Joyful Moments in Christ

The Secret of True Wealth

This Sunday School lesson is intended for upper elementary students. All lessons on this website are protected by copyright, but you can use them for free in small groups or Sunday School classes. You may share a link to this page, but please do not copy these pages and put them on other websites.

The Big Idea

Jesus teaches that life is not about the things we own, but about being rich toward God by loving him and serving others.

Lesson Objectives

1. Students will understand the danger of greed and how it distracts us from what God values.
2. Students will learn that our lives belong to God and can be called back to him at any time.
3. Students will identify ways to be rich in God’s sight through generosity and faith.

Class Setting Notes

1. Recommended for upper elementary Sunday School.
2. Lesson length: 45 to 60 minutes. Can be shortened or extended based on activities selected.

Opening Activity: The Shrinking Barn

1. Give each student a small handful of building blocks or marshmallows and toothpicks.
2. Ask them to build a small structure that represents a barn.
3. Once they are finished, give them a huge pile of more items and tell them they must fit all of it inside the tiny barn they just built.
4. When they realize it is impossible, ask them what they would do. Most will say they need a bigger barn.
5. Explain that in today’s lesson, a man had this exact problem, but he forgot the most important thing about his life.

This activity helps introduce the concept of focusing too much on storing things for ourselves.

Bible Reading

Ask the class to read Luke 12:13-21 aloud together or have one person read it.

• Very Easy: Easy-to-Read Version: Luke 12:13-21 (ERV)
• Very Easy: New International Reader’s Version: Luke 12:13-21 (NIRV)
• Easy: Good News Translation: Luke 12:13-21 (GNT)
• Medium: New Living Translation: Luke 12:13-21 (NLT)
• Hard: New International Version: Luke 12:13-21 (NIV)
• Very Hard: English Standard Version: Luke 12:13-21 (ESV)

Additional Reading: Choosing the Right Bible Translation

Suggested prompts:

As the class reads aloud, consider asking some of these prompts:

1. Notice why the man in the crowd was upset when he talked to Jesus.
2. Listen for the warning Jesus gives about all kinds of greed.
3. Pay attention to how many times the rich man says the words I or my in his plan.
4. Watch what happens when God speaks to the man in the middle of his big plans.
5. Think about what it means to be rich in God’s sight.

Teacher Background Notes

1. A parable is an earthly story with a heavenly meaning. This specific story is often called the parable of the rich fool.
2. In the ancient world, an inheritance was usually divided by the oldest brother with the oldest brother getting a double portion and the younger brothers getting a single portion. The man asking Jesus for help was likely trying to get more than his fair share or was simply too focused on earthly wealth.
3. Jesus refused to be an earthly judge over property because he came to deal with the deeper issue of the human heart.
4. The rich man’s sin was not that he was successful or that his land grew crops, but that he thought he was the owner of his life and wealth rather than a manager for God.
5. In biblical teaching, being rich toward God means investing in things that last for eternity, such as faith, mercy, and helping the poor.

Theological Insights

1. God is the sovereign creator who gives us every breath and every gift we have.
2. Covetousness, or greed, is a form of idolatry because it puts things in the place where God should be in our hearts.
3. Our time on earth is short and uncertain, which should lead us to live for God’s glory every day.
4. True life is found in a relationship with Jesus Christ, not in the abundance of our possessions.
5. We are called to be good stewards, which means using what God gives us to help others and spread his love.

Discussion Questions

Understanding the Text

1. Why did Jesus tell the man to guard himself against greed?
2. What was the rich man’s main problem after his land produced a very large crop?
3. What did the man plan to do so he could take life easy for many years?
4. Why did God call the man a fool in verse 20?

Personal Reflection and Application

1. When you get something new, do you find yourself wanting even more, or are you happy with what you have?
2. What are some things we have that actually belong to God?
3. How can we tell if we are becoming like the rich man who only thought about himself?
4. What is one way you can be rich toward God this week by helping someone in your family or school?

Suggested Activities

The Rich Toward God List

1. Give each student two pieces of paper shaped like treasure chests.
2. On the first, have them write or draw things that people in the world find valuable, like toys or money.
3. On the second, have them write or draw things that God thinks are valuable, such as kindness, sharing the gospel, or helping a neighbor.
4. Have them compare their two treasure chests.

This activity helps students distinguish between earthly wealth and spiritual wealth.

Barn Blueprints

1. Have students draw a large barn on a piece of paper.
2. Instead of drawing grain or crops inside, ask them to draw ways they can use their time and talents for God.
3. Discuss how our lives are like barns that should be used for God’s purposes.

This activity encourages students to think about their lives as a way to serve God.

The Memory Verse Scramble

1. Write the memory verse on several large index cards or pieces of paper.
2. Mix them up on the floor and have the students work together to put them in the right order.
3. Read the verse together as a group once it is assembled.

This activity helps the students memorize the scripture while working together as a team.

Memory Verse

Closing Prayer

Father,
Thank you for every good thing you give us. Please help us to guard our hearts against greed and to be rich in your sight by loving you and helping those around us.
In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

The ESL Version

I also create materials for adult English Language Learners (ELLs) and ESL students. You can find my ELL Bible Study based on Luke 12:13-21 here:

• ELL Bible Study: Luke 12:13-21 — The Rich Fool

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English Standard Version (ESV): Unless otherwise noted, scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The ESV text may not be quoted in any publication made available to the public by a Creative Commons license. The ESV may not be translated in whole or in part into any other language.