A farmer has a lucky year and finds himself with an abundant crop. He decides to tear down his barns and build bigger ones in which to store it. In the meantime, he decides to take a well earned rest, eating drinking and making merry, confident that his future is financially secured. “You fool,” says, God, “this very night your life is being demanded of you.”

Does the parable seem a little harsh? The farmer seemed an   honest enough character. He wasn’t making money from an illegal activity. He simply seemed to be enjoying the benefits of a bumper harvest. Any one of us could have an unexpected windfall. Any one of us could enjoy a lottery win, a tax refund or an unexpected inheritance. It would be considered prudent in most circles that we invest the proceeds. It is drummed into us from an early age to save for a rainy day or to pay into a pension plan in order to cater for our twilight years. Any one of us could be the farmer in today’s    reading. Was his behaviour so very wrong?

There’s an often misquoted proverb. It reads, “Money is the root of all evil.” Of course it should read, “The love of money is the root of all evil.” Jesus isn’t advising us not to work hard or not to earn money. Jesus is probably not encouraging us to avoid planning for our old age. Jesus is certainly not promoting that we spend money in a big hurry because tomorrow we might be dead. The famer is a fool, not because he builds bigger barns, that’s a farmer’s job, but because he thinks he can manage the future. Worse, he believes that his money and his money alone can safeguard his future. He is great at managing his money, but not great at managing his soul. Too late, he learns this truth at death’s door.

The message is simple and comes in the last line of the reading. There is absolutely no point storing up treasures if you are not rich towards God. Being rich towards God is the only worthwhile  pension policy, because at the end of the day, you can’t take your money with you and you certainly can’t buy your way into heaven.

If we are financially well off, being rich towards God will mean sharing our wealth. If we are successful business people we must make sure our businesses benefit our communities and those on the margins of our communities. If we are not well off, being rich towards God will mean sharing our time and our skills. Whatever age you are, it’s not too late to start investing in God’s pension plan!