A Rich and Respectable Fool - Luke 12:15–21 - Sermons from the Baptist Faith and Message

Written by Lucien Coleman

Sermon 15 of 19 Sermons on The Baptist Faith and Message

The Baptist Faith and Message sets forth "certain definite doctrines that Baptists believe, cherish, and with which they have been and are now closely identified." You may read The Baptist Faith and Message on SBC.net. This sermon series by Lucien Coleman originally appeared in Proclaim! magazine.

Introduction: The leading role in Jesus’ parable of the rich fool is played by a man who was completely self-absorbed. In Luke 12:17–19, this man has a conversation with himself in which he uses the pronouns I and my eleven times. He thought within himself; talked the matter over with himself; and responded to himself. He was the center of his universe.

A Stingy Response to Abundant Blessings

His story begins with a problem. His abundant harvest exceeded the capacity of his barns. What should he do with this embarrassment of riches? He might have given away his surplus to the needy people around him. But since the walls of his life were covered with mirrors rather than windows, he hit upon a solution that would enable him to keep it all. He built bigger barns. He lived by the philosophy, “Every man for himself.” He had a compulsive desire to assure tomorrow’s security by saving up as much as possible today.

A Respectable Man’s Sin

This rich farmer wasn’t a bad man, by the world’s standards. He appears to have come by his wealth honestly. His heavy harvest indicates that he was a skilled farmer. He had worked hard for what he had. He was farsighted and practical, a shrewd business man. He supported himself and wasn’t a burden on others. Why, then, did Jesus call him a fool? Three flaws in his character earned him that title.

He was a complete egotist.

He attributed his success to his own efforts, an attitude very much in keeping with our cherished American tradition of self-reliance. But does anyone ever accumulate wealth without help from others? The “self-made man” uses technologies developed by others and raw materials produced by others. He benefits from a social system maintained by others and exploits information gathered by others ( Read Deut. 6:10–11 ).

He was a practical atheist.

He professed belief in God, but his way of thinking was god-less. He refused to acknowledge God’s providential hand in his accumulation of wealth. (Note the references to “my barns, my fruits, my goods” in v. 18.) (Read Deut. 8: 17–18.) We might say, “What I do with my money is my business.” For the Christian, it is God’s business. The wealthy farmer in the parable disregarded God in his decision-making. He simply consulted himself ( Luke 12: 18–19 ).

He was a thoroughgoing materialist.

He looked to material things for satisfaction in life (Luke 12:19), contrary to Jesus’ teaching that “one’s life is not in the abundance of his possessions” (12:15). He depended on material things for security (“thou hast much goods laid up for many years,” 12:19). But verse 20 shows how flimsy that security can be. Material things had usurped the place of God in the man’s life. What Jesus warns against in Matthew 6:24 had happened. Mammon had become the man’s god.

Conclusion: A Christian layman said, “In a materialistic world, tithing is one tangible reality I can point to as evidence that I have not sold out to mammon. It’s a small beginning; but it is a beginning.”

About Professor Coleman

Professor Lucien Coleman retired in 1993 after twenty-seven years of teaching Religious Eductation at Southern Seminary and Adult Education at Southwestern Seminary. Before teaching served as a pastor in Kentucky. He holds degrees from Southern Seminary and the University of Kentucky. He and his wife, Bobbie, live in Parker County, Texas. They have three children, fifteen grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren.

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19 Sermons on The Baptist Faith and Message