Luke 12:20 - Printer Friendly

ESV: But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’

NIV: "But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’

NASB: But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your soul is demanded of you; and as for all that you have prepared, who will own it now?’

CSB: "But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life is demanded of you. And the things you have prepared—whose will they be?’

NLT: But God said to him, ‘You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get everything you worked for?’

KJV: 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?

NKJV: 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?’

This parable of the rich fool (Luke 12:13–21) is reminiscent of Ecclesiastes 9:1–10. The man in the parable is ready to eat, drink, and be merry. He presumably has a vague idea that he will die at some point, but he doesn't seem to consider if there is anything after death. He thinks only this life matters, and he has lived it to the full. His insatiable greed has made him rich, and he intends to enjoy this life. He states his intent to live in luxury as instruction to his "soul," identifying himself with a life of ease (Luke 12:16–21).

His death is coming soon. Everything he has earned will go to someone else. His barns sit full of grain. If his heart had been oriented toward God, he may have stockpiled it just the same—or donated it or sold it to benefit his community. He might have followed Jesus' instructions to the disciples: "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" (Luke 12:33). His heart was in his earthly treasures, not in loving God and others; because the earth is temporary, so is his wealth.

Luke 12:13–21 records Jesus taking advantage of an interruption to explain a proper perspective of wealth. Jesus has been warning the disciples that faithfulness to Him may require their deaths. A man in the crowd, possibly shouting in the middle of that teaching, demands Jesus settle a family conflict over an inheritance. Jesus declines that request but warns the crowd against temporary, earthly treasures if they distract from their relationship with God. He will return to this theme, telling the crowd to reconcile with people and God or risk earthly and eternal ruin (Luke 12:54—13:9). This parable is unique to Luke's Gospel.

Jesus teaches the disciples about proper priorities. This includes recognizing that God knows all things, even secrets. Believers should honor God more than they fear death, or than they worry about things like food and clothes. Christians are to remain ready for Christ's return, even as faith separates those who believe from those who do not. These ideas revolve around the central theme of verse 34: that a person's heart reflects what they value most.

Luke 12:1—13:9 compares the world with the kingdom of God. Jesus has condemned the hypocrisy of the Pharisees (Luke 11:14–54). He now instructs His disciples to reject the fame and security that Pharisees crave, and hold lightly to their lives, wealth, security, and even family. He then warns the crowd to be wise about their relationships with other people and with God. The next two units each include a miracle and teaching on God's kingdom and salvation (Luke 13:10—15:32). Then the final section in the "travelogue" repeats that three-unit pattern (Luke 16:1—19:27) before Jesus arrives in Jerusalem.

Luke was a traveling companion of Paul (Acts 16:10) and a physician (Colossians 4:14). Unlike Matthew, Mark, and John, Luke writes his gospel as an historian, rather than as a first-hand eyewitness. His extensive writings also include the book of Acts (Acts 1:1–3). These are deliberately organized, carefully researched accounts of those events. The gospel of Luke focuses on the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ. Luke's Gentile perspective presents Christ as a Savior for all people, offering both forgiveness and direction to those who follow Him.