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In Luke 12:15–21, a very wealthy man is described by God as a fool. In the eyes of his fellow citizens, this man was probably very successful. Surely, he was wise in the ways of business and management, but Christ startled His listeners by calling him a fool. Why?
He had a foolish sense of values. The whole end of his life was to accumulate. However, at the very beginning of this Scripture, Jesus warned, “A man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of things which he possesseth.” Most people are still not convinced of this great principle. Wealth and success are the same thing to the majority. Jesus unmasked this foolish sense of values by giving His judgment of this stingy man.
He had a foolish sense of ownership. He counted himself the only proprietor, the sole owner of his goods. In only two or three verses, he uses twelve possessive pronouns. He failed to consider that he was a mere steward; in fact, he mistook himself for God! He thought his houses, lands, and crops belonged to him when they really possessed him. This is often mirrored in today’s world as people become enslaved to a job or some form of recreation. This foolish man forgot that “The earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof” (Psa. 24:1). Any other concept of ownership makes one a fool.
He had a foolish hope for happiness. “Take thine ease, eat, drink, be merry,” he told himself. He vainly sought his peace in grain and gold, rather than in God. He confused the needs of his soul with the desires of his body. His empty quest for ease, happiness, and peace through accumulated wealth is still evident on every hand. Like the mercenary followers of Jesus who were only interested in the loaves and fish, men now are still heedless as he warns, “Work not for the food which perisheth, but for the food which abideth unto eternal life” (John 6:27).
He had a foolish sense of security. His plans envisioned many years of ease and merriment. There is nothing inherently wrong with planning for one’s future material needs. However, the wise person realizes that he may never fulfill his plans. This foolish man seemed to have forgotten that he was mortal, and he surely left no place for even a remembrance of God or anyone else in his future. The only real security in life is found when one wisely follows inspired advice: “Ye ought to say, ‘if the Lord will, we shall both live and do this or that’” (Jam. 4:15).
[Note: I wrote this article for, and it was published in the “Bible Thoughts” Column for the Hood County News, Granbury, Texas, July 8, 1979.]
Attribution: From thescripturecache.com; Dub McClish, owner and administrator.
