Martin Luthe King Week: Sermon #4

Michael Dickins and Dawn Martin Dickins. Martin Luther King 

graphite, charcoal, oil pastel, woodblock ink on wood panel

In the middle of the Gospel of Luke, the author shares a story about Jesus where he is was called to be the arbitrator of an inheritance. In response Jesus shares his own little story about a Rich Fool  :

Then one from the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” But He said to him, “Man, who made Me a judge or an arbitrator over you?” And He said to them, “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.” Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’ So he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.”’ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’ “So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”

Those of you who are familiar with Scripture may be used to Jesus using to literary tool of parables. Dictionary.com defines a parable as such

1. a short allegorical story designed to illustrate or teach some truth, religious principle, or moral lesson.

He did not invent them nor was he the only one to use them. They are even used by other figures in Scripture. However, Jesus is unique in that he doesn't always use them in conventional ways. Sometimes he publicly told parables and then explained their meaning, as to illustrate a truth. Sometimes he publicly told parables and did not explain their meaning to the crowd as a judgment. He would then explain the true meaning to his Disciples in private when asked. And still there are others where the author of a gospel doesn't share the explanation or gives a one line explanation to a whole elaborate story. This is one such parable. The author of Luke has Jesus explain the parable in the final line as “So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”

In all of these cases the job of explaining these stories has fallen upon the preachers, teachers and theologians over the centuries. That is the background to Martin Luther King, Jr.'s sermon "Why Jesus Called a Man a Fool." It is an explanation of Jesus' Parable of the Rich Fool. In exposing the text of Jesus' story, Dr. King also shares much of the story of the Civil Rights Movement and the story of his own sufferings. The theme of both the parable and the sermon are refusing to rely on oneself and recognizing our reliance on the Lord.  

Why Jesus Called a Man a Fool from Sweet Speeches on Vimeo.