| This is a topic I've thought a lot about, but the answers still don't come
real easily. Nevertheless, I'll give you some of my thoughts.
o What did the man do wrong? Where is the sin, if there is one?
I think his sin isn't stated specifically, but more implied. It is the same
sin as the rich man in the story of Lazarus. As Tony Campolo has stated, "he
lived in affluence with a high level of indifference to the poor man at his
door". In other words, God gave him the resources to respond to the needs
around him, but he failed in that responsibility. To whom much is given, much
is required.
o What would have been a better response or course of action, one more
acceptable and pleasing to God, in this situation?
I think the key word is responsibility. We who have much have a responsibility
to those who have little. Consider the "Wife of Noble Character" described in
Proverbs 31. She sounds in many ways like the rich fool: works hard, buys
fields, good clothing, provides well for her family. But there is also a
key verse in there (vs 20): "She opens her arms to the poor and extends her
hands to the needy." (NIV) This and her continued diligence after she is
successful are in stark contrast to the "eat, drink, enjoy yourself" attitude
of the rich fool. I think if the rich fool had opened his arms to the poor and
extended his hands to the needy, that his story wouldn't have been in the
Bible. (But I'm sure there would have been someone to fill his shoes :-)
o How are we as Christians to apply this parable to our lives today?
In my opinion, this is a very ominous parable for many (if not most) people
(including Christians!) in the U.S. (I won't speak for other countries.) We
are a VERY wealthy nation, and greed and materialism have slowly replaced the
virtues of love and concern for neighbors. How difficult it is for us to give
up a small amount of comfort to help others in need! How do we apply this
parable? It sounds like we need to straighten out our priorities and attitudes,
understanding what parts of what we feel are God-inspired and which parts are
cultural baggage. And we also need to make some radical decisions. Too much
of what we do (myself included) is just maintaining the status quo. Is God
honored by that?
Oh well, I'll quietly slink off my soapbox, and go back to what I was doing.
Gotta maintain the status quo, you know... :-)
Just some ramblings. What do y'all think?
Jeff
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| What if the parable had gone differently?
What if the parable had gone like this?
"There was once a rich man who had land which bore good crops. He began to
think to himself, 'I don't have a place to keep all my crops. What can I do?
I wonder how much of my crops I can give away?"
What do you think God's response might have been?
Peace,
Richard
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