THE PARABLE OF THE RICH FOOL
Luke 12:13-21
Key Verse: 12:21
“This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.”
What issue did someone bring to Jesus and what impact could it have had on the relationship between brothers (13)? How did Jesus respond and why (14)?
Read verse 15. What warning did Jesus give? What is greed, and what does “all kinds of greed” suggest (Eph 5:5; Col 3:5)? What deception that accompanies greed did Jesus expose (Ecc 5:10; Jas 1:15)?
In Jesus’ parable, how did a rich man come to have an abundant harvest (16)? What plan did he make and with what motive (17-19)? (Note his use of personal pronouns and verb tense.) What would you have done in this man’s place?
Read verses 20-21. What horrible mistake had the man made? What was missing in his calculation? What general application did Jesus make? What does it mean to be “rich toward God” (1Ti 6:17-19)?