By Curtis Baker
As we continue on in our study of Matthew chapter six in Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, we now come to one of the more uncomfortable subjects of the sermon. Remember, beginning in chapter six, Jesus has been warning people about trying to secure themselves by anything but God and his kingdom. Over the last several weeks we have been exploring how people try to secure themselves by means of their religious reputation. This is trying to appear religious and devout while actually being something else in the inward depths of the heart. Jesus used the specific examples of giving, prayer, and fasting to illustrate his point. Beginning in Matthew 6:19, however, Jesus turns his attention to a more common way we attempt to secure ourselves–through material possessions.
If one were to try to put the teachings of Jesus in order of importance, and used the measurement of the amount said about a given subject to make that order, money would be very near the top of the most important things Jesus addresses. He speaks about it often in the gospels. In this particular teaching in Matthew 6, he gives us the insight to understand why this is so. One statement summarizes this for us: “Where your treasure is, there also will be your heart.” (Matt 6:21) Often times we want to flip that passage around to say something different. We try to make it say that “wherever your heart is, there will be your treasure,” but that is not what Jesus says. Jesus means this statement to be a sort of self test. Wherever you find most of your treasure going–and by treasure we could say the investment of your time, money, and resources–that will reveal to you the content of your heart.
This is a very helpful insight for those who are willing to take the test. Where does the majority of your resources go? Does it go to having the latest and newest things. Is it caught up in the game of upgrading your electronics, having a newer car, or having an updated home? None of those things are wrong in themselves, of course, but it does reveal to us what is at the center of our lives. And our culture does not help us in any way in this regard. Modern advertising is built around the idea of making you want something that you do not have, and in too many cases, do not even need. Isn’t it amazing how you can desire something today that you never knew even existed yesterday?
So Jesus’ teaching in the passage is more relevant to us today than ever. Jesus tells us not to store up treasures for ourselves on earth for the simple reason that it cannot last. That is the nature of material things; they wear out, break down, and are prone to forces outside of itself, like thieves, or moths (or we might add, economics, politics, floods, tornadoes, fires, and you name the rest!) Are things to be used and appreciated? Yes! Of course. God has richly provided everything for our enjoyment. But they are not the source of our happiness. We are eternal creatures, and only eternal things will last. For this reason Jesus tells us not to “store up” material possessions, but instead to store up heavenly treasures.
One might ask at this point, “What are the heavenly treasures in which we are to invest?” Two quick comments will suffice for now. First, investing in the heavens means our intentional efforts to deepen (or in some cases, to begin) our relationship with God through Christ. He is the eternal treasure, and will be our inheritance and reward in the life to come. But second, as is stated in Deut 32:9, “God’s portion is in his people.” When we devote ourselves to the good of others (and ourselves!) within our reach of influence, we are investing in truly eternal things. These are the things that will last, that are indestructible, and that God will honor in the age to come. To treasure anything less than this is to treasure something that you WILL one day loose. This is something to carefully consider until next week.
(Don’t forget to join me for A Message from the Heart radio program Sunday evening at 8:00pm on KJAK 92.7FM, or streaming live at www.kjak.com)
(curtisbaker@hotmail.com) Write to: P.O. Box 157, Slaton, TX 79364
