Context and The Parable of the Rich Fool – Luke 12:16-21

The Importance of Context

Context, those things that surround the subject, can be very important.  It can be defined as the circumstances that surround an idea, an event or a statement.  Statements made that are preceding or following(or both) the subject can assist in understanding that statement.  When the statement is surgically removed from its setting, its support is also removed.  This can make the statement far more difficult to correctly understand.  Although there are some portions of scripture where context is minor or non-existent(e.g. Psalms, Proverbs), most of scripture is understood most correctly based on a proper understanding of the context in which it is written.

To take something “out of context” is to take a word of phrase or passage out of the environment that it is in, and then assume a completely different environment, or no environment at all(i.e. a vacuum).  For example, did Jesus come to bring peace into the world?  Whether an answer of “yes” or “no” is given, the answer will be correct, based on the meaning of peace and the context it is presented in.  In John 14:27, Jesus told His disciples that He gave them His peace, and that He was leaving them with peace.  By contrast, in Matt. 10:34, Jesus said that He did not come to bring peace, but a sword.  These two statements are clearly contradictory, or are they?

In John 14:27, Jesus was trying to prepare His disciples for the time when He would leave them(i.e. He would be crucified, buried, raised from the dead and eventually ascend into heaven).  Jesus’ departure would have a cataclysmic effect on His closest disciples, so He wanted to cushion the blow.  They needed to understand that the movement He started would not die with Him; they would continue what He started.  To help them understand this, He wanted them to know that He wasn’t just going to leave them, He was going to leave them with certain benefits.  One of the things His leaving would result in was that they would have peace.  But what kind of peace would they have?  Paul explains in Rom. 5:1 that those who are justified by faith(in Jesus) have peace with God, and the way they achieve that peace with God is through Jesus.  Without Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, which is part of what Jesus was trying to prepare His disciples for in John 14, people would not be able to achieve peace with God.  When a person sins, they become God’s enemy.  The only way to have peace with God restored is to remove that sin.  As there was no way to remove that sin, Jesus had to die to pay for that sin.  In doing so, He could bring peace to the whole world, which is why Isaiah referred to Him as the Prince of Peace(Isa. 9:6).

Does Jesus then contradict Himself in Matt. 10:34 when He states that He did not come to bring peace, but a sword(a sword being a reference to division or divisiveness)?  Certainly not!  Jesus DID come to bring peace . . . between God and people.  But what about among people?  In Matt. 10, Jesus was sending the apostles out to preach the good news(i.e. the gospel).  They were to go from village to village spreading the news about Jesus.  Some people would not accept their message, and as a result, they were to shake the dust off their feet and leave(Matt. 10:14).  By contrast, if the people were receptive, they were to stay and teach(Matt. 10:11-13).  Jesus was sending His disciples out among wolves(Matt. 10:16), and He wanted them to be aware of the dangers.  He wanted them to understand that they would be persecuted(Matt. 10:17-20), and even family members would turn against each other(Matt. 10:21-23, 35-36).  It is within the context of these warnings that Jesus tells His disciples that He was not bringing peace, but division(i.e. a sword).  The message Jesus brought, the message His disciples were going to spread, would cause divisions between people who had previously been at peace with each other.

If John 14:27 and Matt. 10:34 are taken out of context, they appear to be diametrically opposed statements that clearly contradict each other.  But if they are taken within the context in which they are made, they fit together perfectly.  Jesus could restore peace between a person, any person, and God.  However, in doing so peace between that same person and other people might be shattered.  Comparatively, it is a small price to pay for the greatest gift ever(Matt. 13:45-46)!

What Is a Parable?

A parable is a story that is easy to understand, as it uses common situations that are easily understood by most people.  The purpose of a parable is to convey a message or meaning that is similar to the story told in the parable.  Jesus used parables as a teaching device, a means of instructing people who were not necessarily well educated at a time when written material was not as commonplace as it is today.  By telling a parable, He could provide information that they could easily remember.  The true message of these stories was to teach a spiritual lesson. Some people listening to the parables walked away with an interesting story, while others walked away with an important spiritual lesson.  Almost 2,000 years later, people who do not even read a Bible can tell at least some portion of many parables because they are so easy to remember, even if they do not understand the meaning behind the parable.

