Pastor Robby Gallaty admits,
“We may not like to talk about money, but money talks a lot about us.”[1]
The Bible has a lot to say about money. It’s been argued that Jesus spoke more about money than He spoke of faith and prayer combined. However, I’m not so sure that is accurate, since He often used those messages to teach on deeper spiritual issues. Regardless, we can’t get away from the fact that scripture does emphasize money and one of the great revealers of our commitments is our bank accounts and our spending.
I bet some of you are thinking, “I knew it. I picked the one Sunday they talk about money.” Before you make a run for the parking lot, hear me out for a moment.
Today, we are unpacking a familiar parable about the Rich Fool and some of the things that we will learn from what Luke shares just might surprise you.
Grab your Bibles and go with me to Luke chapter twelve.
Stay Out Of It (Lk. 12:13-15)
One of the first things that jumps out in this section is how Jesus didn’t allow Himself to get pulled into matters that didn’t concern Him (Lk. 12:13-14). That’s a whole sermon in itself. Stay out of other people’s business.
That argument your friend is trying to get you to take sides on, the comment you want to make over somebody’s post. If it doesn’t concern you, mind your own business. There are exceptions, but for the most part, stay out of it.
What Luke presents seems to suggest that while Jesus was instructing His disciples about not being hypocrites and trusting God in ministry, some unknown person from the chaotic crowd demanded that Jesus settle a financial dispute between him and his brother.
Luke 12:13 NKJV
13 Then one from the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”
Under Israelite inheritance law as presented in the Torah, sons were the primary heirs, and the firstborn son received a double portion of the inheritance while the other sons received single portions (Dt. 21:15-17). Except in rare instances, daughters typically did not inherit anything unless the father had no sons (Numbers 27:7), otherwise, even if the daughter was the firstborn and she had younger brothers, the inheritance would go to the oldest of her younger brothers.
Some commentators think this dispute in Luke 12 is about the older brother getting twice as much as the younger brother (A. Boyd Luter) while others believe the older brother was holding out on the younger brother (David Garland). Whatever the case, there’s a much bigger issue to deal with. For that reason, Jesus doesn’t get involved in this family squabble.
Luke 12:14 NKJV
14 But He said to him, “Man, who made Me a judge or an arbitrator over you?”
Now, if this was us, we’d probably talk about how selfish the other brother was being and tell him to do the right thing and give his brother what belongs to him. We might suggest that they put aside their differences and work things out. If they couldn’t work it out amongst themselves then we might encourage the brother who felt cheated to seek legal help.
But Jesus doesn’t do any of that. Instead, He draws their attention to the tenth commandment.
Exodus 20:17 NKJV
17 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.”
Again, you need to have some thick skin to hang around Jesus because He rarely tells you what you want to hear. He will always tells you what you need to hear. He’ll tell you what will lead you to life. What good would it have done the man if he got his portion of the inheritance but his heart was still in peril? So what if Jesus fixes his financial situation but he is spiritually impoverished? So much of life is focused on securing our financial futures with little to no consideration given to our eternal futures.
The late Prince of Preachers, Charles Spurgeon once asked,
Should it not be the business of this life to prepare for the next life, and, in that respect, to prepare to die? But how can a man be prepared for that which he never thinks of? Do you mean to take a leap in the dark? If so, you are in an unhappy condition, and I beseech you as you love your own soul to escape from such peril by the help of God’s Holy Spirit.[2]
So Jesus has a warning for him.
Luke 12:15 NKJV
15 And He said to them, “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.”
This is so important for us to understand. In a world that constantly tells us to get more, get bigger, and get better if we want to truly be happy, Jesus’ warning against finding our security in the things of this world is vital.
Stop Lying to Yourself (Lk. 12:16-19)
As He often does, Jesus is going to tell a story. I would imagine that the brother who hasn’t divided the inheritance is also there. Now watch this, in this parable, Jesus skillfully and masterfully condemns both brothers of wrongdoing.
Luke 12:16–19 NKJV
16 Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully.
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.
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.” ’
To put this story into more contemporary language, I love the way two Harvard Business graduates retold the parable.
