The Parable of the Rich Man
(Rev. Barry Johnson and Rev. Rodney Johnson)
NOTE: New Light Faith Ministries and Barry Johnson Ministries, founded by Rodney V. Johnson and Barry O. Johnson, respectively, are partnering to offer Bible studies for Christians who are seeking to grow in their relationship with Jesus. This is a Bible study lesson, not a sermon. The Bible studies teach foundational truth that are designed to challenge, encourage and, most importantly, flame the fire of hunger in the Christian who wants to learn more about who they have become in Christ Jesus. The Bible studies you find on this site contains the written version of the lesson. However, these lessons also include a video and an audio file of the study, a PDF version of the lesson and a sheet for note taking. If you would like any of the additional resources for these studies, please email us at newlightfaithministries@gmail.com or bjteachingltr@gmail.com for more information or contact us at the email provided on both of our Sermon Central pages. Please visit our YouTube Channel (Barry Johnson Ministries; New Light Faith Ministries, Inc.) to watch or listen to these lessons as well as other available sermons. Be blessed.
Introduction
Good morning everyone and welcome to our June Bible study. Today we will be examining a parable that Jesus told about unbridled selfishness which has worked its way into the body of Christ. The parable we will be discussing in this lesson is the parable of the rich man. Before we start let pause for a word of prayer.
The 1970s introduced one of the most biblically unsound and demonic doctrines to ever reach the pulpit of the Christian Church – the “Prosperity Gospel.” Although there have been many ways this doctrine has been taught, the message is always the same. God wants you to have a large home. God wants you to have several nice cars. God wants you to have lots of money in your bank account. And do you know why He wants you to have all of this? God, your Father, wants this for you because you are His child and He wants the world to see how He takes care of His children.
And here is something that should really concern you as a child of God. If you do not have all the things that those messengers are telling you that is promised to you, then it is your fault. It is your fault because either you do not have enough faith for God to bless you, or you are not living righteously enough to warrant the blessing. Regardless, if you are not prospering financially, then you have no one to blame but yourself. There are many Christians who have bought into this lie and are feeling unworthy of God’s blessings and are working overtime in their attempt to earn it. And here is the thing that really gets under my skin: the so-called men and women of God making these proclamations are living off the backs of the poor (through their weekly tithes and offerings) and are living lavish lifestyles while a majority of their members are struggling to make ends meet.
It’s interesting to us that there is not one single verse in all of Scripture, when left in context, that supports this doctrine. For example, Luke 6:38 has been used to support the prosperity gospel by teaching you can give your way into becoming prosperous. The verse says, “Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.” (Luke 6:38) When the verse is interpreted in its context, we see that Jesus is not talking about finances, but about how we treat people, in particular how much mercy we willingly extend to those who have wronged us. And we see this in Jesus’ summary about His Father, and ours two verses earlier in verse 36. “Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.” (Luke 6:36)
Jesus says the more mercy we walk in – the more mercy we are willing to extend to others – the more mercy we will receive in return. But that is not how this verse is used in many Churches. In fact, you have probably heard this verse read or quoted when it is time to accept tithes and offering. Well, if you have, now you know that it has absolutely nothing to do with money.
Although there is not one single verse in Scripture that supports the prosperity gospel, there are passages that support the teaching that God’s sons and daughters are already prosperous – already blessed. In Second Corinthians 8:9 we read the following: “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.” Now turn to Second Corinthians 9:8. It says, “And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.” In these two verses, we see that our prosperity, our wealth, is based on what happened in the realm of the spirit. It’s based on Jesus trading His heavenly abundance, and all that comes with it, for our natural poverty, and all that comes with it. The prosperity gospel says that we must give to receive from God, but Jesus says we must believe in Him to receive from God. And what is important to remember is that believing in Him means accepting Him as Lord and Savior and then getting into His Word to find out what He has promised you once you are saved. You must read the Word for yourself otherwise you will be like many who are blindly accepting teachings that are not verifiable in God’s word.
