The Rich Fool

Introduction

You can read Jesus’ parables hundreds of times and mystery will still remain. That’s part of what makes these teachings so beautiful—and powerful.Jesus uses parables—metaphors and similes—to help us understand who God is and how he works among us. Parables teach one main lesson and it is important to understand that one lesson in each parable.

So far we’ve looked at the Kingdom Parables in two main groups - the Kingdom takes Root and the Presence of the Kingdom.

Today we start another grouping of the Kingdom Parables - you see Jesus’ parables can be truly understood only when we experience their value in our lives. So we will start a study on the Kingdom Alive in Us. Here, in order to understand God and his kingdom, we have to commit our lives to Jesus as his disciples and accept him as savior (John 3:16–17). From there, God as Holy Spirit will work in us. God may be ultimately unknowable, but he certainly can work in us. And we can see the wonder of his work reflected in other people.

These next 7 or 8 parables teach us about the mystery of living as people who, through our actions, bring heaven to earth. They teach us what it means to live as people who truly follow Jesus, to live as Kingdom Saints.

Today we will look at the parable of the rich fool and we will find that for kingdom saints: Fear of financial failure should not control your life, since wealth can buy nothing in eternity. Kingdom saints aren’t greedy, they’re generous.

Luke 12:13–21 AV

13 And one of the company said unto him, Master, speak to my brother, that he divide the inheritance with me. 14 And he said unto him, Man, who made me a judge or a divider over you? 15 And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth. 16 And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: 17 And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? 18 And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. 20 But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? 21 So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.

1. The Reason for the Parable

vv. 13-15

There is no doubt that we live in a greedy, money-centered society. The American dream is ‘rags to riches.’ It doesn’t matter if its capitalism or socialism, greed runs the economy. People will vote on a candidate solely based on economic factors.

2021 was the biggest year ever for corporate profits. Companies are raising prices quicker than wages can increase to suck every dollar they can from the consumer. At the same time, of the highest taxes paid by 19 of the fortune 100 companies was 9.9%. ATT had 29.6 billion in earnings but received an income tax benefit of 1.2 billion - I could go on.

We don’t have trickle-down economics, we have trickle-down greed.

But the situation in our day is no different than any other day. These first few verses show that people were the same when Jesus was here, ministering on earth.

A. A Family Dispute

A man approaches Jesus with a problem. His older brother apparently won’t divide the inheritance at all or fairly.

Nothing brings a family together like a funeral right?

We don’t know what the specific problem was but it doesn’t matter - the clear motive is greed

He comes to Jesus as a Rabbi, saying Master. And he wants him to arbitrate his problem.

B. A Sharp Rebuke

v. 14

Jesus uses a question to rebuke the young man.

Jesus was put off by the man’s request. See, his interest wasn’t in what he could learn from Jesus but in what he could gain financially by having Jesus by his side.

How often is this how we treat Jesus - we see him not as a true Teacher or Master - we see him as a financial advisor, a Santa Clause of blessings.

Jesus has no interest in settling material disputes who made me judge or arbiter - Jesus didn’t come to deal with such trivial matters - he came to offer eternal salvation. Better to suffer loss and follow Jesus Luke 9:57-62

Jesus didn’t come to bring us earthly property and possessions, but a heavenly kingdom!

C. A Critical Lesson

Jesus gives two main warnings here:

Take heed, beware of covetousness

Take heed - pay attention! Be on your guard.

Watch out for greed. Covetousness / greed is in the ten commandments! Remember greed is insatiable, desires more and more; another word is grasping, grasping for more - especially in the accumulation of wealth.

Ephesians 5:3 AV

3 But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints;

Greed can denote the hunger for advanced social standing as well as the desire for wealth. Wealth usually goes hand in hand with advanced social standing, status, and honor.

This is the idolatry of self and stuff.

Ephesians 5:5 AV

5 For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.

Greed is insatiable, wanting more and more, so much so that it pushes God out, leaving the idol only of self and stuff.

