A parable, straight from the heart of Jesus.
The Parable of the Rich Fool – Luke 12:15-21
How important it is for us to read the parables in context.
When we read the parables, we should look at what was said just before Jesus begins to teach one of these meaningful stories. Then we can see what is happening in the moment. What created the need for a parable to be told in the first place?
It is equally as important to read what follows the teaching of each parable. For instance, did Jesus explain the meaning of the parable? Did the person, or people that Jesus was addressing respond to the parable?
As Luke chapter twelve opens, a scene is described that is integral to understanding the parable about the rich fool.
Meanwhile, when a multitude of many thousands had gathered together, so much so that they trampled on each other, he began to tell his disciples first of all, “Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.”
Luke 12:1
As I read verse 1, I wondered why the passage talks about people trampling over each other. To me, I reasoned, that Jesus would never want people to be harmed, not even in an attempt to teach them the Gospel.
And then, instead of addressing the crowd first, the scripture tells us that Jesus directed His attention to His disciples.
Why were so many people there in the first place?
So, we have many questions before we even get to the parable.
As with so many similar events in the Gospels, the people were desperate for healing or for other needs to be met. They knew Jesus was some kind of healer. They knew Him as a teacher, and someone who had been given power to perform miracles.
Most of them probably believed that He was from God. But they really didn’t know that He was their Messiah. They had been watching and waiting for the Messiah. They just didn’t realize He was right in their midst.
And why did Jesus address His disciples first?
For one thing, He was teaching them to recognize the Pharisees’ hypocrisy leading people away from the true Gospel. They needed to know how to recognize false teachers. (Matthew 7:15-17)
Also, every teachable moment was preparing His disciples for His crucifixion. He knew they would need courage to face the terror unleashed by the Pharisees against Christ’s followers.
Ultimately, He wanted them to have faith to keep believing.
Then comes an interruption.
Two brothers were arguing over their inheritance. Jesus told them that He was not there to settle such disputes.
He tells them this:
“Beware! Keep yourselves from covetousness, for a man’s life doesn’t consist of the abundance of the things which he possesses.”
And from here Jesus tells His story.
Wasted Efforts
“The ground of a certain rich man produced abundantly. He reasoned within himself, saying, ‘What will I do, because I don’t have room to store my crops?’ He said, ‘This is what I will do. I will pull down my barns, build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.
A Foolish Man’s Advice to Himself
I will tell my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years. Take your ease, eat, drink, and be merry.”’
Inescapable Reality
“But God said to him, ‘You foolish one, tonight your soul is required of you. The things which you have prepared—whose will they be?’ So is he who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”
Luke 12:16-21
Now, remember to keep reading as the parable ends.
What does Jesus want us to know, even now?
He said to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you, don’t be anxious for your life, what you will eat, nor yet for your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing. Consider the ravens: they don’t sow, they don’t reap, they have no warehouse or barn, and God feeds them. How much more valuable are you than birds!“
Luke 12:22-24
Do you trust Jesus to satisfy you completely? When you are poor or sick, when you have a burdensome amount of wealth, when you are afraid or sad-is Jesus enough for you?
Share the Good News in your world!
Isaiah 52:7
World English Bible (WEB)
by Public Domain. The name “World English Bible” is trademarked.
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