Gospel Reading 2024-11-17

The Gospel reading for today is Luke 12:16-21.

Luke 12:16-21 And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.

The most surface level reading of this passage would be to emphasize giving to the local church. It is often brought out when a church is behind in giving. Certainly, supporting the local church is giving from our substance to the work of God but it goes much deeper than that.

The Orthodox Church puts this passage together with the Epistle reading for today (see previous BLOG post). The parable related here is of a person who lived their life only for themself. They failed to live for eternity. The hazard of doing this is shown where the Apostle Paul put it:

1 Timothy 6:7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.

Scripture tells us that we can lay up for ourselves treasure in Heaven:

Matthw 6:20-21 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

How do we lay up treasures for ourselves in Heaven? 

There is only one thing we take out of this world - it is ourselves. If we live a life faithful to God we are transformed into the image of His Son. In this way we actually do take something into the next life. We take on ourselves as transformed people. It is put well into this short poem by Charles Studd.

I think this quote gets close. In the end the only thing we can do for Christ is to give our lives to Him and to be conformed into His Image. This is done though repentance, prayer, service. Christ put it well:

John 6:28-29 Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.