Parable of the Rich Fool

One of the greatest struggles of mankind that is normalized, if not glorified in our day is discontentment.

We live in a world of more. More entertainment, more wealth, more stuff.

Most of us have in one way or another fallen into the trap that things are what we need to find fulfillment.

In this parable Jesus offers us a different perspective, by telling us the story of a rich man who found comfort in his belongings, and not in God.

Luke 13:12-21

V.13

13 Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”

In Jesus’s day, rabbis were often sought out to decide in disputes such as this one.

However, Jesus has a different response to him that what he surely expected.

V.14-15

14 But he said to him, “Man, who made me a judge or arbitrator over you?” 15 And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”

Jesus is in the middle of a message on very weighty matters, and this man interrupts Him, and Jesus quickly deflects the request.

However, like Jesus does in many other instances, He uses this opportunity for a deeper spiritual lesson.

Christ is here giving a lesson on the sin of covetousness, and finding comfort in the possession of things.

For it is clear that this man is not genuinely concerned about the how fairly this inheritance is being divided, for his brash interruption leading to Jesus’s rebuke show the selfish nature behind his actions.

So how does Jesus convey his point about the folly of materialism? Through a parable.

V.16-18

16 And he told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man produced plentifully, 17 and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ 18 And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.

Christ tells us of a rich man, whose bumper crop (extra crop) produced wonderfully.

He is now faced with a dilemma, He has no room to store this extra abundance he has come into.

Let us notice some things about the crop and about the man’s response to possessing it:

First, we can see in the way that Jesus explains the it, that the extra crop that produced was not something that the rich man toiled at. Instead this was a gift from God as it is God who controls the growth.

Second, notice what the man thinks to himself. Instead of seeking to do anything productive with this extra he had come into he decided to lay it all up for himself.

This man who was already rich, instead of giving away this extra abundance, decided to hoard it all for himself.

We think of the Christmas story with Scrooge, hoarding every bit of his wealth.

This man has no sense of care for anyone else, and he has no notion of where this wealth truly comes from.

His plans for his wealth are completely self-centered directed by a selfish and blind heart.

V. 19

19 And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.”

With all the riches the man already had, he took all the abundance he had been given, and stored it all so he would not have to work another day.

Instead of using the crops for good, he used them for his own security, and so that he could spend his life in whatever selfish pursuit he wanted.

He thought that just because he had riches that he had no more worries, but this is not the whole story.

V.20

20 But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’

God interrupts the selfish plans of the man and tells him that he is at the end of his life.

The irony of the mans sinful selfishness is so blatantly clear.

Luke, Volumes 1 & 2 The Miser’s Folly

God is telling the man that his loan is now due—the loan of his mortal existence. His life has always belonged to God, and now God is coming to claim it. But that is not the only irony. How ironic that a man who has been having his own private monologue has been overheard by God. How ironic that a man who thinks he will live for many years is down to his last few hours on earth! How ironic that a man who wants to keep it all for himself will have to leave it all behind. And how ironic that a man who gives not one thought to God must still answer to God for his very soul. How ironic, how tragic, and according to Jesus, how foolish!

This man spent his life in nothing but selfish pursuits, and for this God calls him a fool, but is it just because of his mistakes, or does this foolishness have a deeper root.

English Standard Version Psalm 14

1  The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”

They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds;

there is none who does good.

This man’s sin runs deeper that just selfishness, his primary issue is that he is an atheist.

He does not recognize God as king and creator, thus his life does not reflect a life of godliness.

A person who spends their life after nothing but material gain, and whose hope and fulfillment lies in things of this world is a fool.

Christ makes this abundantly clear in the next verse.

V.21

21 So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”

Man cannot serve both God and money. If we waste our life on nothing but material gain then we are just as foolish as the rich man.

Knowing God gives man a different perspective on the temporary things of this world.

So hows does this apply to us now?

How many of you are obsessed with the clothes you buy? Whether or not something is name brand? Iphone vs. android?

We rely so heavily on the things we own or do to cement our social status, but at the end of the day who cares?

You cannot be a Christian (a follower or a poor rabbi named Jesus, who lived an unselfish life, giving it all for our redemption and God’s glory) and be consumed with materialistic things.

Discussion Questions:

What are some ways that materialism effects the way we think about God or treat other people?

Why do you think we are so prone to be materialistic?

How can you guard yourself from being materialistic, and ensure that whatever gifts we receive we use them for God’s glory?