Rich Toward God in a Fragile World
February 8 | Rick Thiemke
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Luke 12:13 - 13:9
The Parable of the Rich Fool
13 Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” 14 But he said to him, “Man, who made me a judge or arbitrator over you?” 15 And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” 16 And he told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man produced plentifully, 17 and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ 18 And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.”’ 20 But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ 21 So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”
Do Not Be Anxious
22 And he said to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on. 23 For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. 24 Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! 25 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? 26 If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest? 27 Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 28 But if God so clothes the grass, which is alive in the field today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! 29 And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried. 30 For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them. 31 Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you.
32 “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. 33 Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. 34 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
You Must Be Ready
35 “Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning, 36 and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast, so that they may open the door to him at once when he comes and knocks. 37 Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will dress himself for service and have them recline at table, and he will come and serve them. 38 If he comes in the second watch, or in the third, and finds them awake, blessed are those servants! 39 But know this, that if the master of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have left his house to be broken into. 40 You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”
41 Peter said, “Lord, are you telling this parable for us or for all?” 42 And the Lord said, “Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom his master will set over his household, to give them their portion of food at the proper time? 43 Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. 44 Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. 45 But if that servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed in coming,’ and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and get drunk, 46 the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces and put him with the unfaithful. 47 And that servant who knew his master's will but did not get ready or act according to his will, will receive a severe beating. 48 But the one who did not know, and did what deserved a beating, will receive a light beating. Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more.
Not Peace, but Division
49 “I came to cast fire on the earth, and would that it were already kindled! 50 I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how great is my distress until it is accomplished! 51 Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. 52 For from now on in one house there will be five divided, three against two and two against three. 53 They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”
Interpreting the Time
54 He also said to the crowds, “When you see a cloud rising in the west, you say at once, ‘A shower is coming.’ And so it happens. 55 And when you see the south wind blowing, you say, ‘There will be scorching heat,’ and it happens. 56 You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time?
Settle with Your Accuser
57 “And why do you not judge for yourselves what is right? 58 As you go with your accuser before the magistrate, make an effort to settle with him on the way, lest he drag you to the judge, and the judge hand you over to the officer, and the officer put you in prison. 59 I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the very last penny.”
Repent or Perish
13 There were some present at that very time who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. 2 And he answered them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? 3 No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. 4 Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? 5 No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”
The Parable of the Barren Fig Tree
6 And he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. 7 And he said to the vinedresser, ‘Look, for three years now I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and I find none. Cut it down. Why should it use up the ground?’ 8 And he answered him, ‘Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and put on manure. 9 Then if it should bear fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.’”
At this point in Luke’s Gospel, Jesus’ teaching grows more direct and more demanding. The crowds are larger, the opposition sharper and the implications of His words harder to avoid. In this section, Jesus exposes the fragile stories we tell ourselves about security, control, possessions and meaning; and He invites us into a deeper way of life shaped by the Kingdom of God.
Luke shows us that knowing Jesus is not simply about receiving comfort or clarity. It is about allowing Him to reframe what life is for, what truly matters and how we are meant to live with Him in a world that is uncertain, fragile and often unpredictable.
Jesus Invites Us Into True Life
The moment begins with what sounds like a reasonable request. A man asks Jesus to step into a family dispute over inheritance (Luke 12:13). But Jesus refuses to be reduced to an arbitrator of possessions. Instead, He addresses the deeper issue beneath the request (Luke 12:15).
Covetousness is not simply wanting more. It is the belief that life can be secured, stabilized and protected by what we possess. Jesus’ warning is followed by the parable of the rich fool, a man whose land produces abundantly and whose plans seem wise, efficient and responsible (Luke 12:16-19).
Yet the parable exposes a tragic blindness. The man’s life is entirely curved inward. His language is dominated by “I,” “my” and “mine.” God is absent. Others are absent. The future is treated as something that can be controlled rather than entrusted. When God speaks, the verdict is sobering. A life built entirely around accumulation is revealed as empty and fragile (Luke 12:20-21).
Jesus is not simply critiquing personal greed. He is confronting a distorted vision of reality. The rich fool lives as though his life exists apart from God’s larger purposes for the world. He imagines himself as self-sustaining, rather than living dependently on God in ways that shape his life.
Jesus invites us into a truer way of life - a life that is freer and lighter because it is expressed through open hands, generous hearts and a growing concern for the poor and the work of God’s Kingdom.
Jesus Calls Us To Repent and Bear Fruit
When the conversation turns to tragedy and suffering, Jesus again refuses easy answers. He rejects the assumption that those who suffer more must be more guilty (Luke 13:1-5). At the same time, He refuses complacency (Luke 13:3,5).
Repentance is not fear-driven panic. It is a call to wake up. To recognize reality. Jesus is announcing that God’s Kingdom is breaking into the world, and that this moment demands response. Repentance means reorienting our lives toward Jesus’ lordship, rather than continuing on paths shaped by false security or disobedience.
The parable of the barren fig tree holds the tension of urgency and mercy (Luke 13:6-9). There is a real expectation of fruit. Life rooted in God’s Kingdom is meant to be transformed and to bear visible evidence of renewal. Yet, there is also extraordinary patience. The vinedresser intercedes. Time is given. Care is applied. The soil is worked.
This reveals the heart of Jesus.
Knowing Jesus means receiving His care and responding to His invitation to live open-handed lives. He exposes false securities so that we can stop clinging and start giving. He calls for fruit, not as pressure, but as the natural life of hearts rooted in His Kingdom. To be rich toward God is to joyfully surrender what we have for His work among us and for the sake of those in need, trusting that even in a fragile world, His mercy is patient and His purposes will not fail.
Discussion Questions
Where do you notice yourself looking for security in ways that Jesus gently challenges in this passage?
How does Jesus’ picture of repentance in Luke 13 change the way you think about growth and transformation in your own life?
What might it look like for you to live more “rich toward God” through generosity or open-handedness in this season?