In Luke 12:16-21, Jesus taught the Parable of the Rich Fool. Ironically, the rich fool looked smart, accumulating wealth and succeeding as a farmer and businessman. Learn why God said he was a fool when his life ended.

Table of ContentsEverything Comes from GodWe Can Be Wise in the World's Eyes But Fools to GodThe Rich Man Was a Fool Because He Didn’t GiveThe Rich Man Was a Fool Because He Didn’t Plan for EternityThe Rich Man Was a Fool Because He Didn’t Know to Whom His Soul BelongedThe Rich Man Was a Fool Because He Wasn’t Rich Toward GodUnderstand What Money Can't DoUnderstand What the Gospel Can Do

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Jesus taught the Parable of the Rich Fool in Luke 12:16-21. Learn why God called him a fool despite looking smart and successful.

Malcolm Forbes was an American entrepreneur who is most well-known as the publisher of Forbes magazine. He’s also remembered for several sayings, and one that he repeated is, “He who has the most toys wins.” As you would expect from someone who said this, he lived an extravagant, flamboyant lifestyle. He spent millions (or perhaps billions) on parties, traveling, and his collection of yachts, aircraft, art, motorcycles, castles, hot-air balloons, and Fabergé eggs, some of which cost over one million dollars each.

Growing up, there was a popular line of clothing called No Fear. They had one shirt that corrected Malcom’s quote: “He who dies with the most toys still dies.” The people working for the secular clothing company were considerably more biblical than Mr. Forbes. They recognized that regardless of how much a man has, he can’t “add a single hour to his span of life,” as Jesus said (Matthew 6:27). The No Fear clothing company also recognized we can’t take any of our toys or possessions with us because if we could, then the one who died with the most toys would be the winner.

The man in the parable of the rich fool seems like the Malcolm Forbes of the Bible. He lived only for this life:

The land of a rich man produced plentifully, and he thought to himself, “What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?” And he said, “I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, ‘Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.’” But God said to him, “Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?” So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God (Luke 12:16-21).

The rich fool’s harvest was so great he ran out of room to store it. As a farmer, because his crops are basically money, it’s like he has more money than he knows what to do with. How would you like to have this problem? Believe it or not, it was a big problem for him! He didn’t understand the concept of stewardship and that anything he had ultimately belonged to God and was meant to be used for His glory.

Everything Comes from God

Some things are harder to be viewed as coming from God. For example, if you study for a degree, it’s hard to say, “God gave this to me” because you feel like you earned it. The same can be said if you’re faithful at work and get promoted, practice an instrument and become an accomplished musician, or train for a race and win. But seeing God’s hand in them is easier with some other things. For example, we have nothing to do with where and when we are born. As of 2023, we have had ten children, and we see God’s hand in this child’s birth because we can’t create life. Only God can do that.

One more thing we should view as coming from God is a good harvest, or “land [producing] plentifully.” Although I haven’t been a farmer, I know it’s a profession that greatly depends on circumstances outside our control. My father-in-law, Rick, is a farmer. Katie says she remembers growing up watching her father stand at the window looking at the clouds with conce...