The Parable of the Rich Fool

Beware of Covetousness

This parable is based upon and directed toward the natural covetousness that exists in the heart of every person. We know it’s a basic trait of human beings, because it is listed in the tenth of the Ten Commandments; Thou shalt not covet. The Ten Commandments deal with basic sins, common to all.

Jesus says here, beware of covetousness, because a man’s life is not made up of the things he owns. Oh, how that statement contradicts modern culture, where a man’s net worth is at the top of the list in determining the man’s value. We can see from this that it’s natural to believe that a man’s worth is based on what he owns.

A certain rich man. Notice that this man was already wealthy. He already had plenty. But it says that he had a windfall crop during a particular growing season, and that the ground brought forth abundantly. And he was blessed with more produce than he had barns to store it in.

What shall I do with all this excess produce? I don’t have room to store it. What were his options? Certainly, there were countless poor and needy people he could have given it to. He could have blessed them with it. After all, he’s already rich. And the Bible says that he who gives to the poor shall never lack. (Proverbs 28:27) But he chose another option.

It's Never Enough

The other option was to find a way to keep it all for himself, to add more to his existing wealth, to increase his net worth. And that’s the option that most people would take in a similar circumstance. It’s amazing that when riches and wealth begin to accumulate, it doesn’t seem to satisfy the desire for more, no matter how much it is. And that’s due to the natural covetousness that exists in people. A poor man will worry about getting wealth, and a rich man will worry about keeping it.

Eat, Drink, and be Merry

The rich man said, I will pull down my barns, and build greater. That must certainly have been a radical undertaking and an expensive proposition, to tear down the perfectly good barns he already had and then build bigger ones. But that seemed to be the logical choice at the moment. How else could he keep it all for himself? This condition is referred to today as the Scrooge Syndrome and is marked by a complete lack of compassion and empathy for others.

I will store up all my fruits and my goods, and I will say, relax, take it easy, eat, drink, and be merry for the rest of your life. And isn’t that the American dream, or, for that matter, the dream of anyone in the world, to gain enough to be able to kick back and enjoy life, so to speak?

You Can’t Take it with You

God said to him, you fool, tonight you’re going to die, and then who will be the owner of all your stuff? You can’t take it with you, you know. The Lord called him a fool for thinking the way he thought. He had believed his wealth would bring him long-term security, but it wouldn’t, indeed it couldn’t.

Rich Toward God

This is the way it is for every person who stores up treasure for himself without being rich toward God. The Lord must be somewhere in the equation of a man’s possessions. There are things that the Lord wants us to use some of our possessions for. And true wealth is achieved through being rich toward God.

Take no Thought for your Life

What is the solution to the dilemma that this man found himself in? Well, Jesus continues His message by giving His disciples to answer, an alternative to natural worldly thinking.

In the verses that follow this parable of the rich fool, Jesus tells His disciples not to worry about the basic needs of life, such as what to eat and what to wear, but to trust God to provide those things. He uses the ravens and the lilies as examples to point out that their Heavenly Father makes provision for all His creatures, and that worrying cannot add any one cubit to the height of a man, and if you cannot do that by worrying, why worry then about these little things. He assures them that God knows what they need, urging them to trust God and not to be in a condition of unbelief, fear, and anxiety.

Seek ye the Kingdom of God

Instead of seeking all these things that the Gentiles are running after, you seek ahead of everything, the kingdom of God. Spend your time running after the knowledge of God instead, through study and meditation in His word. And Jesus promised that if we do that, then all these other things, all these basic needs, will be provided for us by our Heavenly Father.

Fear not Little Flock

What is Jesus saying here? Don’t be fearful. Don’t be afraid. The Lord, your Heavenly Father, wants to help you in your life. It’s His good pleasure. He desires to provide for you. It is what He wants to do. Don't let yourself be anxious and worried.

He Who Gives to the Poor

Here’s the key to financial blessing in the kingdom of God. Give. If you need to sell something to get some money in your hand, then do it, so that you can give alms, that is, help someone in need, give something to the poor and needy. This is being rich toward God, because it is God’s desire to help the poor and needy. This is readily evident by the sheer number of scripture verses telling us to give to the poor. It is near and dear to the heart of God.

Treasure in Heaven

And it says here that by doing so we are providing for ourselves money bags that grow not old, but are enduring, and we are saving up treasure, valuable stuff, in heavenly places, places safe from thieves and from corruption. This treasure is there for us to meet our needs in this world, as those needs arise.

Jesus is saying to store up stuff in heavenly places instead of hoarding it up on earth, and that it will provide for us to meet our needs far better than the stuff we kept for ourselves. We enter by faith into the supernatural provision of the kingdom.

Radical Christianity

Yes, that is a radical form of believing, but it is the way the Lord has provided for us to overcome the natural covetousness that is inherently in our human nature, because we must ignore the natural tendency to keep everything for ourselves, and instead give something to help others. We choose to live a life of trusting Him and we walk away from natural worldly thinking. We enter into the financial system of the kingdom of heaven, and we leave worry and fear behind us.

For Where your Treasure is

When we adopt this way of viewing finances and we give, we put our treasure in heavenly places through the giving of alms, through helping the poor and needy, we will see the result of it in our lives, and our heart will begin to trust in that heavenly place we have stored our treasure in. Our heart will no longer be focused on the worldly way of doing things, but it will embrace the way of the kingdom, and will follow that path.