A fool and his money are soon parted, right? Someone has rewritten it to suggest that "A fool and his money are some party!" Of course, this link between a fool and money (or possessions) goes back at least as far as our gospel lesson. The story is prompted by a man from the crowd that has been surrounding Jesus: "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me" (Luke 12:13). Apparently the man's older brother refused to give him what he felt he was due.

The laws of inheritance in that day stipulated that the elder brother would receive a double portion of the legacy (Deuteronomy 21:17), then the balance distributed. For whatever reason, this fellow was feeling cheated and he wanted Rabbi Jesus to act as Probate Judge, just as Moses had done centuries before (Numbers 27:1-11). …