Lay Up Treasures – Matthew 6:19-24
Monetary dissatisfaction and the desire for more possessions are not new phenomena. in Matthew 6:19-24, Jesus gently confronts his disciples’ desire for more beckoning them to redirect their desires’ toward those things of eternal value.
King Midas and the Golden Touch Retold by Pamela Oldfield
The Fellowship of the Ring, The Shadow of the Past, JR Tolkein, pp. 60-62
Theranos, American Scandal, narrated by Lindsay Graham
Regardless of what we make or don’t make, all of these stories, examples, and numbers never seem to stem the tide of monetary dissatisfaction, the need for more.
How do we resolve the cognitive dissonance between money doesn’t bring me happiness and our constant desire for more?
16 And behold, a man came up to him, saying, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” 17 And he said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments.” 18 He said to him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, 19 Honor your father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 20 The young man said to him, “All these I have kept. What do I still lack?” 21 Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” 22 When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. 23 And Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” 25 When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?” 26 But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” –Matthew 19:16–26 ESV
Jesus gives us three scenes:
The Storing up of Treasures found in v. 19-21
The Eye of the Body Analogy found in v. 22-23
And The Warning of Two Masters found in v. 24
A few things to note as we study this passage.
Jesus does not completely reject wealthy or wealthy people.
Jesus does not blanketly preach against owning possessions.
The Storing up of Treasures
Jesus is preaching against the idol of accumulation or the importance of earthly possessions.
The Eye of the Body Analogy
When possessions become an idol occupying the place designed for God, we cross lines we never intended to cross. Possessions are mysteriously idolatrous.
The Warning of Two Masters
Jesus says, no one can serve two masters. You either love God or you love money. You can’t love both.
“The commonest god in the world is Success, and the Christian no less than others wants to be successful in something. But this saying teaches that we cannot work largely for God and then moonlight for Gain—it is one or the other.”– Dale Brunner
Spiritual Practice
Jesus does not “remove desire” but rather “redirects it.”
Make a reverse bucket list.
“Each year on my birthday, I list my wants and attachments—the stuff that fits under the categories of money, power, pleasure, and honor. I try to be completely honest. I don’t list stuff I would actually hate and never choose, like a sailboat or a vacation house. Rather, I go to my weaknesses, most of which—I’m embarrassed to admit—involve the admiration of others for my work.
Then I imagine myself in five years. I am happy and at peace, living a life of purpose and meaning. I make another list of the forces that would bring me this happiness: my faith, my family, my friendships, the work I am doing that is inherently satisfying and meaningful and that serves others.
Inevitably, these sources of happiness are “intrinsic”—they come from within and revolve around love, relationships, and deep purpose. They have little to do with the admiration of strangers. I contrast them with the things on the first list, which are generally “extrinsic”—the outside rewards associated with money, power, pleasure, and honor. Most research has shown that intrinsic rewards lead to far more enduring happiness than extrinsic rewards.” – Arthur Brooks
