And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’ “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’ “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?’ “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.” Luke 12:16–21
“In the parable of the rich farmer who tore down his barns to make way for expansion, we have every indication of honesty and industry (Luke 12:16–21). We would call him prudent-Jesus called him a fool” … This radical criticism of wealth makes no sense at all unless we see it in the context of its spiritual reality. It is one of the principalities and powers that must be conquered and redeemed through the blood of Jesus Christ before it can use for the greater good of the kingdom of God.”
Richard Foster in The Challenge of the Disciplined Life: Christian Reflections on Money, Sex, and Power (HarperOne: San Francisco, 1979) 31.
God’s design and desire for humans who experience abundant blessing is enjoyment and sharing. This goes all the way back to Abraham. ““I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.” Genesis 12:2
Notice the difference between Abraham and the rich farmer. One functioned as a conduit of blessing. So he got to enjoy and share abundance. The other operated as a container. The world calls him prudent and industrious. But in the story God called him a fool and took his life.
And don’t miss what God says. He will take yours too if you don’t choose the path of being rich toward God. “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.” In this sense, generosity is the only prudent path to take.