The Parable of the Rich Fool

The parable itself is quite simple and easy to comprehend.  A rich man plants his crop and at the time of harvest, his fields produce significantly more than expected.  His response is to tear down the barns he has and builder larger barns to store all of the harvest.  He had so much that he thought he would be set for many years.  He could sit back and enjoy himself.  However, God told the man that he would die, then who would get everything that he had acquired?  The facts of the story are straightforward and easy to understand.  But is the lesson Jesus is teaching as easy to understand?

The Explanation of a Parable

With some parables, Jesus explained what they meant.  In Matt. 13:3-9, Jesus tells the Parable of the Sower.  Later, in verses 18-23, Jesus tells them exactly what the parable meant, the spiritual lesson He was trying to teach them.  However, Jesus does not always provide a detailed explanation of every parable He told.  Sometimes, He simply told the parable and moved on.

The Lesson of the Parable of the Rich Fool

In Luke 12:21, Jesus provides a terse lesson for the parable He had just given to them.  He tells them that the rich fool was an illustration of how it will be for anyone who stores up things for himself, while not being rich toward God.

Things the Parable Does NOT Teach

It might seem odd to mention things that are NOT being taught in a parable, but it is vitally important to properly understand the lesson(s) being taught, yet not trying to read something into a portion of text that is NOT there.

Sharing

Both the Old Testament and the New Testament state the need for sharing with the poor.  When Isaiah prophecies against Israel, he states two main reasons why God was going to punish them.  The first was idolatry; the second was their treatment of the poor(Isa. 1:23-24; 10:1-2).  Jeremiah makes a similar point in Jer. 5:28.  James warns of discrimination against the poor in Jam. 2:2-5.  In Eph. 4:28, Paul told those who were stealing to stop stealing and to work.  Part of the reason for working was to help those in need(i.e. the poor).

The rich man clearly could have taken some of his extra crop(blessing) and given it to the poor, but that was not the error that Jesus is teaching about.  Although people are supposed to help the poor, Jesus is NOT teaching that lesson in this parable. 

Rich Equals Sin

In the religious world of today, rich equals sinful and poverty equals piety(i.e. religious).  This concept of the relationship between riches and sinfulness is in stark contrast to the first century AD in Judea.  In Matt. 19:24, Jesus says that it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter heaven.  This is a well-known saying in the religious world today, and it is completely taken out of context.  If you were to simply remove this statement from its context, its meaning would appear to be clear and easy to understand.  However, the response of Jesus’ disciples helps to explain the point being made.  In the following verse(Matt. 19:25), Jesus’ disciples respond with a question:  If it will be that difficult for a rich person to enter heaven, then who will be saved?  Given the current religious view that riches are sinful and those who are rich are sinners, the disciples’ question does not make any sense.  However, when understood through the lens of a first century Jew, it makes all the sense in the world.

Riches are a blessing from God.  Jews living during the first century understood that if a person was rich, that person had been blessed by God.  A quick look at people living during Old Testament times helps to illustrate this.  Some of the people with the greatest faith were people like Abraham, Job, David and Solomon.  All of these people had great faith in God, and they also had great wealth.  They were not just rich, they were super rich.

Prov. 23:21 states that drunkards and gluttons(both sins) become poor.  Prov. 21:7 states that people who love pleasure will become poor(likely because they focus on pleasure rather than work).  Prov. 20:13 warned that people who love sleep will become poor.   It was a common belief that a poor person was someone who was not blessed by God, likely because of their sin.  It is important to note that the rich were warned not to treat the poor harshly, and justice was not supposed to be denied to the poor(Isa. 10:1-2).

