8/7/2024
Elijah McSwain, Sr.
Matthew 6:19-21 NKJV — “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 your heart will be also.
In part of Jesus’ discourse of the Sermon on the Mount, He dealt with the aspects of earthly treasures, heavenly treasures, and what a person actually treasures reveals the condition of the heart. Here in Matthew 6:19-21, Jesus draws out the contrast between earthly treasures and heavenly treasures to showcase the significance of one over the other. The emphasis is placed on seeking treasures that can be stored up in heaven for eternity that is free from decay, destruction, and theft. The declaration is made that earthly treasures are subject to thieves, rust, and moth, whereas heavenly treasures are not confined to those earthly elements. Earthly treasures bring about temporal satisfaction, are insecure, and can be decomposed over time. However, heavenly treasures have eternal satisfaction, are safeguarded and reserved in heaven, and have a permanent nature of being indestructible. Jesus vividly spent time on this matter to make the point of not being consumed with things that are confined to time but to make continuous investments in heaven for eternity.
Richard France alluded to the fact that Jesus was intentional on getting His audience to focus on their sense of priorities and point out that to be primarily concerned with material possessions not only shows a wrong perspective but is also foolish, since such possessions cannot last. 1
Please note that Jesus does not give a prohibition against having wealth, but He gave a stark warning about its finite nature and having the wrong attitude regarding materialism. In the following sections, it is imperative to examine treasure in relation to the heart which is a reflection of our attitude.
The Connection Between Treasure and The Heart
Matthew 6:21 affirms “for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” This reveals that there is a strong connection between what a person treasures and the heart. The essence of what a person sets out to seek in this life and give themselves fully to is where their heart is.
Clarence Haynes Jr. acclaimed “one way to define treasure is the things you value that capture the affections of your heart. Since Jesus matches your affections to what is in your heart, how do you measure what your heart is drawn to? The answer is simple. Look at how you spend your time and how you spend your money. Here is another way I like to phrase this. You will find your heart at the intersection of your time and your money. Once you come to this intersection and understand the things you value, you can determine whether you are trying to store up treasures on earth or in heaven.” 2
We all must consider what are we giving our time, energy and money to. Whatever has our attention is what we treasure. What do you treasure that has captured your heart? What or who is highly prized and valued by you?
What we treasure reveals the things that we value. Our hearts are drawn to what we hold in high esteem. Therefore, what a person treasures is given first priority or full priority in his or her life.
If anything or anyone is given priority over the Lord, then it is idolatry. Often, such an attachment to things or other people causes them to be enslaved to what has captured their heart due to what they treasure. Romans 6:16 (NLT) records “don’t you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living.” Warren Wiersbe in his book Be Loyal wrote “it is not wrong to possess things, but it is wrong for things to possess us. The sin of idolatry is as dangerous as the sin of hypocrisy. Jesus warned against the sin of living for the things of this life. He pointed out the sad consequences of covetousness and idolatry. Materialism will enslave the heart, the mind, and the will. We can become shackled by the material things of this life, but we ought to be liberated and controlled by the Spirit of God.” 3
Jesus spoke of this in the gospel of Matthew. In a conversation with the rich young ruler Jesus stressed to him in Matthew 19:21-22 (NKJV) “if you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me. But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.” The rich young ruler was not willing to let go of his material possessions due to his attachment to earthly things. He valued the temporal things of this life more than Christ and was not willing to forsake what he had accumulated in order to live for Christ.
He was possessed by his possessions.
Jesus used the man’s possessions to test the true measure of his heart. By no means, was Jesus stating that this young man could purchase salvation by selling what he had but Christ placed emphasis on the conditionality of the man’s heart being tied to his possessions. The man loved his possessions more than he loved God and his neighbor based on the passage drawn from Matthew 19:16-22. The notion of loving the things of creation over the Creator is idolatry and covetousness. Therefore, here in the gospel of Matthew 6:21, Jesus advocates that where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
John Gill stressed “this seems to be a proverbial expression, and contains in it another reason, dissuading from worldly mindedness; because of the danger the heart is in of being ensnared and ruined thereby: and the sense of it is, if your treasure is on earth, and lies in earthly things, your hearts will be set upon them, and be in them, in your bags, your coffers and storehouses; and so your souls will be in danger of being lost; which loss will be an irreparable one, though you should gain the whole world. But if your treasure is put into the hands of God, your hearts will be with Him and be settled on Him; your desires will be after heavenly things; your affections will be set on things above; your conversation will be in heaven, whilst you are on earth; and that will be the place and seat of your happiness, to all eternity.” 4
Inevitably, there is an undeniable connection between what we treasure and our hearts. Proverbs 27:19 (NKJV) insist “as in water face reflects face, so a man’s heart reveals the man.” The Holman KJV Study Bible makes known “just as water mirrors a face, a man’s heart shows the true nature of the man.” 5 What is revealed from the seat of our minds, which is the heart, reflects what we treasure, value, and hold in high esteem. Do we treasure things or people above God? If so, we need to reevaluate our hearts and ask the Lord to help us treasure Him above all else.