“The stock options belonging to a manager vested after a major run-up in share price, and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I already have enough saved to send my kids to college, my house is paid off, and I already max out my 401k every year?’ And he said, ‘I will do this: I will open an investment account and create a passive income portfolio, and I’ll exercise my options and put the money there. And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have a big enough portfolio to be financially independent; retire early, plan some vacations, play golf.”[3]
Here’s something else that we can learn from what Luke shares in this parable—we need to stop lying to ourselves.
Notice how self-centered the rich man is in this parable. Six times he uses the word I and another five times he uses the word my. “I do” “I have” “I will”(4x) “my crops”(2x) “my barns” “my goods” “my soul”. Furthermore, notice how this all began, with an internal dialogue, “He thought within himself.” With the exception of a few cases, whenever Luke's Gospel records people engaging in introspection, it is usually presented as negative and mistaken.
Luke 5:21-22 - The scribes and Pharisees “reasoned in their heart" about Jesus' claim to forgive sins.
Luke 7:39 - Simon the Pharisee "spoke within himself," questioning Jesus' prophetic insight.
Luke 18:4 - The unjust judge "said within himself," though he did not fear God.
Luke 18:11 - The Pharisee "prayed thus with himself" in the Temple.
Luke 12:17 - the rich man "thought within himself" about his financial security.
They were all lying to themselves. We lie to ourselves as well. We often convince ourselves of something that is completely misleading and untrue. We often believe the lie that the next thing will finally make us whole: more money, a better job, a bigger house, a happier marriage, greater success. We tell ourselves that peace is just one achievement, one purchase, or one life change away. Yet those promises always leave us wanting more, because they were never meant to satisfy the deepest needs of our hearts.
And if you think this is only a problem for people with lots of money and assets, think again. Both brothers convinced themselves that having material wealth would guarantee their future securities.
New Testament scholar, Diane Chen says,
“Jesus’ message is relevant to the haves as well as the have-nots. The rich may obsess over their bountiful possessions, and the poor may worry about their basic means of survival. Either attitude, however, displaces God from the center of life by failing to show gratitude in times of plenty and trust in times of need.”[4]
Don’t get me wrong, the Bible is not opposed to the accumulation of wealth.
Deuteronomy 8:18 NKJV
18 “... 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 this day.
However, there is often a recognition in Scripture, that wealth adds difficulty to the spiritual life.
Matthew 19:24 NKJV
24 And again I say to you, 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.”
Furthermore, the Bible also acknowledges that those who are rich in this world are often the perpetrators of injustice. The half-brother of Jesus said,
James 2:6 NKJV
6 But you have dishonored the poor man. Do not the rich oppress you and drag you into the courts?
But the Bible doesn’t discourage wealth generally. Jesus even tells us to make friends with the wealthy (Lk. 16:9). So then, there was nothing inherently wrong with the rich farmer having a lot of crops. The problem is that his survival—his future security—was inextricably tied to his financial success. What you and I need to remember, no matter how little or how much we have is this:
The cure for a greedy heart is an open hand.
Be Generous
The call to generosity runs all throughout Scripture. In a letter to his protege, the Apostle Paul instructed Timothy to remind wealthy believers not to place their hope in riches, but to place there hope in God.
1 Timothy 6:17–18 NIV
17 Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.
18 Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.
But Paul wasn't introducing a new idea. Jesus Himself called His followers to a life of open-handed generosity:
Luke 6:38 NKJV
38 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.”
Why does Scripture place such a strong emphasis on generosity? Because generosity reflects the very character of God.
God is a giver.
John 3:16 NKJV
16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
2 Peter 1:3 NIV
3 His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.
Through the prophet Isaiah, Adonai invites those who have nothing to come and receive freely:
Isaiah 55:1–2 NKJV
1 “Ho! Everyone who thirsts, Come to the waters; And you who have no money, Come, buy and eat. Yes, come, buy wine and milk Without money and without price.
2 Why do you spend money for what is not bread, And your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, And let your soul delight itself in abundance.
The generous life is not merely a spiritual discipline. The Imago Dei is baked into the generous life. It is a reflection of the God we worship. As we learn to give, we become more like the One who has given us everything.
Let God Be the Judge (Lk. 12:20-21)
One of the most convicting statements I’ve ever read is from the late pastor and evangelist, Leonard Ravenhill.
