It is amazing sometimes how spiritually dense, and worldly minded, people can be, it is illustrated in the parable and the context we are about to study.  Let me illustrate by reading a few verses before the parable:

Luke 12:1-3

 12:1* ¶ Under these circumstances, after so many thousands of people had gathered together that they were stepping on one another, He began saying to His disciples first of all, “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.

 2* “But there is nothing covered up that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known.

 3* “Accordingly, whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in the inner rooms will be proclaimed upon the housetops.

Luke 12:8-10

 8* “And I say to you, everyone who confesses Me before men, the Son of Man will confess him also before the angels of God;

 9* but he 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, it will be forgiven him; but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him.

Jesus is teaching on some very deep and important subjects,  He was teaching on the importance of fearing God, and confessing Him before others 

And suddenly someone from the crowd interrupts with a request:

Luke 12:13

 13* ¶ Someone in the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.”

Can you imagine?  The master teaching on something very important and someone wants Him to address such a foolish issue as a family inheritance.

 -- This prompted not only a terse response from Jesus, but a warning and parable to the crowd about the dangers of covetousness and placing one’s confidence in earthly riches 

This parable is known as “The Rich Fool”, is recorded in Lk 12:13-21.  In our materialistic society, what Jesus has to say is especially relevant today.  Let’s start by taking realizing that this is a RESPONSE TO AN UNTIMELY REQUEST 

JESUS HAD BEEN TEACHING A LARGE MULTITUDE... 

  1. Warning them about the hypocrisy of the Pharisees - Lk 12:1-3

  2. Teaching them about the fear of God - Lk 12:4-7 

  3. Instructing them on the need to confess Him before men - Lk 12:8-12 

WHEN out of no where ONE FROM THE CROWD MAKES A REQUEST... 

  1. He wants Jesus to resolve a family dispute over an inheritance - Lk 12:13 

  2. The question reveals where the man’s attention has been... 

    a. Not on the spiritual truths being taught by the Son of God 

    b. But on how he can get his share of the inheritance from his brother! 

   -- This is about as foolish as thinking about a football game during a sermon! 

Here is how JESUS RESPONDS... 

Luke 12:13-21

 13* ¶ Someone in the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.”

 14* But He said to him, “Man, who appointed Me a judge or arbitrator over you?”

 15* Then He said to them, “Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions.”

 16* And He told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man was very productive.

 17* “And he began reasoning to himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?’

 18* “Then he said, ‘This is what I will do: 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 many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry.”’

 20* “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?’

 21* “So is the man who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”

It is obvious, isn’t it, that the Lord is not happy with this “man.”

The use of the term “MAN” is a manner of addressing him in a way to put him at distance.  He is NOT putting him down, he is simply, and coldly showing him by this address that he is not thinking about the important stuff here.

Jesus refuses to become an arbitrator in this matter

  2. The Lord knows the true nature of this man’s problem - Lk 12:15a 

   a. It is covetousness, or greed, the constant desire for more 

   b. It is problem that all need to heed, so He warns not just the one man, but the entire crowd (cf. “them”) 

The Lord’s warning is grounded upon an important truth - Lk 12:15 Lk 12:15 “not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions.”

Jesus teaches that “life” includes both physical and spiritual well-being 

    1) For material abundance did not prolong the rich man’s physical life 

    2) And it certainly did not ensure that one would be rich toward God! 

To help all in the crowd see this truth he tells THE PARABLE OF THE RICH FOOL 

Let’s summarize THE PARABLE... 

  1. A rich man is richly blessed with large crops - Lk 12:16 

  2. As he considers his situation, he makes plans for the future 

   a. To build greater barns to store his crops - Lk 12:17-18 

   b. To retire and enjoy the fruits of his labors for many years - Lk 12:19 

Yet God tells him he is a fool! - Lk 12:20 

   a. Because that very night he is to die, and his soul will be required of him 

   b. And the things he had provided, whose will they be? 