2. A man’s life doesn’t consist in the abundance of his possessions

Luke 9:24–25 AV

24 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it. 25 For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away?

But the abundance of possessions seems to be the only measure these days!

Possessions are a major obstacle to the progress of one’s spiritual life. Remember in studying the Roots of the Kingdom we saw the parable of the Seed and the Sower.

Luke 8:14–15 AV

14 And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection. 15 But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.

2. The Telling of the Parable

vv. 16-20

A. The Profitable Harvest

vv. 16-17

v. 16 - example parable - go and do not likewise!

Note that the man was already rich! Being rich/wealthy is not a sin. It is not an inherently bad thing.

We see that his harvest brought forth plentifully. He had a very profitable year. Nothing is wrong with profit either!

V. 17 - what shall I do - good question

B. The Selfish Plan

vv. 18-19

v. 18 - bad answer. building his investment portfolio!

Note in these verses all the mentions of ‘I’ and ‘my’. These are never replaced with God or others or giving.

v. 19 - greedy character clearly seen...hedonistic life

Definitely a worldly philosophy here - live it up! He’s not interested in using his wealth wisely, to serve God, or to serve others. He just wants a richer and fuller life for himself.

Only concerned with self-indulgence.

Some of the richest people in the world are the most miserly.

Fred Koch, the billionaire, is a well-known example. His doorman, in an interview, related how he rarely tipped and if he did, it would never be more than $5. The doorman wasn’t surprised either when he never received a Christmas card or gift.

But this attitude is not just for billionaires - anyone can find their value in their possessions. You don’t have to be rich to be a hoarder, but this is a problem more likely for the wealthy.

Do you use your possessions as tools of service for others and for God or just to benefit yourself?

Romans 12:8 AV

8 Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness.

C. The Warning from God

v. 20 - God intrudes into the man’s thinking - fool!

This is the ultimate ‘you can’t take it with you’ parable. This man is a true fool.

In the Bible a fool doesn’t mean you’re unintelligent or uneducated.

There is a foolish corner in the brain of the wisest man.

Aristotle

No time was available to change his ways. His life is demanded!

Even Solomon saw the foolishness in hoarding just to leave it to someone else.

Ecclesiastes 2:18–19 AV

18 Yea, I hated all my labour which I had taken under the sun: because I should leave it unto the man that shall be after me. 19 And who knoweth whether he shall be a wise man or a fool? yet shall he have rule over all my labour wherein I have laboured, and wherein I have shewed myself wise under the sun. This is also vanity.

Conversation with man who was really focused on leaving tons of money to his kids. What if they blow it all? Get a legal contract. Well don’t you expect them to work? Don’t you expect them to pay their own bills? Don’t you expect them to save? Well, why do they need your money?

3. Lessons on Greed

v. 21

Here we see the key point: those that lay up treasures for themselves are not rich toward God.

This is not an exceptional case. It applies to anyone who trusts in riches. Riches have one major weakness. They have no purchasing power after death. They cannot buy the currency needed to get to heaven. Do not try to be rich in regard to the bank or barn. Be rich in relationship to God. Through prayer, study, obedience, and practice of the word, be sure you are part of the kingdom of God.

v. 21 - application by Jesus - the fool hoards instead of being concerned for neighbors and for God. Luke 12.33

Not rich toward God - or treasure in heaven.

A. Evaluating Myself

Here are five questions to ask yourself:

(1) Do I think more about things or God?

If I am often thinking about that new car or that nicer house or that better computer, and I seldom think about how I can know God better, I am tainted by greed.

(2) Do I compromise my character for gain or advantage

If I sometimes cheat or lie or steal to get ahead financially or to avoid loss, I am being greedy. If I am willing to shred relationships or to take advantage of another person for financial gain, I am being greedy. If I care more about making money than about being a witness for Jesus Christ, I am being greedy.

(3) Do I enjoy the material over the spiritual?

