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The parable of the rich fool

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  • #16
    Why does it remind me of a Christmas Carol? Except that Scrooge got a second chance.
    If it weren't for the Resurrection of Jesus, we'd all be in DEEP TROUBLE!

    Comment


    • #17
      But what about the verse where Jesus says "those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples." (Luke 14:33) In what way are we to give up everything that we have?

      Maybe part of the answer is here: "All the believers were together and had everything in common." (Acts 2:44)

      Blessings,
      Lee
      "What I pray of you is, to keep your eye upon Him, for that is everything. Do you say, 'How am I to keep my eye on Him?' I reply, keep your eye off everything else, and you will soon see Him. All depends on the eye of faith being kept on Him. How simple it is!" (J.B. Stoney)

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      • #18
        This is one of those topics where I'm really interested in how people put their money where their mouth is, literally in this case.

        A few years ago on a similar thread, there was a Christian poster who took the verse 100% literally and insisted that all Christians had to get rid of all possessions. I asked him if he was logging on from a public library. He said no, he hadn't done it because he was a sinner and we're not all perfect yet. Needless to say, he had no credibility.
        "I am not angered that the Moral Majority boys campaign against abortion. I am angry when the same men who say, "Save OUR children" bellow "Build more and bigger bombers." That's right! Blast the children in other nations into eternity, or limbless misery as they lay crippled from "OUR" bombers! This does not jell." - Leonard Ravenhill

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        • #19
          Originally posted by lee_merrill View Post
          But what about the verse where Jesus says "those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples." (Luke 14:33) In what way are we to give up everything that we have?

          Maybe part of the answer is here: "All the believers were together and had everything in common." (Acts 2:44)

          Blessings,
          Lee
          The question is, how literally are we to take the exhortation to give up everything we have? I think the answer is not literally at all since Jesus also says in the same discourse that you must hate your family. And the parable immediately preceding verse 33 is about an overmatched king sending a delegation and gifts in order to appease his foe and prevent a war, and verse 33 begins with "In the same way..."
          Some may call me foolish, and some may call me odd
          But I'd rather be a fool in the eyes of man
          Than a fool in the eyes of God


          From "Fools Gold" by Petra

          Comment


          • #20
            Originally posted by lee_merrill View Post
            But what about the verse where Jesus says "those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples." (Luke 14:33) In what way are we to give up everything that we have?

            Maybe part of the answer is here: "All the believers were together and had everything in common." (Acts 2:44)

            Blessings,
            Lee
            Originally posted by Mountain Man View Post
            The question is, how literally are we to take the exhortation to give up everything we have? I think the answer is not literally at all since Jesus also says in the same discourse that you must hate your family. And the parable immediately preceding verse 33 is about an overmatched king sending a delegation and gifts in order to appease his foe and prevent a war, and verse 33 begins with "In the same way..."
            Context, context, context. In both cases, Jesus is talking to a specific person or persons about a specific instance/situation. It's not a universal command...the thing we can take away from it is to not let anything stand between you and God. If anything other than God controls your life, then that thing is Sin to you. Whether is money, family, work, possessions, love, food, drink, etc.
            "What has the Church gained if it is popular, but there is no conviction, no repentance, no power?" - A.W. Tozer

            "... there are two parties in Washington, the stupid party and the evil party, who occasionally get together and do something both stupid and evil, and this is called bipartisanship." - Everett Dirksen

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            • #21
              Originally posted by Littlejoe View Post
              Context, context, context. In both cases, Jesus is talking to a specific person or persons about a specific instance/situation. It's not a universal command...the thing we can take away from it is to not let anything stand between you and God. If anything other than God controls your life, then that thing is Sin to you. Whether is money, family, work, possessions, love, food, drink, etc.
              Yeah that always bugs me when people take something said in the bible to a single person and try to make it apply to all people at all times. They tend to do it with blessings a lot too in the prosperity gospel.

              Comment


              • #22
                Originally posted by Littlejoe View Post
                Context, context, context. In both cases, Jesus is talking to a specific person or persons about a specific instance/situation. It's not a universal command...the thing we can take away from it is to not let anything stand between you and God. If anything other than God controls your life, then that thing is Sin to you. Whether is money, family, work, possessions, love, food, drink, etc.
                That, too.
                Some may call me foolish, and some may call me odd
                But I'd rather be a fool in the eyes of man
                Than a fool in the eyes of God


                From "Fools Gold" by Petra

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                • #23
                  Originally posted by Sparko View Post
                  Yeah that always bugs me when people take something said in the bible to a single person and try to make it apply to all people at all times. They tend to do it with blessings a lot too in the prosperity gospel.
                  Like "The Prayer of Jabez" that people treated like a magical incantation to get whatever you wanted.
                  Some may call me foolish, and some may call me odd
                  But I'd rather be a fool in the eyes of man
                  Than a fool in the eyes of God


                  From "Fools Gold" by Petra

                  Comment


                  • #24
                    Originally posted by Littlejoe View Post
                    Context, context, context. In both cases, Jesus is talking to a specific person or persons about a specific instance/situation. It's not a universal command...
                    Well, it does appear to be a universal command: "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!" (Luke 14:35)

                    the thing we can take away from it is to not let anything stand between you and God. If anything other than God controls your life, then that thing is Sin to you. Whether is money, family, work, possessions, love, food, drink, etc.
                    But I think that more is intended:

                    "But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ..." (Phil. 3:7–8)

                    But Paul had "food and covering": "If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content." (1 Tim. 6:8)

                    I think the Lord will bring us to a point where we are called to give up what is precious in our eyes, like Abraham and Isaac. I've had some taste of this, though not as costly as Abraham and Isaac.

