In the middle of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus gives a striking teaching on money and possessions:
19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, 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. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!
24 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.
Jesus teaches about our treasures in verses 19-21, our eyes in verses 22-23, and our masters in verse 24. He invites us to think critically about our allegiance, our desires, and our possessions.
Jesus gives two commands:
- “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth.”
- “Store up for yourselves treasures in heaven.”
He reasons that treasures on earth are subject to theft and decay, but treasures in heaven are protected. They are imperishable and unfading. It is better to invest our lives into things that will last.
After these commands, he shares seven indicative statements:
- “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
- “The eye is the lamp of the body.”
- “If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light.”
- “If your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness.
- “No one can serve two masters.”
- “You will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other.”
- “You cannot serve God and money.”
I think about the relationship between our worship, desires, and treasures as concentric circles. Our treasures are the most superficial things about us (the outermost ring), our desires take us deeper into our true selves, and our allegiances are the core of who we are. See the image below:
Everything about us flows from our core, from who or what we worship.
I believe Jesus is saying that if money is your god, then your “eyes will be unhealthy,” (literally “evil eye”). The phrase “evil eye” is an ancient metaphor for greed, envy, and covetousness. So, if money is your god, you will be greedy. If you are greedy, then you will end up storing up for yourself treasures on earth.
When money is your god, it is where you find your identity, worth, comfort, and security. It gives you status, respect, and power. The only way to appease the god of money is by accumulating more. To have less is to be less. If your worth is tied to the things you accumulate, you will have no choice but to store up for yourself treasures on earth.
However, storing your treasures on earth always leads to anxiety. As Jesus tells us, our stuff is not safe on earth. They can get broken, lost, or stolen. You will have to spend time, money, and energy trying to keep it safe. “The things you own end up owning you.” Not only that, our stuff cannot satisfy us. How many children desperately want a toy for Christmas only to be bored with it a month later? Humans never grow out of this. This is why Jesus commands up not to store up our treasures on earth. He is not inherently anti-possessions, but he knows that placing our worth in our possessions never leads to life and joy.
On the flip side, when God is your God, your eyes are healthy and you see money rightly. You see that God has graciously given you money in order to sustain your life and advance his purposes. When your eyes are healthy you see money as a tool, not a treasure. When money is a tool, you can give it away more freely. We then store up treasures in heaven through acts of love, kindness, and generosity.
What Should We Do?
Money and possessions both reveal what we love and shape what we love. Change is both inside-out or outside-in. What we love informs what we do, and what we do reinforces what we love.
Zacchaeus is a biblical example of inside-out change. When he encountered the love of Jesus, he willingly gave away half of his possessions and repaid 4x what he stole from others (Luke 19:10). His generosity was evidence of the heart change that had taken place. God dethroned money as the king of Zacchaeus’ heart, causing Zacchaeus to see clearly how his greed damaged his community, ultimately leading to his radical act of generosity.
Maybe your conversion story isn’t that dramatic. Maybe there is still a battle for who is on the throne of your heart. If that is you, my encouragement is to start giving even if you don’t feel like it. Giving changes us in unique ways. It is an act of faith that God will provide. It teaches us the secret of contentment (see Philippians 4:12). It allows you to be an answer to prayer for somebody else. We can only learn from experience that “it is more blessed to give than to receive.”
As we take steps in generosity, our desire to give increases. We start to see the world differently. Instead of asking what we will get, we ask what we can contribute. Our eyes become healthier. We see things as they really are and God takes his rightful place as king of our heart.
Jesus is inviting us to examine:
Who is the king of your heart?
Where are your treasures?