THE PARABLE OF THE RICH FOOL

This is called the Parable of the Rich Fool. What was wrong with this man?

There is no evidence that the man cheated in any way. His prosperity was because of the normal growth of his farm. The farm was doing well. It produced a lot of crops. None of that was a sin.

The man was not a fool because he was making money. His farm produced a lot of food. That was the goodness of the farm, the weather, the workers, and God. There is nothing sinful there.

So, what was wrong with him? Let me talk about that.

I. First, he focused on himself, not God.

Listen to what he said to himself, “What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.”

Notice how many times the word “I” appears. I, I, I. My, my, my. Everything was me, me, me. The man was focused completely on himself.

Whenever you see that kind of selfishness, something is always wrong. I, I, I. Me, me, me.

Who made the sun that shined on his farm? God. Who made the rain fall? God, not him. But he was thinking only of himself.

He was spiritually blind. He wasn’t thinking about God at all. Yet God is the one who made you and gave you the life you have. Your highest purpose should be God. What else would it be? Then, you should think of other people. This man didn’t. He thought only about himself.

In verse 15 Christ said, “A man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.” It’s just not that important.

When you die, what could you say about your life? “I made a lot of money.” “I had a nice house.” “I made it to the top.” None of that will help you. You cannot take anything with you to the next life except your soul.

Why not say, “God, I knew you. Your Son Jesus forgave my sin by His Blood. I lived with you and for you. I served you. And I served others and tried to be a blessing to them.” Sounds better to me. So why not choose God? Why not trust Jesus?

II. Second, he thought he was in control of his future.

He made a plan. He was going to pull down his barns and build bigger ones. He would put his crops there. Then he was going to enjoy himself and take it easy.

And he expected to live this way for many years. He said to himself, “Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.” He thought he was in control of his future. He had it all planned out. He had it all set up.

But he didn’t even have one day! “God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee.” He died that night. Other people got his farm. He died without God and went to Hell. He was a fool.

The Bible says, “Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth” (Proverbs 27:1). You can never be quite sure what will happen, even tomorrow. Life has its surprises. You could die, as this man did. Or something might happen that could change your tomorrow, or the rest of your life.

And the Bible says, “Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that” (James 4:13-15).

Those were businesspeople. They had a plan for a year. They were going to go to another city, stay for a year, buy and sell, and make money. But nobody knows what will really happen. Your plan might not work out. It might not be your fault. But let’s face it, things happen.

Does that mean you should never make a plan for a year ahead? Does that mean you should never make a plan for your life? Should you just sit at home day after day and do nothing? No. But you shouldn’t leave God out. You should say, “If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.” He’s in charge, not you.

What is your life anyway? “It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.” Your life will go away soon enough. You might die suddenly. Some people do. But even if you live many years, someday it will end. Your life will be over. It will vanish away like a vapor. Make sure you trust Jesus and live for Him. And this brings me to the third point.

II. Third, the man was not rich toward God.

Christ said, “So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God” (Luke 12:21).

We saw the man was focused on himself. He thought he was in control of his future. His plan for the future was centered on himself. But he was not rich toward God. What does that mean?

He forgot God. He lived without God. This is a terrible mistake. The Bible says, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning” (James 1:17). His farm came from God. His prosperity came from God. His life came from God. But this man lived without Him.

If you do think of God, your life has to be different. You will honor God with your time. You will honor God with your work, your effort. You will honor God with what you say. You will honor God with your life plan. You will honor God with your money. You will honor God with your conduct. You will honor God in how you treat other people. And you will honor God with your soul.

But most people don’t. The rich fool certainly didn’t. I am thinking of what the great Reformer Martin Luther said one day when it was raining. Listen carefully.

“Praise God. He is giving us one hundred thousand gulden worth. [A gulden was worth about $150 or $200, so he said God is giving us $15 million or $20 million dollars.]” Again:

“Praise God. He is giving us one hundred thousand gulden worth. It is raining corn, wheat, barley, wine, cabbage, onions, grass, and milk. All our goods we get for nothing. And God sends His only begotten Son, and we crucify Him.”

That quote describes the attitude of lost and sinful man. It was the attitude of the rich fool. He took the blessings of God as though he had done it all himself. Do you have those thoughts? Do you have that attitude?

Luther said, “And God sends His only begotten Son, and we crucify Him.” That is the response of a lost and sinful man to Jesus Christ.

It is fair to say that would be the response of the rich fool. He wasn’t thinking about God at all. It is fair to say he wouldn’t trust Jesus and follow Him.

What about you? Do you ignore God’s grace? Do you ignore Him when He blesses you? And what do you do with Jesus? Have you trusted Him? Coming to church and sitting in the chair doesn’t save you. You have to trust Jesus personally. Have you?

Jesus was crucified two thousand years ago. The Bible says,

“But God [shows] his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him” (Romans 5:8, 9).

You are a sinner. That’s all there is to it. But “God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

Yes, you are a selfish sinner. But God loved you so much that Christ died for you.

Will you trust Jesus? Or will you let Him go? The rich fool would let Him go. But what about you? Don’t die like that man! Come to Jesus. He will forgive your sin and give you new life. Come to Him. Amen.