It is reminiscent of that childhood story about the monkeys. Mother monkey had divided a banana between her two baby monkeys. The girl monkey protested, "It's not fair! His piece is bigger than mine!" So mother monkey took a bite off the boy monkey's banana. "Now her piece is bigger than mine!" So the mother monkey bit off some of the girl monkey's banana. "He's got the bigger piece!" And so the story continues until mother monkey had eaten all of their banana!
There is a lot of adult truth in that story. So often as people argue over fairness, someone else ends up with most of the banana!
In Israel, rules relating to inheritance were very serious. Land was an inheritance from the Lord, received and apportioned when they had taken possession of the promised land. We recall Naboth's unwillingness to sell his land to King Ahab because "I inherited this vineyard from my ancestors. The Lord forbid that I should let you have it!" (1 Kings 21.3). If a person had to sell land, its value could only be based on the number of years to the next year of Jubilee when it would have to be returned to its original owner.
Inheritance allocated a double portion to the eldest son, with equal shares for the others. The eldest son was expected to take responsibility for maintaining and working the inherited land.
By the time of Herod, there began to be variations of these rules that may be reflected in today's story. The younger son felt unjustly treated. Perhaps, as the drama suggests, the elder son was sticking by the letter of the law and not fulfilling the father's implied intentions. Perhaps, even more seriously, the elder son was not even giving his brother the lesser share that was due to him.
Jesus accepted the situation and refused to be drawn into the question of justice. He refused to be a judge between them.
We hear the man bringing his request, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide with me the property our father left us." We wonder whether the brother was in the crowd too! But instead of taking up their claims, Jesus gives a warning to us all, "Watch out and guard yourselves from every kind of greed; because a person's true life is not made up of the things he owns, no matter how rich he may be."
It is as if Jesus is saying to him, "I am not entering into the dispute between you and your brother. But I am warning you - don't set your life's goal on acquiring more and more possessions!"
And this is the point of the parable of the rich fool.
There is a current advertisement encouraging us all to provide a golden nest egg for our retirement. Jesus is not speaking against the security that the inheritance would bring - or against the need for that superannuation cheque! He is warning us against greed. He is warning us against a life that is totally wrapped up in ourselves, that has no room for others.
There is a lot of talk lately about the need for a level playing field. An important debate, but Jesus doesn't enter into it. The rich and the poor alike have a common problem - greed. Overcome that problem and there would be a lot more sharing - not so much from the basis of fairness but caring love.
"I have had a good crop. I need a place to store it all so I can sit back and enjoy it."
BUT - he is accountable to God. When he dies, he won't take any of it with him - others will get his possessions and he will have nothing. In his total self-centredness, he has nothing - he is not rich in God's sight.
What is mine is God's - given in trust for me to share.
I must use what I have knowing that God is interested in how I am using what he has loaned me.
I must live every day trusting God and learning to know and love him and to do what he wants me to do.
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