Treasures In Heaven

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” – Matthew 6: 19-21 NIV

Lately, I’ve found myself often teaching through the sixth chapter of the Gospel according to Matthew. I’m unsure why (perhaps it’s just my own growing fascination with the chapter that keeps me coming back), but over and over again I find myself directing people there and teaching from these passages. And what stands out to me about this incredible chapter, is how Jesus seems to push us, his readers and listeners, to desire to give, pray, and fast so that we can rewarded by our Heavenly Father.

For all my many years in the Church, I’ve seen that we rarely talk about the idea that we should do any of those with rewards in mind. And yet, this is what Jesus talks about, over and over again.

A Bit of Context

If you’re not familiar, by the time we find ourselves here in this chapter, Jesus is teaching through what has come to be called his “Sermon on the Mount”. It’s a series of teachings that, in many ways, paint a picture for us about what the Kingdom of Heaven is like.

It begins with the “Beatitudes”, where Jesus says things like, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” and “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth” (Matthew 5: 3 & 5), painting a picture of an upside-down value structure of Heaven compared to our worldly system of blessing. Then Jesus moves on to tell his followers that they are the “salt” and “light” of the world. This leads right into him “fulfilling” the Law, by saying that hates their brother is a murder, and anyone who lusts is an adulterer (see all of this is Matthew 5).

And that brings us to Matthew 6.

Rewards In Heaven

I was teaching on fasting when I read aloud to the group, “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you,” (Matthew 6: 16-18).

Now, I’ve read these passages before, but after some back and forth with the group I was teaching, something became obvious to me. The reason that Jesus gives for fasting in this way (in a way that doesn’t let everyone know you’re fasting) is because we will be rewarded.

Seriously, that’s it.

If I were to ask you, “Why should we fast?” or “Why should we give our money to the poor” or “Why should we pray?” you might give a lot of the answers that I would give.

To honor God
Because we love God and people
To be closer to God
So that we hear from God
Or a million other “spiritual” answers that (I should add) are all good and probably right to an extent

But Jesus? In this chapter in Matthew, he makes it clear to his disciples that they should give in secret, pray in secret, and fast in secret so that “your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you” (Matthew 6:4).

It seems like such a…. I don’t know… crass idea. Like, “do this thing so you can get this better thing”. The idea feels unholy, as if having my focus on rewards means that what I’m doing for God isn’t acceptable to Him.

And yet… this is what Jesus says.

There Your Heart Will Be Also

It’s important to read scripture in its entirety, and especially to make a habit of reading the verses around the verse you hear quoted. That’s why in our articles here in the Living Room Disciple we almost always include links not to just the verse we cite, but to the whole chapter the verse is found in.

Because context matters.

So, Jesus is teaching his disciples that they should give, pray, and fast in secret, each time telling them that their Father in Heaven will reward them. In fact, chapter 6 opens like this, “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 6:1). The message is clear right? There is a reward to be had, and acting out your righteousness for others to see means you’ll lose out on that reward.

But (you may ask) why does Jesus want me to pursue reward and not… I don’t know, holiness or relationship with God?

Well, that’s a fair question.

If we read ahead we’ll get to these often quoted verses: “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:19-21).

This, I think, is the “key” to understanding what Jesus is saying.

You see, what you and I value matters. That desire in us for reward, for good things, it isn’t bad. The problem is that we always choose lesser things, things of this world. We are offered “Treasures in Heaven” but many of us would rather have our “reward in full” here on earth.

C.S. Lewis says it like this, ““It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.”

Jesus is saying that we should give, pray, and fast with a reward mindset. And, as we build up that those treasures in Heaven, we’ll find our heart drawn there as well. The pull that this world has on many of us, the desire to keep our faces glued to our phones, to numb our worry with social media or video games, or whatever else we do in order to disengage from the work that has been laid before us… perhaps it’s because we have been building up treasure here on earth, rather than pursing the rewards our Heavenly Father wants to pour onto us.

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