“Friend, if you were as good at soul-cultivation as you are in developing your business, you would be a menace to the devil; but if you were as poor in business matters as you are in soul, you would be begging for bread”.[5]
Notice that throughout the parable, the rich man is talking to himself. He's having a conversation with his own desires and false assumptions. Then, without warning, God enters the conversation. And in a single sentence, God exposes everything the man failed to see.
Luke 12:20–21 NKJV
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.”
God Himself addresses the foolishness of hyper-focusing on this life alone.
Mark 8:36 NKJV
36 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?
When we leave this world, there are no moving trucks, no storage units, and no baggage claim. Every earthly possession stays behind. There is only one carry-on item permitted for the journey into eternity: our response to the grace of God. Everything else must be left at the gate.
A passage of scripture that I often share at funerals, which highlights the centrality of trusting in God, is this:
Hebrews 11:5–6 NKJV
5 By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, “and was not found, because God had taken him”; for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God.
6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
This is how we become “rich toward God”—by faith and obedience.
Matthew 6:19–20 NKJV
19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal;
20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.
Pastor John Mark Comer shares a beautiful story about a Christian friend of his who learned a valuable lesson about generosity.
His friend’s goal after college was to get rich. He accomplished that goal. He was successful and built a career in finance, but everything changed when he attended a conference on "radical generosity." There he met wealthy Christians who lived on a fraction of their income and gave most of it away.
One speaker at the conference shared how he gave away 90% of his income and lived on 10%.
That experience transformed John’s friend’s view of money. Today, he and his family give away 80% of what they earn and live on the remaining 20%. They support their church and invest in caring for people on the margins.
He discovered that true wealth isn't found in how much you keep, but in how much you can give.[6]
Most of us can’t give that much, and that’s not the point. But what can you do? Can you adopt a minimalistic lifestyle to free up time or money in order to bless someone in need? Can you share your food with the hungry? Can you serve this church? Can you be a mentor for a kid or disciple a new believer?
What would it look like for you to begin measuring success by God's standards instead of the world's?
Respond
If you follow soccer, then you probably know the name Bukayo Saka. The Arsenal and England star has become one of the most talented and respected young players in the world. Playing on the wing, Saka was instrumental in helping Arsenal capture its first Premier League title in more than two decades, cementing his place among the game's elite.
But Saka’s life is more than what happens on the pitch. In several interviews he has shared about the role that his faith in God has played throughout his life. He was encouraged to trust God at an early age by his parents and till this day, his faith influences how he approaches the game and how he approaches life.
Recently, Saka was recognized as the 2026 Sócrates Award winner. This award is presented to a player, coach, or soccer figure who has made an outstanding humanitarian or social impact off the field. Well, this year, Saka was crowned winner, not for how he shoots, scores or makes assists on the pitch, but for how he scores through assisting the less fortunate in this world.
Instead of building bigger barns to store up his wealth on earth, Saka uses what he has been blessed to accumulate, to be a blessing to others. Here’s a short list of those blessings:
Funded 120 life-changing surgeries for children in Nigeria
Sponsored 100 pediatric surgeries across Kenya, Rwanda & Tanzania
Housed 26 displaced families after the Turkey earthquake
Built a village shelter for 255 people in Morocco
Donated 1,000+ school uniforms to families in West London
Funded academic scholarships for 20 international students [7]
We may not all be able to do as much as Saka does, but we need to do what we can, with what we have, right where we are. This is how you build treasures in heaven and become rich toward God—by loving God and loving others.
Saka’s willingness to invest in other people is an outpouring of the One who impoverished Himself for our wealth.
Jesus became poor so that we could become rich.
2 Corinthians 8:9 NKJV
9 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.
Micah Fries, Stephen Rummage, and Robby Gallaty, Exalting Jesus in Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi, ed. David Platt, Daniel L. Akin, and Tony Merida, Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary (Nashville, TN: Holman Reference, 2015), 252
Charles Spurgeon,
John Cortines, Gregory Baumer, E.J. Koh, et al., God and Money: How We Discovered True Riches at Harvard Business School, p120
Diane Chen, The NT in Color, p152
Leonard Ravenhill, Why Revival Tarries, p30
Practicing the Way, Session 4, Be Generous to the Poor
2026 Sócrates Award: Bukayo Saka. https://www.peace-sport.org/news/2026-socrates-award-bukayo-saka-a-champion-on-the-pitch-and-a-role-model-for-an-entire-generation/
