Text for the Week: What You Value

Scripture: Matthew 6:19-24

¹⁹ “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal, ²⁰ but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes 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. So if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, ²³ but if your eye is unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If, then, the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!

²⁴ “No one can serve two masters, for a slave will either hate the one and love the other or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.

Questions

1. What does it mean to store treasures in heaven, what is the treasure and how is it stored?
2. Does the healthy eye in verse 22 allow light to enter the body or does it allow light to shine out from the body, and how do people cultivate the characteristics described in this metaphor?
3. What does Jesus mean in serving two masters, how are we to interpret this metaphor?
4. What does it mean to serve wealth and how does it lead us away from God?

Background

Related Scriptures: Exodus 20:3; Leviticus 19:9; Haggai 1; 1 Corinthians 13

The concept of treasure closely parallels the idea of reward Jesus has used in 6:1-18, In those paragraphs Jesus connected reward to praise and relationship and here we should see treasure not simply as wealth or possessions but holistically as the things we prize.

We need to be wise about understanding the destruction of wealth in verse 19 since we know that most forms of wealth in Jesus’ time could easily outlast a person’s lifetime and so stockpiling wealth is only a negative when compared with the absolute gain of heavenly treasure.

Jesus’ metaphor of the eye in verses 22-23 is based on the ancient idea that light left the body through the eye reflected off an object and returned to the eye and thus Jesus is putting a moral dimension on how people understood the physical world to work. The eye in this metaphor shines out one’s morality to the world around and if healthy receives morality, if unhealthy it does not shine with morality or receive morality.

Jesus’ words on slavery and service in verse 24 are difficult given our contextualization of slavery. However, in the Greek world of Jesus’ time it was possible for two people to jointly own a slave and divide service. The point is that service to God is so antithetical to service to wealth that they are mutually exclusive and to do service to one means doing the opposite of what the other wants.

The either or of verse 24 helps us to understand how subtle service to wealth is since on the surface there is little contradiction between accumulating wealth and serving God, the hyperbole helps us understand the true distinction.

The word translated wealth “mammon” originally derives from a word meaning trust or security. It means the thing one places trust in.

Reflection

Phrases like “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth” and “You cannot serve God and wealth” give the impression that Jesus is drawing a line between being rich and serving God. Jesus, though, is not drawing such a straight line between being wealthy and serving God. Instead, just as he did earlier in the chapter when he spoke of rewards (6:1), Jesus is talking of where we choose to focus our attention. The language Jesus uses is of stockpiling treasure and the focus is not on what the treasure is but on where it is stockpiled. Too often we treat this passage with the focus on what treasures we are storing up, are we doing good deeds or are we accumulating wealth. And yes there is an element of that present here but the primary focus is not on what we are committing our lives to. The analogy I like to think about is where are we investing our money. Jesus wants us to ask if we are investing out wealth with ourselves or with God.

This question is echoed in verse 24 where Jesus asks us who we are serving God or our own security (wealth). Jesus would have known that it is entirely possible to serve two masters in the human sense, we understand that today as many people work two jobs. The point of the metaphor is that service to God explicitly contrasts service to other securities. We cannot serve both God and the security of self precisely because service to God requires us to deplete the security in our selves. The security that Jesus talks of in verse 24 is a security that focused on gaining more resources, more money, more possessions, more power, more clout, more fun. This security forces us to focus our attention on the wrong things or to focus on the right things for the wrong reasons. The goal Jesus wants us to work toward is not simply giving up wealth or to slow down at work, what Jesus wants is for us to deposit our wealth, our money, our work, our family all the things that matter to us with him. What does that look like, it looks like placing the love of God and neighbor first in our world. Going to our jobs not simply focused on a paycheck, or advancement, or being the best in our field, but going to work so that we can improve God’s world and the lives of others. Storing treasure with God is about asking what is my highest priority productivity or people. Do I prioritize my life in all of its facets the way God would have me prioritize my life or am I simply concerned with making myself happy, storing all my riches in myself.

The commitment to stockpiling our treasure with God and serving God becomes visible in the world around us and Jesus highlights this in his comment about the eye. In the ancient world it was believed that sight resulted from light emitting from our eyes and reflecting back into them. Jesus is using this as a metaphor to say that when we are healthy—storing treasures with God or serving God—then it will be apparent to ourselves and others because we will see well. When we are dedicated to the right way of life then we are like a person walking through the world with healthy eyes, clearly seeing what is around us. When we are serving something other than God we are like a person whose vision is impaired, walking slowly and cautiously and often stumbling on unperceived obstacles. This concept covers everything Jesus has outlined in in 6:1-24 and the rest of our religious lives that he did not mention. Every facet of our lives is to be focused on storing treasure with God and when we make that a priority we walk through the world with perfect vision. When we stockpile our treasures in something distant from God—what Jesus calls mammon (wealth)—then we stumble through life as though blind. Our lives then are focused on stockpiling our lives in God’s care, or as Paul says, “whatever you do, do it for God’s glory.” Whether you are at work, relaxing, enjoying a hobby, or busy with family take the time to consider how that time can be storing up treasure with God. This may mean actively sharing your faith with someone, it may mean taking time to stop what you are doing and pray, or it might simply mean giving others the attention God would give them and showing them love. In all of this we store up treasure in heaven that is held safe for us until we encounter Jesus and claim it.