You see the problem was the man assumes that his life consists in the abundance of things he possesses 

   a. The crops are his 

   b. They will provide for his soul for many years to come 

The foolishness and selfishness of the rich man is seen in that... 

HE does not know himself 

    1) He fails to realize that his “body” is mortal, and will not necessarily live on for many years 

    2) He does not consider that his riches really can’t satisfy his “soul”! 

He does not consider the needs of others 

    1) The needs of the poor are not even taken into consideration 

    2) He thinks only of self (note the “I’s” and “my’s”) 

   c. Nor does he thank and glorify God 

And so Jesus makes the application in verse 21:

Lk. 12:20-21

 20* “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?’

 21* “So is the man who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”

Those who lay up treasure for themselves, and are not rich toward God, are like this rich fool! 

If your plans for the future focus on self, and not on God and others, you are no different than the rich fool -- This ought to encourage serious reflection in those planning their retirement! 

Not that it is wrong to plan for the future, but we need to keep in mind the brevity of life, and the will of the Lord (cf. Ja 4:13-16). 

James 4:13-16

 13* Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.”

 14* Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.

 15* Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that.”

 16* But as it is, you boast in your arrogance; all such boasting is evil.

 17* Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin.

So the question for us becomes.....How can we be sure that we who may be rich in this life are also rich toward God?

First of all BEING IN CHRIST IS CERTAINLY REQUIRED... 

  1. For all spiritual blessings come through Him - Ep 1:3 

  2. The exceeding riches of God’s grace will be shown only through Christ - Ep 2:4-7

  3.  I know some very wealthy and benevolent people who are not in Christ who THINK that their benevolence will save them. 

Secondly the PROPER USE OF MATERIAL RICHES is required by God... 

  1. Notice the words of Jesus, spoken soon after this parable - Lk 12:33-34 

Lk 12:33-34

 33* “Sell your possessions and give to charity; make yourselves money belts which do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near nor moth destroys.

 34 “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

   a. He tells them to sell what they have and give to charity 

   b. To provide a treasure in heaven that does not fail 

Helping the poor is often connected with “laying up treasure in heaven” 

   a. As Jesus counseled the rich young ruler - Mt 19:21 

   b. As Paul told Timothy to command those rich in this present age - 1 Ti 6:17-19 

Not that one can “buy their way into heaven”... 

   a. But to ensure that their heart is in the right place 

   b.“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” - cf. Mt 6: 19-21

You see, As we use material wealth to help the less fortunate, we become rich toward God! 

NOTICE HOW JESUS ENCOURAGED HIS DISCIPLES IN THIS MATTER...

  1. He followed the parable with a reminder of God’s loving care - Lk 12:22-30 - look at just a couple of verses:

Luke 12:23-24

 23* “For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. 24* “Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap; they have no storeroom nor barn, and yet God feeds them; how much more valuable you are than the birds!

You see, The key is to make the kingdom (or rule) of God the focus of our life - Lk 12:31 

For then God will do two things: 

   1. Provide “all these things” (i.e., things necessary for life and body) - Lk 12:31 

   b. Give you “the kingdom” (i.e., things necessary for the soul) - Lk 12:32 

So they are exhorted to give to charity and provide for treasure in heaven! - Lk 12:33 

From the parable of “The Rich Fool”, we learn that we can: 

 a. Lay up treasure for oneself 

 b. Yet not be rich toward God 

To do the first without the second ignores the soul, and has no guarantee for the body 

To focus on being rich toward God saves the soul, while providing for the body! 

Where is YOUR treasure?  

Are you storing up for yourself a good foundation for the time to come?

Let me remind you of a couple of passages in FIRST TIMOTHY:

1 Ti 6:6-10

 6* ¶ But godliness actually is a means of great gain when accompanied by contentment.

 7* For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either.

 8* If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content.

 9* But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction.

 10* For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. 

1 Ti 6:17-19

 17* Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy.

 18* Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share,

 19* storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed.(thanks to Mark A. Copeland for adapted notes above)