От Луки 12:15

unto them--the multitude around Him (Luk 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.

In this chapter we have divers excellent discourses of our Saviour's upon various occasions, many of which are to the same purport with what we had in Matthew upon other the like occasions; for we may suppose that our Lord Jesus preached the same doctrines, and pressed the same duties, at several times, in several companies, and that one of the evangelists took them as he delivered them at one time and another at another time; and we need thus to have precept upon precept, line upon line. Here, I. Christ warns his disciples to take heed of hypocrisy, and of cowardice in professing Christianity and preaching the gospel (Luk 12:1-12). II. He gives a caution against covetousness, upon occasion of a covetous motion made to him, and illustrates that caution by a parable of a rich man suddenly cut off by death in the midst of his worldly projects and hopes (Luk 12:13-21). III. He encourages his disciples to cast all their care upon God, and to live easy in a dependence upon his providence, and exhorts them to make religion their main business (Luk 12:22-34). IV. He stirs them up to watchfulness for their Master's coming, from the consideration of the reward of those who are then found faithful, and the punishment of those who are found unfaithful (Luk 12:35-48). V. He bids them expect trouble and persecution (Luk 12:49-53). VI. He warns the people to observe and improve the day of their opportunities and to make their peace with God in time (Luk 12:54-59).

12:15 Guard against every kind of greed: See Exod 20:17; Deut 5:21; Job 31:24-25; Ps 49; Eccl 2:1-11.