Seeds for 06/14/2023 - Matthew 6:19-21
Scripture: 19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!
24 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”
Observation: This passage is important to see together, but to examine piece by piece. First, let’s look at verses 19-21, in which the clear theme is what we treasure and the impact of that choice.
I can’t help hearing Luke refer to Mary at the end of his account of Jesus’ birth with the excitement of the angels’ announcement and the shepherds’ visit, who “treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.”
As with much of Jesus’ teaching in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus gives us a tight contrast here. We can store up for ourselves the treasures of earth or of heaven. “Store up” suggests accumulation and investment—collecting and valuing.
Jesus differentiates between the treasures of earth and those of heaven by whether or not they are lasting and secure. Lasting is illustrated by whether or not “moths and vermin destroy.” Security is indicated by whether or not “thieves break in and steal.” Earthly treasures are subject to decay and destruction and are not ultimately secure—they may always be taken away. Heavenly treasure cannot destroyed and is completely secure.
I don’t think Jesus is criticizing all earthly pleasures (that is, healthy ones—not twisted, toxic pleasures), just earthly treasures. For example, Jesus loved a good meal with friends. He was accused of having too much fun with the wrong sort of people. Within the pleasures of good food and drink, He was treasuring the friendships that were established and nurtured. Treasuring the food and drink, on the other hand, leads us into trouble.
Though Jesus will mention money specifically later in this passage, already we can see where He is going. Money might give us a certain pleasure, but we dare not treasure it, lest we do our hearts damage in the process. Doing good with our money—providing for our family, encouraging the joys of friendship, spreading the Gospel, investing in works that participate in Jesus’ prayer that God’s kingdom would come “on earth as it is in heaven”—that’s lasting treasure. We can store that up—collect and value it—as much as our hearts’ desire.
In fact, choosing the right things to treasure is critical because they will teach our hearts what to desire—earthly or heavenly treasure. After all, an important observation about that famous final line, “For where your treasure is, your heart will be also,” is that heart follows treasure, not the other way around. Be deliberate about what you choose to treasure. That’s what you’re giving your heart to.
Application:
What earthly pleasures might I be elevating to treasures?
What do I want to be intentional about treasuring with my time, energy, attention, and resources?
What else might the Holy Spirit be speaking with you about in the text today?
Prayer: Lord, help me see clearly what I treasure, evaluate honestly, and choose deliberately. Amen.
“But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” (Matthew 13:23)
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