“A fool and his money are soon parted,” or so the old saying goes. It seemed to hold true for the foolish prodigal, who wasted his substance in a far country, as we noticed earlier. But Jesus told another parable about another fool, and the basis of his foolishness was hoarding his money, not squandering it!

The story is found in Luke 12:16-21.

“He spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: and he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my hams, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”

It must be easy to be foolish if you are rich. Jesus told one of His mini-parables in Matthew 19:

“Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.” Verses 23, 24.

So it doesn’t look too hopeful for the rich person, does it? Are you rich? Your answer to that question would probably be based on whom you are being compared to. Are you rich compared to John D. Rockefeller? Are you rich compared to an orphan on the streets of Bombay, India?

And how do you figure your riches? Sometimes the ones who live in the fancy houses and drive expensive cars simply have a higher line of credit than the rest of us, and maybe even less money in the pocket. When you count your assets, do you consider your money in the bank exclusively? Or your possessions? Or your potential earning power? Those in the financial world consider at least those three.

If you want to add the things that are worth more than money, such as health and happiness and love of family and friends, then you may find yourself very wealthy.

But this parable about the rich fool gives at least three warnings to the rich–and in one way or another, they can apply to every one of us.

A Coin out of Circulation Is No Good

There is no value to money that is not in use. The woman in the parable of the lost coin searched diligently for the coin that was out of circulation. If she had never found it, if it had remained buried in the dust and debris, it wouldn’t have been of value to her, or to anybody else.

So the first mistake this rich fool made was to try to hoard his riches. He didn’t invest them. He didn’t share them. He didn’t give them away. He wasn’t able to use them all for himself right away. And so he hoarded them.

Some of us may have to decide how much to put aside for a rainy day, how much to keep in reserve for future emergencies. Others of us may spend it as fast as we get it and never have a problem with hoarding our money. But this parable is talking about something more than just dollars and cents.

As we noticed in the last chapter, it is foolish to try to hoard the grace of God. It was meant to be shared. When we receive a rich blessing from the Lord, the last thing in the world we should try to do is hang onto it. It was given to give away. Jesus said,

“Freely ye have received, freely give.” Matthew 10:8.

And in the giving away, we find our hearts prepared to receive even richer gifts from heaven.

The second mistake the rich fool made was to lay up treasure for himself .He was out for number one. It isn’t a sin to be rich. Abraham was very rich (see Genesis 13:2); so was Job (see Job 1). In fact, the Bible says it is God who gives the power to get wealth (see Deuteronomy 8:18). This rich fool in the parable didn’t need to get rid of every dime he had and live in poverty in order to live for others. But he could have shared the extra portion, instead of building the bigger and better barns, and then his treasure would have enriched others as well.

Again, it’s not just money that can be used for self. Whatever talents or education or influence or riches that we possess, they are of value only as they are used to minister to others. When we use any of our treasure for ourselves, we miss the point of the gospel of the kingdom.

And third, this rich fool was not rich toward God. His very attitude gives it away when he said, Now it’s time to eat, drink, and be merry. He wasn’t interested in the things of the kingdom; he wasn’t seeking to store up treasure in heaven. He was perfectly satisfied to keep his treasure right here on this earth.

And as in the old adage, this fool and his money were soon parted. That very night he and his money were parted. He had stored his treasure on earth, and when his time on this earth was done, his treasure was lost to him forever.

There must have been poor people in this rich man’s country, in his neighborhood. Perhaps they cried to God for relief–and God had answered their prayers by sending extra to this rich man. But the rich man didn’t do his part. God was sending to each the blessing most needed. For the rich man, the greatest blessing he could have received would have been to become involved in sharing his abundance with others.

No matter what your yearly income, no matter what your assets or your bank account, in one way or another, you are rich. It’s the way in which you use your riches that is the crucial factor. Are you willing for God to work through you to answer the prayers of those who need the help you can give? Are you willing to put your treasure in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through and steal? Are you not only rich in this world, but rich toward God? Are you willing to give to others as you continue to receive?

The wise man said it,

“There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; and there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty.” Proverbs 11:24.

The angels find their joy in giving. All of nature is constantly giving. The kingdom of heaven is based on giving and giving and giving again. The greatest gift of heaven, in giving Jesus for sinful man, has made it possible for us to be freed from the foolishness of serving self. Won’t you accept again today the gift of the kingdom of heaven and, in turn, share that gift with those in your world? In no better way can you show your gratitude for His unspeakable Gift.