A man in the crowd said to him, 'Master, tell my brother to divide the family property with me. He replied, 'My good man, who set me over you to judge or arbitrate?'

New Bible Commentary , p.1001,  Jesus was commonly regarded as a teacher, and thus a member of a class which dealt with both civil and religious matters.  It is not surprising then, that his opinion was sought in a legal dispute over property.

Jesus was not going to be drawn into a debate about property matters, which were not his purpose in coming.  He had a mission to fulfil and was single-minded about it.

How often do we get side-tracked from our main purpose?  We get bogged down in details,  worry what other people are thinking of us, or worry about our material possessions first.  Our main purpose in life becomes a lower priority for us.  But not so with Jesus.  He knew what he was about and was not going to be side-tracked.

V 15.

Then he said to the people, 'Beware!  Be on your guard against greed of every kind, for even when a man has more than enough, his wealth does not give him life.'
NLT:  Don't be greedy for what you don't have.  Real life is not measured by how much we own.

This is so different from the messages we get from our society through the media and through general talk with friends and others.  Most people judge the worth of others by the clothes they wear, by the car they drive or the house they live in. this is not how God judges and not how he wants us to think

V 16 - 19

And he told them this parable: 'There was a rich man whose land yielded heavy crops.  He debated with himself: "What am I to do?  I have not the space to store my produce.  This is what I will do," said he: "I will pull down my storehouses and build them bigger. I will collect in them all my corn and other goods, and then say to myself, 'Man, you have plenty of good things laid by, enough for many years: take life easy, eat, drink, and enjoy yourself.' "

Here is a man in a position most of us would like to be in.  He's worked hard and his work has paid off.  Now he's 'sitting pretty'.  What  is he to do with all his produce?  His solution is to pull down his existing buildings and build extravagant new premises. It seems he's gone a bit over the top!  Does he really need new buildings? Or does he want everyone to see how well he has done?  Is he really just showing off?

Now this man has reapd the rewards of his years of hard work, he no longer needs to work.  He can take 'early retirement'!  But what are his retirement plans?  Eat, drink and enjoy himelf!  There is no hint that he might be going to spend his time and his talents in helping anyone else.  His plans are totally selfish.
 

V 20.

But God said to him, "You fool, this very night you must surrender your life;  you have made your money - who will get it now?"

Jesus gets quickly to the point.  As so many say: you can't take it with you.  Usually when this is said, it means that we should do just what our rich fool is planning - use up all our wealth before we die and enjoy the benefits ourselves.  But Jesus reminds us that we are not in charge.  We don't know how long we have to enjoy ourselves.

V 21

That is how it is with the man who amasses wealth for himself and remains a pauper in the sight of God.
NIV: .................but is not rich toward God
The Message:  "That's what happens when you fill your barn with Self and not with God."
NLT: "Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God."

Jesus  then brings our attention back to what is really important.  It is our relationship with God that we can take with us into eternity, not our material posessions.  So our relationship with God must be the most important thing for us to keep safe.

True riches are spiritual, not material. The kind of person we are is much more important that how much we own.

I don't think Jesus was criticising the man for gaining material wealth, but for where his priorities were placed.  Those of us who are wealthy - and many of us are wealthier than we think when we compare with a large percentage of this world's population - must always remember where our riches come from and who it is who really provides for our needs.

We think our posessions are a result of our own hard work.  But who gives us the ability to work? Who created the materials our food, our homes, our work-places are made of?  Who decides when, like the rich fool in the story, it is time for us to die and leave it all behind?

The way we use our God-given skills and abilities and what we do with the wealth we earn should be decided within the context of our relationship with God.  Certainly he wants us to enjoy the life and possessions he has given us, but we are also to use them to further his kingdom on earth.