A Full Barn and an Empty Heart Luke 12
Introduction
Leo Tolstoy understood this passage very well. He wrote a short story titled, “How Much Land Does a Man Require?” It is about a Russian peasant named Pahom. He hears his wife and her sister talking about town life versus farm life. Pahom thinks, “If I had enough land, I wouldn’t even fear the devil.” Well, he didn’t know that the devil was listening.
Leo Tolstoy.
Pahom works on a farming commune but becomes very aggravated and territorial with his land. This causes arguments, so he eventually moves and strikes success. He amasses a small fortune, but is that enough for him? No.
He buys and trades land, always upgrading, and then one day he is told of a family named the Bashkirs who are simple-minded and have a lot of land. Well, he’s proven that he is business smart, so he goes to them thinking that he will come out on top.
He talks with the Bashkirs and they are open to a land deal, but this is not a common deal. They will sell land to him for 1,000 rubles. How much land? They said that he could walk around as much land as he wanted. He just needed to mark his path with a spade AND he had to get back to where he started by sunset. All of the land within his path would be his. If he doesn’t, he loses his 1,000 rubles.
How much land does a person need?
This is his big break, to finally get enough.
That night he went to sleep and he had a dream in which he is lying dead at the feet of the devil and the devil is laughing.
Pahom starts out excitedly and he goes all day, marking the land as he goes. He can just picture what his new life will be like. He looks up and notices the sun is about to set and that he is far away from his starting point. This utopian dream is about to vanish! His heart races and the adrenaline is pumping. He finally arrives just as the sun is setting and the family Bashkirs cheer for his excellent work.
But, exhausted from the day’s work and the frantic run, Pahom drops dead. The servants bury him in a grave that is only six feet long. That’s how much land a man requires.
The Man in Luke 12:12
The man in the parable is not a fool for owning a business. He is not a fool for making a profit. He is not a fool for saving money. He’s not a fool for thinking about his long-term financial situation. He is a fool because he lacks charity. He has a full barn and an empty heart. The harvest was healthy; his heart was sick.
There are a few points of irony in the parable.
He thinks he is thinking of the long-term (I’ll have plenty as I age), but Jesus teaches that our life goes beyond our lifetime.
He calculated his surplus but did not think of being accountable to God.
He has valuable products but lacks the values of charity and generosity.
His perspective is siloed; his barns are big but his perspective is so small.
It doesn’t see the enough he already has.
How much is enough?
As he stood on the edge of his property and saw the other men reaping what he did not sow, he rejoiced. “Now, soul, you can be happy. The harvesters are finished.” Yet that very night another reaper came and took him from Earth.
Jesus gets to the punchline: “So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God.”
Why Did Jesus Tell the Parable of The Rich Fool in Luke 12:12?
The story was prompted by a man who called out to Jesus, “Rabbi, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.”
Out of all the responses, why did Jesus respond with the Parable of the Rich Fool?
In first-century Palestine (and we read in Deuteronomy 21), the firstborn son received a double-portion of the inheritance. The firstborn also decided whether to keep the estate together in one piece or to divide it among the brothers.
It seems likely with the man in front of Jesus that the asker’s brother would receive 2/3rds and the asker would receive less. Perhaps the older brother wants to keep the land whole and the asker wants it subdivided.
Contentment is hard to find.
Jesus knows human ambitions and greed can make us go haywire. He knows the younger brother likely has enough already and is probably obsessed with getting wealthier and wealthier. He wants to receive a status equal to or greater than his brother. Jesus perceives an underlying jealousy and envy.
Jesus tells the parable of the rich fool because he wants to save the asker from self-defeating behavior.
The Wisdom of the Parable for Us Today
Manfred Kets de Vries, writes about Leadership and Organizational Development and works with a lot of ambitious and successful CEOs. Some of the CEOs make tens of millions a year. One might think that is enough, but de Vries noticed that some of them are imprisoned by greed.
In his article titled Greed Syndrome, de Vries writes about the warning signs of greed. He writes that people who are in the grip of greed think about three people: me, me, me. They are overly self-centered.
Envy, he says, is the twin of greed. Greed wants more and more and envy wants more and more of what others have. They think that by virtue of just being themselves that they deserve more than anyone else. They are never satisfied.
Those in the grip of greed do not have a concern for the feelings and thoughts of others.
He goes on to say, that in order for a person to be liberated from greed, it often takes them crashing and burning in their private or professional life. Then and only then will they think, “I have contributed to this. I need to change.”
Let’s hear what De Vries says will liberate a person from greed.
De Vries writes: This requires people to take an inner journey that is often uncomfortable as they uncover their insatiable desire for more and more wealth. And then they also need to become acquainted with other values other than value, things like love, intimacy, unconditional acceptance, and meaningful relationships.
Conclusion
Greed gives you a siloed perspective. You don’t see the whole of what you have. Greed blinds you to blessings. Greed increases your appetite for more and more. Greed endangers your relationships.
Christ can help us get in touch with that part of us that is out of control. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, God liberates us from what holds us captive.
