Articles
“Where Is Your Treasure?”
Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Matthew 6:19-21
Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount is all about living under God’s rule, what he calls “the kingdom of heaven.” In the first half of Matthew 6, Jesus describes the disciple’s private life, where our devotion to God in giving, praying and fasting is carried out “in the secret place.” The second half of Matthew 6 explains how faith intersects with public life in how we view money, possessions, food, drink and clothing. Christians are called to be unique in both spheres of life, public and private, distinct from the hypocrisy of the religious (6:1-18) and the materialism of the irreligious (6:19-34).
Beginning in verse 19, Jesus sets before us choices in pairs starting with a question of treasure: “treasures on earth” and “treasures in heaven.” Jesus emphasizes the difference in durability between the two. Whereas “treasures on earth” are corruptible, and, therefore, insecure and unworthy of our trust, “treasures in heaven” are incorruptible, and, therefore, secure and worth pursuing and trusting in. Which treasure are we busy “laying up” or accumulating? The treasure we are pursuing indicates the position of our heart. Our hearts will follow our treasure, whether down to earth or up to heaven. Therefore, Paul says to “seek the things above.” (Col. 3:1)
Obviously, this is not a complete ban on possessions. Jesus is not forbidding his followers to own or gain “treasures on earth,” things like private property, a savings account, a life insurance policy. Other passages teach that we ought to be good stewards of our wealth, caring for our family and others in need (Prov. 6:6-11; Eph. 4:28; 1 Tim. 5:8). Paul teaches wealthy Christians to enjoy God’s gifts responsibly and be ready to share generously (1 Tim. 4:3; 6:17).
Rather, what Jesus is forbidding is the selfish and obsessive accumulation of goods, the kind of extravagant, covetous, uncharitable living which lacks concern for the needy. In another place, Jesus tells a story about such a person in response to the view that life consists in the abundance of possessions (see Lk. 12:13-21). Materialism tethers our heart to this world, which is passing away (1 Jn. 2:15-17). That is why Jesus warns us against making “treasures on earth” our goal and security—because they don’t last. Earthly treasures can be devoured by pests, eaten by rust and stolen by thieves. Attempts to protect them through mousetraps, Rust-Oleum and sophisticated alarm systems fail against inflation, devaluation, economic recession and “time and chance.” (Ecc. 9:11) Even if some of our earthly treasures last, we can’t take them with us (Job 1:21). Someone said, “Life is the distance between two points of nakedness; it is best to travel light.”
Even though Jesus does not specifically identify heavenly treasure here, we can determine it from context. Jesus goes on to describe two kinds of vision, one healthy and another sick (Mt. 6:22-23). Those whose eyes are “healthy” can “see.” That is, they have their priorities in order. They choose not serve “wealth” but “God” as their master (Mt. 6:24). Therefore, to serve God and live for heaven—and not this earth—is to “lay up… treasures in heaven.”
By serving God (v.24) with a pure heart (vv.22-23) we make the greatest possible investment because our reward is eternal: “an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you.” (1 Pet. 1:4) This is no mercenary affair—as if we only serve God for a heavenly payout. The reward for living in obedience to God is God himself. When we live for him, our reward is his eternal presence. Therefore, “seek the things that are above, where Christ is.” (Col. 3:1) Where is your treasure?
