13 And one of the company said unto him, Master, speak to my brother, that he divide the inheritance with me. 14 And he said unto him, Man, who made me a judge or a divider over you? 15 And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth. 16 And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: 17 And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? 18 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. 19 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. 20 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? 21 So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God. (Luke 12:13-21 KJV)
The Parable of the Rich Fool
In these verses, we see an unseasonable request made to Christ by one of his listeners, asking him to intervene in a family inheritance dispute (Luke 12:13): “Master, speak to my brother that he divide the inheritance with me.” Some think the man was being wronged and appealed to Jesus because legal action was expensive. Others think he wanted to do wrong and hoped Jesus would override the law, which gave the elder brother a double portion (Deuteronomy 21:16-17). Jesus instead used the opportunity to warn against covetousness—a craving for more than God has provided.
Christ refused to intervene (Luke 12:14): “Man, who made me a judge or divider over you?” He would not take legislative or judicial authority in such matters, which was not part of his commission. This echoes the resistance Moses faced when his brethren in Egypt said, “Who made you a ruler and a judge?” (Acts 7:27, 35). If this man had asked Christ for help in pursuing the heavenly inheritance, Christ would have responded. But in this earthly matter, he had nothing to say. Jesus never took honor or power upon himself except what was given to him (Hebrews 5:5). His kingdom is spiritual, not of this world.
Christ’s response shows the nature of his kingdom: it does not interfere with civil authority, meddle in legal rights, promise worldly gain through religion, promote disputes with others, or encourage ministers to abandon spiritual work for earthly concerns (2 Timothy 2:4).
Though Christ would not divide estates, he would guide hearts. So he cautioned his hearers (Luke 12:15): “Take heed and beware of covetousness.” Keep watch over your hearts, lest the desire for more gain take root and take over. Covetousness is a subtle and dangerous sin, requiring constant vigilance. He adds a reason: “A man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” Happiness and true life are not measured by how much we own. Even bodily comfort does not depend on riches. Many who have little live content and at peace, while some with abundance are miserable (Ecclesiastes 4:8). Abundance doesn’t guarantee joy, as Ahab and Haman show.
Christ illustrates his point with a parable (Luke 12:16-21), showing the folly of those who trust in earthly riches. A rich man had an abundant harvest. He was wealthy because his land was fruitful—an earthly blessing often given to both good and bad alike.
The man then reasoned within himself (Luke 12:17): “What shall I do, because I have no room to store my crops?” Instead of thanking God or thinking of helping others, he was anxious over storage space. Riches often bring more worry than comfort. He decided (Luke 12:18): “I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and goods.”
He called them “my fruits and my goods,” forgetting that what we have is God’s. He planned to hoard everything, without thought for others. He assumed future harvests would also be plentiful, which is not guaranteed. He thought bigger barns would ease his stress, but building only brings more care. He made all his plans with no thought of God’s will (James 4:13-15).
Then he said to himself (Luke 12:19): “Soul, you have plenty of goods laid up for many years; take it easy—eat, drink, and be merry.” This was foolish. First, he delayed enjoying his goods until his barns were finished. Second, he assumed he had many years ahead. Third, he counted on comfort from possessions alone, though even a small trouble can ruin our peace. Fourth, he thought only of indulging the flesh, not using wealth for good. Fifth, he spoke to his soul as if it were the body—as if food and drink were enough for a soul made for eternity.
God’s verdict follows (Luke 12:20): “You fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then who will get what you have prepared?” When God calls someone a fool, it’s a serious matter. The rich man thought he had many years, but he would die that night. What he stored up would go to someone else.
Death forces the soul from the body, and the worldly person is often unwilling to part with either. Good people surrender their souls gladly; worldly people have them torn away. God will demand an account—“What have you done with your soul?” Evil angels, not good ones, will carry the soul away to judgment.
Death surprises the worldly. It comes at night—suddenly and without warning. While he’s dreaming of long-term ease, he’s called to eternity. He must leave behind all he gathered. His wealth won’t help him in death or beyond. And he doesn’t know who will inherit it. It might not even be the person he intended. If he had known, he might not have treasured it so much.
His death proves his folly. While alive, worldly people seem successful, but at the end they are shown to be fools (Jeremiah 17:11). They spent their lives storing treasure on earth, but took no care to store treasure in heaven.
Jesus ends with this warning (Luke 12:21): “So is he who lays up treasure for himself but is not rich toward God.” A worldly person lives for himself—for the body, for time, and for things that pass away. He considers these things his treasure, lavishes affection on them, and trusts in them.
The greatest mistake is ignoring the true treasure: being rich toward God. This means being rich in God’s sight (Revelation 2:9), rich in faith (James 2:5), rich in good works (1 Timothy 6:18), rich in grace and spiritual gifts. Many who have much in this world are poor in what matters most—poor toward God, and poor for eternity. Jesus, who knows the end from the beginning, warns us: it is ultimate folly to seek wealth for this life while neglecting eternal life.