The Treasury of the Heart Part 1

In these days of runaway public and private debt, rampant unemployment and foreclosures it seems appropriate to consider what Jesus teaches about money and possessions.

"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 moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Jesus, Matthew 6:19-21NIV)

What Jesus Isn’t Saying
If all we do is look at this on the surface we could come away with the wrong idea. Is Jesus saying, “Forfeit all your Social Security, turn over your 401k to the church, get rid of all your retirement investments, sell your cars and stop eating at restaurants?” No.

That reading of this text is a good example of why regular Bible reading is important. It keeps us from reading Scripture like a child.

One Sunday the teacher at the Durham [Kansas] Baptist Church asked the children to raise their hands if they wanted to go to heaven. Every child raised a hand except one. "You don't want to go to heaven?" asked the surprised teacher.
"No," came the almost tearful reply. "I want to stay here in Durham."

The way to avoid misinterpreting Scripture is to read one text on a given topic with all the other teachings on that same topic in mind. Let Scripture interpret Scripture.

Here is what the broad scope of Scripture teaches about possessions –
It requires a man to provide for his relatives (1Tim 5:8).
It encourages us to enjoy the good things the Creator has given us (1Tim 4:3-4; 6:17).
It encourages work and provision for the future (Prov 6:6-8).

Since Jesus is the ultimate author of Scripture we can say without hesitation that He is not against money, possessions or saving for the future. I think John Wesley had it right when he said the following about the production of wealth. “Work as hard as you can, to make all the money that you can and spend as little as you can in order to give away all that you can.”

What Jesus Is Speaking Against
Jesus is not against money, he’s against greed. Jesus is not against possessions, he’s against covetousness. Jesus is not against the enjoyment of good things, he’s against the worship of things. Jesus is warning us not about the earning of money for good purposes. He’s warning us about “laying up treasure for ourselves.” He’s warning us about putting all of our hopes and dreams in our money and possessions. For where your treasure is, there your heart will also be.