How to Avoid the Traps of Wealth: Decoding Jesus' Warning in Luke 12
Discover the timeless wisdom of the Parable of the Rich Fool from Luke 12:13-21. Learn how Jesus' teachings offer profound insights into the dangers of greed and the importance of being rich toward God.
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The Parable of the Rich Fool
13 Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” 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.” 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. 19 And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.”’ 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?’ 21 So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”
The Parable of the Rich Fool
This parable is about the distinction between foolishness and faithfulness. It’s predicated upon Jesus’ statement:
JESUS: “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” Luke 12:15
The story begins with a guy approaching Jesus for a financial consultation. “Tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”
At this time, most people viewed Jesus as a Jewish Rabbi, and back then, it was customary for rabbis to settle any number of disputes between persons. They were considered mediators and often looked to for words of wisdom. However, theologian William Barclay points out that Jesus refused to be mixed up in anyone’s disputes.
JESUS: “Man, who made me a judge or arbitrator over you?” Luke 12:14
While the man does address Jesus as teacher, he does not request instruction. Instead, he commands what he wants. He wants to take advantage of Jesus’ moral authority and tries to use it to gain power over his brother.
So, instead of getting involved, Jesus warns him, which is also a warning for us.
JESUS: “The land of a rich man produced plentifully.” Luke 12:16
The rich man was a farmer and a businessman. One could easily argue that the rich man is a wise and responsible person. He has a profitable business that has produced so well that he does not have enough storage space in his warehouses and barns. So, he plans to tear down his warehouses/barns and build bigger ones to store all his (grain) goods.
This parable is not a warning or critique against wisdom, responsibility, or savings. Let me also validate that it’s not wrong to be wealthy.
The rich man is addressing ample savings set aside for the future so he can be set to enjoy his life. It’s kind of like the American axiom work hard, play hard. However, the man didn’t plan for a reckoning with God.
JESUS: “You fool! This very night, your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?” Luke 12:20
It’s one thing for one human to call another a fool; It may or may not be true. But when God calls someone a fool, it is absolutely, uncompromisingly, precisely true. The rich farmer is a fool. Not because he’s wealthy and saves for the future but because he only lives for himself in the context of his wealth. He believes he can secure his life with abundance.
This business person does not imagine life beyond himself or a world with God. He fails to recognize that his wealth could be a blessing to other people and a way to honor God. He has the opportunity to be a conduit for fulfilling God’s purposes on earth, yet he shows no awareness or sensitivity for his workers, community, or God.
How do we know this? Look at how he phrases his question.
“What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?” “I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, ‘Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.’” Luke 12:17-19
No fewer than 11 personal pronouns are used.
Pastor and author Tim Keller said, “If you have money, power, and status today, it is due to the century and place in which you were born, to your talents and capacities and health, none of which you earned. In short, all your resources are, in the end, the gift of God (Generous Justice: How God’s Grace Makes Us Just).”
The tragedy here is that the rich fool thought he had a storage crisis, but in reality, he had a spiritual crisis. When faced with abundance, his first thought was to hoard rather than share. And it was a deadly mistake (there is no hyperbole in that statement).
JESUS: “And I will say to my soul, ‘Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.’ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night, your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?” Luke 12:19-2
This man isn’t just a fool; Jesus is saying he’s a damned fool.
How To Be Rich Toward God
Years ago, I knew a man who was growing strong in the Lord. He was active in prayer meetings and becoming a strong disciple in our church. When the 2008 economic crisis hit, it devastated his work, but he started a new business and quickly became a multi-millionaire.
After that happened, I saw him at church less and less. Eventually, he stopped coming. Several years later, I ran into him, and he told me, “I know I’m not involved in church anymore but don’t worry, I’ve worked out my own spirituality.” He told me he’d bought a lake house and would watch church online every weekend.
It’s impossible to be the body of Christ if you are “worshipping” online. I want to extend grace to those sick or shut in and let you know that our prayers are with you. But there is no way to do life with other believers through “online worship.” This individual was using his lake house to “eat, drink, and be merry,” yet completely disconnected from the body.
