We can find this parable of the Master in only one Bible passage — Luke 12:16-21. The story involves only one person — a wealthy farmer. God labelled him as a “fool,” so one of our tasks in studying the parable is to try and understand what made this guy foolish.
In what context did Jesus teach this parable? As Jesus was teaching His disciples, a man interrupted Him to request that He tell the man’s brother to divide an inheritance with him (21:13). The matter which the man mentioned was a personal, family issue. But, from Jesus’ statements and the parable He told, it is obvious that covetousness was a factor for one or both of the brothers.
The parable is directly connected with the message of verse fifteen, where we read these words of Jesus: “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.” Immediately after saying that, “Then He spoke a parable to them” (12:16). Jesus used this story of a rich, foolish farmer to show that (1) we must be on guard against covetousness, and (2) a person’s life and character are not determined by how many material possessions he has, so we must be careful about our attitude toward material things.
Do you recall the actual parable? Here it is:
“Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: ‘The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’ So he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. And I will say to my soul, ‘Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.’ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you, then whose will those things be which you have provided?’” (Luke 12:16-20).
What did this rich fellow do which showed that he was unwise? First, notice some things that he did which were not wrong. He was a farmer, He had crops, his ground produced plentifully, he had barns, he decided to build bigger barns, he was rich, and he realized he had a soul. None of those were sinful.
He was foolish because he enjoyed having blessings, but he failed to remember God and give Him thanks. There is no indication that God was in his life, his thinking, or his plans. Failing to put God first is a huge mistake! (Matthew 6:33).
He was not wise because he was self-centred and seemed to think only about himself. Notice how many times he used the words “I” and “my” in this story. He calls everything his, and he thinks of himself as the lord and producer of it all. The truth is, we all are stewards of what God has given us, which is life, breath, and all things (Acts 17:25).
There is no indication that the rich farmer ever considered how he might use his material blessings to help others. When one is rich in material goods, God wants him to use those things to be rich in good works (1 Timothy 6:17,18).
He was foolish because he thought material goods could satisfy his soul and bring happiness (12:19). Money does not cause one to be in the right relationship with the Lord. The man certainly was rich (12:16), but he was also a fool (12:20). While money is number one in the thinking of many, there are so many things that money cannot provide — happiness, health, peace of mind, love, patience, and salvation. Happy is the one who is “rich toward God” (12:21).
He further demonstrated his foolish mind by allowing his things/wealth to deceive him into thinking that he had control over time. He assumed he still had “many years” left in his life (12:19). Because none of us is guaranteed that we will be alive another day, we should not boast about tomorrow (Proverbs 27:1). We must live our lives one day at a time, because that one day . . . today, is all that we have.
Let us come back to the topic of covetousness. Again, the Christ said to beware of it (Luke 12:15). I once read that about one out of every six verses in the gospel accounts (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John) deals with man and his possessions, along with our attitude toward them. Jesus knew that covetousness is a very serious problem in every age. The people of the twenty-first century are not the first ones to face it!
Just what is covetousness? It is not the possession of wealth. It is not the desire to have possessions. It is not the desire to make money or to have more stuff. In the New Testament, covetousness means “a greedy desire to have more” [Thayer, word no 4124 via e-Sword]. Covetousness is the unlawful desire for earthly goods and riches, with the idea that these can bring satisfaction and that we do not want to go on living without them. Bible characters whose covetous heart doomed them include Achan (Joshua 7:21), Elisha’s servant Gehazi (2 Kings 5:22-27), Balaam, and other false teachers (2 Peter 2:1-3,14).
Friend, covetousness is idolatry (Colossians 3:5), and covetous people cannot inherit God’s kingdom (1 Corinthians 6:9,10). That should get our attention!
(extracted from TRUTH, a monthly publication to help educate, edify, encourage, and equip the saints of God.)