Scripture:
Matthew 6:19-24¹⁹ “Do
not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and
where thieves break in and steal, ²⁰ but store up for
yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes
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. So if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be
full of light, ²³ but if your eye is unhealthy, your whole body
will be full of darkness. If, then, the light in you is darkness, how great is
the darkness!²⁴ “No
one can serve two masters, for a slave will either hate the one and love the
other or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and
wealth.  Questions1.     
What does
it mean to store treasures in heaven, what is the treasure and how is it
stored?2.     
Does the healthy
eye in verse 22 allow light to enter the body or does it allow light to shine
out from the body, and how do people cultivate the characteristics described in
this metaphor?3.     
What does
Jesus mean in serving two masters, how are we to interpret this metaphor?4.     
What does
it mean to serve wealth and how does it lead us away from God?BackgroundRelated Scriptures: Exodus
20:3; Leviticus 19:9; Haggai 1; 1 Corinthians 13The concept of treasure
closely parallels the idea of reward Jesus has used in 6:1-18, In those paragraphs
Jesus connected reward to praise and relationship and here we should see
treasure not simply as wealth or possessions but wholistically as the things we
prize.We need to be wise about
understanding the destruction of wealth in verse 19 since we know that most
forms of wealth in Jesus’ time could easily outlast a person’s lifetime and so
stockpiling wealth is only a negative when compared with the absolute gain of
heavenly treasure.Jesus’ metaphor of the eye
in verses 22-23 is based on the ancient idea that light left the body through
the eye reflected off an object and returned to the eye and thus Jesus is
putting a moral dimension on how people understood the physical world to work. The
eye in this metaphor shines out one’s morality to the world around and if
healthy receives morality, if unhealthy it does not shine with morality or
receive morality. Jesus’ words on slavery and
service in verse 24 are difficult given our contextualization of slavery.
However, in the Greek world of Jesus’ time it was possible for two people to jointly
own a slave and divide service. The point is that service to God is so
antithetical to service to wealth that they are mutually exclusive and to do
service to one means doing the opposite of what the other wants.The either or of verse 24
helps us to understand how subtle service to wealth is since on the surface
there is little contradiction between accumulating wealth and serving God, the
hyperbole helps us understand the true distinction.The word translated wealth “mammon”
originally derives from a word meaning trust or security. It means the thing
one places trust in.ReflectionPhrases like “Do
not store up for yourselves treasures on earth” and “You cannot serve God and
wealth” give the impression that Jesus is drawing a line between being rich and
serving God. Jesus, though, is not drawing such a straight line between being
wealthy and serving God. Instead, just as he did earlier in the chapter when he
spoke of rewards (6:1), Jesus is talking of where we choose to focus our
attention. The language Jesus uses is of stockpiling treasure and the focus is
not on what the treasure is but on where it is stockpiled. Too often we treat
this passage with the focus on what treasures we are storing up, are we doing
good deeds or are we accumulating wealth. And yes there is an element of that
present here but the primary focus is not on what we are committing our lives
to. The analogy I like to think about is where are we investing our money.
Jesus wants us to ask if we are investing out wealth with ourselves or with God.This
question is echoed in verse 24 where Jesus asks us who we are serving God or our
own security (wealth). Jesus would have known that it is entirely possible to
serve two masters in the human sense, we understand that today as many people
work two jobs. The point of the metaphor is that service to God explicitly
contrasts service to other securities. We cannot serve both God and the
security of self precisely because service to God requires us to deplete the
security in our selves. The security that Jesus talks of in verse 24 is a
security that focused on gaining more resources, more money, more possessions,
more power, more clout, more fun. This security forces us to focus our
attention on the wrong things or to focus on the right things for the wrong
reasons. The goal Jesus wants us to work toward is not simply giving up wealth
or to slow down at work, what Jesus wants is for us to deposit our wealth, our
money, our work, our family all the things that matter to us with him. What
does that look like, it looks like placing the love of God and neighbor first
in our world. Going to our jobs not simply focused on a paycheck, or
advancement, or being the best in our field, but going to work so that we can improve
God’s world and the lives of others. Storing treasure with God is about asking
what is my highest priority productivity or people. Do I prioritize my life in
all of its facets the way God would have me prioritize my life or am I simply
concerned with making myself happy, storing all my riches in myself.The
commitment to stockpiling our treasure with God and serving God becomes visible
in the world around us and Jesus highlights this in his comment about the eye.
In the ancient world it was believed that sight resulted from light emitting
from our eyes and reflecting back into them. Jesus is using this as a metaphor
to say that when we are healthy—storing treasures with God or serving God—then
it will be apparent to ourselves and others because we will see well. When we
are dedicated to the right way of life then we are like a person walking
through the world with healthy eyes, clearly seeing what is around us. When we
are serving something other than God we are like a person whose vision is
impaired, walking slowly and cautiously and often stumbling on unperceived
obstacles. This concept covers everything Jesus has outlined in in 6:1-24 and
the rest of our religious lives that he did not mention. Every facet of our
lives is to be focused on storing treasure with God and when we make that a
priority we walk through the world with perfect vision. When we stockpile our
treasures in something distant from God—what Jesus calls mammon (wealth)—then
we stumble through life as though blind. Our lives then are focused on stockpiling
our lives in God’s care, or as Paul says, “whatever you do, do it for God’s
glory.” Whether you are at work, relaxing, enjoying a hobby, or busy with
family take the time to consider how that time can be storing up treasure with
God. This may mean actively sharing your faith with someone, it may mean taking
time to stop what you are doing and pray, or it might simply mean giving
others the attention God would give them and showing them love. In all of this
we store up treasure in heaven that is held safe for us until we encounter
Jesus and claim it.