Luke 12:13-21 (Proper 13, Year C)

The Rich Fool, KPB Stevens, mixed media on paper, 2022

Luke 12:13-21

Someone in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, tell my brother to give me my share of our inheritance.”

Jesus replied, “Friend, who has set me up as your judge or arbiter?” Then he told the crowd, “Avoid greed in all its forms. Your life isn’t made more secure by what you own—even when you have more than you need.”

Jesus then told them a parable in these words: “There was a rich farmer who had a good harvest.

‘What will I do?’ the farmer mused. ‘I have no place to store my harvest. I know! I’ll pull down my grain bins and build larger ones. All my grain and goods will go there. Then I’ll say to myself: You have blessings in reserve for many years to come. Relax! Eat, drink and be merry!’

But God said to the farmer, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be required of you. To whom will all your accumulated wealth go?’

This is the way it works with people who accumulate riches for themselves, but are not rich in God.”

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