough and instead to more fully enjoy and to share what we do have.

The Marquis de Lafayette, who played such a vital role in our Revolutionary War, gives a fine example of the generosity that such faith can produce. When he returned home to France, he lived on his big estates and did very well.  In fact, you could say he was not all that different economically from the rich man in Jesus' parable. However, he acted very differently. In 1783, after a poor harvest, Lafayette's workers were still able to fill his barns with wheat. "The bad harvest has raised the price of wheat," said one of his workers. "This is the time to sell." Lafayette thought about the hungry peasants in the surrounding villages. "No," he replied, "this is the time to give." Unlike the foolish farmer, who would have used the opportunity to enrich himself at his neighbor’s expense, Lafayette truly demonstrated what it is to be, "rich toward G-D.”

Balancing wealth and faith is incredibly difficult. Regardless of whether we are rich or poor, money still manages to get between us and G-D. It confuses and muddles our priorities. As difficult as it may be, we must not look to our possessions for security and allow them to define our self worth. How many of us calculate our own value as people based on the price tag of the things we own? Whenever we do that, we not only take a step back in our faith, we also sell ourselves short by missing the incalculable worth of our own lives, how precious we are in God's eyes.  The fact is the G-D loves you enough not only to have created you out of nothing, but the n to also have given up his own life in order to save your life. That is value that no amount of money can buy and no amount of power can acquire… that is value beyond estimation and it is ours, simply for the asking and it would be foolish indeed to pass it up.