Commentary on the Rich fool - Luke 12

Luke 12: 14 - 21

Note: In order to encourage reflection and personal meditation on the questions above please do not read this commentary until you have finished the Bible discussion questions above.

In this parable Jesus was talking to the person who asked him for help as well as the rest of the crowd (Luke 12:14-15).
Jesus did not rebuke the man in the crowd or the rich man in the parable for being rich. Their error was placing their heart and faith in their riches. Riches took the place of God.

Notice how many times the word "I" appears in Luke 12:17-19. This rich man was focused on himself and his riches. It has been said that selfishness is the brother of greed and together they can wreck your house. Don?t give them a room.

A person who is rich towards God places his or her trust and confidence in God. Your richness depends on what God thinks of you and not how much money you have. There is nothing wrong with money as long as it does not take the place of God.

Remember that it is God who has given you the physical, intellectual and spiritual strength to earn wealth. This is the implied in God?s words in Luke 12:20.

Some people have a higher tendency to worry than others. Getting your focus and priorities wrong can result in worry. The person who is best at worrying is the one who imagines everything that can go wrong and then starts acting and thinking as if they have! - in advance of anything actually happening.

Put your focus on what God has done for you and can do for you. If God can care for the birds and grass, both of which have a much shorter life span than you, why won?t he take care of you also? Worry magnifies the voice of fear and quenches the sound of faith.

There is no balance between worry and greed. They both live side by side. Make efforts to stay clear of both of them. Trusting God and helping other people - even when you have your own needs, is a good antidote against worry and greed.

Neither worry nor greed makes good friends. Flee both.