“THE RICH FOOL”
LUKE 12:13-21

I. Introduction
Are you rich? How would you answer that question? I suspect virtually all of you would so, “No, I’m not rich.” But wait a minute. You, of course, realize that the question, “Are you rich?” can only be answered in a meaningful way if both of us agree on a definition of the word. I mean, rich is a relative term, isn’t it? To say that someone is rich may be true as you define the word but completely false as someone else might define it.

For example, Richard Driehaus of Driehaus Capital in Chicago has one of the more spec-tacular homes on Geneva Lake. He is currently worth in the neighborhood of 2.5 billion dollars. You and I would consider him to be rich. But does he consider himself rich? I don’t know. Christy Walton, one of the heirs to the Wal-Mart fortune has a net worth more than ten times that of Richard Driehaus. Last year it was estimated to be just over 27 billion dollars. I wonder if Mr. Driehaus thinks she’s rich. I wonder if Ms. Walton thinks Mr. Driehaus is rich. And I can’t help but wonder if she thinks she is rich. After all, she’s worth less than one-third that of Warren Buffett or Bill Gates, each of whom has an estimated net worth in the 60-80 billion dollar range.

We have difficulty comprehending such wealth. It’s hard to get our thoughts around it. 1 million = 1 thousand thousands, but 1 billion = 1 thousand millions. So if Bill Gates is rich, is Christy Walton rich too? If she’s rich, is Richard Driehaus rich too?

So “rich” is definitely a relative term. By the standards and definitions of rich that Drie-haus, Walton, Buffett, or Gates would use, every one of us in this room is poor. But by the standards and definitions that most human beings alive on the face of the earth today use, everyone one of us in this room is rich, almost beyond their wildest dreams.

You and I have food, water, clothing, shelter, transportation, and relative health. The least of us have wealth most of the world cannot comprehend. Think of our missionary in Siberia, Zhenya Prosyannikov. The Slavic Gospel Association (SGA) has told us that when we write to him to be very circumspect in talking about the homes we live in, the food we eat, the clothes we wear, the cars we drive, etc. SGA even recommends that we are mindful about the backgrounds in photos that are sent to missionaries like Zhenya because they simply cannot relate to our wealth, to how rich we are compared to them.

Everything is relative. So are you rich? It all depends what you mean by rich and who is asking the question, doesn’t it? “Rich” – what it means in this life on this earth, and what it means in eternity in heaven – is the subject of Luke’s text this morning. In it, God calls a certain rich man, “a fool.” Why? Does God call this man a fool purely because he has material wealth, or is there another reason?
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II. Review
In Luke 12:1-12 Jesus warned the multitudes that were following Him against the hypo-crisy of the scribes and Pharisees. They were hypocrites of the first order. They were very good at pretending to be virtuous and pious. But in reality they were neither of those things. And the more they pretended the more prideful and legalistic they became. So what they looked like on the outside had no resemblance to what they really were on the inside. Therefore, Jesus told them…
Matthew 23:27-28
27 “Woe (misery, sorrow, and pain) to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness.
28 “Even so you too outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.”

Two weeks ago we heard Jesus tell the crowds that no matter how hard a person may try to hide the truth about himself, the day would come when it would be made known to all.
*Luke 12:2-3
2 “But there is nothing covered up that will not be revealed, and (there is no-thing) hidden that will not be known.
3 “Accordingly, whatever you have said in the dark shall be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in the inner rooms shall be proclaimed upon the housetops.

Then Jesus spoke directly to His twelve disciples (and by extension, to us) and told them to fear God, not men. He went on to reiterate how much we are worth to God and that the Holy Spirit would always be with us, even in the darkest hours of our lives. In essence, Jesus was saying that we have nothing to worry about or to fear.
*Luke 12:6-7
6 “Are not five sparrows sold for two cents? And yet not one of them is for-gotten before God.
7 “Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear; you are of more value than many sparrows.

At this point you might think that the reaction of the crowd would be, “Hooray! We have nothing to fear – not evil, not danger, not poverty – nothing. How rich we are!” But at least one person in the crowd doesn’t “get it.” And that takes us to this morning’s text.
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III. Text
Jesus has been speaking on some very important and weighty matters: Fearing God rather than men, confessing Him on earth so that He will confess us in heaven, and warning against the unforgiveable sin of blaspheming the Holy Spirit by rejecting God’s Son. These are eternal issues. Wouldn’t you think everyone would be paying close attention?
There is no doubt that many are doing just that. The Lord is speaking plainly, but while all of the people are hearing Him, not all of the people are listening to Him. They hear the words clearly enough, but completely miss the truth, the teaching, and the application.
*Luke 12:13-21 (Please stand with me in honor of reading God’s Word.)
13 And someone in the crowd said to (Jesus), “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.”
14 But He said to him, “Man, who appointed Me a judge or arbiter over you?”
15 And 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 certain 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 “And 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 lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich towards God.”

