By Martin Morrison
Because of my job I have heard hundreds of eulogies at funerals. I’ve often wondered what is the most common word used in those eulogies? Perhaps one of these words: loving, devoted, compassionate, successful, family, role model, smart. Imagine if you could choose the words to describe yourself at your own funeral. That’s somewhat conceited, but what do you think they would be?
The great shock in our passage today, Luke 12:13 – 21, is how God describes this man a heartbeat away from his death. You fool! In the eyes of the world this man has achieved greatness. He’s one of those annoying people who has landed in the butter! Distinctions at university, captain of the soccer team, lots of friends and parties, top job in Sandton, married ex Miss South Africa, quickly climbs up the corporate ladder. At 50 he has a large house in Houghton, a flat in London and a farm in Dullstroom.
It’s Saturday afternoon on his Dullstroom Estate. He’s drinking cocktails with his wife on the patio, overlooking their vast property. Despite the recession, his company has had a bumper year with totally unexpected turnover and profits. As he looks across the estate, everything he sees belongs to him: his latest Porsche, the newly built guest cottage, the horses and stables, the rolling fields, all paid for. He says to his wife, “Darling, you know it’s been such an extraordinary year, I think I can start thinking about retirement. Don’t have to wait another ten years”. “How wonderful, darling” she says, “You’ve worked so hard, you deserve it. We could travel more, play some golf at St Andrews”. But of course, he doesn’t get the chance. There’s a sudden pain in his chest. The cocktail glass he’s holding shatters on the Italian tiles. He’s dead before they get him to the hospital.
At the funeral everyone is in black, everyone has dark glasses, everyone smoking nervously before the service. Everyone is devastated. He was so smart, such a success; such a role model; how could this happen, so long before his time?
You see how normal this story is.
But God’s assessment is totally different. In fact, the exact opposite. “You fool”. Can you think of any more devastating words, than the Creator of the world, the Judge of all men, should look you straight in the eye and say, “You fool”. How shattering, for God to say that about you. Perhaps it would be smart to work out what the man got wrong!
According to Jesus, his life was fraught with misunderstandings. Firstly, he misunderstood the purpose of his life. Jesus says to a man who wants Jesus to be arbitrator between him and his brother in a disputed inheritance, my mission is not to be your arbitrator, “…for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions”. I know of families who no longer talk to each other; the bitterness, the anger is so toxic that it has affected the children, the cousins, even the grandchildren. They never speak, not even at Christmas, and all because of a piece real estate. It’s quite pathetic, but it happens. There are certainly times, when it is far better to walk away from some antique or real estate, than to demand justice. Better to let the money go, than ruin your relationship. “One’s life does not consist in the abundance of your possessions”.
Rick Warren in his book, The Purpose Driven Life, put it so well.
“It’s not about you. The purpose of this life is far greater than your personal fulfilment, your peace of mind, or even your happiness. It’s far greater than your family, your career, or even your wildest dreams and ambitions. If you want to know why you were placed on this planet, you must begin with God. You were born by his purpose and for his purpose”.
He also misunderstood that life is a gift from God, a loan from God. It’s quite possible that he went to church or at least knew his Bible. He certainly believed that he had a soul, as he spoke to his soul. He must have known the Bible well enough to quote from it. He actually quoted from Ecclesiastes 8:15, when he said, “Relax, eat, drink, be merry”. However, he chose to forget the second part of the verse, which would have reminded him that all the days of his life were on loan from God. One of the almost hidden truths of the Bible is that life is not a right, but a gift. If God gives five days of life to a child, we greatly mourn our loss, but are deeply grateful for the five days. We have no rights, neither for five days, nor eighty years. Each day is a gift.
He misunderstood what our great father Augustine taught us, “O Lord, you have made us for yourself and our hearts are restless till they find their rest in you”. He never understood that. He thought that his heart would be restless until it had an abundance of food, drink, and real estate. And God says, “You fool!” Do you realize how shocking that is to our modern culture! Isn’t the acquisition of things and money what advertising is all about? what marketing is all about? what shopping malls and retail are all about? what the JSE is all about? what casinos and lotto are all about?
Here in Gauteng, millions of people are devoted to the acquisition of possessions, the accumulation of wealth. Our culture looks at the wealthy man and says, He’s arrived! He’s made it! What a man! What a success! And God the Judge of all the earth, looks at his Houghton pad, his London apartment, his Dullstroom estate; he casts his eye on his new Porsche, his horses, stables and rolling hills, and says, What a fool! What a fool! “A man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions”.
Sadly, this man had no idea that he would die that night. In fact, he thought that he had many years. “But God said to him. “Fool! This night your soul is required of you”. Almost everyone is like that. They make no preparation for eternity. And yet, there is nothing more certain than death. Of those reading this page, one out of one will die! The Bible is quite clear, “It is appointed to man, once to die and then judgement” Hebrews 9: 27. No purgatory, no reincarnation, no second chance.
Let’s cut to the chase. When we each stand alone before the Judge of all the earth, the only two questions which will really matter are, what did you do with Jesus and what did you do for Jesus? And the only way to be ready to answer those questions is to be rich towards God in this life. And the only way to be rich towards God, is to lay up treasures in heaven, instead of treasures on earth.
For further reading: Randy Alcorn, The Treasure Principle; Money, Possessions and Eternity. Rick Warren, The Purpose Driven Life.
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