                    Blessings,
                    Lee
                    "What I pray of you is, to keep your eye upon Him, for that is everything. Do you say, 'How am I to keep my eye on Him?' I reply, keep your eye off everything else, and you will soon see Him. All depends on the eye of faith being kept on Him. How simple it is!" (J.B. Stoney)

                    Comment


                    • #25
                      The parable doesn't expressly show the rich man doing anything wrong. However, Jesus's statement at the end implies that the rich man was being stingy toward God. Jesus is saying that every one of us will die, that we generally won't see it coming, and that the only way to transfer our wealth to the afterlife is to invest in God's kingdom. If we are rich toward ourselves but not toward God, then we are fools.

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                      • #26
                        I just thought of a possible way to interpret the parable that is simple and seems to fit all the facts. (Though the resulting meaning isn't really different from everything you all have been saying.) Hopefully I'm not reading this into the parable:

                        The rich man thinks he has attained what he thinks is heaven/paradise/Eden: "take your ease, eat, drink and be merry.” But he's wrong, "‘You fool!".



                        And it seems to fit Jesus' commentary:
                        Your possessions can't give you paradise. ("not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions.”)
                        Nor are they necessary to obtain paradise. ("And do not seek what you will eat and what you will drink, and do not keep worrying.")
                        If anything, it's the other way around. ("But seek His kingdom, and these things will be added to you.")

                        Comment


                        • #27
                          Originally posted by Joel View Post
                          I just thought of a possible way to interpret the parable that is simple and seems to fit all the facts. (Though the resulting meaning isn't really different from everything you all have been saying.) Hopefully I'm not reading this into the parable:

                          The rich man thinks he has attained what he thinks is heaven/paradise/Eden: "take your ease, eat, drink and be merry.” But he's wrong, "‘You fool!".



                          And it seems to fit Jesus' commentary:
                          Your possessions can't give you paradise. ("not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions.”)
                          Nor are they necessary to obtain paradise. ("And do not seek what you will eat and what you will drink, and do not keep worrying.")
                          If anything, it's the other way around. ("But seek His kingdom, and these things will be added to you.")
                          I think you're on to something here. IMO, it has to do with the Jews thinking that they are guaranteed paradise just because they are Jewish...and furthermore, the common thought of that era was, if you are wealthy, then you are blessed by God, and are assuredly on the right path. But, this man has stopped seeking the Kingdom because he was already "blessed and on his way to paradise"...
                          "What has the Church gained if it is popular, but there is no conviction, no repentance, no power?" - A.W. Tozer

                          "... there are two parties in Washington, the stupid party and the evil party, who occasionally get together and do something both stupid and evil, and this is called bipartisanship." - Everett Dirksen

                          Comment


                          • #28
                            Originally posted by Joel View Post
                            If anything, it's the other way around. ("But seek His kingdom, and these things will be added to you.")
                            Yup - that's the critical bit that the prosperity gospel elides. Along with the promise that troubles will also be multiplied.
                            1Cor 15:34 Come to your senses as you ought and stop sinning; for I say to your shame, there are some who know not God.
                            .
                            ⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛
                            Scripture before Tradition:
                            but that won't prevent others from
                            taking it upon themselves to deprive you
                            of the right to call yourself Christian.

                            ⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛

                            Comment


                            • #29
                              Originally posted by Littlejoe View Post
                              I think you're on to something here. IMO, it has to do with the Jews thinking that they are guaranteed paradise just because they are Jewish...and furthermore, the common thought of that era was, if you are wealthy, then you are blessed by God, and are assuredly on the right path. But, this man has stopped seeking the Kingdom because he was already "blessed and on his way to paradise"...
                              It also goes along with other teaching in scripture that those who seek the praise of men and will have received their reward in full.
                              Some may call me foolish, and some may call me odd
                              But I'd rather be a fool in the eyes of man
                              Than a fool in the eyes of God


                              From "Fools Gold" by Petra

                              Comment


                              • #30
                                Originally posted by Mountain Man View Post
                                Like "The Prayer of Jabez" that people treated like a magical incantation to get whatever you wanted.
                                That got SO old.... every time I heard people say "enlarge my territory", I wanted to shout "you can't even manage what you have NOW!!!!"
                                The first to state his case seems right until another comes and cross-examines him.

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