Do not lay up for yourselves treasures upon 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 or steal; for where your
treasure is, there will your heart be also. The lamp of the body is the eye; if therefore
your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your
whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness,
how great is the darkness! No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one
and love the other, or he will hold to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and
mammon. -(Matthew 6:19-24)
If you were asked to describe a successful person, what would you say? What do you
suppose the average person would say? What does a successful person look like?
Many people would describe a successful person as living in a large house. This person
would probably have several expensive automobiles. No doubt the person would be described
as having a lot of money. Other appropriate symbols of success in terms of material
possessions would be surrounding a successful person. Of course, such a person would be
recognized, respected, and honored by the community. And the list would probably go on
this way.
Success is often described in our culture in terms of material possessions. Material
things are very important to us. The question, however, is - "What do things say
about us?" Do material things say anything about us? Some people would argue that
things say nothing about people. What do you think? I think that things perhaps say a
great deal about us. I remember someone saying, "Money talks - it says bye-bye."
But money says more than that. What does it say about you?
One of the most important things that money says about us has to do with our heart
allegiance. When money talks it tells where your heart is. So the real question we need to
consider is where our heart really is. Where is yours?
You see, true success in God's eyes has everything to do with where our heart is. True
success in God's eyes has nothing to do with the size of our bank account but everything
to do with the condition of our heart.
Do not lay up for yourselves treasures upon 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 or steal; for where your
treasure is, there will your heart be also. (Matthew 6:19-21)
When Jesus exhorts us not to lay up for ourselves treasures upon earth,
He uses an interesting play upon words in the Greek. Lay up translates the Greek
word thesaurizo. Treasures translates the Greek word thesauros.
These two words come from a common term from which we get our English word thesaurus.
A thesaurus is a treasury of words. So we might translate this phrase as, "do not
treasure up treasures for yourselves on earth."
The idea here is that we give our time and energy for the purpose of amassing things.
Our lives are spent to purchase material stuff. And, of course, the reason why we spend
our lives in this endeavor is because our desire is for these things. Material things hold
our allegiance. Somehow we believe that if we have enough stuff we will be happy.
But does money and social position really satisfy the human heart? Several years ago
Christina Onassis died at the young age of thirty-seven. People magazine carried the
comment of her step-sister Henrietta Gelber. She said of Christina, "She was one of
those people who would never be happy. She would become impatient. It had all come too
easily - all the money, houses all over the world, few real responsibilities. She lacked a
sense of achievement. What she was striving for was virtually impossible in her situation.
She had houses all over the world, but she never really had a home."
So you think if you were a billionaire that you would be happy? Well, maybe you would.
If you were, however, it would probably not be because you had a pile of money.
Jesus knew that money would never satisfy. That is why He warned us not to store up
material possessions for this life. He saw clearly that material possessions at best were
temporary. In fact, He indicated that they could be here today and gone tomorrow. He said
that down here our possessions could be consumed and stolen.
In Jesus day one of the marks of prosperity was fine clothing. The best clothing was
made of wool, and often golden tread would be woven into the fabric itself. So when Jesus
spoke of the moth, everyone listening to Him knew that moths love to eat fine
woolen clothing. Many of these rich people would work hard to procure this fine clothing
and then have to work equally hard to protect it.
In Jesus day, another indication of success was having barns full of grain. The word
translated rust is everywhere else in the New Testament translated differently. It
literally means "an eating." Perhaps that is how it should be translated here,
which would correspond nicely to the fact that rats, mice, worms, and insects could eat
away at these storehouses of grain.
Of course, any treasure could be stolen. Thieves have always been able to break
in and steal.
So Jesus points out that the hazard of amassing material possessions in this life is
that they don't last. They are constant worry to us. Our lives are spent in maintaining
them and protecting them. So Jesus also gives us an alternative.
He tells us that the alternative is to lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven.