George W. Truett was a well-known Baptist pastor during the first half of the twentieth century. One day he was invited to dinner at the home of a wealthy Texas rancher. After the meal the host led Truett to a place where he could get a good view of the surrounding area. Pointing south to the oil wells dotted across the prairies, he boasted, “Twenty-five years ago I had nothing. Today, as far as you can see, it’s all mine.” He turned toward the east toward huge herds of cattle and said, “They’re all mine.” Then he pointed west toward magnificent forests and said, “That too is all mine.”

He paused, no doubt expecting Truett to be impressed and compliment him on his great financial and material success. But the pastor, placing one hand on the rancher’s shoul-der and pointing to heaven asked him, “How much do you have in that direction?” This successful rancher, this rich man, hung his head and said, “I haven’t thought about that.”

That’s the question for you and for me today. How much do you have in that direction?
Answering that question will help you answer a few others as well? For example, what is it that you hold most dear? What are you investing in for the future? And how would you answer the bigger question: What is the meaning and purpose of this life that you are now living? Is it making money? Is it saving for retirement? Others know what kind of car you drive, but what drives you?
Did you know that Jesus had more to say about material possessions than any other sub-ject? Did you know that one-half of His parables dealt with money and possessions? Did you know that one out of every six verses in Matthew, Mark, and Luke deal with the right attitude or the right handling of money and material goods?

Isn’t that interesting? Why do you suppose that is? Could it be because Jesus knows, that to one degree or another, each one of us struggles with right attitudes about money and possessions? Could it be that Jesus knows that there’s at least a little of the “rich man” we’re about to meet in all of us. I believe it is.
*Luke 12:13
13 And someone in the crowd said to (Jesus), “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.”

The OT laws regarding inheritance are found in Deuteronomy 21 and Numbers 27. It could very well be that this man was being cheated, probably by an older brother. If so, he had a legitimate complaint. Since teachers (rabbis) often settled such disputes, the man may have thought Jesus would help him.

But Jesus had not come to earth to resolve civil disputes, or any other injustices men felt were being done to them. This man thought his problem was getting hold of his inheri-tance, but as Jesus so often did when He was asked a question, He would answer one that hadn’t been asked. It would be an answer the man wouldn’t expected at all. The Lord went right to the man’s real need. His problem wasn’t his brother’s greed. His problem was his greed. He thought his problem was in his purse (his wallet), but Jesus knew the man’s real problem was in his heart.

How we tend to focus on this world! But Jesus will make it clear that our focus needs to be on the next world. The man in v. 13 is concerned about his wealth, his richness, if you will. But Jesus will tell him that if he really wants to be rich, he will need to be rich toward God.
*Luke 12:14
14 But He said to him, “Man, who appointed Me a judge or arbiter over you?”

Why would Jesus respond this way? There are two major reasons. The first is actually quite practical. He doesn’t want to step in where there are lawful authorities to deal with such matters. That is to say, there are judges and arbiters in place to take care of those kinds of disputes.

But the second reason is more compelling. Jesus’ First Coming was not for the purpose of judging anything.
John 3:17; 12:47
17 “For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through Him.”
47 “And if anyone hears My sayings and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world.”

Luke 19:10
10 “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

All judgment has been reserved for Jesus’ Second Coming, not the first.
• The Christians’ work will be judged at the Judgment Seat of Christ between the Rapture and the Second Coming (1 Corinthians 3:10-15; 2 Corinthians 5:10).
• OT believers, Tribulation saints (those saved and martyred in the Tribulation), and Jews and Gentiles who survive the Tribulation will be judged at the Second Coming. (Daniel 12:1-3; Revelation 20:4-6; Ezekiel 20:34-38; Joel 3:1-2; Matthew 25:31-46) These judgments will determine the believers’ rewards. Our sins were judged at the cross.
• The judgment of all unbelievers is reserved for the end of the Millennial Kingdom at the Great White Throne (Revelation 20:11-15).
• It is here that Satan and his demons will also be judged (Matthew 25:41; 2 Peter 2:4; Jude 6; Revelation 20:10).

