Text: Luke 12:13-40
Father, we want to understand Luke 12, the Parable of the Rich Fool. Because we don’t want to live foolishly. We want to be faithful, wise, ready in our hearts for the kingdom and the soon-to-arrive King. Teach us, Lord, how to be rich toward You. If that means being poor to material things, so be it. Help us, Lord, in this time. In Jesus Name, Amen
Luke 12, the Parable of the Rich Fool. Someone from the crowd asks Jesus a question and it’s about an inheritance. Verse 13 of Luke 12.
Luke 12
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.”
And so we have to stop there and say, if we believe that every parable is a correction, that it’s meant to be corrective in the body of Christ, then what is the correction? Jesus is trying to shine a light on covetousness in the believer. And I think in Jesus’ day, if you look at all the disciples, in some sense, they are all materially poor. Because they gave up everything. They gave up their jobs. They left their families. They’re following this Rabbi and so they are at the mercy of God to provide and it comes through the donations as they’re just moving around and following this itinerant preacher. And the people of God whom God has prepared in advance, they are providing for their needs. And so they are poor.
And if you are Peter or your John or you’re one of these disciples and you gave up your fishing profession, you gave up your tax collecting profession and you are completely bare financially, the thought can cross your mind, how come these other people are so well off? So I think just at face value, we have to know that Jesus is talking to His disciples about their covetousness.
Like, do I have to be hungry? Do I have to be thirsty? I’m wearing the same piece of clothing and they have some holes in them. I don’t have a big wardrobe. We don’t know where our next meal is going to come from. We don’t know where we’re going to lay our head. And so financially speaking, these disciples are poor. And if you’re poor, you covet people who have more material things than you. And so this is a correction against this creeping covetousness.
But it doesn’t end there. Because we might listen to this parable and say, well, I have plenty. This parable doesn’t apply to me. I don’t covet other people. Other people might covet what I have. And we might miss that there is another audience that Jesus is correcting because who is asking this question? It’s the person who says, my brother is not sharing the inheritance with me. So they’re not asking, where’s my next meal coming from? Am I going to have enough clothing? Do I know if where I’m going to lay my head? They know their needs are covered. This is a question born out of greed.
Who knows what happened in this family? Maybe his older brother, the father decided — he’s my first son. I’m going to bless him extra. Maybe there’s three children. How do you divide up an inheritance into three? One of the kids gets 34 percent. The rest get 33. And maybe this guy is just fighting over the 1 percent. We don’t know, but this brother got shortchanged. He looks at his older brother and that guy has more, and so he’s asking this question out of greed.
And so now we say, okay, this applies not just to people who are actually poor. It applies to people who are greedy. People with plenty. And I think that applies to every one of us, poor or rich.
Luke 12
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.”
Jesus is addressing, not only the covetousness that can creep in if you’re poor, he’s also talking about the greed of wanting a bigger slice of my inheritance. So Jesus is addressing both parties, the rich and the poor, at the same time. Jesus is a masterful storyteller. And what does He say about these two mindsets? He addresses first the greed of someone who says, give me a bigger piece of the pie. My brother has a bigger percentage of the inheritance, or maybe he got all of the inheritance because parents have different ways of making these decisions. Like if I am a father, I could be fair and just give 34%, 33, 33. I could do it in a fair way, or I could say, well, this son of mine, he’s a CEO. He’s making millions. Does he need 33%? This other son of mine is really struggling financially. And so as a father, I might just decide, son, you understand that you have plenty of money. This other son of mine really needs it so I’m going to give all my inheritance to him.
One of the sons is complaining. I want more. I think this applies to us and it gets at the mindset of this person who wants more. Jesus is addressing it head-on through this parable. The mindset of, I have some, but as I grow older, I’m accumulating more and more and more. And so what do I need to do? This small barn is not big enough to fill all the grain. I need to tear it down and build a bigger one. And the end goal is I will have so much I won’t even have to work. I can just take life easy. I can eat, drink and be merry.
