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Luke 12 English Standard Version (ESV)

The Parable of the Rich Fool

¹³ Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” ¹⁴ But he said to him, “Man, who made me a judge or arbitrator over you?”¹⁵ And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” ¹⁶ And he told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man produced plentifully, ¹⁷ and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ ¹⁸ 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. ¹⁹ And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.”’ ²⁰ But God said to him, ‘Fool!

This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ ²¹ So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”

REFLECTION:

1. The challenge of this story of the rich farmer is this: Why pile up wealth here on earth? Why work to gather more than you will ever need?  This rich farmer rejected the word of God and based his life on the pursuit of earthly treasure.  Christ said, “Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?”
2. We all make value decisions that shape our lives. Jesus asks us to remember that those decisions shape our life here and in eternity.
3. What decisions are you facing? What value do you base your decisions on?  Will Jesus call you a fool?  Or a good and faithful servant?   How is God calling you to change your attitude toward your money and possessions?