PARABLE 7 - The Rich Fool

PARABLE 7 — LUKE 12:15-21 — THE RICH FOOL

21 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.

Read Luke 12:1-14. While Jesus is teaching a man suddenly ask Jesus to speak to his brother so that his brother would spilt his inheritance with him. Jesus answered and said, “Man, who made me a judge or a divider over you?

Jesus then spoke to the crowd and said, “Listen to this, beware of covetousness!” Jesus said a man’s life does not consist of how many things he possesses in this life.

Jesus then spoke the parable of a certain rich man that had plenty.

  

Discussion Questions – Parable 7

PARABLE 7 — LUKE 12:15-21 — THE RICH FOOL

1. What does covetousness mean? 

The Merriam-Webster’s dictionary describes covetousness to mean – “feeling or showing a very strong desire for something that you do not have and especially for something that belongs to someone else.”  The Strong’s Concordance describes it to mean – “greedy desire to have more.”

2. In Verse 15, Jesus said, “Beware.” Is that a strong warning or simply a caution? 

Older Bible translations have “take heed” and the NIV and Holman have “watch out” which seem more like a caution. But “beware” is probably the best translation of the original Greek and it is an intensive term. And because it is such a strong forceful word, it is rarely followed by an exclamation mark. We would not expect to see a sign, “Beware of wet paint,” or “Beware, new grass planted,” because the word is too strong for the occasion. But it is more likely to be used on a sign like, “Beware – Vicious Dog,” or “Beware – Bridge Out.” Thus, when Jesus used the word “beware,” he was indicating great danger. 

Other places we find the word is used in:

Matthew 7:15 – Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep's clothing but 

inwardly are ravaging wolves. 

Luke 12:1 – Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.

3. How does greed show up in a person’s life? Do you see this in your life?

Jesus’ strong warning here is about greed. He says, “Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” He is explaining that the essential, fundamental evil and error of covetousness is being eagerly desirous of wealth or possessions; that covetousness makes one think that life is made up of and controlled by the things you possess. And don’t we often feel that way? If we have material goods, we are “better off” or even just plain “better” than those who do not have them. 

This is what the Lord was charging when he asked the rhetorical question in the Sermon on the Mount, “Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?” (Matthew 6:25) Your life’s value, your soul’s worth, is not measured by what you own. “For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and to lose his soul?” (Mark. 8:36) Jesus would never have asked those questions if the covetousness’ theme were true—that is that your life is measured by what you possess. It is not what you own, it is what owns you that really matters.

After posing the warning about greed in straight-forward language, Jesus goes on to tell a parable about it. Often, he only tells the parable, but in this case he’s waving a red danger flag first. 

4. Is it wrong or a bad thing to be rich? If not, what’s the big problem? 

Absolutely not. Abraham, Jacob, Solomon and Job were not simply rich; they were “very rich.” The rich man in this parable is not criticized or condemned because he was wealthy.

Wealth itself does not damn, and neither does poverty save. Wealth is not a vice. Poverty is not a virtue. It may be hard to believe, but many people with no money will go to hell over the riches they so strongly desire. At least that is what Paul writes to Timothy, “But people who want to be rich fall into temptation, a trap, and many foolish and harmful desires, which plunge them into ruin and destruction.” (1 Tim. 6:9). So it is not riches but the “trust” in riches that dooms men (Mark 10:23-35). 

It is this trust, this belief in material substance that condemned the rich man. Five times he used the personal pronoun “my.” He referred to “my crops, my barns, my grain, my goods, myself.” That is not evil, either, for there is a sense in which things do belong to us; we “own” them (Acts 5:4; Matthew 20:15). However, in this case it was the absorbing, consuming thought of his life, and that is wrong. Even building the barns was not wrong—he actually acted wisely in building larger barns for his surplus lest it rot or be eaten by scavenger animals. But, he acted foolishly in allowing his goods to secure, as he thought they did, his soul. [For Verse 12:19, early translations say “And I will say to my soul...” whereas later translations make hits “I will say to myself...”In this case, I think the earlier literal translation is probably better.] 

The man imagined “many years” of ease and security, many years in which he could take it easy, eat, drink, and be merry. How does the rest of that phrase go? “For tomorrow we die,” but the rich man did not consider death. He stopped with “merry.” He forgot, “for tomorrow we die.” But in this case, even if he had said it, he would have been in error. It was not, “tomorrow,” but “this very night your life (or your soul) will be demanded of you.” 

5. In Ecclesiastes, Solomon spoke of two items in this story. How does Ecclesiastes 5:15 fit in? Later, in Ecclesiastes 8:15, Solomon says, “So I commended pleasure, for there is nothing good for a man under the sun except to eat and to drink and to be merry, and this will stand by him in his toils throughout the days of his life which God has given him under the sun.” Is the Bible giving us conflicting advice? 

Eccl 5:15 – “We all come to the end of our lives as naked and empty-handed as on the day we were born. We can’t take our riches with us.” [NLT] So neither the devil nor this world can give you one single item that will not be snatched and taken from you the moment you die. We all go into bankruptcy at death. We leave it all. In Ecclesiastes, Solomon then wondered whether his riches might not go to a fool who would throw it all away (Eccl. 2:18-19). Even earlier, David said this same thing in Psalm 39:6 – “Surely everyone goes around like a mere phantom; in vain they rush about, heaping up wealth without knowing whose it will finally be.” And again in Psalm 49:10 – “...even wise men die; the stupid and the senseless alike perish and leave their wealth to others.” 

But the rich man did not foresee this eventuality. He was oblivious to eternity. David said it in Psalm 49:6-9 and Jesus said it here. Your wealth will not do you one jot of good when you die—the only thing that counts is being “rich toward God.” 

The big difference between this parable and what Solomon says in Ecclesiastes 8:15 “...eat, drink, and be merry...” is that he is saying it gratefully in thanks that “God has given him wealth and possessions and enables him to enjoy them” (Eccl 5:19). A few verses later, he adds that one should “be joyful that God favors what you do” (Eccl 9:7). He is not saying it arrogantly or pridefully as the rich man in the parable is. 

6. Does this parable say you should not plan for retirement or that you should not save money or valuables? In one sentence, what does being “rich toward God” actually mean? 

Absolutely not; saving money and planning ahead are good things. The Bible in many places stresses using one’s money and gifts wisely. Other parables actually advise us to increase our wealth, to be good caretakers of what God has entrusted to us, to help the poor and those less fortunate (often spoken of as widows and orphans). This is how we show we are “rich toward God.” This is the antidote to covetousness. It is the man who has his priorities in order who sees to the wealth and prosperity of his soul. Paul says it again to Timothy, “Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment.” (1 Tim. 6:17, NLT). 

In one sentence, what does being “rich toward God” actually mean? Does it mean to?

(a) seek first the kingdom of God, 

(b) give most of your money to the church and the poor, 

(c) use your abilities and resources to further God’s kingdom, 

(e) something else? 

I’ll give you a hint?What did Jesus say in Matthew 6:19-21? “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where you treasure is, there will your heart be also.” 

7. With what parts of the parable can you identify? What parts of the parable make you uncomfortable? (12:16-20)

8. Why is it difficult for us to accept the fact that our life and things are temporary? What step can you take this week to become less dependent upon your possessions?