Isn’t this the American dream? Isn’t this how we think in America? Isn’t this how Christians in America think? I’m living for my retirement. These Christians who are not struggling with, where’s my next meal coming from? They’re struggling with, how quickly can I retire? How soon can I retire? If I can retire at 65, okay, for the next 20, 30 years or however long, I’m going to really enjoy myself. I’m going to go on all these vacations, do everything I wanted to do when younger. But actually, do people really want to work to 65? If I can hit it big and sell my company and I could exit the market at age 35, isn’t that better? Then I have 50 or 60 years to eat, drink and be merry. Take like easy. And God says, to such a person who thinks this way, whose security in life is their retirement, is their 401K, is the size of their bank account, God says, that person is a fool.
I’m not telling you what to do with your money, but all of us have to wrestle with this issue. What is Jesus asking me specifically to do with my money? Because if I’m not careful, this mindset will set in. That I got to build bigger and bigger and I have to accumulate more and more and hopefully retire early. And then enjoy the rest of my life. Jesus says, this person is laying up treasure for himself. This person is earthbound. He’s living for this life. And consequently, he is not rich toward God. So there is an either-or here. Jimmy pointed out in verse 21, either you’re rich toward this world and you’re laying up treasure for yourself in this life, and that equals being impoverished before God, OR, conversely, you are rich toward God and that might mean brothers and sisters that you may be poor, materially speaking.
Jesus says in verse 15, life does not consist in the abundance of possessions. I don’t know how Jesus can get any more clear. We accumulate. We buy. We spend. We have a big nest egg, a big retirement, we can do whatever you want. We feel very secure. We have everything laid aside. And we can just enjoy life. Take it easy. Remember, the true meaning of the parable is hidden from the crowd, but Jesus gives a little bit. This is just basic, elementary teaching, just common sense. He gives this level of understanding to this guy who is fighting for a bigger percentage of the inheritance.
And the hope is, for the believer, we’re past this. We’re past living for our possessions. We’re past laying up treasure for ourselves. We’re not squabbling with a sibling over, I want that extra percent. This is like a crumb He can give to the crowd. This is like kindergarten Christianity. It’s so basic, but don’t we struggle even with this? Because the more you have, the harder it is to give it up. How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. Because we’re struggling even with this basic teaching.
But the true teaching that Jesus reserves, the meaning that He unlocks is only for the body of Christ, to disciples. He says in the second part of verse 22.
Luke 12
22 …“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on. 23 For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing.”
“Therefore” – you have to notice He says, therefore. So I gave you a simple, elementary revelation to the crowd who are struggling with their greed. But to you guys, I’m going to give you the real stuff.
See, now He’s addressing the impoverished believer. And we have to know that there are believers across our earth who are literally impoverished. And Jesus is saying to them, don’t be anxious. Don’t be anxious about where your next meal is coming from. And then He goes on to explain, even in nature, the ravens, they don’t have to stress. They don’t have to wonder, am I going to find a worm for myself and have enough to give to their hatchlings. No, they find food. And who is directing their flight to find the worm? It’s our Heavenly Father. He even cares about the birds of the air. He clothes the grass with lilies. Lilies, do they have to stress about sun and rain? No, God, He opens up the floodgates and the rain comes and the sunlight shines and that lily grows and it clothes the grass.
And so if the birds and the grass are taken care of, what about the crowning creation of humanity? Won’t He take care of us? Jesus is speaking to His disciples who wonder, I’m hungry. We have nothing in the cupboard. We don’t know where we’re going to sleep tonight. And then He ends with verse 32.
Luke 12
32 “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. 33 Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. 34 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
Those who don’t believe that they have a Heavenly Father who’s taking care of them, they are like the nations who chase after food, clothing, house, car, their inheritance, their job title. They’re chasing these things as if this is ultimate. And Jesus says, your Father knows you need food, clothing, drink. He’s not promising you abundance, or a big home, or a huge inheritance. He says, food, clothing, drink, basic necessities — your Father knows you need them. You don’t have to stress.
