Someone in the crowd was trying to triangulate Jesus, who knows
a thing or two about healthy relationships between three persons. “Tell my
brother to divide the family inheritance” sounds like a sibling rivalry with a
little history. Who knows, maybe Jesus’ well known tale about two sons and a loving
father comes from a chance encounter in the crowd with a real life prodigal. Of
course Jesus does not take the bait (he never does) but speaking the truth in
love goes to the heart of the matter. You have placed possessions in front of
people, which is the definition of greed. To seal the deal he tells the story of
a rich man who appears to be acting prudently. Crops not stored properly will
quickly turn into cr@p, if you know what I mean. So it makes perfect sense to build
bigger barns and enjoy the fruit of your labor, after all that is the reward of
hard work and sound investments. But then this is a parable and the details are
not to be dissected because it’s all about the punch line and in this case the
punch line is a Jesus’ twist on what the Pentecost 10c texts have been teaching
all week. You can’t take it with you when you go and living as if you can is
foolish. The lesson is for the “someone” in the crowd although we are clearly
meant to apply it to our own life. Your brother is more important than dividing
the inheritance and the way one is rich toward God has everything to do with the
value of our relationships in the here and now, even with brothers who won’t
share.
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