You see, if we invest in eternity, we invest where there is absolute security. If our
treasures are invested in heaven, then they will neither be consumed or stolen.
In any event, you certainly can't take anything with you. When rich people die, they do
not just leave behind a lot of money - they leave it all
behind.
John Wesley, who was used of God in a mighty revival that changed all of Europe, during
his lifetime earned a considerable amount of money from his published works. He lived
quite a long time but when he died he left only twenty-eight pounds. He continually gave
what he earned to the Lord's work. Perhaps this is why God used him so.
Someone found the following inscribed on a tombstone: "What I spent, I lost; What
I saved, I left; What I gave, I have." As we invest in the Kingdom of God, we assure
for ourselves an eternal reward.
The most powerful observation of God concerning our treasure is found in verse 21. He
indicates that where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. In other
words, where we invest our treasure will determine where we set our affections. It is not
so much that our treasure follows our hearts as it is that our hearts follow our treasure.
In other words, what we invest in we are committed to.
The lamp of the body is the eye; if therefore your eye is clear, your whole body
will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness.
If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! (Matthew
6:22-23)
Related to the attitude of our heart is the focus of our vision. Vision is enabled by
the eye. The eye allows light to enter. So the eye is the lamp, or
lens, of the body. If our eyes are functioning properly, then our vision will be clear.
But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. In other words,
without clarity of vision we walk in darkness.
The word which is translated by clear is also translated single in
the King James Version. The idea is that we should have a single-minded devotion to God.
An eye that is bad, on the other hand, is one that has lost its focus and is
representative of a heart that is divided in its loyalty.
The message is clear. Without a focus on Christ as the Lord of our life, we become
people devoid of spiritual understanding. The light we claim we have is darkness. The
wisdom that we live by is unreliable. The truth we claim to true is slightly twisted. And
Jesus says, "If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the
darkness!" How deceived we are if we think that we can know the truth of God
apart from submitting to the will of God. What we need is a clear focus, a clear vision of
Jesus Christ as our Lord.
This, of course, relates directly to the way we look at and use our money. That is the
context of Jesus' teaching. If we are focused on the Lord, then we will use what He has
placed in our hands for His purposes. But if we are focused on ourselves, then we will
become greedy and self-indulgent.
No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or
he will hold to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. (Matthew
6:24)
Not only must we be clear about our treasure and clear about our focus, we also must be
clear about our God.
We simply cannot serve two masters. The word translated by masters refers
to a slave owner with absolute control over his slaves. So when Jesus referred to a
master, He was referring to the one who holds absolute authority over our lives. Whoever
is in control is our master.
Once while lecturing in Utah, Mark Twain got into an argument with a Mormon on the
subject of polygamy. The Mormon confidently asked Twain, "Can you find a single
passage of Scripture that forbids polygamy?" "Certainly," Twain replied.
"No man can serve two masters."
This is not exactly what Jesus had in mind. In reality, He was asking about our God.
You see, your God is whatever or whoever you serve. The most important thing in your life
- that is your God. If money is the most important thing, then money is your God. If a
person is the most important thing, then that person is your God. Who is your God? Is it
the true and living God, or something lesser?
Jesus points out that it is impossible to serve two masters. Either you hate
the one and love the other, or you will hold to one and despise the other. And
to erase any doubt concerning the subject about which He was speaking, He emphatically
declares, "You cannot serve God and mammon". Mammon refers to possession
or earthly goods.
The choice is between God or mammon. You can serve one or the other, but
not both. John Calvin said, "Where riches hold the dominion of the heart, God has
lost His authority." Martin Luther observed, "There are three conversions
necessary: the conversation of the heart, mind, and the purse."
It all comes back to the question of the allegiance of our heart. Where's your heart?
Who do you serve? Is your heart toward God? Is your focus upon Him? Is your master money
or the Lord? Money talks! What does it say about you?
Copyright (C) 1995 J. David Hoke. This data file is the sole property
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