Luke 12:17

Luke 12:17, in plain English

The rich man's first thought is: 'What am I going to do with all this?' Notice who he talks to -- himself. Notice who he doesn't think about -- anyone else.

Why it's here

He has more than he needs, and his only concern is storage. It never crosses his mind that his abundance might be meant for someone other than himself.

Who's speaking

Jesus reveals the rich man's inner thoughts, and they revolve entirely around one person: himself.

Where it sits in the story

This is where the tragedy begins. Faced with abundance, the man sees only a storage problem. He never once considers that his extra might be someone else's enough.

The scholarly reading

The rich man's internal dialogue (dielogizeto en heautō) reveals his singular focus: 'What shall I do?' (Ti poiēsō). His problem is storage, not stewardship. Notably, the needy never enter his calculations.

Language and setting

The soliloquy reveals a man whose entire world revolves around himself. The absence of any consideration of God, community, or those in need exposes the spiritual emptiness behind material fullness.

Voice

The rich man deliberates with himself, revealing a mind consumed entirely with self-interest.

Significance

The man talks only to himself, which is the first warning sign. His abundance creates a 'problem' that never occurs to him to solve through generosity.

15And He said to them, “Watch out! Guard yourselves against every form of greed, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”

16Then He told them a parable: “The ground of a certain rich man produced an abundance.

17So he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, since I have nowhere to store my crops?’

18Then he said, ‘This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and will build bigger ones, and there I will store up all my grain and my goods.

19Then I will say to myself, “You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take it easy. Eat, drink, and be merry!”’

Read all of Luke 12 — Sparrows, barns, and a thief in the night — Jesus teaches his followers to stop hoarding and start trusting. Worry is the opposite of faith.