Luke 12:19

"He said, ‘This is what I will do. I will pull down my barns, build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods."

Key Reflection

In this passage, Jesus critiques a man who focuses solely on accumulating wealth for himself. By pulling down his barns to build bigger ones, the man symbolizes the selfish pursuit of material possessions at the expense of spiritual values, highlighting how such an attitude contrasts with true discipleship that prioritizes God’s kingdom over personal gain.

From the Scholars: Barnes' Notes

Verse 19. Much goods. Much property. Enough to last a long while, so that there is no need of anxiety or labour. Take thine ease. Be free from care about the future. Have no anxiety about coming to want. Eat, drink, and be merry. This was just the doctrine of the ancient Epicureans and atheists, and it is, alas! too often the doctrine of those who are rich. They think that all that is valuable in life is to eat, and drink, and be cheerful or merry. Hence their chief anxiety is to obtain the "delicacies of the season"-- the luxuries of the world; to secure the productions of every clime at any expense, and to be distinguished for splendid repasts and a magnificent style of living.

Related Verses

More from Luke 12

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60

Go deeper with Bible.talk - your AI Bible study companion