The Parable of the Rich Fool who builds bigger barns to store the abundant harvest only for his life to end suddenly suggests that the moral of Jesus’ story is that it is futile to amass wealth. However, this is a simplistic understanding of the text. While Jesus often cautions about the danger of riches, he does not rule out storing up treasure. ‘It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.’ (Matthew 19:24) Difficult, because wealth often sparks greed in the human heart, but not impossible. Note that the rich fool falls into this trap and is castigated for his selfishness, not his industriousness and skilful management.

In fact, much of Jesus’ teaching requires that we bear abundant fruit, fruit that will last. The key to abundance is that we recognise that everything we have is gift from God and belongs to God. If we are ‘rich toward God’, then this overflows to others through our generosity and willingness to share our resources. We are called to be stewards of creation, using our gifts and talents to create a world where everyone enjoys its fruits.

One way we can test whether we are ‘rich toward God’ is to give the first fruits of our work to the work of the Kingdom, as well as giving generously to those in need. If we can give without counting the cost, grateful for what we have been given; always seeking God’s abundant graces in our lives, and demonstrating a selfless generosity, it does not matter how much wealth we amass, because it will not lead to greed but rather serve the needs of others.

Let us pray that we will be rich towards God in all things. Amen.

By Mike Humphrys