Signs & Stories of the Kingdom. The Rich Fool

Signs & Stories of the Kingdom. The Rich Fool

Read Luke 12:13-34

• What do you notice?
• What is challenging for you?
• What parts do you have observations or questions about?

Discuss

A summary of the whole chapter of Luke 12 is that Jesus is warning his followers against becoming disobedient because they are i) intimidated, ii) complacent or iii) distracted and discouraged.

• Which of these are you more prone to:

worrying about what people will think,

getting too comfortable where you are,

or letting your circumstances get in the way of what you know is right?

• How might you guard against these?
• How could this life group help?

The passage begins with someone trying to recruit Jesus to sort out family money troubles, and Jesus responds with a story about the rich fool in Luke 12:13-21 who seems to have been abundantly blessed with stuff.

• How does Jesus telling this story help answer the question the person in the crowd asks?
• What do you think would be a better response from the rich man with his abundant harvest?
• What do you think that the term, “rich toward God” (v.21) means in this story?
• What would it look like for you to take one (or one more) step in the direction of being rich toward God?

The passage continues into the more familiar encouragement to not worry.

• What is Jesus identifying here as the priority for our time and attention?
• How does that compare with what usually takes up your attention and headspace?
• What would help you shift that priority one step towards the Kingdom?

Pray – for the courage to take steps toward being rich toward God, and focusing more on the Kingdom, and to withstand the intimidation, complacency and distraction that can make us disobedient.