A rich man makes a bad decision

All Activity Sheets

key words

love share happiness

biblical reference

Luke 12:13-24

lesson objective

To help the children to desire to love God and learn how to share.

memory verse

“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matthew 6:33, NIV*).

prepare yourself to teach

Sometimes the media and society pressure children to want all sorts of things. Some think that they must have toys, clothes and everything that is “fashionable.”

In some places, if children do not have the right image, they are often isolated or ridiculed by others.

This is too materialistic. What is valued is not the person, but what that person has. And elementary children are not immune to that kind of influence. They want to be accepted and may relate acceptance to material possessions. They need guidance to eliminate the false idea of what provides happiness.

By studying the parable of the rich fool, your children will understand that people should not be “possessed” by their goods. That will help them develop a healthy attitude towards their belongings. They need to learn that their relationship with God is more important than what they have or wear.

biblical commentary

Luke 12:13-24. In general, the parables of Jesus responded to circumstances that were experienced at that time. Jesus told them to teach a great truth or an eternal principle.

The parable of Luke 12:13-21 was the answer to a request that had been made of him. Someone in the crowd asked him to convince his brother to share the inheritance he had received with him. Jesus’ answer, after refusing to be part of the conflict, is one of the greatest principles of the Christian life: “The life of man does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.”

Contrary to what is believed, possessions do not produce a life of joy and happiness. When we analyze the lives of many of those who are rich and live in prosperity, material goods appear to be the most important things for them. However, their lives may be full of anxiety and discontent, not happiness. Most of those who possess great material wealth do not know how wonderful it is to have Jesus in their hearts. In addition, they do not experience deep treasures such as love, peace, a clear conscience, hope and the promise of eternal life.

This parable speaks of a man whose harvest had been so plentiful that he did not know what to do with it all. God had given him the land, the light of the sun and the rain to bless him. But the man’s error was to make bad decisions, both in the storage of all his harvest and in his administration. Building larger barns was not wrong; however, his motivation was wrong. He wanted to store everything for himself.

Having spiritual wealth is the most valuable thing in life. That means having faith in God, yearning to please Him, and showing love and compassion towards others. We can trust in God and be assured that he will always provide us with what we need!

It is foolish to live for time and forget eternity, or to live for myself and forget my Creator God.

After this parable comes a teaching of Jesus to his disciples. The focus changes from ambition to anxiety. Ambition makes us want more; anxiety makes us worry about not having enough. Wealth represents a danger for those who possess it and for those who wish to possess it. In this lesson, God teaches us to depend on him and avoid materialism.

Verses 22-24 confirm that God cares for us and that we should not worry about tomorrow, but depend on his mercy every day.

introduce the lesson

Use some of the following activities to enrich biblical learning and stimulate your children’s participation.

Ask: “What are some things that cause children sometimes to want all sorts of things?” (allow several children to respond)

Say: “Sometimes may think that we must have certain toys, clothes and everything that is called “fashionable.”

Ask: “What happens sometimes, if we do not have the “fashionable” things?” (they are isolated or ridiculed)

Say: This is means someone is valued is not the person, but what that person has. And, we are not immune to that kind of influence. We want to be accepted and may relate acceptance to material possessions. We need guidance to eliminate the false idea of what provides happiness. Today’s lesson will help us.”

teach the lesson

A rich man makes a bad decision

“Master,” said one of the crowd, “tell my brother to divide the land and the money that our parents left us, and give me the part that belongs to me.”

“Who has put me as a judge over you to decide those things?” Jesus answered. “Be careful not to become greedy people! Nor should you desire everything that you do not possess. It is not important how much money or how many possessions you have. Life does not consist in that. Let me tell you a story,” said Jesus.

There was once a rich man who had a beautiful estate. There he cultivated different kinds of grains. His harvests had been plentiful and he had no place to store it all.

The rich man began to think, “What should I do? I no longer have room to store all of my harvest.” Finally, he exclaimed, “I know! I will tear down my old barns and build bigger ones to keep all the grain I have. Then I can sit down to rest,” said the man. “I will have a lot of stored grain and enough wealth for many years. Then I will not worry anymore; I will just enjoy life. I will be able to eat and drink as much as I want. I’ll have all the fun I want and enjoy myself instead of working all the time.”

Jesus let people meditate on that story for a moment. Then he continued, “But God said to the rich man, ‘Foolish man! Tonight you will die, and who will keep all that you have saved for yourself?’’’

That is what happens with people who invest all their time and energy trying to obtain possessions. They do not devote time to love and serve God, much less to their neighbor. It really is not important what you eat or what you wear. Life is worth much more than that. If God cares for birds and flowers, he will surely take care of us.

connect the lesson

The rich man

For this activity, you will need paper fasteners and scissors.

Ask a volunteer to help you distribute the Student Activity Sheet #166. Give them time to cut out the circles. Then, join them in the center with the paper fastener. Make sure that the circle with the drawings is below the other circle.

Distribute the crafts done during this unit. Encourage these children to use their craft to tell their family what they learned. Organize groups of volunteers to clean the room and put away the materials they used.

practice the memory verse

Download Additional Memory Verse Activities PDF

Download Suggestions for Bible Memorization PDF

Since this is the last of the unit, prepare simple prizes for those who have learned the memory verse. Remind them to use their Club verses of the month cards to review the unit is verse in their homes.

wrap-up

Pray

Pray with them, thanking God for the blessings received, and ask Him to help all of you make wise and useful decisions. If the Holy Spirit tells you to, guide your children to apologize for the bad decisions they have made. Tell them that the most important decision someone can make in their life is to accept Christ in their hearts.

Encourage

Encourage the children to make wise and useful decisions.

Invite

Then, thank them for attending and invite them to the next unit that will begin in the next session. Challenge them to come with friends.

* Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™