12:32 “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father is well pleased 2 to give you the kingdom. 12:33 Sell your possessions 3 and give to the poor. 4 Provide yourselves purses that do not wear out – a treasure in heaven 5 that never decreases, 6 where no thief approaches and no moth 7 destroys. 12:34 For where your treasure 8 is, there your heart will be also.
1 sn It is selfishness that is rebuked here, in the accumulation of riches for himself. Recall the emphasis on the first person pronouns throughout the parable.
2 tn Or perhaps, “your Father chooses.”
3 sn The call to sell your possessions is a call to a lack of attachment to the earth and a generosity as a result.
4 tn Grk “give alms,” but this term is not in common use today.
5 tn Grk “in the heavens.”
6 tn Or “an unfailing treasure in heaven,” or “an inexhaustible treasure in heaven.”
7 tn The term σής (shs) refers to moths in general. It is specifically the larvae of moths that destroy clothing by eating holes in it (L&N 4.49; BDAG 922 s.v.). See Jas 5:2, which mentions “moth-eaten” clothing.
8 sn Seeking heavenly treasure means serving others and honoring God by doing so; see Luke 6:35-36.