Luke 12:33

12:33 Sell your possessions ¹  and give to the poor. ²  Provide yourselves purses that do not wear out – a treasure in heaven ³  that never decreases, ⁴  where no thief approaches and no moth ⁵  destroys.

Luke 18:22

18:22 When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “One thing you still lack. Sell all that you have ⁶  and give the money ⁷  to the poor, ⁸  and you will have treasure ⁹  in heaven. Then ¹⁰  come, follow me.”

Luke 22:36

22:36 He said to them, “But now, the one who ¹¹  has a money bag must take it, and likewise a traveler’s bag ¹²  too. And the one who has no sword must sell his cloak and buy one.

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¹ sn The call to sell your possessions is a call to a lack of attachment to the earth and a generosity as a result.

² tn Grk “give alms,” but this term is not in common use today.

³ tn Grk “in the heavens.”

⁴ tn Or “an unfailing treasure in heaven,” or “an inexhaustible treasure in heaven.”

⁵ 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.

⁶ sn See Luke 14:33.

⁷ tn The words “the money” are not in the Greek text, but are implied. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context.

⁸ sn See Luke 1:50-53; 6:20-23; 14:12-14.

⁹ sn The call for sacrifice comes with a promise of eternal reward: …you will have treasure in heaven. Jesus’ call is a test to see how responsive the man is to God’s direction through him. Will he walk the path God’s agent calls him to walk? For a rich person who got it right, see Zacchaeus in Luke 19:1-10.

¹⁰ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the conversation.

¹¹ tn The syntax of this verse is disputed, resulting in various translations. The major options are either (1) that reflected in the translation or (2) that those who have a money bag and traveler’s bag should get a sword, just as those who do not have these items should sell their cloak to buy a sword. The point of all the options is that things have changed and one now needs full provisions. Opposition will come. But “sword” is a figure for preparing to fight. See Luke 22:50-51.

¹² tn Or possibly “beggar’s bag” (L&N 6.145).