The Parable of the Rich Fool
Notes
Transcript
Opening Illustration
Opening Illustration
A man calls up this very rich man in the community and says,
“Our records shows that you have never given to our charity and we were wondering if you would like to donate?”
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The rich man replied,
“Does your record show I have a elderly mother who was left penniless when my father died, a disabled brother who is unable to work, or a widowed sister with small children who can barely make ends meet?”
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“No, sir, our records don't show those things.”
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“Well, if I don't give to them, what makes you think I would give to you!”
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Wow!
Can you imagine having an abundance of wealth and refusing to help those in need?
Well Beloved, that right there is pure greed...
And that will be the featured topic of our message today.
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So, please turn your Bibles to the Gospel of Luke.
We will conduct our study in Chapter 12 and focus on verses 13 through 21.
Our message this morning is titled, “The Parable of the Rich Fool”
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As you are turning to our passage...
Keep this in mind...
The message today will also cover the lack of security in possessions and riches...
And the source of true security, God.
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So, this morning we will cover three main points:
1) The Question
2) The Parable
And...
3) The Application
Opening Prayer
Opening Prayer
Before we consider our text, please join me in prayer...
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Heavenly Father...
You are the One true God who never leaves His children...
You are the Mighty One in which the angels declare You, Holy, Holy, Holy...
You are like not other for you have no beginning and no end.
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Help us stand firm in Your truth in all times and in all seasons...
Help us to not be mislead by any false teachings...
And help us to be in Your Word everyday...
Your Word that points to Your Son...
Your Word that was penned by the Holy Spirit.
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Thank You for Your patience with us...
We fall every day...
Yet you pick us up and won’t abandon us...
For you are truly a good Father!
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And it is in Jesus’s name we pray all these things...
Amen.
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Let’s turn to our text for today:
Reading of the Text
Reading of the Text
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.”
So, let’s look at our first point...
1) The Question
1) The Question
Verses 13-15: Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” But he said to him, “Man, who made me a judge or arbitrator over you?” 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.”
Our passage today picks up right were we left off last week...
That is when we covered Jesus’ teaching on the need to acknowledge Him publically...
The warning of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit...
And the encouragement that the Holy Spirit will help believers in what to say in times of persecution.
All of that can be found in Luke 12:8-12 which says:
8 “And I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man also will acknowledge before the angels of God,
9 but the one who denies me before men will be denied before the angels of God.
10 And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but the one who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.
11 And when they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not be anxious about how you should defend yourself or what you should say,
12 for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”
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Now, as Jesus is teaching these profound truths...
A man in the crowd interrupts Him and says, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”
So, the man was respectful to call Jesus “Teacher.”
However, this man interrupted the Lord to tell Jesus to settle the issue with his brother over their inheritance.
You see Beloved, in biblical times there was something called “The right of the firstborn” which was a double portion of an inheritance...
We know know this from passages like Deuteronomy 21:17 which says:
17 but he shall acknowledge the firstborn, the son of the unloved, by giving him a double portion of all that he has, for he is the firstfruits of his strength. The right of the firstborn is his.
So, perhaps this man wanted an equal share of the family inheritance for most likely the other brother has refused to divide the inheritance, and this brother now hopes that Jesus will prevail upon him to be more generous.
In any case, Jesus seemed completely unconcerned about the implied injustice, and refused the man’s request to arbitrate the family dispute...
For Jesus replies back to the brother, “Man, who made me a judge or arbitrator over you?”
Yes Beloved, one of Christ’s roles is that of Judge of all the earth as John 5:22 says:
22 For the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son,
However, Jesus did not come to be an arbiter of petty earthly disputes.
That was not the mission He was sent to our world to perform.
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Now, it is true that cases in dispute like this were often settled by rabbis who were consulted, and in later years even traveled from place to place to render legal decisions...
Yet, Jesus refuses to be drawn into such legal haggling.
The ESV Study Bible puts it this way:
“Though Jesus was Lord of the entire universe, he was careful not to become involved in matters that did not directly pertain to his earthly work and ministry, and he expected people to work out such things on their own.”
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Then, knowing what was in the brother’s heart, Jesus said, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”
So, whether this man has actually been defrauded by an older brother or simply wants Jesus to render a decision in his favor, Jesus perceives behind his request rests a covetous heart that idolizes possessions as defining one’s very identity.
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You see Beloved, sometimes it is not about weather you are right or wrong in legal dispute...
What matter more than that is what is in the heart...
Whether the brother coming to Jesus had a case or not did not matter...
The point was what was the driving force in the brother’s heart..
Based on what Jesus reveals...
We can see that the brother’s driving force is greed.
As the New American Commentary on Luke says:
“Greed is an insatiable desire and lust for more and more.
It is all-consuming, so that all of life becomes focused on the accumulation of wealth.
