As I get older, I’ve come to appreciate the teachings of Jesus Christ more and more.
Like His passion, they help me make sense of life and how to navigate it. Especially when it comes to finding peace of mind and true happiness, His words bring so much clarity and meaning to me.
Of all the teachings of Christ, my favorite are His parables. They’re easy to understand and offer lessons we can apply to many areas of life, like building a business or managing our possessions.
A great example is the Parable of the Rich Fool.
The Parable of the Rich Fool
This parable shows us how foolish it is to be greedy and why we should avoid greed. With some reflection, it also helps us see the benefits of generosity—the opposite of greed.
Let’s dive in by reading the exact passage in the Bible (Luke 12:13-21).
Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” Jesus replied, “Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?” Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”
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.
The Message of The Parable of Rich Fool
As I reflect on this passage, three impactful phrases stand out to me.
“Life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”
Here, Jesus is reminding us here that life is about more than money and material things.
From what I’ve seen, those are just tools to help us achieve deeper, more meaningful goals—the kind we should focus on.
It’s not about having a trillion-dollar bank account but building meaningful relationships, making a positive impact, and finding lasting joy and fulfillment.
This becomes even clearer when we look at the next part of the passage I’m about to share.
“This very night your life will be demanded from you.”
I don’t think Jesus said this to scare us but to remind us of an important truth: life is unpredictable.
When we die—and none of us knows when—we leave all our material wealth behind, making it useless to us forever. That’s why hoarding endless possessions or ridiculous amounts of money just doesn’t make sense.
And, most importantly, since no amount of money or possessions can save us from death, keeping it all for ourselves is, without a doubt, foolish.
This brings us to the most important lesson from this part of the passage:
Be “rich toward God.”
This explains what we should do with our wealth and possessions instead of keeping them all to ourselves. We should use them to build a good relationship with God.
But how exactly? Well, we know how humans bond with each other—we do the same things together. It’s the same with God. We do what He does.
For example, like Jesus, let’s be a good example to others, spread happiness, give hope, and be generous.
And the material things we own? They’re tools we use to create things that serve a purpose, just like God’s creations.
Like God, who made nature that provides food and everything that we need now, we create something that benefits others, made possible by the money and possessions that we have acquired.
We can build a school for the poor, write a book that helps others improve, create a tool that solves people’s problems, or start an organization that supports a specific group.
The thing is, any good thing we do brings a sense of fulfillment, which is a feeling like no other. I’d describe it as a happiness that’s greater than anything we get from doing things just for ourselves.
Have you ever felt happy knowing you were the reason behind someone’s survival, smile, or success? I have, and I can’t describe how amazing that feeling is. That’s the kind of feeling God wants us to experience.
The amazing thing about trying to be good like God is that our actions end up benefiting us more than we realize.
Along with the sense of fulfillment, we gain respect, trust, and even admiration, which can lead to both personal and financial growth.
The positive reputation we build naturally attracts people, making it easier to form new connections that help us grow.
Application of the Parable to Business
Overall, the parable teaches us about generosity and shows why it’s good for us. This is especially true in business, whether you’re just starting out or already successful.
When starting a business, especially online, being generous makes it easier to build credibility and a strong brand—both essential for growth
By offering value upfront without expecting anything in return, we not only help people but also make it clear what our business stands for. It’s a win-win, though we need to be strategic and cautious about what we give away for free.
It’s important to avoid showing any greed in the beginning because once people form a bad impression, it’s hard to change. If that happens, the business could fail, and fixing it might take so much effort that it’s not even worth it.
I learned this the hard way with my first blog when I overloaded it with ads to maximize earnings early on.
Anyway, the lesson of the parable fits best with successful business owners. They perfectly embody everything we’ve reflected on so far.
However, I don’t think the parable is just warning me against hoarding cash and enjoying riches for myself when I reach that point. I think Jesus is also reminding us that greed isn’t an all-or-nothing thing.
Anytime we desire an “abundance of possessions” beyond what we need, without any intention of using it to benefit others—even in small, subtle ways—it’s already a form of greed.
Well, there are exceptions. For example, our savings. Although savings don’t benefit others and are kept for ourselves, they can technically be considered a need—a safety net.
In fact, greed in business shows up in many ways—like underpaying employees (no overtime pay), enshittification, creating monopolies, or pushing profits beyond the actual value of what we offer. We try our best to avoid these.
Ultimately, avoiding greed isn’t just a moral choice; it’s also smart for business.
Being greedy is like betraying the trust of our customers, clients, employees, or readers (if you’re a blogger), the very thing that keeps our business alive.
Final Thoughts
All these reflections have made me even more convinced that the teachings of Christ are essential for anyone building or running a business. By following His teachings, I know I can thrive in all areas of my life. I feel blessed to have known Him as I grew up.
Sharing these reflections with the world is my way of helping others thrive too. If you found this helpful, give it a share and show you care. ❤️
Thank you!
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