Quotes & Notes on:     Luke 12:15    John Wesley,  Notes On the New Testament (1755): He said to them-Perhaps to the two brothers, and through them to the people. A man's life-That is, the comfort or happiness of it. Reginald Fuller's Preaching the Lectionary (1984):  To be posted.   William Baird, Interpreter's Commentary, 1971:  To be posted.   J. McNicol, The New Bible Commentary, 1954:  To be posted.   I.H. Marshall, The New Bible Commentary, 1970:  To be posted.   David Guzik, Study Guide: To be posted.   Chuck Smith, Study Guide: To be posted.   Catechism of the Catholic Church: To be posted.   J. Norval Geldenhuys, Bible Expositor, 1960: To be posted.   Abingdon Bible Commentary (1929): To be posted.   D.D. Whedon, Commentary on Luke, 1866: To be posted.   Joseph Parker, People's Bible, 1901: To be posted.   Anchor Bible: To be posted.   The Fourfold Gospel:   Take heed, and keep yourselves from all covetousness. Jesus made the incident the text for an admonition. Covetousness made one brother say, "Divide," and the other one say, "No, I will not"; so Jesus warned against covetousness. For a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth. A man's goods are no part of his life, and so they can not preserve it. It is lengthened or shortened, blessed or cursed, at the decree of God. Covetousness is an inordinate desire for earthly possession. Though all ages have committed it, it is the besetting sin of our time. A clear view of the limitations of the power of property quenches covetousness; and Jesus gives such a view in the following parable. Treasury of Scripture Knowledge: * Take. Lu 8:14; 16:14; 21:34; Jos 7:21; Job 31:24,25; Ps 10:3; 62:10; 119:36,37 Pr 23:4; 28:16; Jer 6:13; 22:17,18; Mic 2:2; Hab 2:9; Mr 7:22 1Co 5:10; 6:10; Eph 5:3-5; Col 3:5; 1Ti 6:7-10; 2Ti 3:2; Heb 13:5 2Pe 2:3,14 * for. Job 2:4; Ps 37:16; Pr 15:16; 16:16; Ec 4:6-8; 5:10-16; Mt 6:25,26 1Ti 6:6-8   Robertson's Word Pictures: From all covetousness (apo pasês pleonexias). Ablative case. From every kind of greedy desire for more (pleon, more, hexia, from echô, to have) an old word which we have robbed of its sinful aspects and refined to mean business thrift. In the abundance of the things which he possesseth (en tôi perisseuein tini ek tôn huparchontôn autôi). A rather awkward Lukan idiom: "In the abounding (articular infinitive) to one out of the things belonging (articular participle) to him."   William Burkitt's Notes: Our Saviour, upon the occasion given him in the foregoing verses, admonishes all his disciples and followers to take heed and beware of the sin of covetousness, assuring them that neither the comfort nor continuance of a man's life does consist in an abundance; for though something of this world's goods is necessary to the comfort and happiness of life, yet abundance is not necessary. Here observe, 1. The manner of our Lord's caution: he doubles it; not saying, take heed alone, or beware only, but take heed, and beware, both. This argues that there is a strong inclination in our nature to this sin; the great danger we are in of falling into it, and of what fatal consequence it is to them in whom this sin reigns. Observe, 2. The matter of the caution of the sin which our Saviour warns his hearers against, and that is covetousness: Take heed, and beware of covetousness. Where, under the name and notion of covetousness, our Saviour does not condemn a provident care for the things of this life, nor a regular industry and diligence for obtaining of them, nor every degree of love and affection to them; but by covetousness, is to be understood an eager and insatiable desire after the things of this life, or using unjust ways and means to get or increase an estate; seeking the things of this life with the neglect of things infinitely better, and placing their chief happiness in riches.   Family Bible Notes:  Covetousness; over-anxiety and selfish greediness for earthly things. Consisteth not; neither the length, usefulness, and happiness of a man's life in this world, nor his eternal life hereafter, depend upon the amount of his earthly possessions.   1599 Geneva Bible Notes: (c) By covetousness is meant that greedy desire to get, commonly causing hurt to other men. (d) God is the author and preserver of man's life; goods are not.   People's New Testament Commentary: Keep yourselves from covetousness. A greedy desire for the goods of this world. A sin of all ages and a besetting sin of our times. A man's life consisteth not, etc. Comfort, happiness, and, above all, eternal interests, do not depend on the abundance of our goods. Why then should a man give his life to a greedy chase after wealth?   