Luke 12:16-21 records a parable which Jesus taught about a rich farmer whom God described as a fool: “And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully; And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? 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. 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. 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? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.” Please note that Jesus taught this parable to show that we must beware of covetousness. How do we know this is the purpose of His parable? Verse 15 (the verse just before the parable) records these words of Jesus: “Take heed, and beware of covetousness; for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.”
Why was this rich farmer a fool? What mistakes did he make? First, let us note some things which this man did which were not wrong. He was a farmer. Is that sinful? No. The first three men that we read about in the Bible were farmers. We could say that this man was a successful farmer. There is nothing wrong with that. This man was rich. It is not sinful to be rich, for the Holy Spirit gives special instruction to rich people about how they should use their riches (1 Timothy 6:17). The man realized that he had a soul (verse 19), and such knowledge is certainly good. In all of these things the rich farmer did not sin. What then, were the mistakes that he made?
The rich farmer was foolish because he liked his blessings, but he DID NOT REMEMBER GOD AND GIVE HIM THANKS FOR THEM. All good and perfect gifts come down from our Heavenly Father (James 1:17). The man's crops grew because God gave them sunshine and rain (Matthew 5:45), yet this man never expressed his thanks to God. Jesus taught that we must seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness (Matthew 5:45), yet this man never expressed his thanks to God. Jesus taught that we must seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness (Matthew 6:33), yet this man did not include God in his life, in his plans, or in his thinking. What a fool!
This rich farmer was foolish because HE WAS SELFISH, THINKING ONLY OF HIMSELF. Read the parable again and notice how many times the rich man talked about himself, what he wanted, and what he planned to do. He calls everything his, considering himself as the lord and source of his blessings. What a fool! His blessings came from God, and God expected him to be a faithful steward with them for the Lord's glory, not the man's (1 Corinthians 4:1, 2).
We might also say that this rich farmer was a fool because HE WAS SELFISH, AND NEVER USED HIS BLESSINGS TO HELP OTHERS. There is nothing said in this parable that makes us think that this man ever thought about the needs of others, though he himself had great material blessings. The Bible says, "As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith" (Galatians 6:10). Again, we read, "Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate" (1 Timothy 6:17-18).
The rich fool made a terrible mistake when HE THOUGHT THAT MATERIAL GOODS COULD SATISFY HIS SOUL AND BRING HIM TRUE HAPPINESS. What did he say? "I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry" (12:19). He actually thought about the needs of his physical body, but he did not consider what was best for his soul. Money cannot make a person righteous before God. This man was rich, but God called him a "fool" (12:20). Possession of riches certainly cannot guarantee that a person will have true happiness--we learn this from the life of Solomon in Ecclesiastes 2:1-11. Jesus teaches that one is blessed who is "rich toward God" (12:21). Blessed are those who are "rich in faith," for they are heirs of the kingdom which God has promised to them that love Him (James 2:5).
The rich farmer was foolish, because HE ALLOWED HIS PHYSICAL POSSESSIONS TO DECEIVE HIM AND CAUSE HIM TO THINK THAT HE HAD CONTROL OF TIME. What did he say to his soul? "Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years" (12:19). Who guaranteed him that he would live "for many years?" No one, he simply assumed that he would still live a long time. What a fool! There is no guarantee for any of us that we will still be living on the earth even tomorrow! "For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away" (James 4:13). This rich man thought about his life, but he apparently never seriously thought about his death! It is not a pleasant thing to think about death, but death is a reality for all men: "And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment" (Hebrews 9:27). "Boast not thyself of tomorrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth" (Proverbs 27:1).
The rich man asked himself a question, "What shall I do?" (12:17). He was a fool, because in asking that question HE NEVER CONSIDERED HIS ACCOUNTABILITY BEFORE GOD. "What shall I do?" Is that a good question? It is a wonderful question, if one is sincerely asking about what he must do to be pleasing in the sight of God. We read that question three times in the book of Acts (Acts 2:37; 16:30; 22:10). Each person who is not a Christian needs to ask, "What shall I do to be saved?" Each Christian needs to ask, "What shall I do to continue to have fellowship with the Lord?" Yes, the rich farmer asked a good question. But, unfortunately, he asked it, not in order to find out what God wanted him to do. He asked it only because he was worldly minded, and wanted to have more and more material possessions. He wanted those possessions, not so that he could use them in service to God and others, but only for himself. What did God call him? "Fool."
Let us remember the following lessons from this parable and what Jesus said just before and after He spoke it...
1. A man's life does not consist in the abundance of the physical things that he possesses (12:15). The most important thing in life is NOT to acquire great riches, but to live in such a way that our soul will be saved and we can go to heaven;
2. The world would describe this farmer as a great success, but God considers him a failure and a fool. We must strive to be a truly successful person and that means to live a life that pleases Jehovah. Any person, rich or poor, who lives by faith and pleases the God of heaven is wise and successful, regardless of how the world looks at him;
3. We must lay up treasures in heaven, not on the earth (Matthew 6:19-21);
4. Covetousness is sinful, for it is idolatry (Colossians 3:5). Maybe in the beginning others do not notice the covetousness in a man's heart, but God knows our hearts, just as He knew the heart of the rich farmer.
In Luke 12:20-21, whom does Jesus describe as a fool? One who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God. May the Lord help each of us truly to be a wise person. What does a wise person do? He hears the words of Jesus and does them (Matthew 7:24-25). If God were to describe you and I today, what would He say about us? Would he call us wise or foolish? That is an important question, for the answer to it is the difference between eternal life and eternal damnation.
(originally in Truth - Bible study articles for the Garmatna church of Christ, Kiev, Ukraine, Volume 2, Number 26)
This item originally appeared in Truth - Volume 2, Number 26
