Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to share the inheritance with me.” 14 He replied to him, “Friend, who appointed me as your judge and arbitrator?” 15 Then he said to the crowd, “Take care to guard against all greed, for though one may be rich, one’s life does not consist of possessions.”
16 Then he told them a parable. “There was a rich man whose land produced a bountiful harvest. 17 He asked himself, ‘What shall I do, for I do not have space to store my harvest?’ 18 And he said, ‘This is what I shall do: I shall tear down my barns and build larger ones. There I shall store all my grain and other goods 19 and I shall say to myself, “Now as for you, you have so many good things stored up for many years, rest, eat, drink, be merry!”’ 20 But God said to him, ‘You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you; and the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong?’ 21 Thus will it be for the one who stores up treasure for himself but is not rich in what matters to God.”
While Jesus is teaching the crowd, a man interrupts Him with a request to settle an inheritance dispute between himself and his brother. Disagreements over family property were often brought before religious teachers for judgment. Rather than becoming involved in the dispute, Jesus uses the occasion to address a deeper concern: the danger of greed and the place of material possessions in human life.
Jesus warns the crowd, “Take care to guard against all greed, for though one may be rich, one’s life does not consist of possessions” (v. 15). Greed is the excessive desire to acquire or possess material goods. Jesus teaches that the value and purpose of human life cannot be measured by wealth. Material possessions can provide for our needs and help us care for others, but they cannot give us lasting security or fulfill our deepest need for communion with God.
To explain His warning, Jesus tells the parable of a rich man whose land produces an abundant harvest. Faced with more grain than his barns can hold, the man decides to tear them down and build larger ones. Storing food for future needs can be an act of responsible planning. The problem Jesus exposes is the man's attitude toward his abundance. He thinks only about his possessions, his comfort, and his future. Throughout his plans, he repeatedly speaks of what he will do and what belongs to him. There is no expression of gratitude to God, whose creation has provided the harvest, or concern for others who might benefit from his abundance.
The contrast with Joseph in the Old Testament helps clarify this distinction. Joseph, the son of Jacob, one of Israel's patriarchs, was brought to Egypt and eventually placed in charge of preparing the country for a coming famine. During seven years of abundance, he organized the storage of grain so that food would be available during seven years of scarcity (Genesis 41:33–36, 46–49, 53–57). Both men planned for the future, but Joseph's preparations served the needs of others and saved many from starvation, while the rich man's plans centered entirely on himself. The difference lies in how they understood and used the blessings entrusted to them.
Believing that his accumulated wealth guarantees many years of comfort, the rich man tells himself, “Now as for you, you have so many good things stored up for many years, rest, eat, drink, be merry!” (v. 19). He has made provision for his possessions but has failed to recognize that his life itself remains in God's hands. His wealth has given him a false sense of control over the future.
God addresses him with the words, “You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you; and the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong?” (v. 20). In biblical teaching, foolishness refers to living without proper regard for God and His wisdom. The rich man has organized his entire life around something he cannot ultimately keep. His sudden death reveals that possessions cannot guarantee life, and the wealth he has accumulated will pass to others.
Jesus concludes, “Thus will it be for the one who stores up treasure for himself but is not rich in what matters to God” (v. 21). To be rich in what matters to God is to recognize that life and its blessings come from Him and to respond with faith, gratitude, and generosity. These riches are found in a loving relationship with God and in the good we do for others.
The parable teaches that earthly possessions have genuine value when they are used wisely and placed at the service of what matters to God. Wealth can support families, relieve suffering, and serve the common good. True riches grow through faith, love, gratitude, and generosity, and they prepare us for the eternal life that God desires to share with us. Jesus directs our attention toward the lasting treasure of a life lived in communion with God.
Heavenly Father, help us recognize that all we have comes from Your goodness. Teach us to use Your gifts wisely, to share generously with those in need, and to seek the riches that endure in Your kingdom. May our hearts remain centered on You, the source of our life and our lasting happiness. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
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Sources and References
- The New American Bible, Revised Edition. Washington, DC: Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, 2011. Luke 12:13–21 and accompanying notes.
- Hahn, Scott, and Curtis Mitch. The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: New Testament. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2010, 132.
- Casciaro, Jose Maria, gen. ed. The Navarre Bible: New Testament, Expanded Edition. Dublin: Four Courts Press; New York: Scepter Publishers, 2008, 303.
- Brown, Raymond E., Joseph A. Fitzmyer, and Roland E. Murphy, eds. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1990, 704, §134.
- Aguilar Chiu, Jose Enrique, et al., eds. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. New York: Paulist Press, 2018, 1070.
- Collins, John J., Gina Hens-Piazza, Barbara Reid, OP, and Donald Senior, CP, eds. The Jerome Biblical Commentary for the Twenty-First Century. 3rd fully revised ed. London: T&T Clark, 2022, 1330.
- Gadenz, Pablo T. The Gospel of Luke. Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2018, 239–240.
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