This is our baseline. For the believer, we do not stress. And that’s a hard teaching for us to swallow. Because don’t you and I stress? Maybe it’s not about food because that’s taken care of. But we stress about so many things. If you’re starving, you’re really stressed about food. If you’re thirsty, you’re really stressed about drink. If you don’t have a second pair of clothing, you’re stressed about clothing. And to these disciples who have left everything to follow Him, Jesus says, do not be anxious.
That means for all of us, we should not stress. We have burdens. We have deadlines. We have things we have to take care of, but all of them, we give to the Lord. We don’t stress. It says — do not stress. This is a commandment.
Instead, seek His kingdom. It’s going back to what Jesus said earlier. Do not lay up treasure for yourself. Do not lay up treasure in this life. Seek my kingdom in the next life. Put all of your hope there. It’s either laying up treasure here or laying up treasure in heaven. It really is either-or. It’s either being rich in the eyes of the world and poor toward God, OR, being rich toward God and possibly poor in the world. Our Father knows that you need the basic necessities. And He wants to give you the kingdom and He wants you to seek the kingdom.
Luke 12
32 “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. 33 Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. 34 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
This is a very difficult few verses. It says, sell your possessions. He’s not speaking metaphorically. This is not theoretical. He’s not speaking only to the Rich Young Ruler. He’s speaking to the disciples who’ve already left everything. And He’s speaking to every future disciple, every generation of disciple, to us. He says, sell your possessions and give to the poor.
Trust me. I will provide. Lay up treasure in heaven, not for yourself on earth. Because God wants your heart. God wants my heart. It says, wherever your treasure is, there your heart will be also. God wants our heart. It’s actually not about the money. But the money is a clue. It’s a means to see, which way is my heart moving? Is my heart moving toward this life?
My kingdom. My possessions. Is my heart moving and are my roots getting deeper here? Because look at this inheritance. I have a long life to eat, drink and be merry. Is my heart moving in this direction with deepening roots in this life? Or, is my heart moving toward the kingdom, the next life, the coming King? Only then, will you and I be able to sell our possessions and give to the poor.
Luke 12
35 “Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning, 36 and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast, so that they may open the door to him at once when he comes and knocks. 37 Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will dress himself for service and have them recline at table, and he will come and serve them. 38 If he comes in the second watch, or in the third, and finds them awake, blessed are those servants! 39 But know this, that if the master of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have left his house to be broken into. 40 You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”
See, depending on where your treasure is and in which direction your heart is moving, you will either be caught so off guard when Jesus returns, OR, you’ll be so eager and so ready. When Jesus comes, He will know who among the bride of Christ are ready.
Do you know in which direction your heart has been moving all these years? Because people who have been living for a bigger barn and a bigger inheritance and who’ve been taking life easy and just enjoying the fruit of their labor and and are looking forward to an early retirement. And going on all these vacations. They can eating whatever food. They can check off items off of their bucket list. People with this kind of a mindset, Jesus knows that person is not ready. That person is poor toward God. That person is sleeping in their pajamas.
On the other hand, the person who has been rich toward God, who sold their possessions and given to the poor. And trusted their Heavenly Father for their basic needs. They’ve been radically generous because over time, they got more income coming in in the form of a bigger and bigger salary, which means, to offset this higher income that comes with time, they became more and more generous. They identified the poor among them. They gave away the excess. They lived within modest means. That’s how we need to think as Christians in America. I need to put a limit on my spending. With all of the excess, beyond food, drink and clothing, we have to identify, who are the poor among us?