There is no room for anything else, not even God.
This is why it is so hard for a rich person to enter God’s kingdom.”
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This brother was in the crowd listening to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords teach and all he could think about was his right to an inheritance.
That greed...
That love of money...
That is an all-consuming obsession...
And no matter the amount of wealth and possessions one accumulates...
They will never be satisfied...
As Ecclesiastes 5:10 says:
10 He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income; this also is vanity.
Beloved, don’t forget who wrote Ecclesiastes...
Don’t forget who wrote the book of the Bible verse we just read.
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You see Beloved, it was King Solomon who wrote Ecclesiastes...
He was someone who had it all in terms of worldly standards...
Money, power, wisdom, respect, women....
He had it all...
And still no amount of money could satisfy him.
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Beloved, it is better to be faithful to God and the commands in His Word than to be rich...
Now, we are not talking about becoming rich by honorable means...
There is no sin in that...
Many faithful men in the Scriptures had great wealth like Job and Abraham.
The problem comes when one’s desire to be rich takes priority over following God...
Or as Proverbs 28:20 puts it:
20 A faithful man will abound with blessings, but whoever hastens to be rich will not go unpunished.
I like what theologian Darrell L. Bock once said:
“Greed can create a distortion about what life is, because the definition of life is not found in objects, but relationships, especially to God and his will.
To define life in terms of things is the ultimate reversal of the creature serving the creation and ignoring the Creator.”
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Scripture warns us again and again of the dangers of refusing to make God our refuge...
And we ultimately refuse to make God our refuge when we foolishly seek security in anything other than Him...
And that leads too total an utter destruction of our lives...
Just look at what Psalm 52:7 says:
7 “See the man who would not make God his refuge, but trusted in the abundance of his riches and sought refuge in his own destruction!”
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So, at this point Jesus shares a parable in order to illustrate His point to both the brother and the whole crowd and disciples listening...
And this takes us to our second point.
2) The Parable
2) The Parable
Verses 16-20: And he told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man produced plentifully, and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ 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. 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?’
Beloved, I would like you to please take notice this detail, first...
The man from our parable already was rich at the beginning of the story...
He is called a rich man...
So, he already has plenty...
But now his land has produced plentifully...
And this leads the rich man to think about how he can take that advantage of this situation and grow his riches even more.
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At the same time...
I would like you to consider this from the Pillar New Testament Commentary on Luke:
“The opening line of this parable is important, for the subject of the sentence is not the rich man but the ‘ground.’
The prosperity of the rich man is not his doing but a consequence of the productivity of land.
His prosperity derives from a source other than himself.
It is, in other words, an inheritance, even a gift.
But the rich man cannot (or will not) acknowledge this.”
So, here is the major take away from all this...
The rich man is confused regarding ownership versus stewardship.
He is thinking too much of himself and how he can expand his wealth when in reality it was the land that was productive...
So, this rich man should have been thanking God and acknowledging Him...
Instead, the rich man focus on himself...
He starts be asking “What shall I do” instead of looking to what God would want him to do.
Then he talks about himself with his many “I” and “my” statements...
He says, “I will do this” and “I will tear down...” and “I will store...” and “I will say...”
And He talks about, “my barns” and “my grain” and “my goods” and “my soul.”
So, all “I’s” and “my’s” reveals language that suggests exclusive self-interest...
It reveals a focus that is often the natural product of “earned” wealth.
But where is God in all this?
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Nowhere to be found...
Even though it is God who is responsible for the bountifulness of this rich man’s land.
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Likewise the Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament on Luke says:
“The story centers around one character, a man with very productive land...
Jesus gives no other details about him.
He is nameless and representative.
Such a man would be envied in an agrarian context and might even be regarded as specially blessed by God, but he represents anyone in any profession who becomes greedy.
Apparently, the harvest for the year was exceptional, leaving him in a favorable situation.
It is important to note that the parable is initially neutral concerning the man’s attitude.
There is no hint of avarice, cheating, or immorality, contrary the claim of [some scholars] that this man was hoarding his crop to charge a higher price in case of famine.
Jesus’ parables always involve the element of surprise.
The surprise here is that the man has a perfectly natural dilemma.
Jesus’ story is intriguing in that this man’s additional wealth fell into his lap, he came by his wealth honestly because God’s provision and kindness blessed him—and yet such blessing still can present a problem of stewardship.”
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Ironically, the man who took such great care to prepare for his own (earthly) needs turns out to be a fool for he put his trust in riches instead of God.
Instead of fulfilling his moral responsibility to care for the needs of others, he is rebuked for laying up treasure for himself and for not being rich toward God.
As the Reformation Study Bible says:
“The farmer’s plan to conserve his abundant harvest seems prudent and wise, like the counsel that Joseph gave Egypt’s Pharaoh.
