Luke 12:17Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

They engage in slander, trade, contractual obligations, power of attorney, interest collection, and other remnants of such wickedness. Even when their ventures prosper, their anxiety only intensifies. Consider the rich man, distressed by the abundance of his harvest, who was so consumed with worry that he resolved, “This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones” (Luke 12:18). In contrast, the poor man does not suffer from such torment.

An evil spirit, enmity towards others, and greed. This is how he has repaid his Benefactor. He disregards our shared humanity, neglects the call to share surplus with those in need, and overlooks commandments such as, "Do not deny charity to the one who demands it" and "Let not your charity and faith fail you" (Proverbs 3:27, 3); and "Break your bread to the hungry" (Isaiah 58:7). He has ignored all the prophets and teachers who have entreated him; his granaries overflow, yet his miserly heart remains empty. By constantly hoarding more and increasing his abundance each year, he becomes ensnared in his own predicament, unwilling to disperse his old goods out of greed and unable to find space for the new due to excess. Thus, he is overwhelmed with countless ventures and burdensome concerns. “What shall I do?” Who would not sympathize with a man in such a predicament? The harvest torments him, his current possessions distress him, and his anticipated gains only increase his misery. The earth yields him not gifts, but sighs; it brings forth not fruitful harvests, but worries, sorrows, and dire hardships. He mourns as the impoverished do, lamenting, “What shall I do? Where will I find food? Where shall I get clothing?” The affluent man echoes this same plea, tormented within, riddled with anxieties. What brings joy to others merely withers the greedy man; he finds no satisfaction even in a full house. Instead, the abundance spilling over from his storerooms troubles his soul, fearing that something may go to those in need, becoming a good for the less fortunate. It occurs to me that the affliction of his spirit resembles that of the gluttonous person, who prefers to overindulge rather than share leftovers with the needy. Recognize, O man, the Giver. Remember who you are, your purpose, from whom you have received all that you possess, and why you are favored over many! You are a servant of the good God; you are but a servant among other servants: do not assume that all things exist solely for your pleasure; consider what you hold as a transient guest. It will not sustain you for long; it will fade away and vanish. Yet you will be held accountable for it. You keep everything locked away, behind gates and seals; you lose sleep over your worries, reasoning with yourself, heeding your own foolish counsel. "What shall I do?" Instead, you ought to say, "I shall nourish the souls of the hungry; I will open my granaries to all in need. I will emulate Joseph in demonstrating humanity; I will generously declare: all who have no bread, come to me; partake of God's bounteous gifts, each according to his need!" But you are not like this! What holds you back? It’s jealousy over the joy of others, and a sinister scheme in your heart that disregards the basic necessity of sharing. Rather than ensuring that all may benefit, you hoard everything for yourself.

Consider what commandments you neglect through your greedy ears. How much gratitude is owed to your Benefactor; how cheerful and esteemed you should be, that you do not have to beg at others’ doors, but they come to yours! And yet you remain troubled and unapproachable, avoiding encounters lest you be persuaded to part with even the smallest of your possessions. You have but one response: "I have none, I will not give, for you are poor yourself." Truly, you are destitute in every noble virtue; impoverished in love, humanity, faith in God, and eternal hope. Share your bounty with your brothers; give now to those in need that which will rot tomorrow. The gravest form of greed is withholding from those in need even that which is decaying. Ask yourself, to whom do you wrong by clinging to your possessions? Tell me, what truly belongs to you? How did you acquire it? Imagine someone seated at a public spectacle, then casting out others who come, considering as his own what is meant for the community—that is how the rich behave. They take what belongs to all, appropriating it as their own simply because they gained it first. If everyone, after taking what they needed, freely shared their excess, no one would be rich, and no one would be poor. Are you not naked, and will you not return to the earth? Where did your current belongings come from? If you claim they are due to chance, you are faithless, failing to acknowledge the Creator and the Giver. But if you affirm they are from God, tell me, what purpose do you serve in receiving them? Is God unjust, who distributes what is necessary for sustenance inequitably? Why do you prosper while others languish in poverty? Surely it is not so that you may reap rewards for your goodness, while others are honored for their patience! And yet, you, clinging to everything in your insatiable greed, believe you offend no one by denying so many the good they could have enjoyed? Who is grasping? He who remains unrestrained and excessive. And who is a thief? He who takes from others what rightfully belongs to them. How can you avoid being greedy, avoid being a thief, when you convert into personal property what you have received solely by favor? He who deprives the clothed shall rightly be called a robber; and he who fails to provide for the naked, though he himself may wear clothes, deserves no lesser condemnation. The bread you hoard belongs to the hungry; the garments you guard are meant for the naked; the shoes rotting away with you should be given to those without; the silver lying buried with you belongs to the needy. Thus, you have wronged all those whom you could have helped. You argue that "words are good, but gold is better." This mirrors the attitude of those who discuss chastity before the unrestrained, invoking desires rather than curbing them. How can I illustrate to you the plight of the destitute, revealing how many sighs constitute your true riches? Oh, how precious will the following words resonate with you on the Day of Judgment: "Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. I was hungry, and you gave me food; I was thirsty, and you gave me drink; I was naked, and you clothed me" (Matthew 25:34-36)! What fear, what exhaustion, what darkness will envelop you when you hear the condemnation: "Depart from Me, ye cursed, into the pitch darkness prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry, and you did not give Me food; I was thirsty, and you did not give Me drink; I was naked, and you did not clothe Me" (Matthew 25:41-43)! For it is not the predator who faces accusation, but the one who withholds from others who finds condemnation. I have expressed what I believe to be beneficial guidance. Obey, and the promises of blessings await, and if you disobey, the warnings are clear. I desire, however, that you avoid such outcomes, learn a better way, and use your wealth as a ransom for your soul, that you attain the heavenly blessings prepared for us all through the grace of Him who calls us into His kingdom. To Him be glory and dominion forever and ever! Amen.

