The Parable of the Rich Fool
Luke 16:13-21 “Someone in the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”
But Jesus replied, “Man, who appointed Me judge or executor between you?” And He said to them, “Watch out! Guard yourselves against every form of greed, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”
Then He told them a parable: “The ground of a certain rich man produced an abundance. So he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, since I have nowhere to store my crops?’ Then he said, ‘This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and will build bigger ones, and there I will store up all my grain and my goods. Then I will say to myself, “You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take it easy. Eat, drink, and be merry!”’
But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be required of you. Then who will own what you have accumulated?’
This is how it will be for anyone who stores up treasure for himself but is not rich toward God.”
Jesus frequently starts off with something happening with his listeners or with recent events known to everyone. Here an unhappy guy in the crowd demands Jesus settle his family matter for him. Generally, inheritances won’t be divided until a father dies, and then the eldest son takes a double portion while everyone else takes a single portion. With a clear idea of God’s calling on his life, Jesus refuses to act as a judge or executor. Note that Jesus also refuses to even ask the most basic question: is your father dead or alive? Here Jesus demonstrates a very important point: know your mission and don’t get distracted.
Next, Jesus questions this man’s motives: “And He said to them, “Watch out! Guard yourselves against every form of greed, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” OUCH! In case this man hasn’t gotten Jesus’ message clearly, now Jesus is spelling it out for him. To drive home this point, Jesus now tells a story.
“The ground of a certain rich man produced an abundance. So he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, since I have nowhere to store my crops?’ Then he said, ‘This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and will build bigger ones, and there I will store up all my grain and my goods. Then I will say to myself, “You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take it easy. Eat, drink, and be merry!”’
But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be required of you. Then who will own what you have accumulated?’
Jesus tells the story of a rich man who has lived his entire life caring only for himself despite numerous warnings throughout the Mosaic law to care for the poor and marginalized. Leviticus 19:9-10 says, “When you reap the harvest of your land, you are not to reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. You must not strip your vineyard bare or gather its fallen grapes. Leave them for the poor and the foreigner. I am the LORD your God.”
The rich man Jesus describes is busy harvesting as much as he can from his ground. This is the kind of fellow who will order his servants to reap to the very edges of the field, gathering the gleanings and stripping his vineyards bare. When this man’s fields yield an abundant harvest, this man has choices: he can share this abundance with the poor and the foreigner-a move that would make him a hero in the community-or he can keep it all for himself. But this guy thinks only of himself and his immediate reaction is to tear down his current barns, build bigger ones, and then indulge himself for the rest of his life. Too bad his life is about to end abruptly. “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be required of you. Then who will own what you have accumulated?’”
Years ago, C. J. Studd, the founder of the Worldwide Evangelism Crusade, stated, “Only one life-twill soon be past. Only what’s done for God will last.” Life does not come with any guarantees. Jesus ends his story by commenting, “This is how it will be for anyone who stores up treasure for himself but is not rich toward God.”
At this moment, Elon Musk is rated as the richest man in the world with a net worth of $252.4 billion. But God is not impressed by wealth, for He is the Lord of the universe. At some point, Mr. Musk will stand before the judgment seat of God and will have to account for the way he has handled that wealth.
How can we be “rich toward God?” Micah 6:8 tells us, “He has shown you, O mankind, what is good.
And what does the LORD require of you but to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?” Leviticus 19:9-10 advises us to care for the poor and the foreigners. We need to realize that everything we have is a gift from God, and that we should hold everything loosely, realizing that at any moment God might want us to pass things on to others. As long as we receive things from God with open hands, we will keep acting as channels of blessing. God will bless us as we bless others. May God help us to continue to trust God for His provision.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to hold things loosely so that at any moment we may pass them on to someone else. Help us not to be selfish. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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