Jesus Christ speaks about those whose words and actions demonstrate opposition to, or disregard for, the wisdom of God revealed in his words and through the Scriptures, and in parables points to the serious consequences of folly.
The foolishness of the Pharisees
Their blindness
Matthew 23:16–17 The Pharisees demonstrate foolishness by attaching undue significance to what is less important whilst neglecting what really matters. See also Matthew 7:3 parallel Luke 6:41; Matthew 15:14 parallel Luke 6:39; Matthew 23:23–24
Woe to you, blind guides! You say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.’ You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes it sacred?
Their hypocrisy
Luke 11:39–40 The Pharisees were concerned with the externals of religion. Jesus Christ is concerned, also, with the inner life. See also Matthew 12:35–36, Matthew 23:25–28
Then the Lord said, “Now you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. You fools! Did not the One who made the outside make the inside as well?
The foolishness of the disciples
Luke 24:25 See also Matthew 15:16–20 parallel Mark 7:20–23; Mark 8:17 parallel Matthew 16:9; Mark 9:32, Mark 16:12–14
Then Jesus said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!
Fools in Jesus Christ's parables
The rich fool
Luke 12:16–21 The foolishness of trusting in wealth and not in God. See also Job 27:16–19; Daniel 4:30–31; Matthew 6:19
Then He told them a parable: “The ground of a certain rich man produced an abundance. So he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, since I have nowhere to store my crops?’ Then 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. Then I will say to myself, “You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take it easy. Eat, drink, and be merry!”’ But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be required of you. Then who will own what you have accumulated?’ This is how it will be for anyone who stores up treasure for himself but is not rich toward God.”
The foolish builder
Matthew 7:24–27 parallel Luke 6:49 See also Proverbs 1:28–33; Isaiah 65:2; Jeremiah 5:21–25, Jeremiah 13:10; Ezekiel 3:7
Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain fell, the torrents raged, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because its foundation was on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain fell, the torrents raged, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell— and great was its collapse!”
The foolish virgins
Matthew 25:1–13 The foolishness of being unprepared for the coming of God's kingdom. See also Mark 13:35–36; Luke 12:35–36
The seriousness of the term ``fool''
Matthew 5:22 See also Proverbs 1:32; Ecclesiastes 7:17
But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, ‘Raca,’ will be subject to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be subject to the fire of hell.
Related themes
Dictionary of Bible Themes © 1999 Martin Manser, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, via Bible Aquifer. Formatted for this site, with Scripture from the Berean Standard Bible.