The teachings of the Lord confirm this: ‘Make friends for yourselves with unrighteous riches, that they may ... receive you into eternal dwellings’ (Luke 16:9). This is a commendable and redemptive directive, easily achievable; it can motivate even the avaricious to trade the temporary for the everlasting, and the earthly for the divine. However, often noble intentions are undermined by a lack of faith, as individuals who are willing to part with their belongings hesitate, focusing instead on their own security. Thus, the Lord further instructs: Do not be anxious for your soul, what you shall eat, nor for your body, what you shall put on.

The rich man mused: What shall I do, for I have no space to store my harvest, no room for the riches I have gained? Ultimately, he devised a plan, reveling in his cleverness, and declared joyfully: I will dismantle my barns and construct larger ones, where I will gather all my surplus and treasures. And I will say to my soul: Soul, you have ample goods laid away for many years; take ease, eat, drink, and be merry. Blinded by his greed, the rich man neglected to consider God, eternity, or the plight of his less fortunate neighbors. His thoughts revolved solely around himself, leading to his own ruin as he failed to recognize the true purpose of the soul and condemned it to perpetual servitude to the body. He ignored God, who blessed him and also called him to acts of generosity. He did not contemplate eternity, where he ought to share his riches in charity, lest he find himself a beggar in the life to come, unworthy of paradise. The rich man's dreams were deceptive; he believed his wealth would sustain him indefinitely, as if his life would endure far beyond this moment. This frail hope underpinned his plans. What misguided conclusions did the deluded rich man draw from his newfound affluence? He sought what the world terms a good life, which implies living comfortably, indulging in plentiful food and drink, seeking pleasure, engaging in extravagance and vanity, and fulfilling every desire and whim. Examining the world closely reveals that the Gospel parable of the rich man serves as a reflection for all of us; while we may not always be consumed by the aspirations of the wealthy, we often find ourselves, at various times, somewhat captivated by them.

He possesses barren wombs and empty abodes of the downtrodden, where, having gathered his fruits, he could have amassed treasures in heaven, where neither decay nor destruction occurs, and where thieves do not break in or steal (Matthew 6:20). The righteous poor mournfully ask, "What shall I do with what I lack? For not only am I without, but my situation diminishes further due to the cruelty of the affluent." How does the wealthy man find relief from his worries, and what remedy exists for his doubts? Listen closely.

He encouraged them to pursue the heavenly treasures and the kingdom of God, urging them not to falter, even if the fulfillment of this kingdom did not manifest immediately. To illustrate His point, He recounted the parable of servants waiting expectantly for their master's return, ready to welcome him during the second and third watches of the night, as well as the parable of the thief who unexpectedly breaks into a house—an image representing the suddenness of the Lord's return in judgment.

In these parables, one can sense a reflection of His trials, as they largely reveal the dangers of excessive attachment to earthly possessions that can lead to neglect of God and one's own soul. These teachings also serve as a clear admonition against the spiritual blindness of the Pharisees, who, despite being esteemed leaders of the Jewish community, failed to grasp the magnitude of the blessing they forfeited by rejecting the promised Messiah in Jesus.

The prompt for Christ to address the issue of earthly attachments arose when an individual in the crowd interrupted His sermon, requesting assistance in resolving a dispute over an inheritance with his reluctant brother. This ill-timed plea starkly illustrated the man’s enslavement to worldly concerns. In response, the Savior, choosing not to engage in the matter of the inheritance, shared the parable of a wealthy man who, after a bountiful harvest, was at a loss for how to manage his newfound riches. His only solution was to enlarge his storage facilities to indulge in this wealth for “many years” in gluttonous comfort. However, he failed to recognize that human life is ultimately in God's hands; his sole reliance on material wealth led to God’s sobering declaration: “Madman, this night your soul shall be taken from you; to whom shall that which you have prepared be given?” The divine Teacher concluded, “So it is with every one who gathers treasure for himself, and does not get rich in God.”