So in Luke 12 we see Jesus refusing to take on the role of judge or arbiter at all. He has not come to judge anything.
*Luke 12:15
15 And 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.”

Notice that Jesus says, “…every form of greed…” The word “greed” is sometimes ren-dered “covetousness,” but regardless of what word is used, it means that no matter how much someone has, it’s never enough. When Jesus uses it in v. 15 He is talking about far more than money and material possessions. He is also talking about any inordinate desire for power, prestige, honor, position, authority, or fame. Greed is never satisfied.

Greed can be likened to an unquenchable thirst. If a man is lost at sea without water and he drinks from the ocean, it serves only to make him thirstier still. So he drinks again and again until his thirst kills him. The analogy is clear, isn’t it?

I do not know Richard Driehaus so I am not accusing him of greed. In fact, he may very well be a generous philanthropist. He has given to a variety of civic projects around the area. But I wonder if his wealth is enough for him, or if he continually strives for more.

I don’t know, but I do know that by any reasonable standard Richard Driehaus, Christy Walton, Warren Buffett, and Bill Gates are rich in the things of this world. But are they rich in the things of the next? If a wealthy man or woman isn’t saved then the poorest Christian is infinitely richer than the wealthiest of the unsaved regardless of how many billions they may have. How much will they have the moment they step into eternity?
In Luke 12:15 Jesus says, “…for not even when one has an abundance does life consist of his possessions.”

So again I ask the question I asked at the beginning: Are you rich? The world struggles with an answer to that question because the way of the world is to be greedy. After all, isn’t greed rewarded in this life? And if this life is all there is, then why not be greedy? Why not grab everything you can while you’re here? Jesus answers that question for us.
*Luke 12:16
16 And He told them a parable, saying, “The land of a certain rich man was very productive.

Notice that Jesus does not criticize this man for being rich. Contrary to popular opinion, the Scriptures never condemn financial success or riches as such. God never rebuked Abraham, Job, Solomon, Joseph of Arimathea, or anyone else simply because they were wealthy. Furthermore, the idea that “Money is the root of all evil,” is not what the Bible teaches. Scripture does not say that. What it teaches is that, “…the love of money is a root of all forms of evil…1 Timothy 6:10a).”

In Luke 12:16 there is no indication that the man Jesus speaks of has gained his wealth through anything other than hard work, thrift, and honesty. God had blessed this man with wealth. So what is the problem? The problem is the love of money and the greed or covetousness that money so often produces in us.

This is why Jesus taught that it was so hard for the rich to go to heaven. It is why so few of those who are wealthy are truly Christians. When Jesus told a rich young ruler that he had to give up his possessions in order to follow the Lord, the young man walked away. It wasn’t the young ruler’s riches and possessions that were the problem. It was his love of his riches and his possessions. He loved them more than he loved God.
*Luke 18:24-25
24 And Jesus looked at him (the rich young ruler) and said, “How hard it is for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God!
25 “For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”

Is our relationship to our “stuff” more important than our relationship to God? When we hear such a question we immediately say, “No, not me,” but that is a question that we, each and every one of us, really need to ponder in our hearts. When we look deep inside ourselves and search there, do we find any greed or covetousness for the things of this world? It isn’t what you have or may acquire, it’s your attitude about what you have or may acquire. Remember, none of it is eternal, so how tightly do you want to grasp it?

The man in Jesus’ parable has much, but he isn’t satisfied. He wants more. What does he want to do with more? Does he want to use it to the glory of God? Does he want to give it to the needy? No, he doesn’t! He wants to pile it up. He wants to keep it.
He wants to own it. He wants to hoard it. He wants to have it. He wants to grasp it.
That’s greed! It’s what keeps a person from serving God. Someone says, “Aren’t you being a little too black and white? Aren’t you being a little too simplistic? Why can’t striving for riches and working to accumulate wealth be my focus in life? Why can’t I do that and serve God too? You cannot do that because Jesus said you cannot do that.
*Luke 16:13
13 “No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one, and love the other, or else he will hold to one, and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon (money).”

How many professing Christians have spent their lives trying to prove Jesus wrong in this. Do you think anyone ever has or ever will?
*Luke 12:17-19
17 “And he began reasoning to himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?’
18 “And 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.”’

