Good morning. Please open your Bible to Luke 12.
If you have ever listened to a sermon on money, or been at church where they did a series on stewardship, you might have heard a preacher say, ‘Jesus talked about money more than anything else.’ I’ve heard it. I may have even said it. There are a lot of tropes like that out there:
“Jesus talks about money more than he talks about heaven and hell combined.”
There are over 2,000 verses in the Bible related to money— twice as many as verses on faith or prayer.”
Turns out those statistics can be a little misleading — they make you think the Bible cares more about money than it actually does. Statistics like this are based on keyword searches and thematic tagging, and they are powerful because they convince us that how we manage our money is a really, really big deal to God.
But just because a verse mentions a shekel doesn’t mean its a teaching about money.
That’s not to say that money doesn’t show up in Jesus’ teaching. It does. A lot. About 1 out of every 7 verses in His parables mention money. Eleven out of His thirty-nine parables reference wealth, possessions, or generosity.
And yet — here’s the part we can’t miss — money was almost never the main thing Jesus was talking about. Jesus talked about money to reveal something deeper: what we trust, what we value, where our hearts are.
You see, Money doesn’t dominate Scripture the way you might have been told, but it shows up just enough to reveal how easily it dominates our lives. Scripture doesn’t make money the main thing, but boy, we sure do, don’t we?
That’s why we’re calling this series ‘Jesus on Money.’ Over the next five weeks, we’re going to study what Jesus actually said about wealth, possessions, and generosity — and how we can align our priorities with His.
So with all that in mind, let’s listen to one of Jesus’ most challenging parables about wealth and the heart behind it — the Parable of the Rich Fool.
Luke 12:13–21 (ESV)
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.”
[Pray]
The Context: Teacher, Tell My Brother…
Luke 12 opens like this:
“In the meantime, when so many thousands of the people had gathered together that they were trampling one another, He began to say to His disciples first … (v.1)
Notice— this is a conversation Jesus is having with the disciples. It isn’t for the many thousands who are trampling each other. In Luke 12, Jesus is teaching about some deeply spiritual issues — warning His disciples about hypocrisy, persecution, and confessing Him before men. He admonishes them to fear God and not men. He encourages them to keep their focus on eternal realities, not temporary ones.
And then… right in the middle of this heavy teaching, some yahoo in the crowd yells out:
“Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me!” (v.13)
It would be funny if it weren’t so revealing:
While Jesus is unpacking fearless discipleship and eternal priorities this guy is worried about how many goats or shekels he gets from Dad’s estate.
This tone-deaf interruption says something profound about the human heart: When money matters most, what really matters matters less.
It’s true. We’ll spend more time on this passage later in the series, but Jesus was clear in the Sermon on the Mount:
Matthew 6:24 (ESV)
24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.
Now, even though it was incredibly tone deaf, the man’s request wasn’t all that unusual. Rabbis were often called to settle these disputes but Jesus refuses. First he says “Man, who made me a judge or arbitrator over you?” This is ironic, because according to John 5:22 God the Father has given all judgment to the Son, just not in the way this knucklehead was thinking! Jesus sets him straight in verse 15:
Luke 12:15 (ESV)
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.”
II. The Parable: Rich Man, Poor Plan (vv.16–19)
Jesus continues:
“The land of a rich man produced plentifully…” (v.16)
This is important — Jesus doesn’t criticize the man for his success. The harvest came from God’s blessing. The man isn’t dishonest. He hasn’t cheated his workers. He hasn’t exploited the poor. His land produced abundantly, and Jesus never condemns him for that.
But the parable gives us a window into the man’s thoughts — and that’s where the problem begins:
“And he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’” (v.17)
Those three words — “thought to himself” — give the whole thing away. He’s having a private, inward conversation about his abundance, and God isn’t invited into the discussion.
Listen again to what he says in verses 17–19:
“What shall I do? … 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. And I will say to my soul, ‘Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.’”
Two words dominate his inner monologue: “I” and “my.”
My crops
My barns
My grain
My goods
My life plan
But do you hear what’s missing? God. There’s no gratitude, no humility, no prayer. This man is enjoying the gifts of God while ignoring the Giver.
This is where Jesus’ audience — and by Jesus’ audience, I don’t just mean those that were gathered to listen to him teach that day, it includes us — This is where we need to lean in.
The problem isn’t that the man was rich. The problem is that he saw himself as an owner, not a steward.
In Scripture, everything belongs to God:
“The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it.” (Psalm 24:1)
We don’t own what we have; we’ve been entrusted with it.
Our income
Our homes
Our opportunities
Even our time and relationships
When you think like an owner, wealth is about control and comfort.
When you think like a steward, wealth is about responsibility and eternity.
What’s striking is that the rich man’s problem was actually a good problem:
“I don’t have enough room for all my crops.”
That’s not a tragedy — that’s a blessing! And yet his blessing becomes a burden because his heart wasn’t ready to handle it.
Blessings always expose what’s inside us:
Abundance reveals priorities.
Success spotlights your character.
Overflow tests your heart.
If God gave you double what you have now, would it draw you closer to Him — or make you believe you need Him less?
What does he decide? “I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones.”
Now, there’s nothing inherently wrong with barn-building.
Saving for retirement is wise.
Providing for your family is good.
Growing your business can glorify God.
But here’s the danger: when bigger barns become the goal, we begin storing up treasures for ourselves instead of leveraging them for the Kingdom. We subtly believe the lie that our life consists in our possessions — the very thing Jesus warned against in verse 15.