A Self Examination of Our Hearts Focus
The undertone of Matthew 6:19-21 should cause every person to examine their hearts. A self-examination of our hearts will cause us to be conscious of the things that we treasure. Again, Matthew 6:21 acknowledges “for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Since what we treasure is connected to our hearts, we need to pay careful attention to what we treasure as it reveals the condition of the heart. Every person, especially Christians should carefully inspect our hearts to see if we are walking in the will of God. Lamentations 3:40-41 (NKJV) implies “let us search out and examine our ways and turn back to the LORD; let us lift our hearts and hands to God in heaven.”
The Lord desires that we have a reorientation of the heart and shift our focus on Him first and foremost. Of course, this internal examination comes through the convicting power of God.
Psalm 139:23-24 (ESV) communicates the profound nature of the psalmist wanting God to “search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me and lead me in the way everlasting!” For individuals to possess this same mindset today gives way for the transforming power of the Lord to renew the mind and to redirect a person’s course of action in life. A person’s change in orientation should empower them to pursue God and all of the righteous things that He desires. Thus, a person’s willingness to make God his or her priority demonstrates their high esteem for God. Matthew 6:33 (NKJV) is emphatically clear that we should “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” Seeking the Lord showcases that we place a higher value on Him than the things of this world.
Redirection of what a person treasures is key to a transformative change in heart.
Luke 19:1-10 is a prime example of a transformative change of the heart from cherishing materialism to that of cherishing the Lord. Jesus had just entered and passed through Jericho. There was a man named Zacchaeus who was the chief tax collector, and he was very rich. He sought to see Jesus as He was passing by but could not see he for the crowd. He elected to climb up a sycamore tree to behold Jesus as He passed by. When Jesus came that way, He looked up and saw Zacchaeus and told him to make haste and come down for He would reside at his house. Zacchaeus was a man of great economic status and wealth. When He encountered Jesus, he had a change of heart. He said, Lord I will give half of my goods to the poor and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I will restore fourfold. Jesus responded today salvation has come to your house, for the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost. Zacchaeus was not saved on the premise of him giving to the poor but by his belief in Christ. The fact that he called Christ, Lord, showed the convictional state of his heart and the end result was seen in Christ’s declaration of salvation.
The MacArthur Study Bible affirmed “Zacchaeus’ willingness to make restitution was proof that his conversion was genuine. It was the fruit, not the condition, of his salvation. The law required a penalty of one-fifth as restitution for money acquired by fraud (Lev. 6:5; Num. 5:6, 7), so Zacchaeus was doing more than was required. The law required 4-fold restitution only when an animal was stolen and killed (Ex. 22:1). If the animal was found alive, only two-fold restitution was required (Ex. 22:4). But Zacchaeus judged his own crime severely, acknowledging that he was as guilty as the lowest common robber. Since much of his wealth had probably been acquired fraudulently, this was a costly commitment. On top of that, he gave half his goods to the poor. But Zacchaeus had just found incomprehensible spiritual riches and did not mind the loss of material wealth.” 6
Zacchaeus was no longer consumed with materialism because of the transformation of his heart. The very moment that he encountered Jesus, he reevaluated his stronghold of being attached to earthly possessions as he found the greatest treasure in Christ.
He was willing to relinquish material possessions for the sake of getting acquainted with Jesus Christ. This is the same sentiment of Matthew 6:19-21 that challenges us as readers and hearers to fathom where true wealth is found. True wealth is found in a person's connection with God rather than in worldly abundance. Our life should be one that advocates generosity for others but ultimately be spiritually focused on the Lord.
The Preacher’s Outline and Sermon Bible reveals “a man’s heart is precisely where his treasure is. If his treasure is on earth his heart is on earth. If his treasure is in heaven, his heart is in heaven.” 7
Let us treasure the things of God so that we will pursue Him wholeheartedly by investing in heaven’s depository.
References
France, Richard T. 1994. “Matthew.” In New Bible Commentary: 21st Century Edition, edited by D. A. Carson, R. T. France, J. A. Motyer, and G. J. Wenham, 4th ed., 913. Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press.
https://www.christianity.com/wiki/bible/how-do-i-store-up-treasures-in-heaven.html
Warren Wiersbe. Be Loyal. Following the King of Kings. 1980.
John Gill’s Exposition of the Bible
The Holman KJV Study Bible
The MacArthur Study Bible
The Preacher’s Outline and Sermon Bible