<p>12:33 <i>Sell that which you have and give alms. Make for yourselves purses which do not grow old, a treasure in the heavens that does not fail- </i>The disciples were told to sell what they had (Lk. 12:22,32,33); but it seems they kept their fishing business. After having asked them this, the Lord again had to speak to them about forsaking all that they had (Lk. 14:33). Their claim to have left literally all and followed Him (Lk. 18:28) appears somewhat exaggerated. To follow Him meant taking up a cross (Lk. 14:27).</p><p>He warns the crowd not to everlastingly worry about where the next meal was coming from; and then in that very context, tells <i>them</i> to sell what they have (Lk. 12:29-33). He wasn't just talking to the rich. He was telling the desperately poor to forsake what little they had, so as to seek His Kingdom. He probably didn't mean them to take His words dead literally (cp. cutting off the offending hand or foot); what He surely meant was: 'Resign, in your mind, the possession of everything you have, concern yourselves rather with the needs of others and entering my Kingdom'. No wonder those crowds turned round and soon bayed for His blood. See on Mt. 6:19.</p><p>The idea is of incremental growth. It&rsquo;s as if spirituality, both in personality and deed, is carefully noted in Heaven as it occurs.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p><i>Where no thief draws near nor moth destroys</i>- Or, &quot;corrupt&quot;. James 5:2 alludes here and states that wealth is already rusted and moth-eaten. So this perhaps was the Lord&rsquo;s idea here, although the grammar is unclear. The idea of gold is that it doesn&rsquo;t rust. What appears to be permanent material wealth is not, and is already rusted in God&rsquo;s eyes.</p><p>The Lord&rsquo;s return is going to break up the house of those not looking for His return (Mt. 24:43 s.w.). It may be that &lsquo;thieves&rsquo; is an intensive plural referring to the great thief, whom Jesus likens to Himself in Mt. 24:43. In this case He would be saying that He will take human wealth anyway at the last day- so we should give it to Him now and not seek it.<br />Because we know people (and brethren) who are richer and more wealth-seeking than we are, it's fatally easy to conclude that therefore we aren't rich, therefore we aren't materialistic. This is part of the subtle snare of materialism; that we all think that this is an area where we're not doing too badly; that really, we don't care&nbsp;<i>that</i>&nbsp;much where we live, or what the furniture's like, or whether we have money to take a holiday... But remember, our attitude to materialism is the litmus test of all our spirituality. None of us should be so quick to say that we're OK in this area. These words were spoken to a huge crowd of Jewish peasants. The Lord wasn't only referring to the few rich men who might be hanging around on the edge of the group. He was talking to all of them. He knew their mud walled homes which thieves could so easily dig through. That little cheap bangle, that ring, thinly buried under the bed mat after the pattern of Achan, that prized tunic... the petty riches of the poor which they so strove for, which&nbsp;<i>to them</i>&nbsp;were priceless treasures. This is what the Lord was getting at; and His point was that&nbsp;<i>every one of us</i>, from beggar to prince, has this 'laying up' mentality. He is almost ruthless in His demands.</p>