The Parable of the Rich Man
Why is the prosperity gospel unbiblical? One reason is the way that it is taught. The teaching of the prosperity gospel is limited to the acquiring of material wealth and those who teach it often take verses out of context to provide a spiritual reason for its truth. And the acquiring of this material wealth is not so that it can be used to further God’s kingdom, but on oneself enjoying everything life has to offer on this side of the dirt. Do you see the difference? Second, there is a passage of Scripture that teaches the direct opposite of what the ministers of the prosperity gospel teach, and it is found in the parable of the rich man in Luke 12, and this will be the focus of this lesson. We are going to pick up the passage with verse 16, which begins with the word “Then.” Before we read any further, we must find out why the verse begins with this word. We only need to go back to verse 13 to understand why. “Then, one from the crowd said to Him, ‘Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.’” (Verse 13)
The brother who is asking Jesus to do this is the younger brother and he is attempting to violate the Mosaic Law concerning the rights of the firstborn son. In the book of Deuteronomy, a dispute arose with man who had two wives, one he loved and one he didn’t. The wife he loved was not the mother of his firstborn son, but he wanted to give firstborn status to the son of the wife that he loved. We see the adjudication of this matter in chapter 21, verse 17: “But he shall acknowledge the son of the unloved wife as the first born by giving him a double portion of all that he has, for he is the beginning of his strength; the right of the first born is his.” (Deuteronomy 21:17) Jesus knows this. Let’s see His response in verse 14. “But He said to him, ‘Man, who made Me a judge or an arbitrator over you?” This was Jesus’ way of telling the man that the matter had already been decided by the Law of Moses. Now verse 15 is the verse that gives the reason why Jesus told the parable of the rich man beginning with verse 16. “And He said to them (the innumerable multitude, [verse one]), ‘Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.’” You know we really could just stop the lesson now. Jesus says it all right here. Our lives are not about what we possess so this statement alone refutes the prosperity message.
Throughout the gospels, Jesus used the words “Take heed” to let the hearers know that what He is about to say is important. But Jesus didn’t stop there. He also uses the word “beware”, which means to be on guard. It’s the same word He often used when He talked about the teachings of the scribes and Pharisees. “Covetousness” is greediness and is usually associated with an extortioner. It’s an unlawful desire of the property of another; also a desire of gain or riches beyond what is necessary for our wants. In other words, it’s not yours but you want it. Keep this definition in mind as we read through the parable. As I said, if we were to stop the lesson with verse 15, we would see that the prosperity gospel has no biblical standing. But it is what we see in the parable of the certain rich man that helps us to understand why the prosperity gospel is not truth.
“(16) Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: "The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully.” The man’s land was fertile, and produced even beyond his expectations, and beyond what he had provided for. Some would surmise that this man had been blessed beyond measure – that God was looking out for him. So, what does he do? Let’s continue and we want you to pay close attention to the number of times the man uses “I” statements and “my” statements. “(17) And he thought within himself, saying, 'What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?' (18) So he said, 'I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods.
We want you to see something. The first thing the man does is take ownership for the abundance. You might be thinking, well, what’s wrong with that? After all, it’s his land and his crops. Here’s the issue – the spiritual issue. Jesus describes the man as “a certain rich man.” The man is a Jew, and every Jewish male was thoroughly versed in the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Old Testament, commonly referred to as the books of Moses. Let’s see what the fifth book, Deuteronomy, has to say about the acquisition of wealth and its purpose. We are going read verses 10 through 18 of Deuteronomy chapter eight.
“(10) When you have eaten and are full, then you shall bless the Lord your God for the good land which He has given you. (11) ‘Beware that you do not forget the Lord your God by not keeping His commandments, His judgments, and His statutes which I command you today, (12) lest – when you have eaten and are full, and have built beautiful houses and dwell in them; (13) and when your herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and your gold are multiplied, and all that you have is multiplied; (14) when your heart is lifted up, and you forget the Lord your God Who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage; (15) Who led you through that great and terrible wilderness, in which were fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty land where there was no water; Who brought water for you out of the flinty rock; (16) Who fed you in the wilderness with manna, which your fathers did not know, that He might humble you and that He might test you, to do you good in the end – (17) then you say in your heart, 'My power and the might of my hand have gained me this wealth.' (18) And you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, ….” (Deuteronomy 8:10-18)
In these verses, we see Moses warning the people about forgetting God when they came into the land of promise. He warned them about forgetting Who prospered them when things were going good for them and they were tempted to think that they were the ones who done it. This has always been my struggle with people who claim they made it in life by their own means.This man knew the Old Testament and understood the warning about the temptations that came with the acquisition of great wealth – becoming prideful and forgetting that the Lord is the One who gave him the ability to gain wealth. His taking complete responsibility for the abundance is where his downfall begins in God’s eyes. We are talking about a spiritual downfall. Let’s continue with verse 19. “(19) And I will say to my soul, ‘Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.’ (20) But God said to him, 'Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?' (21) So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.’”
Did you see it? This man took credit for everything and said now it was time to take his ease. He was already rich and had more than he could use in his lifetime – he was already at ease!!! This was pure simple greed. This Jewish man lived in a pride that was produced by his wealth. It was pride that caused him to focus on himself and what he wanted. It was his pride that said “Look at me. Look at what I have accomplished. Look at what my hands have done.” That very night God says you will die and not enjoy your wealth. Now the question is why does God do this? Remember, the man was a Jew. The last part of Deuteronomy 8:18 tells us why. “And you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is today.”
