Free printable Bible coloring page

Building Bigger Barns

Luke 12:13-21

The Big Idea

Possessions cannot give us secure life. Be thankful, generous, and attentive to God and people instead of making stored treasure your highest goal.

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The Bible Story

The Parable of the Rich Fool

In Luke 12:13–21, Jesus tells a parable after warning the crowd to guard against greed. A rich man’s land produces an abundant harvest, and he wonders where to store everything. He decides to tear down his barns, build larger ones, and place his grain and goods there. His plan centers on keeping his abundance for himself. God calls him a fool and says that his life will be required that night. His stored possessions cannot save him or go with him, and they will belong to someone else. Jesus concludes that this is what happens to someone who stores up treasure for himself but is not rich toward God. The passage does not say that rest, enjoyment, or wealth is wrong in itself. It warns against treating possessions as life’s highest value and forgetting God and other people.

Bible moment

The Bible moment

In Luke 12:13–21, Jesus tells a parable after warning the crowd to guard against greed. A rich man’s land produces an abundant harvest, and he wonders where to store everything. He decides to tear down his barns, build larger ones, and place his grain and goods there. His plan centers on keeping his abundance for himself. God calls him a fool and says that his life will be required that night. His stored possessions cannot save him or go with him, and they will belong to someone else. Jesus concludes that this is what happens to someone who stores up treasure for himself but is not rich toward God. The passage does not say that rest, enjoyment, or wealth is wrong in itself. It warns against treating possessions as life’s highest value and forgetting God and other people.

Look closely

What children can notice

The rich man considers his overflowing crops and imagines replacing his barns with larger ones to store his grain and goods. A thought scene can show the existing barns beside larger planned storage buildings, making his self-focused plan visually clear without adding construction details.

Talk together

Talk about it

  • What was the rich man planning to do with his harvest?
  • How can we show gratitude and generosity instead of focusing only on what we own?

For families, church, and class

Use this page

Use this page with Luke 12:13–21 when teaching older children about greed, gratitude, generosity, and valuing people over possessions. Explain the man’s unexpected death gently and without graphic detail. Invite children to consider how they can care about God and others, while making clear that rest and enjoyment are not wrong in themselves.

Source note

From this passage

Luke 12:17-19 · The Rich Fool

The rich man considers his overflowing crops and imagines replacing his barns with larger ones to store his grain and goods. A thought scene can show the existing barns beside larger planned storage buildings, making his self-focused plan visually clear without adding construction details.

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