If my happiness soars when I get a new car, but I am bored by the things of God, I am greedy. If I rejoice when I win a raffle or door prize, but I yawn when I hear about a soul being saved, I am greedy.

(4) How do I react when I lose material things?

When the stock market drops, do I fall apart emotionally? If I get robbed or lose some or all of my things in a fire, does it devastate me? I’m not saying that we must be stoical about such losses. We will always feel some sadness when we lose things. But if it wipes us out, then we’re probably too attached to this world and its goods.

(5) What would I do if I suddenly came into a lot of money?

I presume that none of you play the lottery, but what if you won the Reader’s Digest Sweepstakes? What if a distant relative died and left you a large inheritance? Would your first thought be, “Now I can get that better house or car or boat”? “Now I can take that trip around the world I’ve always wanted to take.” Or, would you think, “Now I can support dozens of missionaries”? “Thousands of people can hear about Christ because He has given me funds to invest in the spread of His kingdom!”

B. Balancing My Priorities

Some may be thinking, “What’s the big problem with greed? Sure, we all know that it’s wrong to live for things and to grasp after them like Scrooge. But success is the American way. As long as we’re not extreme about it, can’t we pursue the nice things in life?” Our text reveals three fundamental problems with greed:

1. Greed Ignores God’s Ownership

The man in the parable saw himself as the owner of all that he had. Did you notice the prominence of the first person pronoun in his speech? Six times he says “I,” without any regard for God. He refers to my crops, my barns, my grain, my goods, and, most frighteningly of all, my soul. He would have been in harmony with the proud and defiant words of William Henley’s “Invictus,” “I am the master of my fate; I am the captain of my soul.”

The greedy man is proud. If you asked this man, “How did you get all this wealth?” he would have answered, “I got it all by hard work, using my head, and I had a little luck with the weather.” But he wouldn’t have acknowledged God’s grace as the source of it. The greedy man is self-sufficient. His confidence was in his many barns full of produce, not in God’s care. The greedy man is his own lord. He asks himself, “What shall I do?” He proudly declares, “This is what I will do.” He does not ask, “Lord, what would You have me to do?”

God owns it all.

2. Greed Chooses Possession Over People

You don’t have to read between the lines to see that this man and his brother were not best buddies at this point! The money had come between them. How many families have been divided over the settling of the family estate! How many brothers and sisters are so angry that they won’t speak to each other because they are at war over possessions or money that belonged to their parents! In this case, I presume that the man bringing the complaint had some justification for his case. His brother probably had wronged him. But Jesus confronted this man with his own greed.

The Bible is clear that the number one priority is to love God and that number two is to love our neighbor as much as we do love ourselves. Our love of money and things is just a manifestation of our love of self more than our love of God and neighbor.

3. Greed Loses Sight of the Shortness of Life

The rich man made a deliberate, thought-out decision (12:18-19), but he left out one critical factor: eternity! He had his bases covered for many years on earth, but not for eternity in heaven. Alexander Maclaren puts it, “The goods may last, but will he?” (Expository Thoughts on the Gospels [Baker], p. 342).

James 4:14 AV

14 Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.

Of course, he had no guarantee that even the goods would last. His barns could have been hit by lightning and burned to the ground before morning. Thieves or an invading army could have taken it all from him. Rats could have eaten and polluted his storehouses. Nothing in this life is guaranteed except death (and, perhaps, taxes!).

Two men were at the funeral of a wealthy man. The first man whispered to the second, “How much did he leave?” The second man replied, “He left it all!” We always do, of course!

CONCLUSION

Kingdom saints have this lesson figured out. The Kingdom is alive in us, it is active. We understand the shortness of life, the temporary nature all that we possess.

We live for Christ and we live for others. We can know that the kingdom is alive in us when we aren’t concerned about inheritance rights and goods. We can focus on the kingdom and allow ourselves to be wronged rather than allow greed to control us.

Pray

How do I feel about what God has given to me? Is it mine? Am I a steward of what has come my way? Am I generous? Do I take the things God has given to me and store them up for my own purposes?