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Luke 21:34
ESV "But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap.
NIV "Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you suddenly like a trap.
NASB But be on your guard, so that your hearts will not be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of life, and that this day will not come on you suddenly, like a trap;
CSB "Be on your guard, so that your minds are not dulled from carousing, drunkenness, and worries of life, or that day will come on you unexpectedly
NLT Watch out! Don’t let your hearts be dulled by carousing and drunkenness, and by the worries of this life. Don’t let that day catch you unaware,
KJV And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.
NKJV “But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly.

What does Luke 21:34 mean?

Here, the chapter transitions from prophetic warning to personal warning. Jesus has given a big picture of catastrophically violent events that will occur before He returns. He warns against being "weighed down:" burdened or heavy with something, in this case "dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life." He does not want them so consumed by the things of this world that they fail to pay attention to the signs of His coming kingdom. People cannot know in advance precisely when Jesus will return (Mark 13:32; Acts 1:6–7). But those who pay no attention will be caught unaware and suffer for it. They will be caught quickly, like in a trap.

Jesus is speaking to Peter, James, John, and Andrew (Mark 13:3). They will not be alive when He returns, but they have given us Jesus' words so that we can pass them on. Because God will not tell us when Jesus will return, everyone needs to be prepared.

This call to be alert is woven into the New Testament. Matthew doesn't include this statement, instead relating several of Jesus' parables which illustrate the same message (Matthew 24:45—25:30). In Luke, Jesus has already given similar warnings like the parable of the master returning from the wedding feast (Luke 12:35–40), the parable of the wise manager (Luke 12:41–48), the parable of the great banquet (Luke 14:16–24), and the parable of the ten minas (Luke 19:11–27).

Most of these parables describe people living normal lives, seeking good—or at least neutral—things. Their problem is their goals are earthbound and, therefore, temporary; they don't prioritize their relationship with God. Like the parable of the rich fool, they're distracted with their lives and don't consider eternity (Luke 12:13–21). Jesus warns us all to be prepared to meet Him, whether at His return or our deaths (Luke 21:36).

"Dissipation" refers to uncontrolled debauchery, especially in the context of a drinking party. The King James Version uses "surfeiting," which means doing something to an excessive degree.
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