Matius 19:21

19:21 Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be perfect, go sell your possessions and give the money ¹  to the poor, and you will have treasure ²  in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

Lukas 12:33

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.

[19:21]  ¹ tn The words “the money” are not in the Greek text, but are implied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context.

[19:21]  ² 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.

[12:33]  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.

[12:33]  ⁴ tn Grk “give alms,” but this term is not in common use today.

[12:33]  ⁵ tn Grk “in the heavens.”

[12:33]  ⁶ tn Or “an unfailing treasure in heaven,” or “an inexhaustible treasure in heaven.”

[12:33]  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.