If we’re honest, this is where most of us live. We don’t think we’re rich because we’re always looking up the ladder at someone with more. Check this out: in 2025, the average per capita income in Prattville, Alabama is $50,565.
Now, if you compare that to the rest of the United States, we are a little bit lower. The US averages around $75,500.
But compared to the rest of the world, the average person in Prattville makes almost 5X as much as 85% of the rest of the world.
85% of the worlds population averages $11,000 a year.
We already have bigger barns most of the world. And without a supernatural heart change, our first response is not to give away our excess. Instead, it’s to build bigger barns.
Do you know what the fastest growing segment of the real estate market is? Self storage units. 1 in 10 American families rent one or more self storage units. Almost 63 million square feet of new self storage space—an area the size of Central Park—was built in 2024 alone.
So we are all about building bigger barns.
But when God looked at this man in the parable, He didn’t say, “Well done! What a savvy investor you are.”
III. The Reality Check: God Calls Him a Fool (vv.20–21)
Verse 20 is the moment where the whole story turns:
“But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’”
This is one of only a handful of times in Scripture where God directly calls someone a fool. The word Jesus uses here means “mindless one” — someone who failed to connect the dots between life and eternity.
You see, the man thought he had years ahead of him:
“Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years.”
But God says: “Tonight.”
In a single breath, everything he’d planned, built, and secured collapses.
James 4:14 says:
“What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.”
We plan our vacations, our retirements, our legacies — and none of that is wrong — but we forget that tomorrow isn’t guaranteed.
Jesus drives the knife deeper with His question:
“The things you have prepared — whose will they be?” (v 20)
Everything the man built will belong to someone else. His barns, his grain, his security — all of it slips through his fingers in an instant.
It reminds me of Ecclesiastes 2:18–19:
“I hated all the things I had toiled for under the sun, because I must leave them to the one who comes after me. And who knows whether that person will be wise or foolish?”
That’s the tragedy: he spent his life accumulating for himself, and when his life ended, nothing lasting remained.
On a side note, do you think Solomon included all 900 wives and concubines in his will? Wow!
What It Means to Be Rich Toward God
Jesus closes the parable with the key statement in verse 21:
“So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”
Being rich toward God means:
Recognizing that everything belongs to Him.
Leveraging your resources for Kingdom purposes.
Living with open hands — ready to give, serve, and bless.
It’s not about how much you have.
It’s about what you do with what you have.
IV. Application: Becoming Rich Toward God
This is where the parable meets real life.
1. Ask Better Questions:
Instead of asking:
“How much of my stuff should I give to God?”
Flip the question:
“How much of God’s stuff should I keep for myself?”
Everything you have — from your paycheck to your health — is on loan. That changes how you view success, savings, and security.
2. Invite God Into Your Financial Decisions
The rich man’s biggest mistake wasn’t tearing down barns — it was thinking to himself without consulting God.
Before you buy, pray.
Before you save, ask.
Before you give, listen.
Every financial decision is a spiritual decision because our hearts follow our treasure.
3. Invest in What Outlasts You
Matthew 6:19–20 says:
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth… but store up treasures in heaven.”
How do you “store up treasures in heaven”?
By investing in people, not just possessions.
By funding Kingdom work.
By using what God has given you to bless others.
Your barns won’t last — but your impact can.
Don’t forget your church when you do your estate planning. [Mom]
4. Examine Your Heart
Here are some questions to pray through this week:
Where am I tempted to find security outside of God?
Do I believe I own what I have, or that I’ve been entrusted with it
Does the way I spend, save, and give reflect a heart that’s rich toward God?
Call to Action
This week, pick one tangible step:
Give intentionally — to your church, to a person in need, to a cause God stirs in your heart.
Pause before you purchase something significant — and ask, “Is this helping me be rich toward God?”
Share a blessing — use something you own to serve someone else.
This parable begins with a man asking the Lord about his inheritance. But have you ever stopped to think about the Lord’s inheritance? Check this out.
According to Deut. 32:9— You are! We Are!
Deuteronomy 32:9 (ESV)
“But the LORD’s portion is his people, Jacob his allotted heritage.”
You are God’s inheritance. You are His treasured possession. He paid the ultimate price to obtain you— He sent His own son to save us from our sins.
But He didn’t stop there! When we trust Christ as our Savior and Lord, he becomes our portion! Psalm 16:5
Psalm 16:5
ESV
5 The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot.
That’s the inheritance Jesus came to offer: Not just treasure in heaven someday… but Himself, here and now.”
When God is your portion, your barns don’t define you.
When Christ is your treasure, you’re already rich beyond measure.
When eternity is your focus, generosity becomes your freedom.
Conclusion
And maybe today, some of us are living like rich fools. We’re clutching so tightly to what’s temporary — the barns, the bank accounts, the stuff we think we need — and all the while, Jesus is inviting us into something infinitely better.
Invitation
“So, let me ask you: Where’s your security today?
Are you clinging to what you put into an earthly storehouse… or to a Savior who can never be taken from you?
Because when God is your portion, you never run out.
When Christ is your inheritance, you’re never empty.
When the cross is your wealth, you’re rich beyond measure.”
Call to Respond
“Today, maybe God’s calling you to open your hands — to trust Him, to stop measuring your worth by what you’ve stored, and to find your security in Jesus.
He isn’t after your money. He’s after your heart.
And the good news is — He offers all of Himself in return.”
[Invitation]