Yet he displays shortsighted folly by resting his sense of security on material resources.
He forgets his accountability to God, who alone sustains life, imposes death and casts idolaters into hell.”
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Then, Jesus says in the parable that God said to him, “Fool! This night your soul is required of you,”
The word “fool” which is “aphrōn” in Greek, is not used lightly but in the Old Testament sense of one who rejects the knowledge and precepts of God as a basis for life.
This ma may have been rich an successful in the world’s eyes...
But he lacked what he need the most...
A relationship with God!
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On top of that, Jesus says, “And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?”
Beloved, we come into this world with nothing...
And we will leave this world with nothing...
None of our material possessions will be coming with us wherever we spend eternity...
As Job 1:21 says:
21 And he said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”
And take a look at what Psalm 49:16–17 says:
16 Be not afraid when a man becomes rich, when the glory of his house increases.
17 For when he dies he will carry nothing away; his glory will not go down after him.
The truth of the matter is that wealth’s only legacy is its fleeting nature...
One could have all the riches in the world and not a penny can be taken with them once they draw their last breath.
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Consider the ancient Egyptians...
For their Pharaohs they would build these amazing pyramids and within it have a whole room that acted as a tomb...
And it was filled with so much treasure...
For they believed that one could take those items with then in the afterlife...
But despite all their efforts...
Most of these treasures were stolen by grave robbers or you will find some of these treasures in a glass case in a museum...
But you know who didn’t get the treasure...
All those Pharaohs no matter how great was their accomplishment while living on this earth.
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So Beloved, do not put your efforts into build treasures here in this world...
For they will fade away...
Instead build your treasure in Heaven...
As Matthew 6:19-20 says:
19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal,
20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.
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And don’t wait, Beloved...
The time is now to build your treasure in Heaven...
For our next breath is not guaranteed...
And we would be foolish to make plans and expect them to just work out...
For the only things that transpire in this world are the things according to God’s will...
So, take what James 4:13–17 says to heart:
13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”—
14 yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.
15 Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.”
16 As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.
17 So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.
So, James is not complaining about the making of plans or business arrangements...
Those are good...
We need to plan...
But what we are to do is to make sure we are not making plans without considering God and His will...
That is were we make a big mistake...
And that is why the rich man...
Although, wise is his approach in the business world...
Was at the end of the day just a fool for he did not consider God!
And that right there takes us to our third and final point.
3) The Application
3) The Application
Verse 21: So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”
So, to reiterate, the parable that Jesus has given us does not condemn planning or wealth per-se.
Rather, Jesus’ complaint is against the person who takes wealth and directs it totally toward the self and ignores God.
That is the point of Jesus’ teaching here.
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The one who is foolish is the one who hoards their possessions instead of being concerned for neighbors and for God.
As the famous Church Father Augustine memorably said of this rich man’s folly:
“He did not realize that the bellies of the poor are much safer storerooms than his barns.”
For as God has commanded in Scripture...
The ones who have and abundance should consider those who have very little or nothing at all...
So, we must trade the love of money for the love of others...
We must trade the love of wealth for the love of God...
For if we do not...
We will surely fall...
As 1 Timothy 6:9–10 says:
9 But 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.
10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.
These are wise words that Paul writes to Timothy...
And just a few verse down we find another precious nugget of wisdom...
As 1 Timothy 6:17 says:
17 As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy.
Closing Illustration
Closing Illustration
So, as this message comes to a close...
I would like you to consider this:
There is a story about a rich man who was determined to take his wealth with him.
He told his wife to get all his money together, put it in a sack, and then hang the sack from the rafters in the attic.
He said,
“When my spirit is caught up to heaven, I’ll grab the sack on my way.”
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Well he eventually died, and the woman raced to the attic, only to find the money still there.
She said,
“I knew I should’ve put the sack in the basement.”
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Wow!
Truly, the love of money...
The love of wealth...
The love of possessions...
The love of anything material...
Is is love that leads to Hell.
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So, whether you have a lot of a little...
Make sure to keep your life free from any kind of love of the material.
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We are called to be content with what God gives us...
For if we are with God...
Well, then we truly have everything!
As Hebrews 13:5 says:
5 Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
Closing Prayer
Closing Prayer
Let’s pray...
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Heavenly Father...
If anyone hearing this message right now does not know You in a saving way...
Please shatter all the idols of their hearts...
And open their hearts to Your life saving truth.
Take away the love of the created things...
And give then the love of the Creator!
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I appeal to Your Name’s sake!
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For those hearing this message who already know You...
Thank you for saving us from our depravity...
Thank you for saving us from certain loves that would destroy us...
For we could not save ourselves...
Remind us of that everyday so we can go out an share the Good News with the world.
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Again, I appeal to Your Name’s sake!
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It is in Jesus’s name we pray all these things...
To God be all the glory.
Amen.
