Luke 12:15
King James Version (KJV)
And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.
Translations
Luke 12:15 - Amplified Bible
And He said to them, Guard yourselves and keep free from all covetousness (the immoderate desire for wealth, the greedy longing to have more); for a man's life does not consist in {and} is not derived from possessing over and above his needs.
Luke 12:15 - American Standard Version
And he said unto them, Take heed, and keep yourselves from all covetousness: for a mans life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.
Luke 12:15 - Bible in Basic English
And he said to them, Take care to keep yourselves free from the desire for property; for a man's life is not made up of the number of things which he has.
Luke 12:15 - Darby Bible
And he said to them, Take heed and keep yourselves from all covetousness, for [it is] not because a man is in abundance [that] his life is in his possessions.
Luke 12:15 - English Standard Version
And he said to them, "Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions."
Luke 12:15 - King James Version
And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.
Luke 12:15 - La Biblia de las Americas
Y les dijo: Estad atentos y guardaos de toda forma de avaricia; porque aun cuando alguien tenga abundancia, su vida no consiste en sus bienes.
Luke 12:15 - The Message
Speaking to the people, he went on, "Take care! Protect yourself against the least bit of greed. Life is not defined by what you have, even when you have a lot."
Luke 12:15 - New American Standard Bible
Then He said to them, "Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not {even} when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions."
Luke 12:15 - Nueva Biblia Latinoamericana de Hoy
También les dijo: "Estén atentos y cuìdense de toda forma de avaricia; porque aun cuando alguien tenga abundancia, su vida no consiste en sus bienes."
Luke 12:15 - World English Bible
He said to them, "Beware! Keep yourselves from covetousness, for a man`s life doesn`t consist of the abundance of the things which he possesses."
Luke 12:15 - Young's Living Translation
And he said unto them, `Observe, and beware of the covetousness, because not in the abundance of one`s goods is his life.`
Luke 12:15 - Additional Comments
The initial words, "Watch out! Be on your guard!" put the Lord's message in neon lights. This is not an abstract possibility or a theoretical concern. What Jesus had in view was not just a sin, but a serious, yet subtle, sin. Some sins are clear and recognizable, and evangelicals are quick to label them as evil and condemn participation in them. Rarely do we see greed as a horrific sin.
This is not a sin that others can see you commit, and at times you may not even be aware you are committing it. St. Francis of Assisi once said, "Men have confessed to me every known sin except the sin of covetousness."
But remarkably, Jesus never warned about adultery and drunkenness in the kind of dramatic terms He used here against covetousness.
Someone once asked John D. Rockefeller how much money was enough. "One dollar more," he replied. The beast of greed is never full. It is insatiable.
Ivan Boesky, who went to prison and paid a fine of $100 million for insider trading was, a few years earlier, the darling of Wall Street. During that time he declared at a graduation ceremony at a major university, "Greed is all right. I want you to know I think greed is healthy. You can be greedy and still feel good about yourself." As Newsweek later commented, "The strangest thing when we look back will not be just that Ivan Boesky could say that at a business school graduation, but that it was greeted with laughter and applause" (Dec. 1, 1986).
In the movie "Wall Street" Michael Douglas's character makes the following statement: "Greed is good! Greed is what keeps our markets and economy running. All of our freedom is based upon greed." Is this true?
More about the film -- "Although Gekko's law-breaking would of course be opposed by most people on Wall Street, his larger value system would be applauded. The trick is to make his kind of money without breaking the law. What's intriguing about "Wall Street" -- is that the movie's real target isn't Wall Street criminals who break the law. Stone's target is the value system that places profits and wealth and the Deal above any other consideration. His film is an attack on an atmosphere of financial competitiveness so ferocious that ethics are simply irrelevant, and the laws are sort of like the referee in pro wrestling - part of the show." Do we have microcosms of the same thing?
The term greed means simply "a consuming desire to have more."
Covetousness (also, "all kinds of greed" (NIV) or "every form of greed" (NASB)) -- "the affection of the heart being set upon material things rather than upon God".
It stems from pride, wanted more for yourself instead of others.
We miss the point if we see covetousness as an issue of amount not attitude. The poorest can be greedy; the richest can avoid greed. But the danger of possessions is that they often arouse the desire for more.
The opposite of covetousness is contentment. See Phil 4:11.
Covetousness is idolatry (Col. 3:5).
Covetousness leads to complaining. Complaining is a warning sign for covetousness.
We have no reason to covet. God promised that all our needs would be met, so we are not to fear -- Heb 13:5-6.
James 4:1-2 says greed causes fights and war.
In Matthew 23:25-28 Jesus warns the hypocrites that they are in trouble, having clean outsides but insides full of greed. What is in the heart is what matters.
Romans 1:28-32 lists sins deserving of death and God's judgement, and covetousness is listed with the others.
Eph 5:3-5 says covetousness is not to be found among Christians, for it is unfitting of saints, for the covetous person cannot enter the kingdom.
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