This man may have come by his wealth legally, morally, and ethically. There is no rea-son for us to assume that he has not. But the problem is his attitude about his wealth.
• First, in v. 19, he assumes that his “many goods,” his stuff, will satisfy his soul. His goods may satisfy his flesh for a while, but will they satisfy his soul? Are they even capable of doing so?
• Second, he seems to think he will live “…for many years to come.” Well, he may. But then again, he may not. Are you and I guaranteed our next breath?
• Third, he is completely focused on himself. In vv. 17-19 he says, “I” six times and “my” four times – “my crops, my barns, my grain, my goods, my soul.”
• Fourth, because this man is so focused on himself, he neither thanks God for what he has, nor gives a moment’s thought to glorifying the One who made his wealth possible in the first place.

So his inward focus not only blinds him to the world around him, it blinds him to the real Owner of all his crops, barns, grain, goods, and his very soul itself.

William Hendriksen, in his commentary on Luke’s gospel says, “For all practical pur-poses this (rich) man is an atheist.” Is Hendriksen being to harsh? After all, Jesus has said nothing about the man’s religion.

But He has. We do know what this rich man believes. His religion is himself and his stuff. That is what he worships. Do you see why Jesus says, “How hard it is for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God!”?
*Luke 12:20
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?’

You may argue with William Hendriksen’s view of the rich man as an atheist, but you can’t argue with God’s view of the rich man as a fool. Anyone who lives his life thinking that he is “the master of his fate and the captain of his soul” is most assuredly a fool.

The rhetorical question Jesus asks in v. 20 – “…now who will own what you have pre-pared?” is for all of us, and it relates to another question that is often heard asked at the funerals of the wealthy. “How much did (he, she, or they) leave behind?” The answer is always the same. “All of it, every bit of it, right down to the last penny.”

How rich are you! How much are you worth? How much do you think you will care about it the moment your heart ceases to beat and you step off this earth into eternity? How much will your earthly riches, your wealth, or your possessions matter to you then? All you will have then is your character. As we’ve seen again and again over these last few weeks, it won’t matter one iota what you’ve had; it will matter what you are.

Where are your riches this morning? Where are your treasures? Are they in your barns, your banks, the stock market, or under your mattress?
Matthew 6:19-20
19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.
20 “But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in and steal.”

That can lead us to some interesting questions, can’t it? How much should you save for “a rainy day”? How much should you save for retirement? How do you differentiate between being responsible for yourself and your own family, and piling up more than you need? Those are legitimate questions. Sooner or later we all have to answer them.

These are matters between you and God. How much you have, how much you save, and how you plan for the future all require counsel, wisdom, and prayer. And if your focus is on honoring God above all else, I firmly believe He will guide and direct you as to how you should proceed. And besides, hasn’t He promised to take care of His children?

Look, that fact of the matter is that our money and our things will not be in heaven when we get there. But everything we have done for Christ, everything we have done in His name and for His glory, will be there awaiting our arrival.

Jim Elliot, missionary to the Auca Indians in Equador, was martyred in 1956. He under-stood Matthew 6:19-20. He said, “He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep in order to get what he cannot lose.” Jim Elliot was no fool.
But Jesus has told us of a fool in today’s passage in Luke. But the one who lives for today – for his riches, his power, his prestige, his honor, his position, his authority, or his fame – he is very much a fool.
*Luke 12:21
21 “So is the man who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich towards God.”
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IV. Conclusion
Where are your priorities today? You are already rich in the things of this world. You have food, clothing, a roof over your head, a warm bed, and relative good health. You may not be worth billions of dollars, but compared to most people on this planet, you are rich indeed. So I ask again, where are your priorities? You are rich in the things of this world, but are you rich in the things of the next?

I have five questions for you. You’ll need some time to think about them and your answers to them. So I have printed them in the form of a bulletin insert for you to take home. When you have a quiet moment, look at them and answer them honestly. If you are willing to be honest with yourself you will be able to see if you have slipped into greed or covetousness like the rich man Jesus has just talked about in Luke 12:13-21.

Here are the questions –
1. Do my thoughts more often run after material things than after God Himself?
2. Do I ever compromise godly character in pursuing material or financial gain?
3. Do I enjoy having things more than I enjoy knowing God?
4. How do I respond when I lose material things?
5. What would I do if I suddenly came into a fortune?

We’ll close with Pau1’s words to Timothy.
*1 Timothy 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.

~ Pray ~