In brief
The rich fool is the character of a parable of Jesus told in Luke 12:16-21. He is not a historical person but a teaching figure. Jesus tells of a rich man whose land produced abundantly: he plans to pull down his barns, build bigger ones, and then rest for many years. But God tells him that his soul will be required of him that very night. Jesus thus warns against covetousness and calls us to be rich toward God.
What does the name The Rich Fool mean?
The character has no name: Luke speaks simply of a certain rich man (Luke 12:16). The title of rich fool comes from the word God addresses to him: “You foolish one, tonight your soul is required of you” (Luke 12:20). In biblical language, the fool is not first of all a man without intelligence, but one who lives without taking God into account (see Psalm 14:1).
The story of The Rich Fool
A request about an inheritance
Luke 12:13-15From the middle of the crowd, a man asks Jesus to tell his brother to divide the inheritance with him. Jesus refuses to act as judge in this matter. He seizes the occasion to warn everyone listening: “Beware! Keep yourselves from covetousness, for a man’s life doesn’t consist of the abundance of the things which he possesses.”
An abundant harvest
Luke 12:16-17Jesus then tells a parable. The ground of a certain rich man produced abundantly. Nothing dishonest is held against him: his wealth comes from a good harvest. But he reasons within himself and asks what he will do, since he has no room to store his crops. He consults no one but himself.
Bigger barns
Luke 12:18-19His decision is made: he will pull down his barns, build bigger ones, and store all his grain and his goods there. Then he will tell his soul that it has many goods laid up for many years, and that it can take its ease, eat, drink and be merry. His whole plan revolves around himself alone.
The night everything changes
Luke 12:20But God says to him: “You foolish one, tonight your soul is required of you.” God then asks whose the things he has prepared will be. The man had planned years of rest, and now he does not have even one more night. His barns will remain full, but he cannot take anything with him, and his goods will pass to others.
Being rich toward God
Luke 12:21Jesus draws the conclusion himself: “So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.” The problem is not having possessions, but storing them up for oneself alone, forgetting God and one's neighbor, as if life depended on what one owns.
Seeking the kingdom first
Luke 12:22-34Jesus then turns to his disciples. He tells them not to be anxious about food and clothing, for God feeds the ravens and clothes the lilies. He invites them instead to seek God's Kingdom, to give to the needy and to make for themselves a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, for where their treasure is, there their heart will be also.
Test your knowledge
What The Rich Fool teaches us
- A person's life does not depend on what he possesses, even when he has abundance.
- Making plans is not a sin, but making them without God is folly.
- No one controls the length of his life: every day is a gift to be lived before God.
- To be rich toward God is to put one's possessions at the service of his kingdom and of others.
- Trust in the Father frees us from anxiety and from the need to accumulate for ourselves.
Key verses
Jesus introduces the parable with a solemn warning against all covetousness. The value of a life is not measured by its possessions, even when they are abundant.
God's word to the rich man overturns all his calculations. The one who planned years of rest must give up his soul that very night, and his reserves are of no use to him.
The conclusion of Jesus gives the key to the parable: laying up treasure for oneself without being rich toward God is to repeat the rich man's folly.
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus gives the same teaching: store up treasure in heaven rather than on earth, for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Bible verses to meditate on
Sermons about The Rich Fool
Frequently asked questions
Did the rich fool really exist?
No, he is a character in a parable. Jesus tells this story to illustrate his warning against covetousness (Luke 12:15). The rich fool is therefore a teaching figure, not a historical person. The message, however, is very real: every life belongs to God, and each person will have to give an account of how he lived.
Why does God call this man a fool?
It is not his wealth that is condemned, but his way of thinking. He speaks to his soul as if his life belonged to him and depended on his reserves. He forgets God and never thinks of others. Jesus sums up his folly: laying up treasure for himself without being rich toward God (Luke 12:21).
Where is the parable of the rich fool found in the Bible?
The parable is found only in the Gospel of Luke, chapter 12, verses 13 to 21. To understand it well, also read what follows immediately, Luke 12:22-34, where Jesus calls his disciples not to be anxious, to seek God's kingdom and to make a treasure for themselves in the heavens.