Treasure

Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on 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 and steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! (Matthew 6:19-23)

Matthew 6 records part of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. It's the chapter that contains the Lord's Prayer, recited every week by millions of people at thousands of churches around the world. It also contains the often-quoted verses above.

I've been prone to see this chapter as a bunch of unrelated teachings, as Jesus just threw out as much wisdom as He could in the shortest time possible to a large audience. I visualized Him as the pastor of a mega-church with one of those time clock thingies hanging above the sound booth where only He could see it: "Ok, two minutes left...gotta talk about divorce and hit on fasting before the band starts playing me off the stage....what if these people never come back to church?!" (Let's be real: we can all see the time clock, and you know you've checked it before to see how long you had to go before you could bolt for lunch.)

But as I re-read this chapter earlier this week at the prompting of a friend, I realized that there was a common thread, and (as arbitrary as chapter breaks sometimes seem) these things were included in the same chapter on purpose. In fact, Jesus mentioned them at the same time on purpose.

There are many meanings in scripture; it's like a prism, hitting us with light in different places every time we read it. That's why I love it so much. That's also why the following interpretation is not the only one to be had. It's just a thought that occurred to me, so I thought I would share it.

The preceding chapter (that would be Matthew 5, if you're keeping up), is the one that is full of hard-hitting truths about particular sins (lust, oaths, anger, etc.). You know, the one your pastor never preached on so as not to offend people. Or, maybe you went to a church that preached on it constantly in order to put a big Hollywood spotlight on sin. In any case, Jesus was a master speaker, and He used the emphasis on sin to build up the heart of His message: the kingdom of God.

Chapter 6 begins with Jesus' warnings against a hypocritical "religious" lifestyle. He admonishes his listeners not to make a show of giving to the needy; or of praying loudly, with fake sincerity, to get attention. A few paragraphs down, He broaches the subject of public fasting as well. Sandwiched between these instructions is the Lord's Prayer, which seems a bit out of place.

This thought hit me as I read chapter 6: these are all warnings against our making a show of our relationship with God. The real sin, then, is caring what the world thinks of you.

The Lord's Prayer is all about speaking God's kingdom into earth, about being on the offensive against the devil. It sounds unobtrusive and passive, but it's really a one-two punch on the enemy: "Thy kingdom come, they will be done, on earth as it is in heaven."

What would it look like if we all prayed God's authority over the earth just as it is in heaven? We certainly wouldn't be worried about how "religious" or "righteous" we looked like to everyone else. Our concern would be less about our facade of righteousness and more about the real, authentic righteousness of God raining down on all the people of the earth, showering the lost with living water and purifying the bride (Ephesians 5:26-27).

With this prayer, Jesus is, as usual, pointing our eyes back to where they should be focused: not on gaining the approval of others, but bringing His kingdom to earth.

Then Jesus delivers the kicker: "Do not store up treasures for yourself on earth, which will be destroyed, but store up treasures in heaven, which cannot be taken away from you."

If you take the verse in context, He's not talking about literal treasure (although the same principle still applies, and He mentions money in verse 24). He's talking about your reputation, about how people view you. He says that people who are concerned about this "have received their reward" (verse 2). Their reward is as fleeting as the smile of approval they gain from others. It just simply doesn't last, unlike the kingdom, which is eternal, after all.

The more you care about what people think of you, the less you care about His kingdom. "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."

So, if the eye is the lamp of the body, and you focus it on your earthly identity--that is, the identity you can build for yourself based on what other people think--then your whole body will be full of darkness. But if you focus it on His kingdom, it will be full of light.

He is the Light of the World, after all.

The end of chapter 6 is also often quoted (as is everything in the Sermon on the Mount). It's about not being anxious--you know, the passage of "lilies of the field" and "birds of the air" fame. Jesus is emphasizing to His followers how much God cares about them; if only they would realize it, they wouldn't be concerned about food or clothing.

He's not telling us to be nudists. He's saying that, yes, we need these things, and we can even enjoy them. But they shouldn't be our focus. His kingdom should be our focus.

Especially when these material possessions begin to consume our identity. How many of us have stressed out about an outfit before, especially one for a special occasion? (If you say you haven't, I'm convinced you're lying.) Jesus is saying, "It's ok--don't freak out about your suits or your shoes. Your identity is in the kingdom."

"But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you," said Jesus (verse 33).

Which is not to say high heels are going to rain down from heaven like manna. (That would be painful.) It's also not to say that we should go around dressed like dowdy old ladies or Steve Urkel. These statements are about more than clothing or food themselves.

Your reputation on earth is unimportant. If you are really seeking the kingdom, you will be righteous, and you won't have to worry if your prayers and fasting--or even your clothes--look good to everyone else. You'll be wearing Jesus' robes of righteousness...take that, Prada.

The kingdom of God is far bigger than adhering to rituals and making sure everyone knows you do. It's about the state of your heart. Jesus encourages us to look at the true Light, that our eyes may really see.

I want to have a kingdom state of heart, not a worldly state of heart. Because where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

And I'll be darned if my heart is going to rot away in the opinions of others.