The Sermon On The Mount Pt.4:Laying Up Treasures In Heaven
Continuing with our study of the sermon on the mount, this week we'll look at Matthew 6:14-24, which contains some of the most profound and oft quoted sayings of Jesus, teachings which are certainly worthy of our attention. Beginning at verse 14..."For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly. Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
This section of the sermon on the mount is all about priorities, and how we are to go about setting them in our life. We must put God first, and seek His kingdom above all else. Jesus warns us in verses 14 and 15 that if we are to be forgiven, we must be willing to forgive. In order for us to qualify for the mercy and pardon that we all so desperately need, we must set aside our natural tendencies to assign blame, and to seek for retribution against those who have done wrong to us. We must consider others to be worthy of our forgiveness if we are to be found worthy of pardon ourselves. Jesus goes on to speak about fasting, and the fact that there are those who are so hypocritical as to perpetrate a lie, appearing to men to suffer for their faith, all the while their self serving motives are causing them to forfeit any blessing or benefit that their fast may have afforded. Rather than the fast being about the willpower of the individual, thereby effectively stealing the glory away from God, Jesus tells us that, when we fast, we are to wash our faces, and anoint our heads, so that we do not appear to men to be fasting. This is difficult, because it involves the denial of our natural inclination to seek praise for our sacrificial actions, but this is exactly what Jesus expects from His people, to deny themselves, take up their crosses, and follow Him.
Verses 19-21 have been quoted, memorized, and recited thousands of times, and they certainly are worthy of further study. "Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." Just as we are warned against coveting the praises of men, Jesus here warns us against coveting worldly possessions and material wealth. Again, it comes down to our priorities. What do we consider to be treasures? Those who only seek worldly wealth, those who are never satisfied, and are ever wanting more, will ultimately end up empty and unfulfilled. As Jesus said in Mark 8:36..."For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?" So we see, no matter how much of this world's wealth we may gather, it will never be enough to replace that which we lose in the process of the gathering, our very souls. The intrinsic value of the soul simply cannot be overstated. Our soul is the only part of us which will continue on for eternity, and so it is the most valuable possession that we are endowed with, and no amount of worldly wealth could even begin to compare with it. Once we realize the true value of our souls, we will begin to equate their worth with treasure, and will begin to act accordingly. We must value ourselves and consider our eternal destiny to be of the utmost importance, and then we will, by process of reevaluation, begin to seek to live in a way that will be pleasing to God. Our priorities will then naturally shift toward those areas that God would have us to focus on, whether it be for our own self betterment or for the betterment of others. Our willingness to conform to the will of God for our life, whatever that may be, sets us on the path to true peace and happiness, and in this way, we can be a blessing to those around us, and reflect the light of Jesus to a world that so desperately needs Him. So, what is meant by "laying up treasures in heaven?" What does it entail, what is the process by which we "lay up treasure in heaven?" Jesus tells us in Luke 18:22, as he speaks to the rich young ruler..."sell all that thou hast, and distribute to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me." Does Jesus require us, in this present world, to sell all that we have, and give it to the poor? This is a tricky question, and we must be careful in answering, because there are those who the Lord may lead to do this very thing, to rid themselves completely of worldly possessions in order to purify themselves and fulfill His will for their life. However, we are not all required to make such an extreme sacrifice. We are, however, required to prioritize, and to tithe, and to give of what we have been blessed with in order to provide for those who are in need. Whether it be through charitable giving, or through giving of our time in volunteer work, we are commanded to give of our means in order to help those who may be less fortunate. This is how we lay up treasures in heaven. Our recognition of the value of giving to others paves the way for our hearts to be opened to their plight, and to empathize with their situations, whether or not we have ever personally felt their pain or not. If our hearts are content in the knowledge that God will provide for us, we will give willingly, and cheerfully, as God requires. We are told in 2 Corinthians 9:7..."Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver."
In verses 22 and 23, Jesus tells us..."The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!" The eye spoken of here is not the literal, physical eye, but the heart, and the will, of the individual. Those things that we choose to focus on, to give our attention to, are the things which will occupy our thoughts and ultimately determine our destiny. This "light or darkness" concept is not foreign to us or difficult to be understood. We will either choose to focus our attention and our energy on the good or on the evil, the will of God for our life, or on our own selfish desires. There is no in-between. We will either put all that we have into serving God and others, or we will serve ourselves. This is precisely what Jesus is warning against in these verses, the distinct difference between the direction that we would choose for our life, and the direction that God would have us to go in. Once again, it comes down to our priorities. It is this giving up of self in deference to the leading of the Holy Spirit that we must come to terms with. Only when we are willing to strip control away from ourselves, and give it to God, can we be the "empty vessels" that He would have us to be, and be ready to be filled with His Spirit.
These thoughts are wrapped up in a very profound and thought provoking way in verse 24, as Jesus tells us in no uncertain terms..."No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will cling to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon." In the original Greek text, the word "douleuein", which equates to our word "serve", is used here, and it is defined as "to belong wholly to and be entirely under command to", and this type of service can only be given to one master. For us to serve two masters in this way would be quite impossible, as their teachings would invariably contradict one another at some point, and our loyalties would then be tested. Love for the one would then win out, and hatred for the oppressiveness of the other would show forth as we made the conscious choice of which master we would ultimately serve. Let us remember that our God is a jealous God, and He will not suffer us to share our time or devotion to Him with anyone or anything else. The last phrase of verse 24 simply states..."Ye cannot serve God and mammon." The word "mammon" derived from ancient Syria, and it signifies anything that we value above all else, and put our trust in. 1 John 2:16 tells us..."For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of this world." The incessant grasping at of these things to the exclusion of God is the very reason why Jesus warns us against making them our master. These things will never provide us with the satisfaction that simply being in the will of God provides. The peace of mind that comes from the knowledge that we are loved and cared for by God is unsurpassed in its value, and nothing else in this world is worthy to be compared to it. Finally, as Paul tells us in Phillipians 4:7..."And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."
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