Parable About Hedonism: Luke 12:16-21
“16) And He told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man was very productive. 17) And he began reasoning to himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?’ 18) Then he said, ‘This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19) And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry.” ’ 20) But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?’ 21) So is the man who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”” Luke 12:16-21
This parable was prompted because of the discourse of the man who wanted Jesus to serve as a family arbitrator. (See Luke 12:13-15)
In the parable, Jesus described a successful, prosperous farmer who was extremely self centered. Rather than using his excess to serve God and others, he built bigger barns to hoard his wealth for himself.
Then he became proud, calloused and lazy. He focused on storing up everything for himself. He settled into a life of ease. He thought happiness and security in life was measured by wealth.
He overlooked one small detail, wealth cannot buy health or favor with God. Right at the pinnacle of his success, he suddenly died. He stood before God absolutely void of good deeds and benevolent character.
Meanwhile, others consumed his wealth, took his possessions and squandered his estate. The memory of him was soon purged from the annals of human history.
What was wrong? He had a wrong value system. True wealth is stored up from deeds of kindness and benevolence toward God and others. It comes from serving others and not promoting self. It comes from leveraging our excess to minister to those around us.
Good works do not save us, but believers are called to be rich in good deeds. We are not called to be self-centered and blind to the needs around us. The early church took care of one another. Hedonism is a denial of God. It amounts to worshipping and serving the god in the mirror.
Daily Bible Commentary By Terry Baxter: Cofounder of GoServ Global
Sent from my iPhone
“16) And He told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man was very productive. 17) And he began reasoning to himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?’ 18) Then he said, ‘This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19) And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry.” ’ 20) But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?’ 21) So is the man who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”” Luke 12:16-21
This parable was prompted because of the discourse of the man who wanted Jesus to serve as a family arbitrator. (See Luke 12:13-15)
In the parable, Jesus described a successful, prosperous farmer who was extremely self centered. Rather than using his excess to serve God and others, he built bigger barns to hoard his wealth for himself.
Then he became proud, calloused and lazy. He focused on storing up everything for himself. He settled into a life of ease. He thought happiness and security in life was measured by wealth.
He overlooked one small detail, wealth cannot buy health or favor with God. Right at the pinnacle of his success, he suddenly died. He stood before God absolutely void of good deeds and benevolent character.
Meanwhile, others consumed his wealth, took his possessions and squandered his estate. The memory of him was soon purged from the annals of human history.
What was wrong? He had a wrong value system. True wealth is stored up from deeds of kindness and benevolence toward God and others. It comes from serving others and not promoting self. It comes from leveraging our excess to minister to those around us.
Good works do not save us, but believers are called to be rich in good deeds. We are not called to be self-centered and blind to the needs around us. The early church took care of one another. Hedonism is a denial of God. It amounts to worshipping and serving the god in the mirror.
Daily Bible Commentary By Terry Baxter: Cofounder of GoServ Global
Sent from my iPhone
