Mat 6:19-34 | KingComments | STEP | The last part of this chapter ( ) is about earthly possessions and the necessary things of life. The Lord gives the necessary exhortations because of the deep tendency in every human being to chase earthly treasures. The admonition not to gather treasures on earth is in contrast to the exhortation to give, which the Lord speaks of at the beginning of this chapter. There are two reasons for not setting the heart on earthly possessions. Those reasons relate to the two ways in which we can lose our treasures. First of all, they can be spoiled by forces of nature that we cannot control. Secondly, violent people can rob them of us. We can still do our best to defend ourselves against both, but the durability date of our possessions cannot be guaranteed. The Lord points out other treasures that are not perishable and cannot be stolen from us. These are the treasures in heaven. These treasures are connected with Him, “in Whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge”, that is Himself ( ). What we collect by occupying ourselves with the things that are above ( ), is of eternal, indestructible value. If we really know the Father in heaven, we have our treasure in heaven and our heart is there too. We only have one heart and that is with the object that appreciates the heart the most.

‏ Matthew 6:19-34

Treasures in Heaven

The last part of this chapter (Mt 6:19-34) is about earthly possessions and the necessary things of life. The Lord gives the necessary exhortations because of the deep tendency in every human being to chase earthly treasures. The admonition not to gather treasures on earth is in contrast to the exhortation to give, which the Lord speaks of at the beginning of this chapter.

There are two reasons for not setting the heart on earthly possessions. Those reasons relate to the two ways in which we can lose our treasures. First of all, they can be spoiled by forces of nature that we cannot control. Secondly, violent people can rob them of us. We can still do our best to defend ourselves against both, but the durability date of our possessions cannot be guaranteed.

The Lord points out other treasures that are not perishable and cannot be stolen from us. These are the treasures in heaven. These treasures are connected with Him, “in Whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge”, that is Himself (Col 2:3). What we collect by occupying ourselves with the things that are above (Col 3:1-2), is of eternal, indestructible value.

If we really know the Father in heaven, we have our treasure in heaven and our heart is there too. We only have one heart and that is with the object that appreciates the heart the most.

The Lamp of the Body

To estimate the value of the treasure in heaven, we need a clear, or single, eye. Our eye is a lamp. The eye itself is not a source of light, but it catches the light and passes it on to the body. Then the members know what they have to do. In view of the treasure in heaven, we can pray the prayer that Paul also prayed. He prayed for the believers at Ephesus for enlightened eyes of the heart (Eph 1:18), so that they might know the riches of heaven.

Nominal Christians, those who say they have a connection with the Lord Jesus, but do not have Him as their life, boast of having light. But their eye is bad. They have no treasure in heaven, but gather treasures on earth. The light they supposedly possess is in reality darkness. Whoever presumes to possess light is in the greatest possible darkness. Such a person completely shuts himself off from God’s light.

God or Wealth

It is not possible to collect treasures in heaven if our eye floats back and forth between the treasures of heaven and the treasures of earth. God and mammon are two masters who want to be served. [Wealth: Gr mamonas, for Aram mamon (mammon); i.e. wealth, etc., personified as an object of worship.] God wants us to serve Him and He is entitled to it. Mammon, the god of money and wealth, wants to entice us to serve him. It is impossible to serve both at the same time.

Many Christians believe it can be done and try it too. The Lord Jesus says here that this is not possible. God and mammon exclude each other completely, they are completely opposed to each other. Whoever says that he serves God, while his life shows that he lives for earthly things, denies his relationship to God. In practice, earthly things will gain more and more ground and so life for the glory of God will lose more and more ground.

Worries

These verses are not about the dangers of wealth, but about the worries of life. We can connect this with the petition “give us this day our daily bread” (Mt 6:11). The worries of life can take as much of our time as collecting treasures. The danger of worries does not mean that we should not take care of our family, for example, but that we are worrying about our family and mull over it. We may put the worries of life in second place in the confidence that the Lord will provide what we need. He also provides everything that is needed for nature, doesn’t He?

The Lord invites us simply to look at the birds. They all receive their livelihood because our heavenly Father feeds them. We may know that we far exceed the birds in importance. If we are aware of this, the concern for food will disappear. The same goes for the length of our lives, i.e. our lifespan, and our clothes. In order that we might not exaggerate our worry for it, He invites us to look at the lilies and the grass. When we see how God deals with them and what happens to them when they are out of bloom, the burden for these things can fall away from us. The Lord reassures His disciple, he does not have to worry about food or drink or clothing.

The people of the world have nothing else to worry about. They have no treasure in heaven and no Father in heaven and live only for earthly pleasure. It is about the focus on another world. In that light, the importance of food and drink and clothing is diminishing. To make the right choice, the eye must be focused on what is invisible, eternal and heavenly. Otherwise the choice is made for what is visible, temporary and earthly.

A disciple of the Lord may know that His heavenly Father knows that he needs and will take care of all those visible, temporary, earthly things. The first concern of a disciple can therefore be – and should be, for that is his task – for the kingdom of God and His righteousness. The search for the kingdom of God means putting oneself entirely at its service. It is to recognize the lordship of the Lord Jesus over all areas of life. It is doing what He says and saying what He wants and going where He wants us to go. The search for God’s righteousness is the search for the straight path that God shows us to walk and that Christ has gone before us.

If we serve God Who is our heavenly Father, we fall under His watchful and kind care. Our heavenly Father knows all our needs and cares about them. We can therefore be completely free of anxious worries and have complete confidence in His loving care.

The Lord says once again that we do not need to be worried, not even for tomorrow. It also makes no sense to worry about what may come tomorrow. We have enough of the evil of the day we are experiencing now. We don’t need to draw toward us now, the worries that may eventually arise tomorrow. When tomorrow comes, the worry may already have disappeared. And if worry is still there, then God is there too.