Journey of the Word

Now that we’ve figured out what treasure is . . .

Well, not really. But my thoughts lead me to Matthew 6. Jesus says three things about this treasure stuff. And it really makes me wonder if I should have it or not.

Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. Matt 6:19

That’s pretty straightforward. So, whatever treasure is, I shouldn’t store it up on this earth. Treasure on this earth corrodes and fades. And, just imagine. If you don’t hide those valuables well enough, they’re just gonna get stolen, because earthly-minded people want treasure, and sometimes pretty badly. But Jesus says, “Not you. You don’t really want treasure, because it’s not worth anything in the end. I’ve got a better plan for your treasures and your treasuring.”

But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 6:20

So, I should put my treasure in heaven. Right now. While I’m on earth.

How do I store up treasure in heaven while I’m living on earth? If treasure is typically “valuable possessions or money that I would want to keep hidden for a particular reason, making sure that no one would find it and take it,” how is it that I am supposed to transport that stuff to heaven instead? Wow, that’s a thought.

Maybe another way to ask the question: If I’m not supposed to keep treasures, what am I supposed to do with them? In a passage parallel to Matthew 6, Jesus says something quite interesting.

Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the Kingdom. Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
Luke 12:32-34

And check out Luke 18:22, where Jesus addresses a man who was extremely rich:

When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “One thing you still lack. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”

Instead of storing up, sell and give. This is “laying up treasure in heaven,” perhaps? No one can get to this treasure to take it away. It’s the long-lasting kind. The eternal kind. But you can make deposits now.

One final word from Jesus:

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 6:21

If my treasure is on earth, that’s where my heart will be. If my treasure is in heaven, that’s where my heart will be. And, as my eternal dwelling is in the heavens, a home not made with hands, that’s where I want my heart to be as I live on this earth.

A possible summary of Matt 6:19-21 (& Luke 12:32-34):

I should keep no treasure in this earthly life, but instead sell it and give it away, thus building up treasure in my heavenly home. If my treasure is in heaven, that’s where my heart will be. And that’s where I want it.

[image credit: pixabay.com, journeyoftheword.com]