Jesus never condemns riches.  When Jesus told Zacchaeus that He wanted to stay at his home, Jesus was knowingly going to the home of a rich person.  The people considered Zacchaeus to be a sinner(Luke 19:7), not because he was rich, but because he was a tax collector.  Jesus did not condemn Zacchaeus for being rich, but instead proclaimed that salvation had come to his home because he was a son of Abraham(not a reference to his genealogy, but a reference to his following in Abraham’s faith to God).

Jesus does condemn greed and reliance on possessions.  Jesus’ statement that it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven is prompted when a wealthy man, who appears to have great faith, declines to follow Jesus because Jesus told him that he needed to give all his wealth away and follow Jesus.  He declined because he loved his wealth more than he loved Jesus.  It is important to note that during Jesus’ conversation with this rich man, Mark 10:21 states that Jesus looked at him and loved him.  Admittedly, this is a subtle distinction between what Jesus is teaching(avoiding greed or reliance on possessions) and putting riches ahead of God, it is important to remember what is being taught and what is not being taught.

Success Is Bad

The rich man in the parable was successful.  There is nothing wrong with success.  Many people in the Old Testament and the New Testament were rich.  In I Tim. 6:17, Paul told Timothy to command those people that were rich not to be arrogant or to put their hope in their wealth; instead they should put their hope in God.  If being successful or rich were sinful, Paul would have told the rich to get rid of those riches.  Instead, he tells them not to rely on those riches.

The Lesson(s) of the Parable

Avoid Greed

This parable teaches that we need to avoid greed(Luke 12:15).  This parable was prompted when a man came to Jesus asking that Jesus tell his brother to divide his inheritance with him(Luke 12:14).  Jesus declined, then warned the people to be on their guard against all kinds of greed.  Paul warned Timothy about people who want to be rich(note: these people are not rich, they merely want to be rich), as they can fall victim to harmful desires and all sorts of things that lead to destruction(I Tim. 6:9).  Jesus also stated that a person’s life is not about the things he possesses.  Why is it so important to avoid these things?  Jesus explains that after telling the parable.

Be Rich Toward God

If a person is not rich toward God, all the possessions in the world mean nothing(Luke 12:21).  People spend so much time trying to acquire things, but one of two things will happen:  either those things won’t last, or the person won’t last.  In the parable, the man did not last.  And when he died, who was going to get his stuff(Luke 12:20; see also Ps. 39:6; 49:10; Eccl. 2:18-19)?

Is it possible to be rich toward God and have great possessions?  According to Jesus, the answer is “yes”(Matt. 19:26).  Being rich in personal possessions does not preclude a person from being rich toward God, but wealth tends to cause people to be self-reliant(or reliant on that wealth-I Tim. 6:17) and effectively worship those blessings.  Jesus warned against this when He said that a person cannot serve both God and money/mammon/materialism(Luke 16:13).  Serving God and having wealth are not mutually exclusive, but it is impossible to serve both.

Jesus made a similar statement in Matt. 6:21 when He stated that a person’s treasure would show where their heart(love) was.  If they loved possessions, their heart would be far from God.  If they loved God, they would have treasure in heaven(i.e. being rich toward God).  Having treasure on earth does not preclude having treasure in heaven.

Seek God’s Kingdom

Similar to what Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount(seek first the kingdom of God – Matt. 6:33), here He makes the same point.  People needed to be seeking God’s kingdom(Luke 12:31).  If they would seek God’s kingdom, they would receive all these other things(Luke 12:31 and Matt. 6:33).  People tend to worry about physical possessions(greed, reliance on physical things) and ignore God.  Jesus teaches here that people need to seek His kingdom(or be rich toward God, as both statements have the same thing meaning).  If a person has wealth, it is not a problem.  If a person prioritizes or relies on wealth instead of relying on God, that is a problem.

Context

When trying to understand the meaning of scripture, look at those things around it.  What happened before it?  Was there some question or incident that caused the statement to be made?  Look at what comes after the statement.  Is there any explanation or an expansion of the point that was being made?  Context is there to help us.  We use it in everyday life; don’t forget to use it when reading the most important information you will ever read.