Albert Barnes' Commentary:   Beware of covetousness. One of these brothers, no doubt, was guilty of this sin; and our Saviour, as was his custom, took occasion to warn his disciples of its danger. Covetousness. An unlawful desire of the property of another; also a desire of gain or riches beyond what is necessary for our wants. It is a violation of the tenth commandment (Ex 20:17), and is expressly called idolatry (Col 3:5). Compare, also, Eph 5:3; Heb 13:5. A man's life. The word life is sometimes taken in the sense of happiness or felicity, and some have supposed this to be the meaning here, and that Jesus meant to say that a man's comfort does not depend on affluence--that is, on more than is necessary for his daily wants; but this meaning does not suit the parable following, which is designed to show that property will not lengthen out a man's life, and therefore is not too ardently to be sought, and is of little value. The word life, therefore, is to be taken literally. Consisteth not. Rather, dependeth not on his possessions. His possessions will not prolong it. The passage, then, means: Be not anxious about obtaining wealth, for, however much you may obtain, it will not prolong your life. That depends on the will of God, and it requires something besides wealth to make us ready to meet him. This sentiment he proceeds to illustrate by a beautiful parable. {o} "Take heed" 1Ti 6:7-10 {p} "life consisteth" Job 2:4; Mt 6:25   Jamieson-Faussett Brown:   unto them--the multitude around Him (Lu 12:1). of covetousness--The best copies have "all," that is, "every kind of covetousness"; because as this was one of the more plausible forms of it, so He would strike at once at the root of the evil. a man's life, &c.--a singularly weighty maxim, and not less so because its meaning and its truth are equally evident.   Spurgeon Devotional Commentary: Why not give the overplus to the poor? There were twenty good ways of disposing of his superfluous wealth.   Adam Clarke's Commentary: Beware of covetousness] Or rather, Beware of all inordinate desires. I add , all, on the authority of ABDKLM-Q, twenty-three others, both the Syriac, all the Persic, all the Arabic, Coptic, AEthiopic, Armenian, Vulgate, all the Itala, and several of the primitive fathers. Inordinate desires. , from , more, and , to have; the desire to have more and more, let a person possess whatever he may. Such a disposition of mind is never satisfied; for, as soon as one object is gained, the heart goes out after another. Consisteth not in the abundance] That is, dependeth not on the abundance. It is not superfluities that support man's life, but necessaries. What is necessary, God gives liberally; what is superfluous, he has not promised. Nor can a man's life be preserved by the abundance of his possessions: to prove this he spoke the following parable.   Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary: No comment on this verse.   Quotes on Luke 12:13-21 The rich fool committed the error of forgetting that there was a higher life than bodily supplies afford.  Give him the gratification of sense and he dreams that all is provided for. - D.D. Whedon, Commentary on the Gospels, Vol. Luke-John, p. 127 Notice that Jesus declined to enter into this man's family dispute.  He did not attempt to run everybody else's business. - Henry H. Halley, Halley's Bible Handbook, p. 511 The parable illustrates the fate of the man who loves neither God nor neighbor. - William Baird, Interpreter's One-Volume Commentary: Luke, p. 680 The ground of the rich man was blessed with a plentiful harvest, but he had no thought for God and was forming plans for the enjoyment of his wealth for many years to come when God called him suddenly to his account. - J. McNicol, New Bible Commentary (1954): Luke, p. 853 Though he came not to be a divider of men's estates, he came to be a director of their consciences about them, and would have all take heed of harbouring that corrupt principle which they saw to be in others the root of so much evil. - Matthew Henry, Commentary, Vol. 5, p. 708 Covetousness, or the desire to have more than one has (not necessarily through envy of somebody else) not only leads to strife but also expresses a fundamentally wrong philosophy of life, according to which possessions are all that really matter. - I.H. Marshall, New Bible Commentary, Revised (1970):  Luke, p. 908 Because he viewed this present existence as autonomous, without any reference to God, because he organized it without reference to the transcendent upon which it depends (note how he thought his own existence was under his own control), it came as a shock to learn that it was God's to give and God's to take away again. - Reginald H. Fuller, Preaching the Lectionary, p. 493 Rich toward God -- Namely, in faith, and love, and good works. - John Wesley, Notes Upon the New Testament, Vol. 1, on Luke 12:21

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