Do you remember when we defined covetousness we told you to remember its definition? Covetousness is greediness and is usually associated with an extortioner. It’s an unlawful desire of the property of another; also a desire of gain or riches beyond what is necessary for our wants. Well, by his actions, the man extorted from the God Who gave him the ability to gain wealth so that He could continue to honor His covenant with His people. The law was very specific in detailing how the widows and the poor were to be treated and that commandment did not change for those of us who have experienced the new birth. For example, James 1:27 says, “Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.” The word visit means to look upon with mercy, favor, regard, to look after, to take care of. The man had the financial wherewithal to take care of the less fortunate members of the covenant with God and refused to do so. And because of this, the Lord said you will not live to enjoy that abundance.
Now let’s continue with verse 22. “(22) Then He said to His disciples, ‘Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on. (23) Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing. (24) Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor barn; and God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds?” (Luke 12:22-24) We don’t want you to miss what Jesus is saying. Because of the man’s pride, he believed that he had to take care of himself, and Jesus says that was the problem. Jesus says the man couldn’t build large enough barns that could substitute for God’s provision for him. And Jesus is also saying something else: the man didn’t see how valuable he was to God as part of the covenant that He had with the Jews. We believe this same thing is true for many in the Church today. They don’t understand how valuable they are because they are God’s sons and daughters. Jesus died for us!
Jesus continues to give examples of how valuable the man was under His covenant and how valuable we are as God’s sons and daughters. Let’s continue reading at verse 25. “(25) And which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? (26) If you then are not able to do the least, why are you anxious for the rest? (27) Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. (28) If then God so clothes the grass, which today is in the field and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith? (29) And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind. (30) For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things.” (verses 25-30)
This is one of my favorite Scriptures because Jesus is telling us not to worry. We spend a lot of time worrying about things that are out of our control and oftentimes things that never happen. Here Jesus is sharing with us why we need not do this – that we are to trust God. This is what we see about the mindset of the rich man – he didn’t trust God to take care of him. Proverbs 11:28 says, “He who trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will flourish like foliage.” The rich man acted like a Gentile, a person who did not have a covenant with God – “For all these things the nations of the world seek after…” Are you starting to understand why God became so angry with the rich man? Jesus wants to make sure that we understand what God desires from us and He outlines that for us beginning with verse 31. “(31) But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you.” The word seek means to turn to God, to strive humbly and sincerely to follow and obey Him. “(32) Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”
We don’t want to rush past this verse. In His explanation of the key “take aways” from this parable, Jesus says the rich man didn’t understand that God wanted to give him everything that was available in His kingdom. All he had to do was seek God and trust Him. This also applies to each one of us. Verses 33 & 34 continues with “(33) Sell what you have and give alms; provide yourselves money bags which do not grow old, a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches nor moth destroys. (34) For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (verses 33 & 34) In verse 33 Jesus says, “Sell what you have and give alms….” We must keep this in the context of the rich man to understand what Jesus is saying. Remember the rich man had such an abundance that he decided he needed bigger barns to manage it. Listen to what Jesus is saying. “What the rich man should have done after filling his current barns was sell the excess and give the proceeds to those in need, which would have been in agreement with the covenant God had established with his ancestors.” Jesus says that when we sell or give away what we don’t need to those who are in need, we are providing for ourselves rewards in heaven because of our unselfishness while living here on earth. When we willingly give our abundance for the spread of the gospel, verse 34 says our treasure will be the souls that were won for Jesus.
We want to leave you with this thought. Remember the story recorded in Luke 18 when the rich young ruler came to Jesus and asked what he needed to do to inherit eternal life. Remember what Jesus told him? He told him to sell what he had, give it to the poor and then come follow Him. And, in return, he would have riches in heaven. The rich young ruler left depressed because he had a lot of wealth. Do you see where we are going with this? I want to read Luke 18:24-25 to you. It says, “(24) And when Jesus saw that he became very sorrowful, He said, ‘How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God! (25) For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.’” Jesus said it will be difficult for a rich man to enter heaven because their focus will be on their riches and not on doing what is needed for His kingdom. The rich young ruler could not give his riches to the poor to follow Jesus because he trusted in them more than he trusted in the God who had a covenant with him.
On two separate occasions Jesus speaks about the rich helping those in need and them choosing not to do so. Their choice not to do so cost them eternal life with Him in heaven. So, this is what we want you to think about as we close out this lesson. If Jesus wants you to be rich and prosperous so that you can spend it all on yourself enjoying life knowing that you might miss Him in the process, would He even chance giving you the riches? Look at the lives of those preaching the prosperity message. They have large homes, fine cars, and planes to take them from here to there. But if they were to do what Jesus said and give their riches to the poor then Scripturally they would be in a much better position. So, ask yourself, if the prosperity message is valid – what are we supposed to be doing with all that prosperity that God has blessed us with? Let’s pray.