This is precisely why Paul warned about the hazard of money in 1 Timothy 6:
“Those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.” 1 Timothy 6:9
That’s why Jesus shared this parable with this man, so we could be on guard because this inheritance was going to kill him/us. Tim Keller said, “Money isn’t an idol. It just shows you where your idols are.” Money opens the lanes of our thoughts that seduce us two degrees at a time. The potential tragedy of wealth is that it can foster a casualness in our Christianity.
“There is a vast difference between the Christianity that decides whether the kids are going to play soccer on Sunday morning and the Christianity that decides whether or not I am going to join brothers and sisters in worship at the risk of my own life.” John Piper, pastor and author
There were no mincing words when Jesus said, “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also (Luke 12:34).”
Jesus is warning us of how money can lie to us:
“If you lose me, you lose a very large part of your life.”
“If you lose me, you lose what life can be for you.”
“I am your life.”
“Do you realize how big I am?”
“Life will be real life—truly life—if you have me.”
Jesus refers to this as the deceitfulness of riches in Matthew 13:22. Money can be utilized to meet our needs and do God-honoring things. This is the distinction between money and mammon (wealth regarded as an evil influence or false object of worship and devotion).
Jesus taught that money can bring tragedy to your soul or it can bring triumph through your life. He goes on to say, “So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God (Luke 12:21).”
What does “rich toward God” look like?
Rich toward God is storing up what really counts in the sight of God. The meaning is plain from the contrast: it is the opposite of laying up earthly treasure for yourself. Being rich toward God is the opposite of treating the self as though it were made for things and not made for God.
Being rich toward God is the opposite of acting as if life consists in the abundance of possessions not in the abundance of knowing God. Resources exist from God to both meet your needs and to joyfully fuel God’s purposes throughout the earth.
The issue isn’t that the farmer prospered; it’s that he was self-centered in his prosperity and wealth. We are never more alive than when we serve God by sacrificing ourselves and our resources. Jesus said it’s more blessed to give than receive; thus, when we step out of our comfort zone and into sacrificial giving for the cause of Christ, that’s what it looks like to be rich in God.
Moving Toward Fruitfulness
As mentioned in the beginning, this parable is about the difference between foolishness and fruitfulness. By His grace, let us be a fruitful people based on Jesus’ teaching. Consider praying the Wesley Covenant Prayer.
Wesleyan Covenant Prayer
I am no longer my own, but thine.
Put me to what thou wilt; rank me with whom thou wilt.
Put me to doing, put me to suffering.
Let me be employed by thee or laid aside for thee,
Exalted for thee or brought low for thee.
Let me be full; let me be empty.
Let me have all things; let me have nothing.
I freely and heartily yield all things to thy pleasure and disposal. And now, O Glorious and blessed God,
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
Thou art mine and I am thine. So be it.
And the covenant which I have made on earth,
Let it be ratified in heaven. Amen.
Can you honestly and authentically pray that with your heart? If not, start by praying and inviting God to move you toward a place where you can pray authentically.
Even in our consumeristic society, it’s possible that we can steward our wealth as Christ-followers in this culture. Jesus can reign as your first love and the priority of your heart.
The Gospel is your foundation, and God in Christ went to the cross for our sins. If you’ve drifted, remember that He is a forgiving God. He is a God of second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth chances. We don’t want to abuse that, but Scripture tells us that when a righteous man falls seven times, he gets up.
God wants to preserve you and for you to come home. Your next step is to surrender to Him. He’s loving, gentle, and merciful, and He can renew you for this life and the eternal one.
TL;DR
The Parable of the Rich Fool from Luke 12:13-21 warns against the folly of greed and materialism.
This parable emphasizes the importance of being rich toward God rather than accumulating wealth solely for oneself.
As Christians, we’re called to shift our focus to spiritual fruitfulness and stewardship.
Jesus reminds us the transient nature of earthly possessions and the eternal value of investing in God's kingdom.
Related Reading
How to Manage God’s Gifts for His Glory by Rev. Paul Lawler
The 10-Point Checklist of Stewardship by Bro. Chris Carter
The First Things of a Blessed Life by Rev. Paul Lawler
