As Jesus taught through the Sermon on the Mount, His major point of emphasis was to take all matters of life and point toward our heart. In the first part of Matthew six, Jesus dealt with acts of righteousness or worship and emphasized that the outward acts are not the focus, the heart is! Beginning in Matthew 6:19 he begins to challenge them on their view of wealth.
Billy Graham once said “Give me five minutes with a person’s checkbook, and I will tell you where their heart is.” There are over 2300 verses in the bible dealing with money, possessions, or wealth in some form. Often, it is direct teaching dealing with our interaction with wealth, other times it’s a vehicle being used to describe another point (i.e. Jesus parables). There is, however, no question that how the citizen of the Kingdom of God interacts with personal possessions is very important!
TWO MASTERS
Jesus draws a line in the sand. In Matthew 6:24 He says, “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.” Is Jesus saying that wealth is evil? Is He saying that if you have wealth you’re living in disobedience to God?
WEALTHY BUT FAITHFUL
We have several examples in Scripture of people that God considered faithful people who were wealthy. Job was the richest man on earth and in Job 1:1 he is called “blameless, upright, fearing God and turning away from evil.” Abraham was wealthy (Genesis 13:2) and was considered righteous by God (Genesis 15:6). Joseph of Arimathea was a disciple of Jesus and was called a rich man (Matthew 27:57). So having possessions and wealth isn’t inherently sinful or wrong.
THE DANGER OF WEALTH
We also have many examples in scripture of wealth hindering people. In Matthew 19, Mark 10, and Luke 18 we find the same story of the rich young ruler. In this story the young, wealthy ruler comes to Jesus, bows before him and asks “What shall I do to inherit eternal life?” (Luke 18:18).
Jesus responds and tells him to keep the Law to which the ruler replies in Luke 18:21: “All these things I have kept from my youth”. But then Jesus, drops a bomb on him. He says “One thing you still lack; sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” (Luke 18:24) The response of the young rich man is heartbreaking. He left Jesus filled with sadness, for he was a rich man. (Luke 18:23)
This is a frequently misunderstood and misused passage. Jesus wasn’t giving a sweeping command for everyone to give everything away to go to heaven, but He knew the heart of this rich young ruler as He was talking to him. Jesus knew that his wealth and possessions were his stumbling block. The rich young ruler’s money was his master, and Jesus made him choose between God and his money. Sadly, the young man chose his money. This story illustrates Matthew 6:24 perfectly.
Matthew 6:19-21- Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroy, and where thieves do not break in or steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Jesus takes the issue of wealth and possessions to the heart. His consistency in His message throughout the Sermon on the Mount can’t be ignored. He is elevating every aspect of human life out of the deadness of outward expression and taking it back to the heart motivation of loving God with everything. In the story of the rich young ruler, Jesus exposed the heart of the man.
TREASURE IN HEAVEN
What are treasures in heaven? Jesus is using business lingo to make a larger point. He is dealing with earthly possessions; how can you possibly store something earthly in nature in heaven?
The apostle Paul gives us a wonderful explanation in 1 Timothy 6:7-11.
1 Timothy 6:8-11- But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is the root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with much grief. But flee from these things, you man of God, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love and gentleness.
This passage is well known. You’ll hear people say “money is the root of all evil!” in reference to this passage. You’ll notice, however, the passage doesn’t say that. It says “the LOVE of money is the root of all sorts of evil.” Paul gives the same stern warning to his protégé Timothy in this passage that Jesus is giving his audience in the Sermon on the Mount. The pursuit of this world WILL distract us from what we should be pursuing! We should be pursuing righteousness, godliness, faith, love and gentleness as our hearts pursue God!
The reward is imperishable, cannot be stolen, will not be lost in a stock market crash, will not rust or deteriorate in any way. In other words, it’s the perfect investment. The risk analysis of the investment is off the charts in our favor!
Practically, it means we will put our earthly possessions in the right place, viewing them as a gift from God (James 1:17). It means we’ll be content and grateful for what we receive (1 Timothy 6:6). It also means we’ll pursue opportunities to be generous!
1 Timothy 1:17-18- Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy. Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share.
When Paul says “those who are rich in this present world”; that would apply to almost all of us living in America today. However, Paul’s message here is the same message Jesus was giving. It’s not about the outward act of generosity or a restriction on how much someone can have. It’s about your heart motivation! It’s possible for a person without much money to love and pursue wealth with their heart just as it is for a person with a lot to pursue their wealth. It’s also possible for a rich person to hold what they have with a heart of gratitude and be willing to do good with what God has given them. The riches are not the issue, it’s a matter of the heart.
DO NOT WORRY!
Matthew 6:25- for this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not the life more than food, and the body more than clothing?
Jesus reminds His audience that God has supplied the birds of the air with what they need for food despite their inability to sow, reap, or store. Jesus isn’t pointing to inactivity. Birds are always working and moving when it’s time to eat, unless they are a baby in their mother’s nest. They are, however, able to find what they need. Jesus says that is God’s provision. Then He reminds the audience that they are greater than the birds in the creation order. If God will provide for these birds, of course He’ll provide for those made in his image!
He then does the same thing with clothing in Matthew 6:28. Jesus says that the lilies of the field are clothed better than even a king. Yet they’re here today and gone tomorrow in a season. Yet God has provided for them, He’ll do the same for you!
CONCLUSION
Jesus finishes this portion of the Sermon on the Mount by reminding his audience to seek HIS kingdom and HIS righteousness and their needs would be provided (Matt 6:33). It’s similar to the way he started this section telling them to “store up treasures in heaven”. He’s teaching to have an eternal perspective on all things, including earthly possessions.
In 1 Timothy 6:7 Paul says “For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it.” Everything we accumulate while living on this earth will stay here. However, the good we do with our earthly possessions motivated by a pure love for God, will be rewarded eternally!