May the Lord bring them to us. May the Lord identify them in our families. Or on the other side of the earth if necessary. If we have a heart that we want to give to the poor, God will bring those needs to us because He can entrust those people to us. We are the type of people, when somebody is in need, we are not struggling to part with our money. No, we gladly give it away because it’s not our money. If you think this way, you are rich toward God and when Jesus comes, you’re ready because your heart all along has been moving in that direction.
Because you’ve been seeking His kingdom. You’ve been waiting for the Bridegroom. You’ve been investing in heavenly things, meaning your relationship with Christ and saving the lost. Eternal things. You’ve been investing there. It’s not a chore to read the Bible, to pray. Because you’ve been investing. Because your heart has been moving toward what you treasure, what you value. And if it’s the Lord, it won’t be a chore. You open the Bible gladly. You’ll pray. And you’ll be rich toward God so that when Jesus comes, you’d be so ready.
It’s a completely different mindset compared to, let me retire early. Let me have a huge inheritance. Let me just live extravagantly. Enjoy this life. If you live that way, God says you’re a fool.
I, for one, do not plan to have an inheritance. I know that might be sad for my boys. I don’t think I’m going to have a lot to pass on because when Jesus comes, I don’t want to have to shamefully say to him, this bank account, I was reserving for myself, Lord. The poor people who came across my life, I didn’t recognize them. And I didn’t meet their needs. It’d be so shameful for a church to have millions in their bank account when Jesus returns. Instead of releasing it to the kingdom, the pastor and members may think, this is our money.
It’s just my own personal commitment that I’m not going to have a lot. I’m not holding on to my money for a rainy day. There’s not going to be a lot for me to pass on to my boys. And for every believer, God looks at how generous we are. How we’ve been investing, how we’ve been releasing funds to the poor because that is one way to know you’re ready to leave.
Because this money, I’m not sitting on it to enjoy it at a later date. I’m not even sitting on it to pass on to my kids. Look, this parable began with 2 brothers fighting over the inheritance.
Let’s be rich toward God. Let’s prove to ourselves that He is our treasure. Through our stewardship of money, let’s demonstrate that I’m seeking His kingdom. Not my kingdom.
Let’s prove to ourselves that when Jesus comes back, we’ll be so ready. So eager. We’re not upset that we didn’t get to enjoy our money.
Okay, let’s pray.
Father, in this one parable, You address not only the poor among us, the poor believers across the earth, you’re also addressing the rich Christians who are squabbling and fighting their own siblings for a larger inheritance. Forgive us, Lord, that in America, we’ve been blinded by the American dream. That even in churches, even in seminaries, they teach you to prepare for your retirement. Where is that in Scripture, Lord?
You tell us in Scripture to sell our possessions. You tell us to invest in eternal things. You tell us to trust in You for our provisions. How can we trust in you when we have millions in our bank account? How can we, Lord? It is impossible.
May we be poor in the eyes of this world if that means we are rich in Your eyes. I don’t know what that means for any of us specifically, but I do know that Your Word commands us to struggle with this passage. Jesus, you say to all believers, we must sell all the extra, all the excess, and give to the poor.
Lord, we want to wrestle with this. We want to be rich toward You. We want to be rich toward You. We don’t want to be in the middle of building a bigger barn when Jesus you come. We want to demonstrate by our stewardship of our finances, that our treasure is not in this life, that we have not been living for ourselves, that we have been seeking Your kingdom, that truly Jesus, You are our treasure, that we value you more than our possessions.
This message is so practical, so concrete. As this year closes, show us as a church, who are the poor among us? Whose needs, specifically, do you want us to meet as a body of Christ collectively?
And if there are specific people in our families, or among our friends who have individual needs, Lord, I pray that you would open up our eyes, that on an individual basis we would be generous. May we be generous to prove to ourselves that You are our treasure. We value you above everything else. The surpassing value, the greatest treasure is knowing you, Jesus. We seek His kingdom and His righteousness. You want to be ready when You come. Thank you, Lord. In Jesus Name, Amen
