Lucas 12:21

Jesus drew the application. A person who only enriches himself and does not lay up treasure in heaven is a fool (cf. Matthew 6:19; 1 Timothy 6:6-10; James 1:10). "For himself" contrasts with "toward God." This translation preserves the form of the contrast in the Greek text. The point of the contrast is the difference between riches on earth and riches in heaven (cf. Matthew 6:19-21).

"The man in the story was called a fool for confusing time with eternity, his body for his soul, and what was his for what was God’s." [Note: M. Bailey, p. 129.]

In this teaching, with its illustrative parable, Jesus taught His disciples and the multitude to beware of a foolish attitude toward material possessions. The wrong attitude is that the richness of life depends on the richness of wealth. Disciples need to be aware of this viewpoint because the desire to increase wealth can draw them away from following Jesus faithfully. This is especially true since Jesus promised them opposition and persecution rather than wealth and comfort. Material possessions cannot provide the quality of life that intimacy with God can. Disciples should live with what God has revealed about life beyond the grave, specifically reward or loss of reward, clearly in view rather than living for the present.

"A test of our heart is how we give. Are we generous or are we hoarders? This is a test that we have to engage in privately before the Lord. No one can tell someone else exactly how to answer such questions, for there is no magic percentage that is to be reached." [Note: Bock, Luke, p. 346.]